Izabella (The Bloodstone, #1) ✓

Those eyes

His eyes...

I’d never seen irises so pale, reflecting white snow in a cool December. In fact, they were so cold, I couldn’t see an ounce of humanity. He was completely feral, one hundred per-cent beast; it was unnerving.

Keith, the rogue I met, didn’t stand a chance against his ruthless anger. I was still in complete shock. I’d never seen a wolf move so quickly and in a nanosecond, Keith crashed to the ground with the imposing Alpha above him. With my eyes locked on them both, I jumped, my senses returning to earth when I see my mother stepping forward, dragging me away from the scene. Hunter came out of nowhere, stalking towards them with determined rage in his eyes. Jackson, my dad, came to us, holding Phoenix’s elbow as we all slowly retreated to the packhouse.

Inhaling, I blinked rapidly, unable to fathom what just happened. Yet, the look on my parents’ face and my sister’s confirmed it all. I was mated to a brute. “Oh my god...”

“Bell, calm down,” Jackson placed a hand on my shoulder. “Everything will be fine but you know what this means, don’t you?”

“That she’s mated to a psychopath?” turning my gaze to Phoenix, her face was contorted with anger. Her blue eyes were electric, blinding. She shook her head rapidly. “This some fucked up shit!”

“Calm down, Phoenix,” Sabrina glanced at me. “You’re going to go out there. I don’t think he’ll calm down until you’re in his line of sight.”

“Why?” I asked a little too loudly. Genuinely perplexed, I caught my father’s eyes as he clenched his jaw, straightening his large posture as he spoke sternly.

“Think Bell, he’s Alpha what did you think will happen when another man touched you?”

It didn’t take a genius to know the answer. Of course, I’d seen it many times with dad and Hunter as possessiveness consumed their bodies, their wolf taking control. Something was different with him. He looked too wild to be controlled. From first glance, I would’ve thought I was looking at his wolf instead. I’m briefly reminded of my uncle and his time with the rogues. Did they hold some similarities?

No there wasn’t. The animalistic gleam Basil possessed was nothing compared to my uncle. He’d given complete control to his wolf.

I nodded slowly, rubbing the chill running across my arms. Growls danced menacingly in the air and I swallowed the lump of nerves. He was out of control, I needed to stop this.

Raising my head high, I walked to the door, trying not to falter under the heated stares boring holes into my skin. Keith stood from the ground, his broken nose spewing blood over his torso, blending with his dark skin. Nobody bothered to tend to him as he’d be completely healed in the morning. Hailey stood behind Hunter, her eyes wide with fear, his arm outstretched in a protective manner.

Basil back faced my front. He hadn’t noticed I’d returned. He talked to my brother and I was taken aback by his voice.

“Where is she?” it was a deep growl, a savage rasp that sent quakes deep in my core. It was deeper than I could imagine, chilling yet comforting.

“Basil, calm down-”

“Where the fuck is she?” he roared thunderously, marching to Hunter, standing directly in front of his face, staring into his eyes competitively. “I’ll tear and burn this place to the ground ’til I find her!”

Judging from his stance, I had every reason to believe him.

“I’m here...”

Suddenly, he spun on his heels and I flinched under his harsh stare. Soon he stood directly in front of me. Despite his intimidating gaze, I didn’t look away, not wanting to give him any satisfaction. We stood Alpha to Alpha and I heard the flow of blood in my ears as I recognised him as my mate. Basil leant forward, the tip of his nose skimming my neck as he scented me deeply, slowly. A growl rumbled in his chest and he stepped back abruptly.

Mate or not, in the end, he was a rogue and had proven this by his actions. He gripped my arm with a sharp tug.

“Let me go!”

“No,”

“Basil, let me go!”

He didn’t listen but he didn’t make any further moves. His shoulder length brown hair was dishevelled along with his beard and I noticed a scar that sliced through his left brow. His thumb stroked back and forth on my pressure point, soothing my nerves and I felt a little comfortable. Key phrase: a little.

I was wrapped in a cocoon of contentment the longer we stayed in our position. Our natural instinct was to mate right there and then, and his attraction to me was evident by his body language. Heat seared through my skin and I sighed. It felt like I’d drowned in ice water once the words I feared tumbled from his lips.

“She’s coming to The Bloodstone with me.”