Chapter 51
(Jesse’s POV)
“Where’s your bastard baby?” I ask Layla when I answer the door to let her into my pack house.
“Shove it, Jesse. You called me, remember?”
I can’t help the smirk that plays at my lips. “Hm, not such a bimbo after all.”
I turn to walk toward my office.
I hear the door slam and the clicking of her high heels on hardwood as she trails behind me. “I’ve never been a bimbo. I can see that you don’t need or want “little old helpless me” anymore, so I gave up that part of my act.”
We enter my office. I wait by the door for her to come in, then close and lock it for our privacy. I can’t help but notice her curves as she walks by me to a wingback armchair.
She sits and crosses her legs.
Her red dress hugs her body in the best possible way. My eyes scan down from her straightened chin-length blonde bob. The dress clings perfectly to her breasts and hips, falling at about mid-calf. The left side has a slit that extends up her thigh to damn near her hip. I suppress a moan at the sight of her and remind myself that I hate her. Then I stride over and take my seat.
“We need to work together,” I tell her.
“And why is that?” she asks while sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.
“You want Santiago, correct?”
Her green eyes shine as she stares into me with a smirk.
“Well, I need Isabella,” I say.
She nods. “Alright… let's hear your plan.”
“Good, I’m going to need you to come up with some foolproof way to distract Santiago. He must not go anywhere near the courthouse for the pack handover proceeding.”
“I can do that. But, why?”
“You don’t need to concern yourself with that.”
She purses her lips together. “Jesse, here I thought you figured out I’m not the bimbo you have been underestimating…I either know the full plan or I’m out, and you can do it yourself.”
I slam my hands on the table as a growling roar escapes my lips and vibrates the room. My fangs elongate, and I snarl to show the gleaming white enameled blades.
“This whole thing is your fault!” I spit out at her. “Do what you are told.”
She stands up. “Thanks for the offer of collaboration and cooperation, Alpha Jesse. But, no. I’ll see myself out.”
Layla starts to leave. As she reaches for the doorknob, I cave. “Fine, I’ll tell you. Sit back down…Please?”
She smiles like a toddler who just got her way and returns to her chair.
“I have a contact who was able to cause trouble with the handover, with the appearance of trade violations. We can make it look like Santiago did it.”
She laughs. “Well, that’s genius.”
“Thanks, I know.”
At the courthouse for the pack handover proceeding, the judge informs Isabella that her trade operations are non-compliant, and her assets have been frozen.
“Alpha Isabella Costa, in order to complete the process of restoring your position as pack leader to Caladrius Moon Pack, you must meet the requirements laid out in this document…Bailiff, kindly hand this over to Alpha Costa.”
I can’t help but smile. That document is at least a hundred pages long.
“Shouldn’t the Alpha who caused the non-compliance be required to correct his mistakes?” she asks. “I had nothing to do with this mess.”
“It is your pack and now, your responsibility, Alpha. Court adjourned.”
I find her sitting in the hallway reading.
A low growl rumbles from within her, but she doesn’t look up to meet my gaze.
“Hey,” I say.
“Go fuck yourself, Jesse.”
“Look, I understand why you’re upset. I am too. But you need to know that this…” I take the document out of her hand and force her to look up at me. “This was a new development, that your boyfriend caused, not me.”
“Boyfriend,” she shrieks in a whisper. “Second. Chance. Mate. And, there is no way he did this.”
“Well, he didn’t show up for court today, did he?” I return.
“He had other pressing business to attend to, and the court proceeding was supposed to be a formality.”
“He pushed this through last night, Isabella. Think about this…which pack ultimately oversees our region’s trade operations?”
She cuts her eyes down and to the left…
Good. She’s processing this.
She shakes her head. “No, he wouldn’t do this to me.”
I hand over the document packet. “Well, Love, for your sake…I sincerely hope you are right.”
Her brown eyes swim in tears, making me feel a twinge of guilt.
She reaches for her bag and stands, placing it on her shoulder. “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“Good luck,” I say.
(Isabella’s POV)
This has to be some sort of mistake. Santiago helped me get the pack back, he wouldn’t mess up trade operations and cheat the system.
The court document suggests that the pack’s funds were “inappropriately utilized.” I return to the pack house. Santiago is nowhere to be seen.
I check his office, study, bedroom, and the field.
Where the hell is he?
I change into my sweats and go find Levi. He’s training the Gamma warriors. I wait. After he finishes a sparring match, he locks eyes with me and dismisses the group. He hops out of the ring and strides over.
“Hey there, Alpha Isabella. How’s it feel to be reinstated as the leader of Caladrius Moon?”
“Hey, Levi. I wouldn’t know.”
He frowns. “What do you mean? What happened?”
I explain everything and tell him what Jesse said. Levi agrees with me that it doesn’t make sense, and as Beta, he is aware of Santiago’s business dealings.
“I really don’t think that Santiago has anything to do with this,” Levi says.
“I know. I just…I don’t know what to do. I need his help. Do you know where he is?”
Levi’s face goes completely white. He runs his fingers through his hair and drops eye contact with me.
“Levi, what do you know? Where is he? Is he alright?”
“He is out, Isabella. He’s had to leave the territory to deal with a conflict with his father and Layla’s child. As far as I know he’s still outside of range for mindlinking and I do not know when to expect his return to the pack house. I’m sorry.”
My eyes widen and I feel a twinge of pain in my gut at the mention of him being with Layla.
“What is our mate doing with her!” my wolf shouts. Her howl of pain is like an ice pick through my ears to my brain.
“It’s not his baby, Bella! Why is he with her!” she says with a growl.
“Levi, what is the issue with Layla and her child? It’s my understanding that Santiago isn’t the father. And…what does any of that have to do with Karan? How is he involved?”
“Bella, he didn’t tell us anything. Why? It seems like he is avoiding us…deliberately and he is with her!” my wolf shouts. “Could what Jesse said, be true?”
My chest aches like my beating heart might actually break in two. “I…I don’t know.”
“Bella,” Levi starts. “Do you remember the DNA test showing similar markers to Santiago but not an exact match to him?”
Oh moon goddess, He is the baby’s father?
I nod my head. “Yes, of course.”
“The baby is Karan’s.”
My hands cover my mouth as a gasp escapes my lips. “Santiago’s technically a big brother to his ex-mate’s baby?”
“Half sibling…but, yeah.” Levi says.
