Chapter 47 Chapter 47
Chapter 47 Chapter 47
Isabella’s POV
“What is going on, Isabella?” Tessa asked, fear laced in her tone as she quivered behind me.
My heart was racing—so fast it felt like it would burst—while the screams around us grew louder.
Smoke was everywhere.
“Just stay behind me, okay, Tessa,” I said as I covered my nose. The smoke was getting worse—thicker, heavier.
“We have to leave this place,” I added, taking cautious steps toward the door.
The moment I touched the doorknob, I yanked my hand back.
A burning sting shot through my palm.
“What’s wrong?” Tessa asked.
“It’s hot,” I said, panic creeping into my voice. “That means there’s fire behind this door.”
My breath caught. “What’s happening? What are we going to do?”
I pushed my hair back, my hands shaking.
“Mom. Isabella—Mom. We need to get to her,” she said, her voice rising with panic.
Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang.
“Come with me,” Sean barked, urgency in his tone.
He was covered in burns. His clothes torn.
“Come—faster,” he added.
Tessa and I didn’t hesitate.
We followed him, and he handed us blankets. “Cover up,” he ordered, “so the smoke doesn’t get to your lungs.”
He led us out of the burning house—and just as we got outside—
The house exploded.
The force of it threw us forward. We hit the ground hard, faces down.
I scrambled up, heart pounding, turning to look—
The house was engulfed in flames.
My eyes widened in horror.
We would have died.
If Sean had come just a minute later—we’d be gone.
“What the fuck is happening, Sean?! Why is this happening?!” I cried, voice trembling, tears running down my cheeks.
“We’re under attack,” he said, his tone grim.
“Attack?” I repeated, breath catching. “By who?”
“Alpha Zach and his pack.”
My whole body trembled.
So many emotions surged through me at once—fear, betrayal, rage.
Why didn’t Asher tell me? Why didn’t he warn me?
“We have to leave this place,” Sean added, his voice carrying a quiet panic.
I grabbed Tessa’s wrist.
She was still in shock, frozen, and I couldn’t blame her.
We followed Sean, leaving everything behind.
We finally reached a warehouse packed with people—faces stained with ash and fear.
“Are they the last people?” someone asked Sean, eyes filled with worry.
“Yes, they are,” he replied.
“Good. We’ll have to go help the others.”
“No,” Sean snapped. “Asher said if anything happened, we stay. We protect them.”
His voice cracked with frustration, with anger.
And my head—my head was spiraling.
It felt like I was going to lose it.
“Isabella, Tessa!”
Our mom’s voice rang out—and my gaze immediately snapped toward her.
Tessa and I didn’t waste a second. We ran into her arms and hugged her tightly, clutching her like we’d never let go.
“I’m glad you both are safe. I don’t know what I would have done…” she whispered as she broke the hug, her voice shaking.
“Nothing will happen to us, Mom. We’ll be safe,” I said, trying to sound sure—trying to believe it myself.
“I knew it was a mistake coming here!”
An elderly man’s voice cut through the moment, thick with anger.
“Alpha Asher promised us protection—but look at what’s happening. We’re in the middle of a damn war, and we can’t do anything about it!”
His voice shook with rage, and the room started to fill with murmurs—people agreeing, fear feeding into frustration.
“I need you all to shut up!” Sean growled, and instantly, the room went silent.
“Asher is out there fighting for us, okay? We didn’t start this war. We didn’t ask for any of this. But Zachary brought it to our door, and what the hell do you want Asher to do? Sit back and watch his land get taken? Be fucking serious!”
“Sean’s right.”the same guy who’d wanted to go fight with Asher step forward.“If Alpha Asher hadn’t stood up to them, we’d be living like slaves under the Council’s rule.”
“Thank you, Jason. They seem to be losing their fucking minds,” Sean snapped.
“We’ll keep you all safe. Okay?”
Then—
The scream came again.
Everyone froze.
Panic set in like a wave.
“Where is that sound coming from?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“That’s a distraction from the enemies. That scream isn’t from our people,” Sean replied, but something in his tone faltered.
“That isn’t a distraction, sir,” my mom said—and her voice… it shook in a way I’d never heard before.
“That is an evil spirit… it’s been invoked.”
Everyone turned to stare at her.
“Mom—what are you saying?” I asked, my heart thudding hard. “What does this mean?”
“Isabella…” she said, almost breathless, “this hasn’t happened since your father’s reign. He and his friends locked that spirit away long ago. And now—it’s back.”
I stared at her, stunned. Confused.
None of this made sense. And yet—something in the air felt wrong. Deeply wrong.
Then the scream came again.
Louder.
It pierced through the walls like a blade.
“It wants revenge,” she whispered.
My eyes widened.
Everyone around us began to murmur again—but this time in fear.
And then—
BOOM.
The iron gate of the warehouse shuddered under a heavy blow.
My heart skipped a beat.
“Everyone behind us!” Sean growled.
The crowd didn’t hesitate—they moved quickly, huddling close, the fear palpable in the air.
The pounding at the gate grew louder.
Harder.
Relentless.
Each hit shook the metal like thunder, until the gate began to give way—weakening, groaning under pressure.
“They’re here,” Sean said, voice low. Calm.
But I heard it.
That crack in his tone.
That quiet fear hiding behind the calm.
And then the door burst open.
A collective scream tore through the warehouse, a wave of raw panic—but no one ran.
They froze.
Frozen by fear.
And then—he stepped in.
Zachary.
My breath caught.
My body stiffened.
He walked in like he owned the place, a twisted smirk curled on his lips, eyes gleaming with cruelty.
He was in his full Alpha form—power radiating off of him in waves that made my knees weak.
“Welcome your new Alpha,” he said, laughing—
Loud.
Dark.
Unhinged.
My mouth parted in disbelief.
No.
This isn’t happening.
“Where is Asher…” I muttered under my breath, barely able to speak.
The fear had wrapped itself around my throat.