Chapter 24 Blood Ties
Isabella’s POV
CRACK!
The slap came hard and fast before I could realize anything, the sharp crack echoing through the entire room like thunder.
Pain blooms across my cheek without mercy, snapping my head violently to the side as I stagger back a step, my hand flying up immediately to cover the burning skin.
Owen Riley towered over me, his face twisted with pure rage and fury. “You treacherous little bitch,” he growled, his voice dripping low and dangerous. “All this time—“
“Owen!”
Sarah’s voice cut through the air before he could finish his words. She rushed forward, grabbing his arm and yanking him back with surprising strength. “What the hell are you doing?” Her eyes are wide with shock as it lands on him, “Why did you hit her?!”
Owen shoves her back roughly, his chest rising and falling heavily as he glared down at me. “Because her father is the one who attacked Landon! That coward came at him from behind with wolfsbane arrows…to weaken and kill him.”
What the fuck?
My entire world tilts immediately on hearing those words. My father? Attacked Landon? It just didn’t make any sense why he would do such a thing.
None of it did.
Yet the accusation landed heavy in my chest, seizing every ounce of air from my lungs. “H…he,” I opened my mouth to say something, but the words got stuck deep down.
“How can you be so sure that what you’re saying is the truth?” Sarah’s grip on Owen tightened now, too tight until her knuckles turned white. “You’re accusing her without any real proof—”
“Because we found traces of her father’s traitorous blood on the eastern border.” A voice sliced through the room like a blade before Owen could finish.
Everyone turned to the door instantly to see Clara standing there, she crossed the distance in swift motions, her eyes blazing with pure fury.
CRACK!
I barely had time to react before her palm landed across my cheek, harder than Owen’s. The sting was immediate and blinding, heat blooming across my skin as I gasped sharply, tasting the metallic tang of blood where my lip had split open.
“Where is he?!” Clara barked, her fingers forcing my chin up until I had no other choice but to meet her eyes. “Tell me where your traitorous father is hiding, you little bitch! Or I swear I’ll rip you open right here and kill that thing growing inside you.”
“I—I don’t know,” I choked out, my voice cracking as the tears began to spill freely down my cheeks now, mixing with the warm blood from my split lip. “I swear, I haven’t seen him since… since before all this happened. I don’t know anything about any attack—”
“Shut your lying mouth!” Clara snarled, her grip tightening painfully on my jaw until I thought the bone might crack. “You rogues are all the same…nothing but betraying little snakes, waiting for the perfect moment to strike….”
Her nails dug deeper into my skin, sending a fresh spark of pain shooting through me. “First your father tries to assassinate my brother from behind like a coward, and now you’re carrying his heir like some twisted insurance policy. Speak! Where is he hiding?”
“I don’t know!” The words tore out of me before I could think twice. “Please, Clara… I would never hurt Landon, I swear to God I know nothing—”
“Enough with the lies!” Owen cuts in coldly, his voice cold and final as he turns his gaze to Clara. “They’re clearly working together, that’s why she’s trying to protect him.”
Then his eyes shift to me now. “Lock her in the dungeons. She’s going to stay there until Landon wakes up and decides what to do with her…and that bastard pup she’s carrying.”
“Owen, no! She’s pregnant!” Sarah stepped forward quickly, her hand reaching out toward Owen in a plea. “You can’t throw her in the dungeons like this, think what will happen to the baby—“
He paid her no attention, and neither did Clara. Their gaze raked over me with utter disgust.
“Please,” I begged, my voice cracking completely as I turned quickly to face them, “I don’t know anything about this. I swear on my life. Don’t do this. The baby… please don’t hurt the baby—”
“Take her,” Owen ordered, ignoring both Sarah’s pleas and mine, and before I could realize anything, two guards stepped forward immediately, their grips rough and bruising as they seized my arms from either side.
“No—please!”
I struggled weakly against their hold as panic slammed into me brutally. “Sarah, tell them…I didn’t know anything—”
The guards started dragging me toward the door before I could finish, my feet scraping uselessly against the stone floor as I tried to resist.
Sarah stood beside Owen, still pleading with him as her voice began to rise with urgency. But Owen’s face remained hard and unyielding, his decision already made.
Then—
“The Alpha’s awake!”
A servant’s maid's voice suddenly rang out from the doorway, breathless and urgent as she ran in. “He’s awake! Alpha Landon is fully awake now and he’s asking to see—”
“Me.”
Clara finished the sentence instantly, a flash of hope etched across her face as she turned to face the servant.
“He's asking for me, right?”
The young maid hesitated, shifting nervously on her feet under the weight of everyone's stare, most especially Clara. “N…no, miss Clara,” she swallowed hard, her eyes flicking briefly to me before dropping to the floor. “He’s asking for her.”
The room went silent instantly, thick and heavy as it filled the entire room.
“What the fuck did you just say?” Clara hissed, shock etched across her face for a split second, but she masks it quickly with rage.
“Say something you filthy maid!” Owen Riley's voice thundered across the room, taking a step closer to her.
“The Alpha…” The maid flinched at the tone of his voice, her voice barely audible as he stepped back in utter fear. “He’s asking specifically for Isabella…”
“….he said her name clearly. Twice.”