Chapter 7 A Stranger’s Mercy
Isabella’s POV
“You really do have a way with words just to make people afraid of you, Clara…isn’t it?” Sarah’s voice is tight with fury, and I don’t need to look to know the expression on Clara’s face either.
The anger etched across her face is too visible to go unnoticed.
“Are you done?” A bitter laughter tears out of Clara as she steps forward, her boots sinking into the mud. “Since when did you start giving me orders?”
“You’re not disciplining her,” Sarah replies, her head on. “What you’re doing is clearly abusing her.”
The word hits something deep inside me.
Abusing?
No one has ever said it out loud since I arrived in this hellhole. But it was the painful truth.
“Be careful, Sarah.” Clara’s sharp tone snaps me back to reality, and the smile across her lips fades slowly now. “You’re stepping out of your place.”
“And you’ve forgotten yours.”
The tension between them thickens instantly, heavy enough to suffocate. Even the rain itself goes quiet, like it’s holding its breath for both women.
“She’s a damn rogue!” Clara barks, her eyes raking all over me like I’m nothing more than dirt. “She doesn’t deserve your stupid pity, and neither your protection.”
But Sarah doesn’t turn to look at me, her attention is still locked on Clara. “She belongs to your brother,” she says, each word calm and measured. “Which means she’s under his authority, not yours.”
“So now you care about rules?” Clara scoffs, crossing her arms.
“I care about unnecessary cruelty.”
There’s something in Sarah’s voice that makes Clara’s expression change, just for a second. But then it’s gone as quickly as it appears, replaced by something darker.
“You’ve always had a problem with how I do things around here,” Clara says.
“And you’ve always enjoyed taking things too far.”
The words land hard on Clara. I see it in the slight tightening of her jaw. Then she lets out another laugh again, but this time there’s no humor in it. “You’re really going to defend her? A filthy rogue who spreads her legs just to survive?”
“She didn’t ask for this,” Sarah replies sharply. “They never do.”
For a moment, Silence stretches between them, tense and suffocating, before Clara exhales slowly, her expression shifting into something darker now.
“You know,” she begins calmly, “I could report you to my brother for daring to go against me.”
Holy shit!
My pulse jumps at the mention of Clara calling out Landon’s name. But Sarah doesn’t flinch for one bit.
Doesn’t even blink.
“What do you think Alpha Landon would say when he hears his Beta’s mate is interfering in pack matters?” Clara continues, tilting her head slightly to meet Sarah’s gaze. “Or defending his fuck toy?”
“Then tell him,” Sarah’s voice cuts through the silence. The simplicity of the way she says it is almost shocking that Clara freezes, just for a second, but it’s enough that I can see it.
“You think I won’t?” Clara snaps back, her eyes narrowing as she studies Sarah, like she’s trying to understand something that doesn’t make sense.
“I think you should do your worst.”
“You’ll regret this, Sarah. I promise you!” Clara barks, “This isn’t over.” Then she instantly shifts her gaze to me, and the look in her eyes sends a chill straight through my bones.
Like she’s already planning a much crueler punishment for me.
Without hesitation, she turns and begins to walk away, her boots splashing through the mud as the rain swallows her figure.
Just like that, she’s gone.
And the silence that follows feels unreal.
I stay frozen where I am, my heart still racing like she’s going to come back any second and drag me mercilessly by the collar.
“Hey…”
A warm hand places itself on my shoulders before I can recover from Clara’s cold stare. I flinch hard, panic surging through me as I try to pull away.
“Easy,” the voice says quickly. “It’s okay.”
I blink up to see Sarah kneeling in front of me. For a moment, I just stare at her, my mind struggling to make sense of it.
Why would she—
Why would someone like her—
“Can you sit up?” Her voice cuts through my thoughts. My body resists at first as I try to, but somehow I manage, pushing myself up with shaking arms. Pain shoots through me, and a small, broken sound slips from my lips before I can stop it.
“Hey… it’s alright,” she murmurs. “You’re safe right now.”
Safe?
The word feels strange as it rolls off her lips, as it belongs to someone else. Not me. “I…” My voice cracks, but I keep going anyway, “I—”
“It’s okay if you can’t speak right now,” she cuts in softly. “You don’t have to be afraid of me because unlike Clara, I’m not going to hurt you.”
I look at her, unsure how to believe that.
How was I supposed to believe that everyone here didn’t despise me?
“I… thank you,” I finally manage to speak, the words small and fragile.
“You’re welcome.”
For a moment, we just sit there in the rain, the silence no longer suffocating, just… quiet.
“What’s your name?” she asks.
The question catches me off guard.
“My name?” I repeat faintly, like I’m not sure I remember what it was.
“Isabella,” the words leave my lips like something I haven’t used in a long time.
“Isabella?” She repeats, as it matters. “That’s a nice name, I’m Sarah.” She studies me for a moment before speaking again, “Popularly known as the mate of Owen Riley. Alpha Landon’s Beta.”
Landon’s name coming out of my mouth makes my stomach tighten, but she doesn’t feel like the others.
“I won’t let her touch you like that again,” she says quietly.
“W…why did you save me?” The words roll out of my lips before I can stop myself.
“Because someone should.”
That’s all Sarah says, but it’s enough to make something ache deep in my chest. I look away quickly, blinking against the sting of tears in my eyes.
Then she reaches for my hands. I flinch immediately, but her touch is gentle as she turns my palms upward.
“Damn it…” she mutters under her breath the moment her gaze lands inside my palms. They are much worse than I thought—raw, scraped open, small cuts lined with dirt and splinters.
When she looks up at me again, the softness in her eyes is gone now, replaced by something sharper.
“Come on,” Sarah says, rising to her feet and gently pulling me up with her. My legs nearly give out, but she holds me easily.
“We really need to treat those wounds before they get infected.”