Chapter 57
(Isabella’s POV)
My eyes flutter open. Gooseflesh spreads down my arms and bare legs. I sit up too fast, and the room spins. My vision is cloudy. Water droplets drip down rusty brown walls, and I whip my head from side to side, realizing where I am.
My mouth hangs open as my brown eyes widen at the sight straight ahead of me—bars. I swivel to place my bare feet on the concrete ground. A jolt shoots through the soles of my feet and spreads to my heels and up my legs. It’s like I’m standing on ice.
I look down and realize I’m in a hospital gown. How did I get here? How did I end up in a hospital gown? Who put me in it? What dungeon am I in?
My heart races in my chest. It feels like a drum beating inside me. I gasp, reaching for air that I can’t quite grab. My hands are so cold, my fingers are numb. I close them into clenched fists at my side. They shake.
Then I remember being grabbed climbing out of the attic. He stabbed me! Oh moon goddess, where am I?
He wanted to kill my wolf.
“Oh, hey…are you there?” I ask my wolf
“I’m here, Bella. A silver-bladed dagger stabbed you. Santiago got to us in time. He brought us to the pack hospital, and we were treated for the wound and reaction we’ve become accustomed to.”
I breathe deep through my mouth and hold it, then slowly release.
“Where are we now?”
“Brace yourself.”
“For what?”
“It’s a long story, but they discovered that your mother was a witch. Your suspicions about being a hybrid proved true.”
“Where are we?”
“The dungeons in the Veridian Shadow territory.”
“Santiago chose to imprison me!”
“Only to protect us. All three packs were out for your blood.”
I yell at the guards. “Tell your Alpha I am conscious and aware! Fetch him and bring him down here to face me and explain the meaning of this!”
They turn toward me and stare with widened eyes.
I use my Alpha voice. “Go get your Alpha right fucking now!”
I sit back down and push my wolf and her lecture to the back of my mind. How could Santiago lock me up down here and leave me alone and vulnerable? I sit back down on the cot with my back to the cold, damp wall, pulling my knees to my chest and the blanket up to my face.
Tears trail down my face. I trusted him.
(Santiago’s POV)
Isabella’s doctor assured me before I ordered her to be brought to the dungeons that she would wake up on her own without any foreseen problems. In the library, I pull every resource I can find on the history of witches in our region.
Two dungeon guards rush toward me. “Alpha, the prisoner is awake and demanding an audience with you…now.”
“The prisoner’s name is Alpha Isabella,” I return more defensively than I intend.
They bow their heads in submission and follow me across the territory and down the spiral staircases to the dungeons.
“Santiago!” Isabella yells as she runs to and grabs the bars of her cell.
“Bella…”
Seeing her this way sends an ache through my chest that I cannot stand.
She looks around the room. “Where am I? What’s happened?”
“Bella, conserve your energy. You were attacked and abducted. What do you remember?”
She holds her head. “I…I don’t know. I finished cleaning out the attic. I was looking for anything my parents might have left to put all those witch rumors to rest…I was climbing down and…”
She sits down on the bench.
“Easy, take your time.”
“Why am I in the dungeon?”
“Elder Evelyn approached me with details about your parents.”
“What did she tell you?”
There’s no easy way to explain everything, so I run through it all like ripping off a band-aid—fast Her face flushes red, her chocolate brown eyes blink several times, cutting off tears.
“You have sentenced me to imprisonment?”
“Pending investigation,” I tell her. “Bella, it is the only way to keep you safe while we work to clear your name.”
“How dare you make this decision for me! You have no right to keep me locked up here Santiago! Release me. Now!”
I shake my head. “I will as soon as we can guarantee your safety.” I turn to leave.
“I hate you!” she screams. “As far as I’m concerned you are violating our agreement. That is grounds for terminating our contract.”
Her words all but pierce me through the chest. But at least she’s alive to say them. I exit the dungeon without another word.
Levi and Ariana join me in researching Wiccan history.
“Witches can have a variety of magical powers in addition to the ability to cast spells,” Ariana says while reading a dusty leatherbound manuscript.
“What kind of powers does it mention,” I ask.
“All kinds! Elemental variances having to do with earth, fire, wind, and water, as well as telekinesis, freezing time, premonition, astral projection, um…oh my moon goddess…”
Levi and I stare at her, waiting for her to continue.
“What is it, Ariana?” I ask.
She turns the book and points.
“Healing abilities?” I ask.
Jesse clears his throat from the bookshelves behind us. “I’ve been doing some research as well, including an interview with Ariana’s parents.”
I suppress my growl. “You’re helping with this?”
“Yes, it appears that Isabella’s mother was indeed a witch, but a good witch, and for reasons unknown, the moon goddess fated her to Isabella’s father. It was during the war between supernatural creatures and the human world. Shannen used her magic, including her healing abilities, to save werewolf lives.”
“Why are you here?” I ask incredulously.
“I don’t see why it is so difficult a concept for you, Santiago, that I might show up for a selfless reason. Isabella was my mate and my wife. We’ve had our share of problems, but I don’t want the packs to murder her.”
He walks over and places the photo albums and journals that he retrieved from the basement in Bella’s pack house. We each pick a book to look through. It becomes increasingly clear that Shannen was not only no threat, but a major asset to the pack.
“Santiago, call a town hall meeting. I will present this to the combined packs. It will be sure to turn the public opinion in Isabella’s favor,” Jesse says.
I agree and allow Jesse to present only because I know he still has much pull within the ranks of Bella’s pack.
I go in person to release Bella from her confinement. I dismiss the guards for privacy and unlock her cell.
“We’ve been researching the history of witches in our region,” I tell her.
Her big brown unblinking eyes stare into mine as I continue.
“It turns out that witches were allies to werewolf forces during the dark times when we were at war with the human world. Jesse found evidence that your mother used her healing abilities to save many werewolves injured during various battles. Jesse presented the findings to all three of our packs. You are safe now.”
She continues to stare at me as if I’m a ghost with tears running down her beautiful face. Without saying a word, she starts up the winding spiral staircase and leaves.
