MASON
As I walked away from Isobel's room, I sighed deeply and ran a hand down my face in frustration. Something wasn't right, she was acting different like she was on the edge, and then there was the water that was mysteriously shaking.
I frowned, thinking back to the way the glass of water was shaking. It could've been nothing, maybe just a the table not being balanced but why had she looked so nervous?
I shook my head to brush off the thought. I was probably overthinking it. There was nothing special. I was probably just stressed.
Before I could think about on it any longer, I heard footsteps approach me from the other end of the hall. I turned to see Logan, my Beta, rushing towards me with a tense look on his face.
"Mason," he greeted me and lowered his voice. "We have a problem."
I immediately pushed my thoughts about Isobel aside and straightened up, ready to take on whatever problem he was talking about. "What is it?" I asked seriously.
"The pack warriors saw a rogue near the near packs territory," Logan said. "But surprisingly, he didn't attack, but he was standing around for too long. The pack warriors chased him away, but there was something off about him. It felt like he was studying the pack."
I furrowed my brows in confusion as I processed the information. "Did he say anything?"
"No. Just watched us before he ran away." Logan explained.
That didn't sit right with me. Rogues were known for their recklessness and they didn't hesitate if they had bad intentions, but this one had waited and watched. It sincerely felt off and I didn't like it one bit.
I clenched my fists, feeling confused. I liked having everything under control and whenever I didn't, I didn't like it. "Double the security around the packs territory. I want to be updated every hour."
Logan nodded. "Consider it done." Then he added, "Was the trip successful? Did you get it done?"
"Yes," I nodded, then I turned and headed towards mt office to check the latest report but even as I focused on my duty, I couldn't brush the feeling at the back of my mind.
And no, it wasn't about the rogue because I could easily take them down. It was about Isobel. What was she hiding? And why did it feel like something was going on right under my nose and I had no idea of it?
By the time I got to my room, I was so tired that I had to sit on the bed to catch my breath for a minute. This was the first moment of peace I'd had since I came back, but even as I sat on the edge of my bed, and began taking off my shoes, my mind refused to stop working overtime.
I couldn't help but think about everything that had happened. From the trip, to Isobel and then the rogue. I sighed deeply as I tried to push it all aside, but then, just as I slightly leaned back on my headboard, my door was pushed open.
"If you're here to talk about how I'm supporting Isobel, then I don't have the strength for that," I said before she could even say a word.
She was quiet at first then she sighed deeply and said in a low voice. "That's not why I'm here."
That alone was enough to make me look up. My mother, who was obsessed about Isobel wasn't here to talk about her?
She stood near the door and she looked at me with an unreadable expression. There was something different about her, and for some reason, it made me feel uneasy.
She continued, "I actually came to talk about Isobel, but not in the way you think."
I knew it!
I frowned and I sat up. "Then what do you want to talk about?"
Ophelia took a step closer to me. "The murdered students." She hesitated, as if she was searching for the right words. "I don't think Isobel was the one who killed them."
I paused. Of course, I already knew that Isobel wasn't responsible. That was never a question in my mind but hearing Ophelia say it? That was shocking.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "What are you on about? I thought you were so sure she did it."
Ophelia let out a small, bitter laugh. "People change." She simply said.
I stared at her, waiting for the real reason behind this sudden behavior and just as expected, she spoke up.
"I've thought about it," she continued, "and I realized that Isobel can't do something like that. I've known her for a while and she can't even hurt a fly."
"Since you've known her for so long," I said, suddenly feeling annoyed, "then why didn't you stand up for her?"
"You seem to like her," She said but I ignored her.
"What if I hadn't supported her that day? She'd be dead by now." My nostrils flared and I could feel my temper rising but I tried to control myself.
To my surprise, she didn't argue. She didn't scoff or she didn't say something rude, instead, she quietly sighed and said, "I know, and I'm sorry."
I didn't know what shocked me more. If it was her sudden change of heart or the fact that she was apologizing.
She looked away before she added, "I want to do things the right way.
I couldn't come up with a response because none of it made sense but before I could press on, she turned and walked toward the door but just as she reached it, she paused.
Without looking back, she said, "There's something I discovered about Isobel, and I'll be damned if I let it go."
Then she walked away. I sat there, staring at the door with my heart racing. I knew my mother well, she didn't change and she definitely didn't suddenly develop likeness for someone she hated.
This wasn't about her regretting her actions. It was about something else, and whatever it was, I had a bad feeling about it and I could only hope that she wouldn't do something stupid.