Chapter 1
Isla
I should be at home, reading a book or frolicking away in the garden like I always do.
But I'm here.
In a place I never thought I'd visit. A place I never knew I'd be in ever since he left.
Yet I am.
Still, I wasn't sure what I was doing at the club.
The second I stepped through the doors, the loud bass of the music hit me like a wave, making my heart beat out of rhythm. Disco lights danced across the ceiling, painting faces I didn't recognize with flashes of red and blue. My dress clung too tightly to my skin, my heels felt too high. I don't know why I dressed up for him, yet, there I was, numb, lost and following the trail of letter he left. One I should've never opened.
He was Richard.
And Richard wanted to talk. At the bar in Hotel Del Belles, one of the famous hotels in Greywood pack.
He was the same Richard who had walked out of my life five months ago like I never mattered. The same fricking Richard who shattered everything we'd built with nothing but a cold;
“I can't do this anymore, Isla.”
He was the same jerk.
And yet… here I was. Sitting in the corner booth like a fool. My legs crossed, my hands tapping away at the table, trying so hard to keep it together while my heart played tug-of-war with my pride.
He was late.
Or maybe he wasn't coming at all.
I tried not to check my phone, but my eyes flicked to the screen every few minutes anyway. No missed calls. No texts. Just the glowing 9:42 PM glowing over my Sailor Moon wallpaper.
A waiter I didn't recognize came by. Blonde, tall, dressed in black with a smile too practiced to be friendly.
“Compliments of the bar,” she said, setting a sparkling cocktail in front of me.
I sat up. “Sorry but I didn't order this.”
“Someone did for you,” she replied, already turning away.
I hesitated. My first instinct was to leave it untouched, but the night had already drained me. I picked it up and sipped once. It tasted citrusy and laced with something else I couldn't name. The warmth hit my chest and I liked it. I took another sip. Then another and another. And just like that, my limbs started to grow heavy. My thoughts started slipping and everything began to blur.
Shit.
I stood up or at least tried to, but the room tilted slightly. I had to grab the edge of the table for support. My body wasn't listening to me. It felt like I was floating and sinking all at once.
I needed the bathroom. I needed a moment alone to breathe, to pull away myself together, but the hallway was too dark, and none of the doors were marked. Or maybe they were and I was too drunk to see it.
I turned the other way and walked into the bathroom or so I thought it was.
And that's when I knew something was wrong.
There were men inside. Three of them. Alpha wolves no doubt, judging form the way they carried themselves. The trio looked up the moment I stumbled in their faces changed when they saw me. Their smirks turned predatory. And one of them rose to his feet slowly, like a wolf circling prey.
“Hey there, little lady,” he said, green eyes trailing down my body. “You lost?”
My voice died in my throat and I backed away but my balance wavered. I instantly grabbed the wall to steady myself.
“You don't look so good, sweetheart. Want me to fix that for you?” The second one said, coming closer.
No, no, no.
“I'm — I'm fine. J - Just looking for the bathroom,” I mumbled, not sure if they heard me or if I was talking to myself.
The trio didn't move aside. Instead, the third one, the tallest one, stepped between me and the door.
“You're already here,” he said with a grin that made my stomach churn. “Why not stay a while?
Panic surged through me, slicing through the dog in my brain.
I turned to run but my heels gave out under me. I caught myself in the doorframe and pushed forward, half-tripping into the hallway again.
Then I hit something.
Not a something — someone.
Hard chest, strong arms, black coat.
For a second, I couldn't move. His hands grabbed my shoulders as if to steady me.
“Hey,” he said in a deep, calm voice. “Are you okay?”
I looked up into his stormy-grey eyes. Eyes that seemed to see through my the mess I was and yet, st ady enough to ground me.
Behind me, I heard the footsteps followed by laughter.
“She's with us,” The first man called out.
“Come on, man. Don't ruin the party.” The second man laughed as if to mock me.
I tried to speak. Tried to tell this man that I wasn't with them. That I didn't know who they were. That something was wrong. But he looked at my face. Like really, looked at me and his jaw tightened.
“She doesn't look like she's with any of you.” He said coldly.
He pulled me slightly behind him, shielding me from their view. My fingers clut her at the back of his cost without thinking.
“Oh come on, don't be dramatic,” one of the men said, laughing nervously. “She walked in herself.”
“She also looked drugged,” the man in front of me snapped. “You wanna call the cops and explain or do you three want to get the hell out of my sight?”
The guys backed off, muttering curses under their breaths.
One of them even threw up a hand. “Whatever, man. Not worth the trouble anyways.”
They disappeared back into the room and the door clicked shut.
A sigh of relief escaped me and my legs gave out completely, I slidding to the floor
My heart pounded violently against my ribs.