Mated to My Intended's Enemy novel Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Chapter 172 Tears at Dawn,Alone Again

Isabella

I shrugged,suddenly feeling like I’d said too much. "I just heard Uncle Adrian mention it to Uncle Levi." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Dad and Aurora exchanged a look I couldn’t decipher. Then Dad sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair—a gesture so like my mother’s that it made my chest ache.

"Isabella,it’s getting late," he said finally. "Why don’t you head up to bed? We can talk more in the morning."

"Can I stay here tonight?" I asked,glancing at Auntie Aurora. "Auntie Aurora said I could,but only if you said it was okay."

Again,that strange tension filled the room. Dad looked at Auntie Aurora for a long moment before turning back to me.

"Not tonight," he said firmly. "You have your studies tomorrow,and your things are at home."

"But—"

"No arguments,Isabella." His voice carried the slightest hint of Alpha command—not directed at me fully,but enough to make my wolf pup whimper in submission.

I gathered my drawings silently,disappointment heavy in my chest. I’d hoped to spend the evening with Auntie Aurora,listening to her stories about the old days,about Grandma Victoria and the magic that supposedly ran in our bloodline—stories Mom never wanted to tell me.

"I’ll bring her home," Auntie Aurora offered. "It’s on my way."

Dad hesitated,then nodded. "Thank you. I need to make a few calls before heading back."

As I went upstairs to collect my things,I could hear their voices below,too low to make out the words but tense enough that even my young wolf could sense the conflict. I moved closer to the stairwell,straining to hear.

"...pushing too hard," Dad was saying. "She’s still recovering from—"

"She’ll never grow stronger if you keep treating her like she’s made of glass," Auntie Aurora replied. "Luna Victoria would have—"

"Don’t tell me what my mother would have wanted for my daughter," Dad cut in,his voice carrying that dangerous edge that made even grown wolves cower.

I backed away from the stairs,my heart pounding. Dad never spoke to anyone that way—except when Mom had packed her bags and told him she was leaving. I’d hidden at the top of these very stairs that night,listening to their final argument,hearing the cold fury in Dad’s voice as he told Mom she was making a mistake she would regret.

Mom had replied just as coldly: "The only mistake I regret is believing you ever saw me as your equal."

As I gathered my backpack,I wondered if Mom ever thought about me anymore. Did she miss me? Or was she happier now,away from us?

Auntie Aurora appeared in the doorway,her smile back in place as if the tense conversation downstairs had never happened. "Ready to go,sweetheart?"

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