The Alpha Prince And His Bride
Book 3 The Alpha’s Substitute Bride – Episode 48

~HUNTER~

I waited for Isabella’s brothers to do something to me after my confession but none of them moved forward. They just stared at me like I’d lost my mind. I was beginning to think that they were the ones who’d lost their minds. Someone killed their sister and they all did absolutely nothing about it? If someone had dared to try that with my sister he wouldn’t live to see another second on this earth.

So why weren’t any of her brothers doing anything? Why was I still alive? They were the Cross brothers for crying out loud. They wreaked havoc wherever they went and they killed whoever was in their way. So what the hell was preventing them from doing the same thing to me?

Everyone here loved Isabella and yet the most that they could do was stop and stare? What kind of love was that? Why weren’t they trying to extract revenge?

“Did you not hear me?” I asked louder this time. “I killed her. I killed your sister!”

No one moved again and it made me more frustrated than before. I couldn’t sit back and just stand here and let them do nothing to me. Isabella was on the ground and her b***d was all over me. It kept reminding me of what I’d done and my wolf wanted to kill me for it. Even I wanted to kill myself for what I’d done. I didn’t deserve to live.

Isabella was an Angel, she was pure and loving and I never deserved her. I made her life difficult ever since she’d entered my life and I even ended her life in the worst way possible.

What did she think in those last few seconds before I’d taken the life out of her body?

I didn’t just kill her . . . I murdered our unborn baby. I murdered Isabella’s baby . . . I was not good enough for our baby; I couldn’t even claim the baby as my own because I was the worst father ever. How could I have done anything to her knowing that she was pregnant with my child?

I still couldn’t remember the brutal details of the attack, all I knew was that I’d done this and I needed to pay for it.

I was already paying. Just the thought of living without her alone was more painful than anything I’d ever experienced in my entire life.

I needed to say my final goodbye before I did what I had to do. I dropped to the ground before her and picked up her small body into my arms. I held her close to me and inhaled her sweet scent one last time. It was difficult to hold onto her without the sound of a heartbeat or hearing her talk to me but I needed to do this before my death.

I bent my head and laid one last k**s against Isabella’s cheek. I let my lips linger there for a few seconds as I felt my own tears drop onto her face.

“I love you Isabella, you will always be the only woman for me and you will always be my one true love.” I whispered. “I never deserved you and believe me I’ll pay for what I’ve done to you. I will suffer and I will never forgive myself. I will make sure of it.”

I lowered myself so that I was now directly above her stomach. I laid a soft k**s on top of it while ignoring all of the b***d there. “I never deserved you; you would have been just as precious as your mother. I love you; I loved you before meeting you. Just knowing that you had part of your mother in you was enough for me to fall in love with you without ever seeing you once. I hope that you will forgive me for what I’ve done even though forgiveness is the last thing that I deserve from you.”

It was heart wrenching when I finally placed Isabella back down, I didn’t want to let go but I knew that I had to. My Isabella was long gone and it was time for me to join her . . . Though I wasn’t even deserving of that.

I lifted myself from the ground and faced her family who were all very distraught. They looked like they weren’t sure what to do with me and I understood why. They were in a state of shock and I couldn’t blame them. They couldn’t understand how a man could kill his own mate. They knew that her death would only destroy me and they couldn’t understand why I’d done it. Her family was trying to make sense of everything before they decided to act on it but I didn’t have all that time.

I wanted death now.

This was exactly how I’d been a half an hour ago when I’d first seen Isabella bleeding on the ground. I was in so much shock and I couldn’t believe that I’d done that to her. I had searched everywhere for proof that someone else had done this but there was none. It was only Isabella and I here and it was I who’d killed her.

My eyes went back to her family. Lucy looked like she would faint any second now and Eden couldn’t stop screaming for her sister to wake up. Austin and James were trying their best to comfort their mates. And Isabella’s brothers, my main targets were all looking at me. I could see that they weren’t sure if the right thing to do was hurt me. They knew that their sister was in love with me and that she wouldn’t want them to hurt me.

Why should they care about that? She was gone now and I needed to make them kill me. I needed them to hate me because they should. Once upon a time they would have jumped at the opportunity to get rid of me, I wanted those men back.

They didn’t believe that I’d done this to her but the proof was all around us. I was the only one here and she was stabbing me when I had blacked out. I had no idea what came over me then but I must have lost it. The beast in me must have lost it after not fighting back.

The thought of the trauma she must have faced right before she’d died was too much for me to think about. It made the guilt inside of me eat at my heart. The guilt started to spread and I couldn’t hold back anymore.

“KILL ME!” I shouted at Isabella’s brothers. “YOU MUST KILL ME NOW!”

They watched me and surprise flickered across their faces at my request.

Were they not hearing me loud enough? What else did I have to say to make her brothers kill me? Even Austin and James did nothing. This was embarrassing even for them. Where were the strong men that I once knew?

Or was this there punishment to me? Maybe they wanted to see me suffer without her and use that as my punishment. My panic resurfaced at that thought.

I couldn’t have that, I couldn’t live without her. They needed to kill me!

“I killed your sister and you’re just going to stand there and let me live?” I spat with disgust. “She’s your sister. She loved each and every one of you. She was your pride and joy, just like you were the same to her. I took your sister from you. I destroyed the bond that you had with her and you’re just going to let me go?”

Still none of them said anything to me. No one lifted a finger and no one opened their mouths to speak.

Why did my words not affect them yet? I wanted to die. I wanted someone to finish me off. I didn’t have a reason to live without her. She gave the life back into my body after I’d lost Maggie the first time and now she’d taken it away from me again. This time was even worse than before. I still felt like I could go on after losing Maggie but the loss of Isabella was so much more painful. Now I really didn’t see any reason to live. I simply wanted to die and I would be happy if someone would grant me that wish.

I studied each of her brothers closely, wondering who the right one to provoke was. Since they weren’t doing anything, I knew I had to choose one and make him do it for me.

I almost smiled with victory when I figured out which one of her brothers to go to.

Thane.

He was the one that had always hated me the most. He was the one that didn’t want me with his sister. He was the most protective and he was also the one with a bad temper. I could tell that my words were affecting him the most and he was holding onto his last bit of self-control.

I walked up to him and left little space between us. I wanted to be close to him, so close that he could knock me out with one punch if I let him. “Look at her. Look at what I did. She was pregnant. I killed them both. I killed my mate and I murdered my only child.” I shouted pointing at her body but not looking at it. I couldn’t look at her anymore. It was too hard to do that. “Kill me” . . . “Please.” I begged as my voice broke.

I wanted to die. I wanted to join Isabella. I didn’t want to stay in a world that didn’t have her in it. I couldn’t stay without her. No pain compared to what I felt right now after losing her. This was heart wrenching, it was like someone had dug out my heart from my chest and placed it in a pit of burning fire. I was hurting from the inside out and only one thing would take the misery away from me.

Death.

I wanted it. I wanted it like people craved for food. I wanted it desperately and I would do anything to get it.

“I killed Isabella. Look at me. I killed her.” I repeated to him. “I took your innocent sister from you. She looked like someone who’d been betrayed when I took her life. And she fought for her life as well. Look at the knife on the ground and look at the stab wounds and b***d on my body. Its proof that she fought back before I killed—,”

I didn’t get to finish as Thane’s hands closed around my throat.

I smiled with victory as he slammed me against the ground. I didn’t fight back. My hands were to my sides as he continued to strangle me with one hand while laying punches with his other hand.

I didn’t feel any pain; in fact I felt peace at being beaten by her brother.

Yes.

This was what I wanted.

Thane held me by my throat and slammed me straight through the wall of my home until we both tumbled into the living room.

A loud scream pierced through the house and I recognized the voice immediately.

My sister . . . She must have just returned from the search. I hoped that my men weren’t near either, they would fight to get Thane off me and I didn’t want that to happen. I didn’t want anyone to stop this from happening.

Thane needed to finish the job before anyone else got here.

Esma jumped onto Thane’s back and tried to pry him off me. “Stop it!” She screamed. “Let my brother go! He would never hurt Isabella! He would never! He loves her too much!”

I looked up at her and wished that it was true. I never thought that I would ever lay a hand on Isabella but I’d surprised myself. I hated myself and I wanted to die.

“Let him kill me.” I whispered and I knew that she’d heard me when her eyes widened in horror.

“NOOOO!” She screamed when Thane punched me again.

“I killed her . . .”

“Stop it please.” Esma screamed as she continued to try to get Thane off me.

“Hunter, listen to me. How are you so sure that you killed her? Tell us exactly what happened! There is no way that you killed her. You love her!” She screamed.

“I d-did.” I coughed in agony. I didn’t need the constant reminder that I’d failed her. I couldn’t handle the truth.

She jumped down from his back and dropped to the floor besides me as she pleaded with Thane to save my life.

Thane paused midair when his eyes fell on Esma’s tear streaked face.

No . . . Don’t feel sorry for my sister now. Finish the job!

“Don’t stop.” I shouted. “Kill ME!”

Thane’s eyes narrowed and he grabbed a vase from a nearby table ready to slam it against my head.

Good.

The sooner he finished the job, the better it would be for me.