Trust no one

Isabella Point Of View

This morning I woke up a bit after eight because of my late night activity. When I went downstairs to the dining hall for breakfast, Dimitri was already there drinking tea and scanning through a news outlet.

"Good morning." I say, taking a seat, and pouring myself some coffee.

"Isn't it a little too early for coffee?" He asks, looking up at me with a smile.

"It is never too early for coffee, and besides I need it to function properly." I replied to him.

"Well Lance and Gabe will be arriving today." He informs me. This was such good news, finally I will have some familiar faces around.

"They will be joining me at the site for a meeting with the architect contractors." Dimitri adds.

"Okay, I also have somewhere to go. I will join you guys at the site." I told him. I could read the look in his eyes, they held an unspoken worry.

"I'm just going to get some magical ingredients." I quickly added to ease his thoughts.

"Okay, wherever you go take Tilda with you. It isn't safe here." Dimitri spoke.

"Don't worry. Nothing bad is going to happen to me. I can take care of myself." I said to him, I didn't need a bodyguard, I could perfectly protect myself, and I have all these years.

"Please Isabelle, don't argue with me on this. I will feel much at ease knowing you are with someone that I can trust." He uttered, sounding strangely uneasy. This wasn't like him, I knew there was something bothering him and I had a feeling it had to do with the blood I found on his chin last night.

"Okay, fine I'll go with Tilda. Are you alright? You have been acting strange since last night." I say, confronting his strange behavior. He quickly looked away from me.

"It's nothing." Dimitri voiced but I didn't believe him. "I have to go now." He asserts, standing up and leaving me alone in the hall.

There was something going on with him, something he was trying to hide from me, I was sure of it. I looked down to my palm, I was still with the gift I bought for him, I wanted to give it to him before he left but- anyways I needed to hurry up to the voodoo and occult shop.

I got ready and Tilda and I drove down to 'Casa la diabla' . It was a voodoo shop I heard about. It was owned by a witch and it is almost the only shop where you can find the rarest of magical ingredients for spells.

When we arrived, I told Tilda to wait behind in the car for me. I went into the shop, the shop bells jingling as I stepped in.

The shop was exactly how you would picture an occult store to be. It had lots of creepy skulls and talismans on display. The entire room reeked of incense, lots of it.

Down at the counter was an old lady with gray white hair. I could feel the heated gaze of her eyes follow me as I made my way to her stock of magical herbs.

I found some tiger roots and I procured a jar of mountain ash. I would need them to fix my broken binding bracelet and restore its powers.

After I was done I went to the counter to get them wrapped. As I approached the counter the old lady's eyes were still fixed on my every move.

"Do I know you?" I asked, placing the items before her and she gave a knowing smile.

"You may not remember me but I know who you are. Chosen one." the old lady gave with a crooked smile.

I immediately reached for my dagger and pointed it at her. Her smile grew even wider.

"You are just like her, you look like her too." The lady said, unmoved by the fact I was aiming a bloody dagger at her throat.

"Who are you talking about?" I questioned, my gaze deepening as I pressed the dagger closer to her.

"Your mother, child." She said, and I lowered my weapon in shock.

"You knew my mother?" I asked and she nodded.

"Yes. I taught her. She was a very gifted witch. You look exactly like her when she was younger." The lady said to me,

"My name is Shota and I used to be part of the Black coven until I retired. Then years later I learnt that the Black Rose coven was destroyed. No one survived except you?" Shota asked and I replied to her with a nod.

"When Delilah attacked, she killed everyone in the coven. I only got out because of my mom." I told her.

"I knew this would happen in the end, your mother knew it would happen too." Shota spoke with a look of regret.

What did she mean she and my mother knew? What did they know?

"You said you taught my mother, what skill did you guide her?" I asked.

"The skill of foresight. Just like me your mother had an extraordinary gift in predicting the future, a gift that she passed down to you." Shota spoke. I couldn't understand, my mother didn't pass down any of her gifts to me.

"No she didn't. I'm not like her. I can't predict the future." I said.

"Did she perform the transfer ceremony with you that night?" Shota questioned me firmly.

"Yes, she did but-" I was cut off.

"Then you have the gift now only that you haven't awakened it. The sooner you can the better." She advised me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Child, when I look at you, all I can see is darkness. There is a very dark cloud approaching you, a darkness that knows no limit and whose only limit is limitless." Shota took a pause, her eyes turning blurry white. "I can see an imminent danger following you at present. Be careful about who you trust and those close to you." she drew in a breath, her eyes returning to its usual forest green color.

"You said you and my mother knew what would happen, what did you mean by that?" I asked.

"When you were born your mother had a vision and so did I. We both dreamt about the end of the Black Rose coven. We saw it happen and knew what would lead to the cause that would end us." Shota answered slowly.

"Then why didn't you do something about it? Tell me why didn't she stop it from happening?" I asked, tears brimming up in my eyes. I couldn't make sense of it no matter how I tried. If my mom knew how it would end, why didn't she stop it from happening?

"Because of you. All of this sacrifice the coven made was for you. They knew they would die but they still went on with it if it was going to be the first step to fulfill your prophecy." Shota tried to explain but I wouldn't let her.

"Bullshit! Don't try to bring this back to me. I would have wanted her to fight, I wanted her to fight against every odds if there was a chance we would make it." I countered, not holding back the years as they poured.

"Trust me child, she wanted to fight for you. But the stakes are far bigger than you or me. What is at stake is far much greater than all of us. Child the entire world is at stake and only you can save it." Shota spoke, her words were unclear to me.

"I don't know if I can." I replied.

"You can, it is your destiny child." Shota said to me.

"How can I do it?" I ask.

"Well you have to figure that out on your own." Shota spoke, her hands touching my chin. "But don't cry child, soon everything will be more clear to you, I promise." She assured me. That was when the welcome bells rang ushering in Tilda who stared at us confused about what was going on.

"What is going on? It has been almost an hour." Tilda groaned, but the look in her eyes soon changed to one of concern when she noticed that I was just crying.

"Isabella, are you okay?" She asks, her eyes following Shota suspiciously.

"I've never been better." I reply with a smile.

"Okay. Alpha Dimitri called, "we have to go now." She relays to me. I knew I had to get to the site urgently.

I look back at Shota. "Thank you. And I will be back when I can." I give her a hug.

"Take care of yourself child and don't forget what I told you. Don't trust anyone." She says, her words ringing in my head, I give her a nod as I follow Tilda out.

"Who was that crazy old lady?" Tilda asked immediately as we entered the car. I put on my seat belt, my mind running through every single word I was told by Shota. Her last words rang in my head over and over again.

'Don't trust anyone...'

"She was no one. Just some crazy old lady." I answered.

"Hmm, okay." Tilda said, her eyes fixed on the road. "Alpha Dimitri told me to bring you to the site.

We took a trail through a quiet road. Looking ahead into the road I could see a large tree blockage on the road. Smoke fog appeared and in the midst of it all was a tall figure in a black hood standing before the tree.

"Who the hell is that?" I questioned as the car came to a halt before the figure.

"Don't worry I'll sort it out. Stay in the car." Tilda said to me, unbuckling her seat.

"Like hell I am." I retort, unbuckling my seat. I stepped out of the car.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" I fired my questions at the hooded figure. The figure raised his head, revealing long blond hair and fiery red eyes.

What the hell was he?

"What I want is payback." The unknown assailant said, his eyes bursting into wild flames.

From the corner of my eyes I notice someone lunge at me, I quickly dodge, diving my dagger into his heart. He drops, but he wasn't alone, there were eighteen-no twenty fierce looking men emerging out.

One of the men growled, transforming into a red fox. They were foxes. All of them were a pack of kitsune foxes.

Out of nowhere another lunges at me but before he could even reach me, he was thrown away hard across a tree by Tilda. Her eyes were also now glowing a bright golden color.

"Isabella get back to the car. I promised Dmitri that I would protect you." Tilda breathed out, glaring at the pack of foxes to back off.

"No. We will fight them off together." I tell her with a nod. I wasn't just going to leave her to fight these foxes alone. But what did they want? They didn't seem to be interested in me being the chosen one so what did they want with me? I guess I'll get the truth out of their dead corpse.

Tilda and my back faced each other, as I fought against the kitsunes. They were fast, really fast, even faster than the werewolves I train with at the pack, but they were no match for my witch powers.

"Exto vez rie enmorté..." I chanted, snapping three kitsunes necks where they stood. I focus my gaze at one of the red fixes, my mind shooting an enormous amount of psychic pain through its mind. It falls to the ground, whining in pain.

'This battle is pointless Isabella. They just keep coming back with reinforcement. You have to run.' The voice in my head gave advice, and she was right. This fight wasn't going anywhere. As we fought, the more werefoxes we killed, the more they came back with backups. We need to run for the woods, maybe we can lose them there.

"Verimos les duspiro..." I spell a wooden stake, which flew and impaled two foxes, giving me a open path to run away.

"Tilda!" I say, grabbing her wrist, her face was covered in blood from fighting those foxes. "We have to run away into the woods, quickly!" I dragged her but she was unwilling.

"Isabella..." she calls, escaping my grip. Apl of a sudden I had a very eerie feeling.

I turned around to face Tilda, instead I was met with the sharp piercing of a needle to my neck. I stagger back, placing my hand on my neck.

Tilda stood before me with a wild smirk. Behind her was the fox in a hood, they were together in this. She had betrayed me.

"What did you inject me with?" I ask, I could feel my vision get blurry and weak.

"That was nightshade elixir. It is capable of putting an elephant to sleep, and I gave you an entire shot." Tilda grinned.

"I promise I'm going to skin you alive, you bloody bitch!" I groan, the effect of the nightshade kicking in.

"I won't be making any promises. You might not survive this." She muttered, her voice morphing into a hoarse tone.

My breathing finally slows down and my eyes feel so heavy, it gives in and slowly shuts.

'Don't trust anyone...' Shota's eerie warning begins to play again in my head. This is what she meant.

Dimitri's Point Of View

Blood!

It's coming. I can feel death creep in the air like a patient predator, watching its prey. Something deadly was coming soon, I could feel it. The earth would finally quench its insatiable hunger for blood. The time is fast approaching, we need to move faster than our enemies.

I can feel the Blood moon, its energy is powerful, unlike any before. I know the Blood moon is close because of the shadows of the unseen and the whispers in the trees. This wasn't a good omen, it was a warning!

Something has happened to my mate. I could sense it through our mate bond. I can feel the faint beating of heart, the fragile pulse was barely able to beat, but she was alive.

They should have gotten here by now. Where is Tilda?

"Dimitri, I can't connect with Tilda through the mind link. She had cut herself off." Regan said, as she approached me.

Like I had suspected, Tilda had gone rogue and had kidnapped my mate. I felt Luca growl within me in anger.

'How dare she kidnap mate!' Luca roared. She was begging for death, when I find her I would reduce her life to nothing but an agonizing torture. But there was something more.

'Blood. The earth craved blood!' Luca recalled within me and I cringed.

This was all Stefan's doing. This was the fox's way of getting revenge on me. After all these years, he had finally found something that he could use to hurt me, something that I cared about. Isabella.

'He has our mate!' Luca snarls.

I should have killed him the other night when I had the chance. Stefan, the fox was the owner of the blood Isabelle found on my chin. I was ambushed the other night by him and his pack of foxes. I managed to kill everyone of them but I spared his life as my last act of friendship to him. But now I am going to kill him.

'He is your friend.' Luca whispered.

Not anymore. Not after going after my mate. I am going to destroy anyone who tries to hurt her.

"We need to find our mate first.' Luca voiced. He was right, I needed to find her. I could still smell her scent, so I began trailing it to all the places it led.

I transformed into my lycan wolf, hunting Isabella's scent like a hound. Her unique scent led me to a voodoo shop. Isabella was here, her scent was strong and all over the place. I entered the shop, the bells jingling welcoming my presence.

There was an old lady standing behind the counter. Her eyes regarded me with such coldness. She is a witch, that much I could tell, a very powerful witch.

"It is you," she said, unamused. "I had a feeling you would show up." She added, her eyes still fixed on me.

I didn't come here for a chat. I needed to find my mate before Stefan would do something he will forever live to regret.

"Where is Isabella?" I questioned, not wasting any more time.

"You know that answer yourself. Your skeleton from your past has taken her away with the help of the traitor wolf you tasked to protect her." The witch spoke, earning a growl from me. If she still valued her life she should stop talking.

I'll leave. There is nothing that is of help here, I have to continue tracking down Isabella's scent.

As I turned around on my way to the door, the witch spoke again.

"She is your destiny, a destiny far greater than yours or mine. It is your solemn duty to protect her Blood Alpha, even if it will eventually cost you your life. You must help her so that the prophecy is fulfilled. That is your destiny." I heard the witch speak from behind, without looking back I replied to her.

"I know what my destiny is and I won't let anyone hurt it." I growl, storming out of the shop, following Isabella scent once more.

It led me to a path, close to the woods. I found a clearing where the jeep Isabella was in was parked, open. Scattered around were dead bodies, some of werefoxes. Isabella didn't go without a fight, I just hope that bastard didn't hurt her.

I see a piece of paper, pinned against a tree with a dagger. I remembered that blade, I knew it all too well. It was the same blade I used to kill Stefan's older brother Damien.

I take the note, my eyes turning to ice upon reading its contents.

'An eye for an eye. I have come to collect the debt you owe... You can meet me at the place it all began.'

My mind flashes back to the memories when it all began. Stefan and I were friends, brothers even. He was a pure blooded kitsune fox but was the kindest soul I have ever met. He didn't want anything to do with the supernatural world so over the years he was content with being a traveling doctor -using his fox blood and powers from his nine tails to heal the sick wherever he went. But while he was gone everything changed, his brother, Damien changed. Damien was the Supreme king to the kitsunes but he changed. He began attacking and killing werewolves, he was out of control. I went to talk to him. That was when I found out that Damien wasn't Damien anymore. He was possessed by the dark spirit of a nogitsune. A nogitsune was a trickster spirit of a fox, they were dark and only wanted to cause chaos. He was possessed by a Void Kitsune who fed on chaos, pain, and strife. There was no way to stop a nogitsune once he had found a host, the only thing I could do was kill him, so I did.

I tried explaining what really happened to Stefan but he wouldn't listen to reason. He vowed to destroy something I love, to get revenge on me one day-an eye for an eye. Now he has gotten something that I loved more than myself. Isabella. Now I wasn't going to spare him.

'I'LL KILL HIM!' I couldn't agree less with Luca. If he dares hurt as much as a toenail on her, I swear I'll rip his throat out.

At the back of the paper, was written .

'You have just one hour before she dies!' I crumple the sheet of paper in my hands

I quickly start sprinting towards the woods, I don't know where I'm going, I let my wolf take control he knows best and right now I'm not in the best state of mind.

A storm of emotions rages within me. I felt a great mass of pain, and at the same time I felt a frightening wave of anger consume me. I would stop at nothing to find Isabella and bring her back to safety.

The overwhelming grief and pain I felt had morphed into a seething, fiery anger that consumes my being.

Clutching the crumpled piece of paper tightly, my eyes burn with unyielding rage as I make an oath to myself:

"Stefan, you will pay for taking Isabelle from me. I swear by everything I hold dear, I will find you and I will make you suffer for what you've done. You have awakened the beast within me, and I will stop at nothing to bring her back and rain my vengeance upon you and everything you hold dear." I let out a thunderous roar that shook the earth and vibrated the ground.

With a steely determination, driven by a singular purpose: to rescue my mate at all costs. Every fiber of my being pulsates with an unrelenting fury, and my vow echoes through the depths of my being, propelling me forward on a path of relentless pursuit and vengeance.

"Hang on Isabelle. I'm coming for you!"

*****Author's note*****

Hello readers!!!

I know it's been a long while since my last update but I was busy writing my last college exams and now I can proudly call myself a graduate.

So expect timely updates coming for all my books so as always like, comment and share to a friend who loves to read>>>>>>

Hope you enjoyed this chapter next chapter is going to be hot, likee...♡♡♡

Chapter soundtrack: Nightcore by Melanie Martinez (once you listen the rhythm sticks, I promise, xoxo)