Chapter 6

*Isabel* The woman pushed me gently on the bed, saying she needed to quickly check my vitals. I watched her as she worked, moving around and touching me in different parts of my body with different instruments. "You're the pack healer, aren't you?" Her eyes lowered to connect with mine. She gave me a brief nod, continuing with her work. I bit my lip, wondering what story Dante had cooked up and given her. Somehow I already knew he hadn't told her we were mates. "What's your name?" I asked. She stayed silent for a while, packing up the stethoscope she'd come with and other tools into a medium sized box. "Jade," She finally responded. Her head jerked slightly. "What's yours?" I wondered briefly if I should go with the truth. There was no way she would find out it wasn't my real name. Dante and I hadn't introduced ourselves. I decided to just go with the truth. "Isabel." "Isabel," She repeated, nodding. She released a long breath picking up the notebook laying on the nightstand. "Well I think you should get some rest, Isabel." She said softly. It occurred to me then that she seemed friendly enough, even though I'd had one too many encounters to know these people didn't like hanging around Omegas like me. "Try not to stress your body walking around." Her gaze drifted meaningfully to the windows before she exited the room. I waited for about ten minutes. And then I stood up. It was a little difficult walking but I quickly made it to the bedroom door, my shoulders deflating in relief when I found it unlocked. I had to leave before anyone else came back. I'd thought I'd be okay being a captive in another pack but now that I was here, I'd rather get back to the woods. Especially since most of my injuries were already healed even though I still couldn't reach my wolf. I twisted the doorknob, pulling the door open as gently as I could. I listened as it shut behind me with a soft click, expelling a long relieved breath. The hallway of the house looked long and a little narrow. I inhaled a steadying breath, tiptoeing towards the right part of the house where I felt the staircase leading downstairs would be. I craned my neck, glad that I could already spot the railing. I was just about to increase my pace when I heard footsteps coming from the stairs. My heart raced, my eyes widening in panic as I looked around for a hiding spot. The hallway was as clear as crystal, no large object in sight. I began retracing my steps to the room, instinctively swinging open the first door I came across and dashing inside the room. I closed the door as quietly and as quickly as I could, resting my back against it for a heartbeat and trying to catch my breath. It took me a minute to realize I wasn't in the room I'd escaped from. Crap. I immediately pushed away from the door, circling the room in confusion before I dashed behind the large curtains, praying whoever had been headed upstairs did not have this particular room in mind. As usual, I didn't have such luck. The doorknob rattled followed by voices a second later. I sucked in my breath, standing as still as a statue so they didn't discover I was in the room. My entire body tensed when I noted that one of the voices was familiar. It was Dante. Fuck. "She'd killed one?" The second person was asking, his voice dripping with shock. My heart picked up in my chest. They were talking about me. Why were they talking about me? I felt fear creep slowly up my spine. If I wasn't careful enough, they were going to pick up my maddening heart beat and then I was going to be done for. "How did she manage it?" I inhaled and exhaled silently, waiting for the Alpha's answer. I could feel his shrug even though I couldn't see it. "She'd driven a stake through his heart." His voice was low and thoughtful. It was obvious he was also surprised that I'd managed the feat, considering how tired I'd been. I heard a light shuffling sound. "Here," he said to whoever he was in the room with. There was a small pause and then I heard the bedroom door open and close. I remained still for a few more minutes, waiting to see if they had both gone out of the room. I'd just released a relieved exhale when the curtains were suddenly parted open. My spine stiffened as I met the Alpha's hard gaze. I could tell from the look in his eyes he'd known the instant he'd entered the room that I'd been hiding behind the curtain. Once again, I was first flooded with an image of a trim beard and tattoos covering both arms. I barely had the time to note how good looking he was up close, or how addicting his cologne was when his harsh words met my ears. "What the fuck are you doing in my room?"