Chapter 168

ISABELLA

The meeting had gone well, and I felt a sense of accomplishment as I walked out of the publishing house with Alex by my side. We had finalized the schedule and made the last adjustments for the promotional tour. The weather outside was crisp, a welcome contrast to the stuffy atmosphere inside. I hadn’t realized how much weight had been pressing down on me until we stepped into the fresh air.

“You must feel good, Isa,” Alex said, his tone light as we walked toward the car. Spencer was already there, waiting as usual, keeping his silent vigil. “Everything’s finally coming together. I knew it would.”

I smiled at him, grateful for his constant encouragement. "Yeah, it feels like a huge weight off my shoulders."

Alex grinned. "I'm just excited to see the official launch. It'll be a hit, I know it."

I appreciated his faith in me, even if my nerves were already kicking in about the upcoming tour. "I hope you're right."

We reached the car, and Spencer opened the door for us, giving a quick nod. “Everything go well?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, all sorted.”

We were about to get in when something caught my attention. A subtle shift in the air, a feeling that crawled along my skin and made my heart stutter. I turned around and there she was—my mother, Emilia. I hadn’t seen her since our last confrontation, and her sudden presence was like a punch to the gut. The world around me seemed to dim as she approached.

“Isa, do you want me to—?” Spencer’s voice was tense, his body already shifting into protective mode.

“No,” I said quickly, holding up a hand to stop him. “I’ll handle it.”

Emilia’s gaze was as cold and calculating as ever. She moved with a quiet grace, but there was nothing comforting about her. Everything about her presence screamed danger. Even now, I had a hard time accepting that she had faked her death all those years ago—and returned with dark, twisted secrets about the world I’d never known existed.

She came to a stop just a few feet from me, her eyes flicking toward Spencer before locking onto mine. “Isabella,” she greeted in that same flat, detached tone.

“Mother,” I replied, my voice tighter than I wanted it to be. “What do you want?”

Emilia’s eyes scanned the area before she spoke, her tone low but deliberate. “We need to talk.”

I felt Spencer tense beside me, ready to intervene if necessary. I glanced at him and nodded slightly to reassure him, though I wasn’t sure I was reassured myself. Emilia never showed up without an agenda, and it was never good news.

“Make it quick,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest, hoping to hide the nervous flutter in my stomach.

She ignored my hostility, her eyes narrowing as she stepped closer. “You’ve surrounded yourself with wolves,” she said quietly. “Do you even know what that means?”

I stared at her, my mind racing. She had revealed a world to me that I hadn’t even believed existed—werewolf hunters. People like her, who had dedicated their lives to hunting down creatures I never even knew existed until she came back from the dead.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

Emilia’s expression hardened. “You think you’re safe because you’re with them, but you don’t know the danger you’re putting yourself and your son in.”

“Luca is safe,” I snapped. “He’s surrounded by people who love him. You have no idea—”

“I know exactly what they are,” Emilia interrupted, her voice cold. “You don’t. You’ve been blind to the truth your entire life. And now, by keeping Luca with them, you’re risking everything.”

The mention of Luca made my chest tighten, but I refused to let her get under my skin. “I won’t let anyone hurt him,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes hard. “You don’t understand, Isabella. If Luca grows up to be like them—if he turns—then you’ll have no choice but to face the reality you’re avoiding. The hunters, people like me, will come for him.”

I stared at her, the weight of her words crashing down on me. It was like she was speaking another language. “Turn? What do you mean?”

Emilia’s gaze softened for just a moment, and I hated that it looked almost like pity. “He’s half-werewolf. His future is uncertain. If he turns into one of them, you’ll have a choice to make. A choice that no mother should ever have to make.”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. This was all too much. The idea that Luca could one day be hunted, that he could become something I couldn’t protect him from—it terrified me. But I couldn’t let her see that fear. I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction.

“I’ll protect him,” I said through clenched teeth. “From anyone.”

“I’m not your enemy, Isabella,” Emilia said, her voice soft but firm. “But the world is full of enemies, and not all of them will wait for you to be ready. You have to be prepared.”

I stared at her, my mind racing. I had spent years pretending the world was simple, that the threats were ordinary. But now, with Emilia’s return, everything had changed. The more I learned about the pack, the more questions I had, and the more I realized how little I actually understood.

Before I could respond, Emilia took a step back, her eyes lingering on me for a moment longer. “I hope it never comes to that,” she said quietly. “But if it does, remember—you may be the only one who can save him.”

With that, she turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows as if she had never been there.

I stood there for a moment, frozen in place, her words echoing in my mind. Could I really protect Luca from everything? Was I prepared to face a world where hunters and werewolves existed, and where my son’s future hung in the balance?

“Isa, are you okay?” Spencer asked, his voice full of concern.

I nodded, though the truth was, I wasn’t sure. As we drove home, Emilia’s words weighed heavily on my mind. I had always thought I could leave her world behind, that I could build a life separate from the chaos she had introduced me to.

But now, for the first time, I wondered if I could truly escape it—or if I would have to face it head-on to protect my son.

And that thought scared me more than anything.