The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 106: I never knew he was a wolf

Kian walked into the stone palace, the thick stone walls closing in around him as he passed through the open entrance. His footsteps were muted against the ground, but his thoughts were loud in his head, the gnawing concern over Isabella’s state pressing heavily against him.

He made his way through the simple stone hallways, avoiding the flickering shadows cast by the few sparse torches, until he reached a room near the far end. It wasn’t much—just a small area carved out of the stone with an open space for air and light to pour in from the cracks in the walls. The room was only a short walk away from the entrance, but it felt worlds apart from the stifling darkness of the other chambers.

He set Isabella down carefully onto the pile of animal hides strewn across the floor. The thick pelts were rough, but they would provide warmth, at least. The room was small, but it was enough. Enough for her to breathe.

Isabella’s body was limp, her breathing shallow as she lay there. She had overexerted herself even just to mutter those few words—"Oh... more fresh air,"—but now her body had nothing left to give. Kian could see the faint sheen of sweat across her face, her skin pale and clammy, but there was something in her eyes that made his chest tighten.

He stood above her, arms crossed tightly over his chest as he stared down at her. His usual icy demeanor hadn’t softened, not even for her. But there was something stirring deep inside, an unfamiliar tug at the edges of his thoughts. He didn’t understand it.

The others—Shelia, Opehlia, and Luca—had followed him in, lingering at the entrance, hesitant to come closer. They watched him, their faces a mix of concern and uncertainty. Shelia had her arms folded, trying to remain calm, while Opehlia’s face was pale with worry. Luca stood rigid beside her, his eyes flicking between Kian and Isabella, unsure of what to do.

Kian gave them a glance—cold, dismissive. "You don’t need to be here."

His voice was harsh, almost as if he resented their presence, but in reality, he couldn’t understand why they cared so much. He didn’t know what it was about Isabella that made them act so... human. The others, they didn’t matter to him, but Isabella? She was different. She always had been, even when he tried not to notice.

The silence stretched, broken only by the sound of Isabella’s faint breaths. Kian’s gaze fell on her again, this time softening for a split second, before he turned sharply away and strode to the stone wall. He needed to get out of here, to leave her with the others. He wasn’t good with this kind of thing.

"I’ll fetch some water," Kian muttered, his tone distant. He didn’t even look at them as he moved toward the open doorway.

But before he could step outside, a soft voice, barely above a whisper, broke through the heavy silence.

"...Kian?"

His name on her lips stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned slowly, his body rigid, his eyes narrowing.

Isabella’s eyes were half-open, her voice a raspy, fragile sound. He wasn’t sure if she even realized she’d said his name.

The room seemed to freeze around him.

Kian stood motionless for a moment, his chest tightening. He could feel the cold, distant part of him urging him to leave, to ignore the weakness in her voice, to walk away like he always did. But there was something in the way she said his name. Something that made it impossible to walk away.

"Don’t..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Don’t leave me."

Kian’s breath hitched in his throat, but he quickly masked it with his usual coldness. His jaw clenched as he turned toward the entrance. "I’m not going anywhere."

"No, I’m serious," Isabella croaked, her voice barely a whisper, but the weight of her words felt like a thousand stones on her chest.

Every word felt like it took more effort than she had left. And then she remembered all this... this was happening because she went on that stupid mountain.

’Oh Bubu, when I catch you, you’re so done’ Isabella scolded Bubu in her mind, she really felt like giving that system a beating for leading her to doom.

She closed her eyes, her lips trembling. Her chest tightened with every shallow breath, but it wasn’t the pain that gnawed at her; it was the helplessness.

The pain wasn’t what kept her speaking, though. It wasn’t to gain his attention or be dramatic. No, it was simpler, more basic.

She didn’t trust Kian. At least not yet.

Her eyes flickered over to Opehlia, and at that exact moment, Opehlia understood. Without hesitation, Opehlia moved, her eyes narrowing in silent understanding.

Isabella was a perfectionist—obsessive about cleanliness. She wouldn’t touch anything unless she knew where it had come from, especially water.

Isabella had even managed to transform an unkempt hut into something unrecognizable in its tidiness, and there was no way she’d drink water from a river, not from one she hadn’t personally approved.

"I’ll get the water, I’m faster," Luca suddenly spoke up, his deep voice cutting through the tension. Before anyone could protest, he added, "You stay here."

With a fluid motion, Luca transformed into a massive wolf, his fur a striking contrast to the dim interior of the room. His eyes gleamed with purpose as he darted out of the room, leaving only a trail of dust behind.

Isabella, her mind already too fogged to keep up with everything around her, blinked slowly.

’I never knew he was a wolf’, she thought absently as her eyelids fluttered shut.

Her thoughts were heavy, her body too weak to resist the pull of sleep, but she couldn’t help but register the faintest surprise at Luca’s transformation.

Meanwhile, Kian stood frozen for a moment, his gaze following Luca’s swift exit. He hadn’t expected that.