“We’ve known each other since we were kids, Gregory. I’ve never known you to be irrational or impulsive. Not once have you been cruel or unworthy of our trust,” Stefan starts. “Which is why I stand with you.” He backs away and takes his place on the other side. “If this is the way to end the reign of that demon…” He looks at me and I shrug. Stefan nods and clears his throat. “Then, this is the path we should all take.” Stefan slaps Gregory’s back a little too hard, and I wince at the sound.
Murmurs break out through the crowd. Jean steps forward, too. “We get uncle back, and then figure it out from there.”
Uncle?
Behind Jean, another man with the same blonde hair follows him out of the crowd. “If you say we can trust her, then we trust her.” He turns to me and smiles. “I’m Nicolo, by the way. Call me Nick, for short.” I bob my head at his words.
Pretty soon, all of them follow suit and proclaim their support for Gregory.It’s now or never then; no turning back this time,I think to myself.
“So, what now?” I hear Marnie speak up behind me. I turn and she puts a small hand on my shoulder. “Hey.” She smiles at me.
“Um, hi.” I look at my hands. “Sorry for the—uh—” She waves a hand between us.
“You had to do what you had to do, didn’t you? I can’t blame you for wanting to live.” I feel my mouth gape at her statement. She couldn’t have been older than me, but her wisdom and empathy cut through my conscience like a knife. I nod wordlessly and look at Gregory just as he turns to return my gaze.
“Well, Isabela. Do you have a plan?”
“Me? Why me? You’re the Alpha,” I state.
He furrows his eyebrows. “Yes, but you know the estate more than I do. Maybe you can come up with a proper route to follow?” he offers. I stare at him for a moment. I feel multiple eyes land on me at the same time and I force myself not to grimace.
I hate attention more than anything.
“Um, my birthday is coming up. Do you want to…crash?” I suggest, cringing at the idea that just came out of my mouth. Gregory laughs beside me.
“Yeah, and what gift would you like, princess?” he asks me, face full of mirth.
“Hey! It’s the best that I can come up with, you know?” I roll my eyes at him.
“Jokes aside, she may be onto something here,” Marnie chimes in. “Isabela, do you have a caterer in mind?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.
“Oh! Marnie, you’re a genius!” I exclaim. “Listen, we hire help for every occasion, and the best part is we hire from other packs. The smaller ones—never humans because, you know, we might bediscovered. You can dress up as the service crew!” I say excitedly only to be met with blank stares.
“Now you want us to be part of the hired help? Unbelievable,” Jean scoffs with a smile on his face.
I roll my eyes. “Hey. My eighteenth birthday is going to be huge. It’s also my coronation night, meaning at midnight I gain my powers. Other packs will be present, your scents will be hidden. Also, hired help can go in and out of the estate at any time.”
“It’s the perfect plan,” Marnie agrees and she turns to me. “Leave it to me to get everything ready. I just need the map of your estate so we can properly plan on our side.”
Wow, she seems dependable. “Okay, I’ll send it to Gregory!” Gregory winks at me and I can feel the heat start to prickle behind my ears.
I spend almost an hour getting to know Gregory’s pack and planning with them before heading back to Nina’s home. I collect my things and make my way back to the estate before the sun rises.
***
Trudging along the hallway, my eyes settle on the door leading to my room. I slowly creep inside and close the door gently behind me. “God, I’m so tired,” I say out loud, fumbling for the zipper on Nina’s dress, anxious to get it off of me. I lie down on my pillow after, only for my head to hit something hard. I reach behind me and take the book I once hid inside my pillowcase. “I forgot I had this.” I open it and read the contents, eyes widening as I flip page after page.The book of spells? I can’t believe it!I sit up straight and start memorizing a couple of lines, checking if there’s anything I can use to free Gregory’s father from his chains. Engrossed in the ancient script in my hands, I don’t hear my door open and close.
As soon as I look up, an icy stare meets my gaze.
Chapter Twenty-One
“I just wanted to learn more. Iwantto be likeyou,” I mutter almost immediately, as if I knew exactly what she was going to ask. Fear courses through my veins, waking me up from my drunken stupor.
“Child.” She comes a bit closer. Her footsteps are so light I can barely hear them. “Have you no patience at all?” she asks through gritted teeth. “Why were you snooping around my study? Why did you take the book of spells? Do you have any authority? Have I given you permission?” With each question, I earn one slap on my face. I take ‘em all through watery eyes. “Why? Answer me!” she bellows.
“I want to earn the trust of the pack. I thought that if I had more power to show, I could make them see that I’m someone who can lead the family for a very long time.”
I keep my head down as I lie through my teeth. I try to keep my breathing steady as my cheeks reel from the pain. “And so, your solution was to go behind my back and take what’s mine?” She grabs a fistful of my hair, forcing me to look at her. “How stupid of you, Isabela.” She sneers.