Read Online Isabel and the Wolf: (Part 4) by Ariana Hawkes - Free Book Online Page A

she was out of sight.
     
    A few minutes later, Isabel’s phone beeped with a voicemail alert. She sighed, not wanting to hear from anyone, but pulled over and listened to it nevertheless:
    “Hey, chica! I’ve got some amazing news for both of us! I’m so excited! Call me back A-sap!”
    Isabel’s spirits lifted. This was the only thing capable of taking the edge off her shock right now. She was on the point of calling Kara to find out what it was, but she carried on driving home instead, wanting to make herself comfortable so she could relax and enjoy the conversation.
    But, as she arrived home, there was a patrol car in her driveway. She pulled in behind it and got out of her car wearily. She walked past it and up to her door with dragging steps.
    “Josie told me that you know,” Jed said, from behind her. She turned to see him climbing out of the police car. Her subconscious registered that he looked great in his uniform, but her brain dismissed the thought. She crumpled onto her doorstep and looked at him. There was no way she was going to let him into her house. She was utterly drained by the things she’d heard over the past few hours, and just wanted to be alone to chat with Kara.
    “She didn’t waste any time,” she said dully.
    “I never wanted you to find out. And last night, when you ran away from me, I knew it was too late, but I was still hanging onto a shred of hope that you would dismiss it all as a silly idea – as humans usually do.”
    “If I hadn’t met both you and Peter, I might have done. I might have just concluded that I was having a moment of insanity when I saw Peter transforming right in front of my eyes. But there were just too many coincidences.”
    “I don’t know if I’m more mad at Josie for confirming your suspicions, or at Peter for coming here and messing everything up!” he said. “Gila was a special place. We maintained the integrity of our packs, preventing any outsiders from finding out about us. And then werewolves from around the world started hearing about us, and hoping we could help them to rejuvenate their perishing lines. But they’ve got no respect for the laws we’ve got in place, and they take careless risks!” He stopped abruptly, looking embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rant. What’s done is done. But I need to ask you something very serious.” He turned his blazing blue and amber eyes on her, and she fought the urge to look away. “I’m asking you, if you care about Silver City, and about any of its inhabitants, could you please not mention this to anyone? I mean, anyone at all? Not even people you trust. The last thing we need is for it to become an open secret.”
    “Kara pretty much knows. I told her all about what happened with Peter,” Isabel said warily.
    “This is all his fault!” Jed shouted. “He’s not the first outsider to come here, but he’s caused more trouble than all the rest of them put together. I knew he was trouble as soon as I saw him, and I’ve had my eye on him for a long time. I know it was him who was seen running through the city that night. I just can’t prove it. If I could, he’d be out of here faster than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking competition!”
    Isabel laughed loudly at his turn of phrase, relieved that it gave her an opportunity to hide her reaction to what he’d just said. Could Jed really kick Peter out of town?
    “He’s so goddamn arrogant,” he fumed. “He thinks because he comes from this aristocratic family from the ancient heartland, he can do whatever he wants here. And it just ain’t so!” He kicked at the gravel with the toe of his boot. “I don’t know how you can be with him, Bella. I really don’t. And I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’m jealous of him. But that’s not it. We werewolves don’t operate like that. The rules are different for us. The were-females in our packs mate with many males.”
    “But I’m not a werewolf,” she