Chapter Eleven
Isabelle groaned as she awoke, her eyes squinting against the burst of sunlight that poured into her room from the window, directly shining on her face. She sighed heavily and placed her hands on her head in an attempt to calm the pounding in her skull. She looked up at her white ceiling, the memories of the previous evening coming back to her in leaps and bounds.
She grimaced and sat up on her bed, leaning against her headboard. Every part of her felt sore. Her upper arms carried purple bruises from where Khalil had gripped her last night. Her face felt heavy and set in stone after she had gone to bed with her makeup. Her eyes felt swollen from all the tears, and her body felt fatigued.
But no part of her was as bruised as her heart. She felt humiliated. She felt angry. She was hurt. She felt raw, fragile, and exposed. Her heart felt as though it had been stripped of everything and left to survive on its own. She hated how she felt.
She was tired.
Isabelle sighed heavily and dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom, deciding that she did not need to look the way she felt. Isabelle sighed as the hot water hit her skin, and she felt her muscles relax under the harsh yet loving touch of the hot water as it cascaded down her back.
Her mind drifted to Khalil, She wondered where he was, what he was doing, and if he was still angry with her. She wondered if she should apologize to him for her conduct, but as soon as the thought entered her head, she dismissed it. After all, it was partly his fault.
He had been the one to bring his whore; he had embarrassed her first. He had been the one to abandon her in such unfamiliar surroundings and allow her family the chance to ambush her. If he had been at her side, if he had paraded her the same way he paraded that bitch, Cassandra, if he had danced with her and held her in his arms the whole evening, perhaps the night would not have been so eventful.
Isabelle groaned as she exited the bathroom, smiling to herself as she felt like a new being. She jumped as she realized that she was not the only one in her room.
“Can I help you?” Isabelle asked the maid who was staring at her with an icy look on her face.
She looked at her with a condescending look on her face. And it was then she knew that the events of the ball had spread like wildfire. Shame washed over her as she recalled her behavior, how she had screamed at Khalil and her family, how she had had to be dragged out of the ball like an errant child, how the others had looked at her as though she was deranged and needed to be contained.
It was in that moment, she realized the gravity of what she had done. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her, but like all her wishes, it was not granted.
“Alpha Khalil asked me to deliver this note to you and to ensure that you read it,” she said coldly and stretched her hand towards Isabelle, dropping the note before she had the chance to take it from her.
Isabelle watched the note as it slowly descended to the floor, her heart sinking to new depths. She scoffed. She knew that had been done on purpose, she was telling Isabelle what she thought of her, how she saw her, how Khalil’s household saw her despite the fact that she was his wife, and when marked, would become their Luna.
Even in a world where she was to lead, she was still treated like the mud underneath people’s feet.
Isabelle blinked away the tears that stung her eyes and lowered herself to the floor and picking up the note, clearing her throat as she read it. Her grip on the piece of paper tightened as she consumed the information. Yet another nail in her coffin.
‘You are not to leave the house under any circumstances. And you are not to speak to anyone except household staff.’
The tears returned, and this time she let them fall. She looked up at the maid who now had a smile tugging at her lips as she took in Isabelle’s tear-streaked face.
Isabelle cleared her throat and cocked her brow, “Is that all?” she asked.
The maid huffed and lifted her nose at her. “Yes, that is all,” she answered. “Please ensure that you adhere to the wishes of the Alpha to avoid dire consequences.”
Isabelle watched as the woman turned on her heel to leave. She watched as she walked to the door, an air of superiority around her.
“You don’t like me at all, do you?” Isabelle found herself asking.
The woman turned to her slowly, her hand tightly gripping the door knob. “No one here likes you,” she replied bluntly.
Isabelle felt her heart clench in her chest. She knew that she should have stopped, that she should not have continued to probe her. And yet, she couldn’t stop herself from saying the words that would only bring more hurt to her already fragile state.
“And why is that?” Isabelle asked.
The woman turned to face her, disbelief etched into her wrinkles. She scoffed and looked down her nose at Isabelle. “You really do not know?”
Isabelle shook her head and dug her heels in. “No, I don’t...”
“No one likes you because you are an embarrassment,” the older woman spat, her lips curling down as she spoke. “You are weak, even I am stronger than you...of what use are you going to be to someone as strong as our alpha Khalil?!”
Isabelle opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her. All she could do was stand there and allow the words of the older woman to wash over her, piercing her soul even more.
The maid’s eyes surveyed Isabelle, from the beautiful strands of hair that lay atop her head down to the beautifully painted red toes on her feet, and the disgust and disappointment on her face grew.
She shook her head in disappointment. “He would have been better off with Cassandra,” she said, her words serving as the final nail in Isabelle’s coffin. “I don’t know what you did to him to make him marry you...what spell, or what it was you promised him, but you do not deserve to be his wife.”
“That’s enough!”
The maid’s eyes opened in terror as she turned to see Martha standing at the entrance to her room, her brows drawn down in anger. Isabelle, on the other hand just stood there, allowing the harsh words of the older woman to wash over her.
“Martha...” she said and laughed nervously. “How long have you been standing there?”
Martha walked slowly into the room, her eyes quickly assessing the situation, feeling anger boil in her veins afresh. “Long enough to hear everything you said.”
The maid’s eyes widened further, so much so that Isabelle feared that they would pop out of their sockets and the maid would traumatize her further.
The maid laughed nervously, “Surely, you know that I didn’t mean everything I said to the good miss...”
“Whether you meant it or not is immaterial, Shannon. You do not address the future luna of the pack in that manner or in that tone,” Martha said sternly, her eyes the only indication of the rage she felt.
Properly chastised, the maid turned around to leave, but not without giving Isabelle a scathing look. They both watched as she closed the door behind her, and listened to her heavy footsteps as she made her way down the hallway.
“Is that what everyone thinks of me, Martha?” Isabelle asked, angry that she could hear the tears in her voice.
Martha forced a smile to her lips and turned to face the younger woman. “It doesn’t matter what they think, my child.”
“But it does, Martha. How am I supposed to...” Isabelle’s voice trailed off as a lone tear rolled down her cheek.
Martha sighed heavily and placed both hands on Isabelle’s shoulders. “You are married to him whether they like it or not, Isabelle.”
“I am weak.”
“You can get stronger.”
“Khalil hates me. I embarrassed him.”
“And so what? He probably deserved it...”
Isabelle couldn’t help the burst of laughter that escaped her. Martha smiled at the sight. She was determined to be the chit’s guardian until she could stand on her own feet. She saw herself in Isabelle, and she was determined that she would have a better outcome than her.
“I should apologize to Khalil...” Isabelle said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Martha nodded. “You should.”
Isabelle smiled, her heart suddenly becoming lighter.
“Get dressed. Come down and have breakfast.”
Isabelle nodded and watched as Martha made her way out of her room. For the first time since forever, she felt like she had someone on her side, someone looking out for her, and that made her ordeal all the more worth it.
She sighed heavily and smiled wider. She would apologize to Khalil about the previous night, and find a way to make lemonade out of the rotten lemons that life had thrown at her.