He shook his head. “This can’t be real. I’m dreaming this aren’t I?” He demanded. “There is no way you’re alive.”
I picked myself off the bed and made my way towards him. His body tensed as I approached him but he did not move.
I grabbed his hand and placed it directly above my chest. His eyes widened and I knew that he could feel my heartbeat. “feel my heartbeat. feel how it beats for you and you alone. I’m alive Hunter. Why would you ever think that you would ever hurt me? You’ve done nothing but protect me since the moment I entered your life. You saved me multiple times, so tell me, why would you ever think that you killed me?”
“Isabella,” he whispered still in disbelief. “I saw you. I saw you lying on the ground and I was covered in your b***d. I even had the bloody dagger in my hand.”
“forget what you saw.” I insisted. “Instead feel our bond and feel the love that we have for each other. And tell me, will you ever hurt me?”
He stared at me now, like really stared. I felt all of the love and emotions flowing between us like a powerful chord holding us together. I could see all of the thoughts swirling in his beautiful eyes as he searched for the answer to my question.
“no.” He answered and there was no doubt in his voice this time.
I smiled. “There is your answer.”
“Oh,” Lucy said at the doorway. “Hunter’s awake guys.”
no sooner had she said those words did my entire family come bolting through the door.
“It’s good to see you man!” Marcus said as he greeted him like never before.
Austin nodded. “We’re all happy that you’re awake now.”
Hunter looked confused by their greetings and I could tell that he was beginning to think that he was dead again.
Thane walked in then and took a glance at me before he walked over to him. “I owe you an apology. I’m sorry for attacking you. I should have known that my sister’s mate would never kill her. I hope that you’ll be able to forgive me some day for what I’ve done.”
I was happy that my brother had apologized. It made me love him even more.
Hunter still looked puzzled and I knew that it was time to tell the truth to everyone.
“I think we are all ready to learn of the truth Isabella.” Austin said as if reading my mind. “We need to find out who took you and we need to find out quickly so that we could get rid of them.”
I looked at Hunter and I didn’t know how to break the news to him. I never liked Maggie but he once loved her and I knew that a small part of him still cared for her. It would completely break him to know of everything she’d done to him. She’d purposely let him suffer all of these years and she was still trying her best to make him suffer.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” He asked me as he took a few steps until he was standing right next to me. His eyes showed his love and affection for me and I almost melted at the tenderness I saw there. “It’s okay. They can’t harm you anymore. I won’t let anyone take you from me again. I promise.”
A small, warm smile formed on my mouth as I stared lovingly at him.
I lightly touched his cheek. “I’m not scared for me. I know that I’m safe whenever you’re around. I’m just worried about how you would take the news.” I swallowed and finally built up the courage to tell him. We didn’t have much time left to plan something to get back at Maggie for all she’d done to us. I needed to let everyone know now. “Someone close to you is behind my kidnapping.”
Hunter frowned. He looked like he was searching his brain to find the person who could have possibly betrayed him. I knew he trusted the people around him and could never see anyone hurting him or the people he cared about.
“Tell me.” He growled. “I’ll rip their heads off. Just say a name.”
I gently touched his neck and leaned closer into him, I wanted to help him get through this in any way that I could.
“It’s Maggie.”
Hunter’s eyes grew wide with shock and I felt the tension on his body through my fingers. I could see multiple thoughts flowing through his mind as he tried to make sense of my confession. I was positive that she was the last person he was expecting me to say.
“M-Maggie?” He asked in disbelief.
I nodded as my gaze softened. Just as I had thought, the news totally crumbled him.
“Was it because I’d chosen to be with you instead of her?” He inquired as he tried to understand why she’d kidnapped me.
I shook my head. “I also thought that was the reason at first but Maggie has been planning all of this since she first met you.”
Hunter looked confused and I could see why. I obviously wasn’t making any sense to him. “I’m sorry Hunter. I knew how much you trusted her. But she’s the one who’s behind everything. She faked her death the first time. no one had even kidnapped her back then; it was all her plan to make you suffer. I don’t think she ever accepted you as her mate. It’s why she never wanted you to mark her and its why the bond between the two of you must have been broken. She probably rejected you when she chose to betray you.”
I paused for a moment after seeing the tension on his body; I was worried that he was going into a state of shock. This was what I was afraid of. I didn’t know how what could possibly be the right way to tell him the truth about Maggie. It was unfair that while she enjoyed seeing him in pain he still cared for her. It showed who the real monster between the two of them was. It was her all along; she was the reason behind all of the bad things that ever happened to him.
“She had a lot of plans Hunter. She wanted to see you suffer and in the worst way possible. After she found out that we were mates and after she’d seen you mark me she came up with this horrible plan. She placed me under a spell so that I would … So that I would hurt you.” I whispered as my lower l*p started to tremble.
Lucy and Eden covered their mouths in horror while Esma looked like she wanted to murder someone. Esma always knew that something was wrong with Maggie but I was positive that she never thought that things were this bad. no one expected this from Maggie and that was the most shocking thing of all. She had all of us completely fooled.
“That was her plan, for me to hurt you. Then the same witch that put me under the spell used a spell on you that knocked you out and made you think that you’d killed me. When you woke up I was already under the same spell Maggie was years ago. The spell that made all of you believe that she was dead and had been killed. When in truth she was just using that to get to you, to make you think that she was dead. I don’t think she planned for Thane to come in and try and kill you however. She wanted to be the one to get rid of you. She wanted you to suffer thinking that I was dead just like you had done with her.”
Hunter pulled back from me like I’d just slapped him hard across the face. His hands tightened to his sides and he looked like he wanted to punch something. His entire body trembled and it was becoming difficult for me to look at him when he was like this. He shouldn’t ever have to deal with a betrayal as big as this one, Hunter did not deserve it.
“I don’t understand.” He whispered as his eyes searched mine for more answers. “Why would she do that? Why would she betray me after everything? Why would she fake her death just to watch me suffer?”
The horror in his voice completely broke my heart. I wanted to see that woman cry and burn in hell for everything she’d done to Hunter.
“While I want to hear the rest of this story, if it is indeed Maggie behind all of this, then she’s waiting to see the outcome of her plan. She could be planning another attack while we’re all here talking and I think that we should be prepared for it.” Austin pointed out. “She clearly had the help of a powerful witch and that alone is dangerous. We need to act now for the safety of all of us. I don’t want to put Lucy in any more danger while she’s pregnant.”
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