Page 46 of The Alpha's Bullied Pregnant Mate
Four months since she had left Frost Peak, and she hadn’t imagined it would be possible for her to become even lonelier than she was back home. She missed her parents and Elsa.
She also missed Fannar, more than she was comfortable to admit. Not a day went by without Isla thinking about him, or reminiscing about the times they’d spent together.
She never settled on the thought, though. She knew that the only reason she still thought about him as much as she did was because he had stubbornly refused to break their bond, which infuriated Isla.
According to the text she’d read, she was supposed to feel some measure of pain if she went away without breaking the bond, but apart from the constant longing she felt for Fannar, she didn’t necessarily feel any pain.
She twirled the barrier ring on her index finger absently. She was convinced it was saving her from the pain somehow, and she’d come to rely on it for strength and comfort. It could also be the fact that she was carrying Fannar’s child. In any case, she couldn’t be sure. She just didn’t know enough about any of this.
Every time she thought about home or Fannar, she fought vehemently against it. She pushed thoughts of him away and had stubbornly decided that she was never going back to Frost Peak. There was nothing back there for her. Just pain and humiliation.
She planned to tell her parents and Isla where she was as soon as she was settled, but four months had passed and she still hadn’t made a move to reach out to any of them.
The only comfort she had now was in the child currently growing in her belly. She couldn’t help but love the child, and now that she was so close to labor, she spent every other moment thinking about what kind of mother she wanted to be.
While the money she’d made from Fannar was more than enough to cater for her and her child, she knew that it was going to be really hard raising a child by herself, but she was excited about the prospect. Terrified, but also excited for the journey ahead.
“Here we are, ma’am. That would be twenty bucks.”
The driver’s voice startled her, pulling her out of her reverie. She looked outside the window and saw that she was outside her apartment building. She smiled at the driver and handed him a twenty dollar bill.
“Thank you,” he replied cheerfully. “And don’t you forget to take care of yourself and the little one there. Good night.”
Isla watched the car drive off before she made her way into the building. She still had an overwhelming fear of getting found by Fannar, even if she knew it was an irrational one.
Four months later, in one of the busiest cities in the country, she was certain no one would ever find her against her wish. And yet, she maintained a healthy amount of paranoia whenever she was out of the apartment for any stretch of time.
The elevator climbed up to the fourth floor and she walked briskly to her door. She got in and shut the door quickly behind her. She didn’t know her neighbors, and Isla was eager to keep things that way. She didn't think they would be as unbearable as the Frost Peak wolves, but she wasn’t about to take any chances either.
She’d barely settled into the couch when her ring started to glow. She cried out in alarm and considered taking off the ring. Did this mean she had been discovered? Cold fear filled her and she watched the white light burning on her finger with her heart in her mouth.
Shadow pooled in the corner of the room and in the midst of the shadow, she could make out a vague human shaped form. Isla snarled and her fear leaped to the back of her mind. She didn’t know who or what this phantom was, but she was going to fight it to the death to protect herself and her baby.
The figure in the shadow resolved into the shape of a woman and as the figure grew more distinct, the light on the ring dulled until it was it’s usual color again. “Hello, Isla. I’m sorry for appearing to you like this. I’m Juniper.”
Isla took a step backward, putting pieces together in her head. “I know who you are… The witch Luna, and I’m guessing this is your ring on my finger. What do you want?”
Juniper took a phantom step forward. “You’re right. That’s my ring. It’s so effective, your mother had to come find me to ask me to reach out to you and leave you a message.”
That put Isla a little at ease, but she still had her hackles raised. She didn’t care what this woman said, she had no intention of trusting anyone who appeared literally out of shadows. “You’ve found me. What’s your message.”
Juniper let out a deep sigh. “This is probably not what you want to hear, but I think you should hear it anyway. Fannar is dying. He’s been wasting away for months and it got so bad, your mother—my friend—asked me to find you and bring you back home. He needs you, Isla.”
Isla’s face darkened. She couldn’t believe this. She was used to having the world against her, but her mother too? She couldn’t believe she would take Fannar’s side, even after all he had put her through? It was the worst betrayal ever and it made her burn with anger.
“And why should I be concerned about what happens to Fannar?” Isla spat. “He didn’t care enough to break our bond even after all this time. So why should I care?”
Juniper tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Isla… he broke the bond already. He did so a day after you left, and that’s what is killing him. He made a grave mistake.”
Isla blinked. “You’re lying.”
“I’m telling you the truth, Isla. Listen, Fannar is suffering right now because he broke the bond unilaterally immediately you left. He shouldn’t have done that. And now he’s dying. I’m not making this stuff up, Isla. He did it to protect you and your child, and the price was his life.”
Isla couldn’t believe her ears. Her knees wobbled and she settled heavily into the couch. Her world was spinning fast. All this while the bond had been broken and yet she missed him every single day. It meant only one thing. She’d loved him the whole time, and she still did. And yet, he was dying because of her.
“Fannar’s a lot weaker now and getting worse every day,” Juniper continued. “Losing the love of his life and his baby has made him depressed on top of all that, and now he’s even trying anymore. His soul is breaking down every day, Isla. You need to come back home. Please.”
Tears welled up in Isla’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She could imagine strong, proud Fannar as a shadow of himself. It was not a pleasant sight, and she’d done this to him. “Can you take me there?”