Chapter 42 When Old wounds Resurface
Isabella’s POV
“Landon, please—no!”
My own scream ripped me awake.
I bolted upright so fast that pain tore through my body like fire, forcing a cry from my lips. My hands flew out on instinct, forcing down the remaining scream threatening to tear out of me.
For one terrible second, I thought I was still there, still in the Pack courtyard on my knees in the dirt while Landon’s fist twisted into my hair, dragging me across the stone while everyone watched.
Even till this moment, I could still feel the force of his hand when he threw me outside like trash. My scalp tingled with a burning sensation to remind me of the brutal pain.
“Oh… thank God!” I muttered to myself, pressing a shaking hand to my mouth, and tried to steady my breathing. That was when I noticed the bandages.
“What the—!”
My hand dropped from my face to my ribs to see bandage cloth wrapped firmly around my side, new wrappings on my knees where the skin had been torn raw.
I froze.
Slowly, I looked down at myself.
The filthy dress I’d been wearing was gone. In its place was a soft oversized shirt that reached my thighs and loose cotton trousers tied at the waist.
No.
My pulse began to pound in my ears as panic rushed through me all over again. I grabbed at the shirt, yanking it away from my skin as though it had burned me.
Who changed me into these clothes?
Who touched me?
I was still reeling from this when the door creaked open, a familiar figure stepping inside. I flinched so violently that my shoulder slammed the wall behind the bed.
Finn stood in the doorway for a moment, the expression on his face a mix of confusion and amusement. Then he stepped inside carrying a wooden tray with a bowl, bread, and a mug balanced in one hand. He looked tired, his eyes swollen like he hadn’t slept in days.
He glanced at me and stopped. “You’re awake—“
“What did you do to me?” I cut him off coldly, my voice barely audible even as I tried to steady it.
His brows drew together slightly. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me clearly,” My voice shook with anger and fear. “My bandages have been changed into new ones. What did you do to me while I was unconscious?”
The tray remained in his hand, but something in his face changed—something close to irritation.
“The old bandages would have caused more damage to your injuries,” he said evenly. “And your wounds needed cleaning.”
“You dare change my clothes without my permission? How dare you touch me!”
“I treated your injuries.”
My throat tightened. “Without asking me?”
“You were unconscious.”
“That doesn’t give you the right!”
The words came out louder than I meant them to, my chest burning with every breath, but anger pushed through the pain.
Finn set the tray down on the table with such force that the bowl rattled against the wood. He straightened slowly and looked at me with a patience that seemed close to snapping.
“I dragged you half-dead through the forest,” he said. “You had open wounds, fever, and blood dripping down your thighs. You really think I should have waited for your permission to care for your wounds?”
“You could have left me dressed the way I was!”
“And let dirt sink deeper into the cuts? Let infection take you?” His jaw tightened. “Use your goddamn head!”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Then stop acting like I’m your enemy!”
My fingers gripped the blanket, as though it could anchor me from completely losing it. “How do I know you’re not?”
For a moment he said nothing, he just looked at me, something sharp passing through his expression. Not anger exactly. Hurt. But then he masked it quickly before it would become evidently clear.
“If I wanted your body,” he shot back, his voice dripping to a low, dangerous whisper. “I wouldn’t have waited until you woke up.”
Heat rushed to my face. “You arrogant—”
“I’m stating a fact.” His voice hardened. “You think every man who comes close wants to use you. Maybe that’s what they taught you wherever the hell you came from…but not everyone is the same.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” I whispered.
“No,” he said coldly. “Because every time I try to help, you make me regret it even more.”
Before I could respond, he turned away, running a hand through his hair as if fighting for control. For a second I thought he might do something terrible. Instead, he walked to the door and pulled it open.
“Eat the food,” he said without looking back. “Or don’t. I need air before I forget why I saved you in the first place.”
Then he stepped outside and shut the door behind him.
I stared at the closed door, my heart pounding like a war drum because now, the cabin suddenly felt smaller than before. I looked down at the fresh bandages wrapped neatly around my ribs. They were clean, careful, and tied securely but not too tightly.
My gaze moved to my hands to see that the cuts had been cleaned, and ointment rubbed into the cracked skin. Even my nails had been scrubbed free of dirt.
Wow
He really had taken care of me.
I hugged the blanket around myself and closed my eyes as shame began to creep slowly through the anger. I hated how every unexpected kindness felt suspicious all because of that monster.
I didn’t want to say his name ever again.
Maybe Finn was right. Maybe I did expect cruelty first now, because cruelty had become a normal thing to me all the while I had stayed at the pack house.
Without thinking twice, I swung my legs slowly over the side of the bed and hissed as pain flared through my ribs. The room tilted for a moment, but I steadied myself and stood.
With trembling hands, I reached for the tray that sat on the table, untouched. Steam still curled faintly from the bowl, and beside it was a folded cloth and a small jar of herbal palm.
He had thought of everything.
Why?
I moved carefully toward the window and looked outside. Finn stood a short distance from the cabin with his back to me, splitting wood with clean, controlled strikes.
Even from a distance anyone could tell how enraged he was. I didn’t know this man, and neither did I trust him. But he also hadn’t given me reason to fear him.
Not yet.
And still… I had accused him of something terrible the moment I woke.
How stupid can you be Isabella!
I watched him raise the axe again, his muscles tightening through his shoulders. In one terrifying motion, he brought it down onto the wood.
I opened the door carefully and stepped outside, the cold morning air slapping against my face immediately. Finn didn’t seem to notice as he split another log and reached for the next.
“Finn.”
The axe paused midair, and he turned his head slightly but didn’t fully face me. “What now?”
I swallowed, pulling the shirt tighter around myself. The question had been burning inside me since last night, and I was going to spill it anyway.
“Why did you live all alone ?”