Chapter 131

ISABELLA

As I stepped quietly out of Asher’s room, I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm that was still swirling inside me. Jax followed me silently, his presence grounding, but I could sense his own turmoil just beneath the surface. We had to keep it together, at least until we had a plan.

I glanced at Asher one more time before heading downstairs, determined not to fall apart. He needed to rest, to heal, and I needed to focus on Knox. My heart ached knowing that one of my mates was still out there, alone, maybe suffering, but the only way to fix this was to act.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs, Maggie looked up from the couch where she sat with Luca, holding him gently as he slept. I gave her a small nod, silently asking her to stay with him. She nodded back, understanding in her eyes. I knew she’d keep him safe, and for now, that had to be enough.

"Spencer," I called softly, and he turned to me, looking ready to object before I even said a word. I held up my hand to stop him. "We need to talk. Outside."

Spencer hesitated, glancing between me, Jax, and the sleeping Luca. I saw the wariness in his eyes—he didn’t want me out of his sight, but I was done sitting still, done waiting. This was about getting Knox back, and I wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way of that.

I led them both out to the terrace, the cool night air hitting my face as I stepped outside. It felt refreshing, like I could think a little clearer here, away from the suffocating weight of the house.

Once we were all settled on the terrace, I turned to Jax and Spencer, feeling that familiar fire rising in my chest. "We need a plan to get Knox back. Now. No more waiting around."

Jax rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he wanted to argue, but he didn’t. "Isa, we have no idea where they took him. We don’t even know what Emilia’s endgame is here."

"Then we find out," I snapped, sharper than I intended. "She’s my mother. I don’t know her, but if anyone can get inside her head, it’s me."

Spencer folded his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowing. "You’re not putting yourself in danger, Isa. I won’t allow it."

I shot him a look, my voice hard. "I wasn’t asking for permission, Spencer."

Silence stretched between us as Spencer held my gaze. I understood his fear—he was my protector, after all—but I couldn’t sit back and wait for someone else to save Knox. Not when we had no idea what they were doing to him.

"We know Emilia's after something," I continued, pacing a little as my mind raced. "We need to find out what that is. If it’s me she wants, fine. But we use that to our advantage."

Jax finally spoke, his voice calm but laced with tension. "Using yourself as bait is risky. Too risky."

"Do you have a better plan?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because we’re running out of time, Jax. If Knox is still alive, we can’t wait around hoping for a miracle."

Spencer’s jaw tightened, and he stepped forward. "I’ll call a few people I know, see if they’ve heard anything on Emilia’s whereabouts. But Isa... this isn’t just about finding Knox. We need to be ready to fight."

"I am ready," I said quietly, but firmly.

Jax gave me a long look before sighing, running a hand through his hair. "Alright. We find Emilia, we find Knox. But we do this smart, Isa. You’re not throwing yourself in the middle of a war without a solid plan."

I nodded, relieved that they were finally on the same page. My mind was buzzing with possibilities, but the determination in my chest never wavered. Knox was out there, and I wouldn’t stop until we had him back.

"We do whatever it takes," I said, my voice steady. "We get him back."

Spencer glanced at Jax, then back at me, and nodded slowly. "I’ll start making calls. We’ll find them."

As the three of us stood there in the quiet night, I felt that familiar knot of fear twist in my stomach, but I pushed it down. There was no room for doubt now. Only action.

And I’d do whatever it took to bring my family back together.

KNOX

I woke up feeling like I'd been run over by a freight train. The cell was as cold and damp as ever, but this time, something felt different. My head spun, my limbs felt like they were made of lead, and that poison they kept pumping into me was doing its job well. But despite the physical weakness, I could still think—and plan. I wasn’t going down without a fight.

The cell door creaked open, and I could hear footsteps echoing off the concrete walls. I didn’t bother to sit up, just watched as Emilia strolled in with her usual cold calm. She looked more collected than anyone should be after dropping a bomb, literally, but that was her—ice-cold.

Emilia, Isabella’s mother. The one pulling all the strings behind this little operation of werewolf hunters. And she was more dangerous than I'd given her credit for.

She stopped in front of me, arms crossed, looking down like she was evaluating a busted-up toy. "You don't look so good, Knox."

"Yeah, well, I’m not exactly at a spa retreat," I shot back, forcing a grin. "Guess your poison packs more of a punch than I thought."

She didn’t smile, didn’t flinch. "You’re weaker than you think, but you still have that arrogance. It’ll be your downfall."

I leaned my head back against the wall and shrugged. "Maybe. But we both know the Black family doesn’t quit that easily."

Her face hardened at that, but she stayed silent for a moment. I was curious. Why was she here? She didn’t just come for chit-chat. There was something on her mind, something weighing on her. And I had a feeling I was about to find out what.

"Let’s cut to the chase," I said. "Why the hell are you doing all this? What’s the real story? I know Salvatore wasn’t just some random kill for you."

Her eyes flickered with something—maybe regret, maybe bitterness. It was hard to tell with her. "You’re right. Salvatore wasn’t just anyone."

I felt a spark of hope. Finally, some answers. "So, what? You married him, had a family, and then what? You just decided one day to kill him? You can't tell me that's the whole story."

Emilia’s face twisted, a bitter expression crossing her features. "I left him. I had no choice. Salvatore wasn’t just a human; he was half-werewolf. His father was a wolf, and his mother, a human. But Salvatore never inherited the wolf. He was... vulnerable. I married him because I thought I could protect him, and for a while, I did."

I blinked, processing the information. "So, why leave?"

Her voice dropped to a near whisper, and she looked away, as if seeing something in her memory. "Because the hunters would’ve found him eventually. If they knew who he was, that he had no wolf, they would’ve killed him. And I couldn't let that happen."

"So you ran." The words came out before I could stop them, but they were laced with more understanding than accusation. She didn’t abandon him out of hatred, but out of fear. "You thought leaving would save him?"

She nodded. "I thought it would buy him time. I didn’t want to kill him. I couldn’t. But leaving was the only way to keep him safe for as long as possible. And by the time the hunters came for him, I was too deep into this world to stop it."

I sat there, letting her words sink in. Isabella’s father had been killed because of what he was—because of the blood running through his veins. And Emilia... she’d left him, thinking it would save him, only for him to die anyway.

"Isa doesn’t know any of this," I said quietly, piecing it all together. "You think this is what she’d want to hear? That you left her father to save him, but it didn’t matter in the end?"

Emilia’s face tightened. "Isabella is stronger than you think, Knox. She deserves to know the truth, no matter how painful it is."

"And you think this makes you the good guy here?" I asked, pushing back, anger rising in my chest. "You think she’ll forgive you for all of this?"

"It’s not about forgiveness," she said coldly. "It’s about survival. I did what I had to do."

There was a long pause. The room felt heavy with everything unsaid, with the weight of her choices. I could see it now—the complexity behind her actions. But that didn’t make it right. And it sure as hell didn’t make it forgivable.

"So what now?" I asked, meeting her gaze. "You gonna keep poisoning me, or are you planning on using me as leverage?"

She took a step closer, her face softening just a bit. "I’m not your enemy, Knox. But you and your brothers stand in the way of something bigger—something you don’t understand yet."

I narrowed my eyes, trying to read between the lines. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"You’ll find out soon enough." She turned toward the door, her voice quiet but firm. "And when you do, I hope you’ll see that some things are worth sacrificing for."

With that, she walked out, leaving me alone with my thoughts—and the lingering suspicion that whatever game Emilia was playing, we were all just pawns. And Isa... she was at the center of it all, whether she realized it or not.