Chapter 0257

Isabella

His voice was so familiar.

Midnight lowered her guard instantly.

It sounded exactly like the Julian I knew.

My brother.

Not the insane monster everyone described.

I hadn't seen him since Sophia's death.

When Zachary spotted him on the street, the thought of facing him overwhelmed me.

I had fled to the car immediately.

I still didn't comprehend why he abandoned the pack.

I definitely didn't understand why he chose her.

The very thing he claimed to despise.

"Don't." I whispered, feeling my heart shatter anew.

"Don't what?" He spoke from the shadows of his cell. "Call you sister?"

I frowned, studying his weary, gaunt face.

He had been handsome once.

All the women adored him, hanging on his every word.

But now he looked drained and hollow.

Nothing like I imagined.

A mate bond should provide strength, yet his seemed to have drained him completely.

I glanced back at Brianna.

She remained silent, just as I requested.

"Why did you bring her? That stupid bitch is why I'm here." Julian growled.

Brianna rolled her eyes.

I turned back to my brother. "You're alive because of her and Alexander. Alexander brought you back."

"And threw me in the dungeons. Though he's made some improvements since I was last here." He laughed, his thin shoulders shaking with the sound.

Surely Alexander saw what I did.

Julian wasn't thinking clearly.

Something was terribly wrong.

'Aspen is weak.' Midnight murmured. 'The constant shifting has weakened him. Julian isn't allowing time for his bones to heal. It's like he's punishing himself.'

"What has she turned you into?" I asked, overwhelmed by sadness.

He spread his arms wide. "This is me, sis. I don't know who you're talking about."

"This isn't you. This isn't even a shell of you. You're not the brother I know and love."

He chuckled again. "Maybe my mate just showed me who I'm supposed to be."

"She's not your mate, Julian. She's just some whore you attached yourself to, and she's using you."

"Jealous?"

"Of you? How could anyone be jealous of you, Julian. I'll always care about you because you're my twin. But jealousy? You're on another planet if you think I'm jealous! Don't you care about me, Alexander, the pack?"

"No."

One word.

One single word that shattered everything around me.

He didn't hesitate.

He didn't pause to consider his answer.

It just tumbled out, final and absolute.

"She really means that much to you?"

"She's my mate."

"No she isn't. A mate isn't someone we choose. A mate isn't someone who forces us to do things we disagree with. A mate is chosen for us because they make us complete."

"Why would you think I disagree with her? I went to her, and she agreed to help me."

"With what?" Brianna muttered.

I glared at her, and she pretended to zip her lips shut.

"It's insane that you act like she belongs in the pack." Julian mused. "It's insane that you let them infiltrate our way of life."

"You marked a Lycan! Why is it okay for you but not for us?"

He rolled his dark eyes. "Oh Isabella!"

'He's completely lost it.' Midnight murmured.

"I'm guessing she wants to kill Athena, and you want to destroy our pack because you blame us for your stupid moves! But if you don't believe in pack life, what's the fucking point?"

"What did you hope for, Isabella? That you'd come down here and find a way to save me? You're the one who needs your eyes opened."

I moved to the wooden chair and sat down.

Brianna leaned against the wall.

She picked at her fingernails, pretending to lose interest in Julian's words.

"Do you have something to say?" I muttered.

She frowned, raising her eyes to meet mine.

The look clearly said I had told her to be quiet, so that's what she was doing.

I gestured for her to speak.

Brianna straightened her back.

She stepped forward into Julian's direct line of sight.

He growled immediately, but it didn't stop her.

"I'm confused." She shrugged. "I heard you tell Seraphina that you could use me. That you could gain information from me. Isn't that why you kept me alive? She was ready to kill me, and you stopped her. Why?"

"Fuck off!" Julian growled.

"Anyone would think you had a soft spot for me. Yet here you are, acting like I'm the world's worst villain."