Chapter 262

Chapter 262
Michael

"I still can't fucking believe it," I said, staring at the manila envelope on the hotel bed. "How could I not have known?" I clenched my jaw, fighting against the wave of helplessness washing over me. As her mate, I should protect her, know everything—yet I couldn't prevent Isabella's pain.

A few days ago, she'd discovered the truth about her origins. For weeks now, we'd been carefully rebuilding our relationship, watching her smile slowly return, holding her when she'd occasionally still wake from nightmares.

Today had been particularly hard. Isabella had finally agreed to her mother's repeated requests to bring Kevin to their home in Forest Territory for a visit. What should have been a simple family visit became complicated when her mother asked her to find some childhood photos in the attic.

That's when she found the adoption papers.

"Michael?" Isabella called from the bathroom of our hotel room, her voice broken. The sound pierced my chest like a physical wound. I crossed the room in two long strides to find her sitting on the edge of the bathtub, eyes swollen, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her hands trembled as she clutched a tissue, unconsciously tearing it to shreds.

"Come here," I said softly, pulling her into my arms. She buried her face against my chest, her body shaking with silent sobs. I stroked her hair, feeling fucking helpless. My wolf paced anxiously inside, yearning to fix with teeth or claws what couldn't be fixed. "It's going to be okay."

"How?" she asked, looking up at me. Her eyes had turned amber gold—her wolf close to the surface, responding to her emotional distress. "My entire life has been a lie. Every damn birthday, every story about when I was born... all lies."

"Not lies," I corrected gently, wiping away tears from her cheeks with my thumb. "Your parents love you. That was never anything but the truth."

A knock interrupted us. Richard entered first, his face tight with concern, Kevin close behind, his blue eyes darkening to midnight when he saw Isabella's tears.

"What happened?" Richard immediately moved to our side, placing his hand on Isabella's shoulder, his thumb stroking soothingly over her collarbone.

"She found her adoption papers," I explained, watching understanding dawn on their faces. "Her parents never told her."

Kevin moved to Isabella's other side, not touching her but close enough that she could feel his warmth. His towering figure hovered protectively, eyes scanning her as if looking for physical wounds he could fight. "Did it change how they raised you?" he asked in his rough, deep voice.

Isabella blinked up at him, surprise temporarily replacing grief. "No, but—"

"Then it doesn't fucking change anything," Kevin stated flatly, arms crossed over his chest. His bluntness cut through the emotional fog in the room.

Richard's mouth twitched. "Our friend has a unique way of expressing himself, but he's right. Isabella, your parents chose you. They wanted you. Blood doesn't make a family."

I watched Isabella absorb these words, her breathing steadying slightly. My hand drew circles on her back, feeling the tension gradually release from her muscles. "But who am I? Where do I come from?" Her voice was small, sounding younger, like a child lost in a crowd.

"Let's find out together," I suggested, my eyes communicating silently with Richard and Kevin. "Together."

---

The next morning, we returned to Isabella's parents' home. The conversation was painful but necessary. Her parents wept as they explained they'd adopted her when she was five months old, knowing nothing of her biological parents. The adoption agency had provided little information—just that she was a child who needed a family.

Isabella forgave them almost immediately, which didn't surprise me. Despite the shock, she recognized the love that had shaped her life. I admired her capacity for forgiveness, even as my wolf growled at the secrets kept from her.

"Michael, tell me what you know," Isabella asked that evening as we gathered in my hotel room. "About... him." She couldn't yet say "my brother." Her fingers twisted anxiously on her knees, knuckles white.

I exchanged glances with Richard and Kevin before beginning. The weight of the information I needed to share pressed against my chest. "Taylor is two years older than you. Your biological mother kept him but couldn't care for two children. She was deep into drugs, using Taylor to run deliveries, beg, and take care of her when she was high."

God, what a fucking childhood, I thought, carefully keeping my expression neutral.

Isabella flinched, and Richard moved closer to her on the bed, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. His protective instinct echoed my own.

"Taylor's only connection to you was a baby photo of the two of you. He became obsessed with it, calling you his 'light in the darkness.' After his mother died when he was sixteen, he went into foster care and was eventually adopted by a cybersecurity expert who taught him hacking skills."

"How did he find me?" Isabella whispered, her face as pale as moonlight.

"During college, he hacked into the Forest Territory adoption agency database. He found your records and your adoptive parents' information. He discovered you were attending Silver Moon University."

Kevin made a low, dangerous sound. "Fucking psychopath," he growled, his eyes flashing the deep blue unique to Alphas. "That kind of obsession is sick. Stalking your own goddamn sister..." His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and I could feel his wolf struggling for control.

I continued, carefully watching Isabella. "Taylor began observing you from a distance. To get close to you, he pursued Julian and became his boyfriend."

"Julian didn't know," Isabella protested, fingers twisting on her knees. "He couldn't have known."

"No, he didn't," I agreed, my voice softening. "When Taylor learned about us—what he perceived as our 'betrayal' and 'abuse' of you—he decided you needed protection from us. That's when the stalking escalated."

"The warnings, the gifts..." Isabella murmured, understanding flashing in her eyes.

Richard shook his head. "None of it makes any fucking sense. The whole thing is absurd." His red eyes flashed with barely contained anger.

"When you refused his 'protection,' Taylor became frustrated," I explained. "He convinced himself his actions were for your own good. He needed to scare you into compliance."

"So he drugged Julian and kidnapped me," Isabella concluded, her voice hollow.

Kevin's jaw tightened, muscles twitching beneath his skin. "And he paid for it with his pathetic life," he said without a trace of remorse.

I still have nightmares about that day. Isabella receiving the photo of an unconscious Julian, rushing to Julian's apartment despite our warnings. The fear that gripped me when I realized what she'd done. We tracked her from a distance, watching as Taylor approached her from behind, injecting her with sedatives.

"Damn it," Kevin had growled, his eyes turning deep blue, ready to charge forward, his entire body coiled like a spring.

"Wait," Richard had warned, grabbing Kevin's shoulder with enough force to bruise an ordinary man. "We need to see his intentions. Acting rashly could get her hurt."

If he harms a single hair on her head, I'll tear him apart myself.

We followed Taylor's car to a small house in the suburbs. He took Isabella inside, down to a basement filled with computer equipment. Most disturbing was the wall covered with photographs of Isabella. Years of surveillance documented in horrifying detail. Seeing it, my stomach churned, rage boiling through my veins.