Chapter 109

ISABELLA

I woke up to the soft light filtering through the curtains, stretching across an empty, vast bed. A small wave of disappointment washed over me as I realized my mates weren’t here. They were supposed to be home by now. I sighed, rolling onto my side and staring at the space where they should have been. The sheets were still cool, untouched.

With a sigh, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and padded to the kitchen. My stomach growled in protest, reminding me I needed food before I could deal with anything else.

To my surprise, Spencer was already there, stirring something on the stove. He turned when he heard me approach, giving me a nod. “Morning. What do you want for breakfast?”

I rubbed my belly absentmindedly, feeling the small stirrings of life within me. “Honestly, whatever you’re making smells good. I’ll take that.”

He smirked and got to work, moving fluidly around the kitchen, chopping and stirring with ease. In just a few minutes, a plate appeared in front of me—eggs, toast, and a bit of fruit. Simple, but it hit the spot.

Just as I finished my last bite, the door opened, and I felt it before I even saw them—the presence of my mates. Asher, Jax, and Knox walked in, but something was... off. They weren’t their usual, confident selves. A strange energy hung around them, tense and uneasy.

Spencer, sensing the shift in the room, nodded toward the door and slipped out, giving us some space.

I wiped my mouth and turned to face them. “What’s going on? You all look... strange.”

They didn’t answer right away, just exchanged glances. Asher sat down first, motioning for me to join him on the couch. I hesitated, but followed. Knox and Jax flanked either side of me, a wall of warmth and protection.

“We need to talk,” Asher said, his voice low but steady.

A chill ran down my spine. "What happened at the meeting?"

Knox’s jaw clenched, and Jax rubbed a hand over his face, looking troubled. I could tell they were trying to figure out the best way to say it, but I couldn’t take the tension anymore.

“Just tell me,” I urged, my heart racing.

Asher sighed, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. “At the meeting, we found out something… unexpected. Something about your family.”

"My family?" I blinked, confused. "What does my family have to do with anything? I don’t have anyone left."

Knox was the one to speak next, his voice hard. “Your mother’s side. The Morrises. We didn’t know, and we don’t think you knew, either, but… they’re werewolf hunters.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. I stared at them, stunned into silence, my mind trying and failing to process what they had just said. "Werewolf hunters? That’s… that’s not possible. I didn’t even know werewolf hunters existed."

Jax reached for my hand, his touch grounding me. "We didn’t either. But Mark found a file. He says some of them are still active."

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it. “I’ve never met anyone from my mom’s family. My father—he never talked about them. They weren’t part of my life, not even a mention.”

Asher’s gaze softened, watching me closely as if searching for any sign that I might break. "You don’t remember anything at all?"

I closed my eyes, feeling a flood of emotions, memories swirling in my head. I hadn’t thought about my mother in years. She died when I was so young. But then, a memory surfaced, so clear it felt like I was reliving it.

“I was so little,” I began, my voice trembling. “Maybe five or six. I was playing outside, in the front yard. I remember a man coming up to my mom. She was tense, like… like she knew him but didn’t want to talk to him. He said something, something about her not being able to resist the call for long.”

I opened my eyes, and all three of them were staring at me, hanging on my every word. “I didn’t understand what it meant then. I thought it was just some grown-up thing. But now... could that have been about… this?”

Jax exhaled sharply, his grip on my hand tightening. "Could be. We don’t know the full extent of it yet, but we’ll find out."

I felt a heavy weight settle on my chest, the implications of what they were saying crashing over me. My mother’s family—werewolf hunters? The very thought of it made me feel sick. And worse, what did this mean for us, for the future of my child? My stomach twisted painfully as a surge of guilt hit me. I’d been living with them, loving them, all while a part of my bloodline was connected to something that wanted to destroy them.

“I swear, I didn’t know,” I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. “I never knew.”

Asher pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly against his chest. “We know. We don’t blame you, Isa. This isn’t your fault.”

Knox leaned in, brushing a kiss against my temple. “We’ll figure this out, together.”

Even as their words comforted me, I couldn’t help the fear creeping in. What if this changed everything? What if this put us all in danger, especially our baby?

I pressed my face into Asher’s chest, letting his steady heartbeat calm me. For now, all I could do was trust them. We’d faced challenges before, and we’d face this one, too.

But a part of me couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets my family had kept hidden—and what that could mean for the future.