Julian’s POVAfter I watch Mila walk away, I’m in a bad mood again. She pulled away from me and the ache has only gotten worse since she left, but I have to get this shit assignment from my dad done fast so I can work on fixing things between us. I’m fixing against hundreds of years of instinct passed through generations to stay away from Mila, which only pisses me off more. If I didn’t have plans to deal with my father already in motion, then I would rip his damn head from his body.Pushing aside plans of murder for now, I storm down the path to the library again. The large building is hard to miss once I get closer. Although most of the buildings here look like they have been around for a hundred years, there have been clear attempts to repair and modernize things slightly. The library, though, it looks like it hasn’t been touched. I would stop and admire the architectural art of its design if I wasn’t in a hurry to find this girl.Someone pushes the door open and a small group of s
Mila’s POVThis is the most amazing date I’ve ever been on. Roman is so sweet, and hasn’t complained once if I walk too fast from excitement or eat too slow. He has also stopped at every game to win me something to take home with me, and is carrying a plastic bag over his shoulder full of little stuffed animals. I can’t help but smile every time I look over at him holding that giant bag.This time I’m not quite sneaky enough, and he smiles. “What?”I shake my head, but I can’t shake my smile. “You just look so silly with that bag of stuffed animals over your shoulder.”He chuckles. “I don’t mind it. It puts that beautiful smile on your face.”My face heats at his words and I lower my head, hoping he won’t see.“So where to next?” He asks.“Aren’t you tired? We did a lot already.” I point out, but he shakes his head.“No way! We haven’t done rides yet. Unless you’re not into that, then we can grab a few more fried Oreos. I think I’ve developed an unhealthy addiction to these things.”“
Mila’s POVThe drive back to school is quiet. Not that Roman hasn’t tried his best to distract me from the awkward moment we shared with Julian and his date. I just can’t let it go and I hate that Roman has to suffer because I’m an emotional mess.Why am I a mess?It was ONE night! How could that man entrap me so easily after just one time? It’s like a put a spell on me and it keeps pulling me toward him, no matter how much I want to run away.“Hey.” Roman brushes a finger along my cheek and I finally turn to look at him.He gives me a weak smile, but there is no sign that he’s angry at me, which makes me hate myself more.“I’m so sorry. We were having such a great time and I- ““Don’t,” He says, cutting me off. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s clear you and Julian have a history and from the tension between you two, I’m guessing it’s not good. You have every right to be upset at seeing him. I’m not upset about how things ended today, and you shouldn’t be either. We had a lot of fu
Julian's POV“So I’m guessing you know that girl we saw today.” Stephanie says next to me as I drive us back home.I shrug, but she nudges me and gives me a look that says she won’t let this go if I don’t answer her questions.“Yeah, I know her.” Is all I say, but she waves her hand, telling me to go on. “We slept together a couple days ago after I lost my temper.”Her eyes widen slightly. “You never lose your temper. You’re a coldhearted asshole. One of many, but the worst by far.”I give her an unamused look. “Your brother isn’t the warm, cuddly type, either.” She laughs. “Ryan is an asshole with a god complex, but you are a whole other monster.”She isn’t wrong. My cousin is one of the most lethal people in this city, but he has a way of blending in that I have yet to master. My father taught me to be the biggest presence in the room, where my uncle taught my cousin to blend in and strike without being seen. Sometimes I envy his ability to be hidden, but when it comes to what I d
Mila’s POVJulian’s eyes shift from anger to concern so quickly that my breath catches.“Don’t,” He says in a low voice with a slight hitch of emotion. “Don’t look at me like you’re scared of me.”Is that what he thinks?Okay, I won’t lie and say that the way he dragged me away didn’t cause a few bad memories to flare up, but…I wasn’t scared of him. Which makes no sense given how he just acted and yet it’s true. He doesn’t scare me.“I’m not.” I snap at him.So I’m still a little annoyed, but can you blame me?He narrows his eyes at me. “And why not, princess?”I can’t tell if the pet name is meant as an insult or a compliment, but either way, I was the farthest thing from a princess you could get.“I don’t know.” I admit sounding less annoyed and more breathless as our eyes stay locked on each other.He looks at me for a long moment, probably wondering if I’m telling the truth. He shakes his head like he wants to get rid of anything he saw on my face just now. His hand goes up to his
Julian's POVMy wolf wouldn’t let me leave until I knew Mila was okay, so after she walked away, I climbed into my car and watched her. As she said she would, she walked to the bus stop, and there was a smile on her face when she looked down at her phone. Something told me it was Roman making her smile like that and an unearthly rage built up inside me and the urge to hunt the asshole down was strong, but I resisted. As much as I hated the guy, he was keeping her happy while I couldn’t.I may be trying to do the right thing now, but once I’ve done what needs to be done to get control of my family’s enterprise again, I will need a queen by my side. It isn’t the right time yet, but if Roman lays a hand on her in a way that means he is trying to get her into his bed, then he’s dead.She seems safe enough that I was ready to leave and head back to campus when a car pulled up in front of the bus stop and the smile fell from her face. Her face goes pale, and she looks terrified. Someone ins
Julian's POVThe way Mila is looking at me now, like all her secrets are laid bare to me and she’s waiting for me to walk away, kills me. Because I might need to walk away one day but not because of this side of her life. She tried to keep hidden but the secrets I hide.“Now, Mr. Keller, I suggest you leave. Your father might be a powerful man, but I doubt he’s as powerful as me.” Mila’s stepmom means my father has never shown an affinity for any specific ability.The woman couldn’t be any more wrong. See, while some humans gained their power through unnatural means, ours come from generations of mutation and evolution. Our symbiosis relationship with our wolves allows us to be far more powerful than any human, even one with abilities, could ever be. The more wolves join a pack, the stronger we become. That includes when human mates are turned. Unfortunately, we have to explain our abi
Mila’s POVOnce I’m done hurling my guts out in a secluded forest on the side of the road, Julian and I drive in silence. I can’t stop seeing his power leaving him and how he looked fr more like a vending god than a man. He was beautiful and deadly. It was a sight I would not soon forget, nor would I want to. Not after he saved me. The reminder of why he came for me has me reaching up and rubbing the healing marks on my throat.The movement catches his attention and he glances my way before jerking his head straight and tightening his fingers around the steering wheel. He's furious, but is it for having to rescue me or because of the proof that I’m not the princess he thought I was?“Julian- ““I arranged for you to stay somewhere for the night. Somewhere safe, and then tomorrow I’ll have one of my guys go to your house and pack all of your stuff. Then you will be moved out of the city to a small town north of here. You’ll have to do your classes online, but finishing your degree won’
MilaSomething is wrong with Julian when we leave the store with my laptop and new phone. I keep glancing his way, but all I see is his furrowed brows and him clenching his jaw. What happened in such a short time to change him so quickly? I thought for a second we might even become friends, but now I’m not so sure. Being around him feels too…erratic. One second he’s almost sweet and then he’s anything but. It’s confusing and frustrating. So much so that I stop walking and grab his arm. He looks at me, surprised at first, but turns to me when I face him.“What’s the matter with you?” I snap.I’m not sure why I feel so worked up over his change in mood, but I do!“What’re you talking about?” He asks, clenching his jaw once again.“I’m talking about this.” I wave a hand over his entire person. “You were happy to throw money around for me and then, as soon as we leave the store, you look pissed off. So what is going on? Do you regret what you paid for in there? I’m more than happy to retu
Julian’s POVMila has shocked me by complying with me, escorting her into the building that made her eyes grow twice their size. She looked at the mall we’re walking into as if she has never seen a place like it before, except I’ve been doing some research on her family.For one, her stepmother’s body has still not been recovered, which means we have to consider that she is still alive and possibly in hiding. If that’s the case, then there must be a trail leading to where she would run to hide out until she can plan her next move. Something tells me we haven’t seen the last of her, if she’s still alive, anyway.My research has helped me learn a few things about Mila as well, and one of those things is that her father was a well off man. He wasn’t the most successful businessman, but he was comfortable. Comfortable in the fact that his net worth was two million dollars. Nothing close to myself or my father, but not too bad. What I don’t understand is where all that money went. It’s cle
Mila’s POVJulian is quiet as he drives us toward the mall. Not the one in town where Isabella and I usually go, but the one in the town over that’s known for having a ton of very high end retailers. Even though Isabella could easily shop there, I think she doesn’t because she doesn’t want me to feel even more guilty if she offered to buy me something worth so much. Also, all of my objects have been ignored, which is why it’s so uncomfortably quiet in this car. Julian shot down all my protests before they were out of my mouth. I glared at him, but he ignored me and acted like I wasn’t burning a hole in the side of his head.Man do I wish for that power right now!Anyway, I gave up and now I’m thinking of ways I can avoid him spending a single penny on me. I mean, why did he give me the limitless black credit card if he was going to go shopping with me and pay for a whole bunch of stuff? What more will I need to buy with that card?My phone vibrates in my bag, so I pull it out and see
Julian’s POVIsabella leads me down the path from the library and heads down the path that leads to the athletics department.“You know how much about him? Football player?” I ask her. It’s almost all I know.She smirks. “Baseball actually. He’s tried his hand at all of the usual sports but got into college on a baseball scholarship.”Not much better if you ask me.“So what’s your plan to deal with him, anyway?” She asks.“I’m going to warn him to stay away from Mila.” I say simply.“I got that, but how? Are you going to threaten him with bodily harm or actually harm him to send a message?” She sounds a little too excited by the second option.“Depends on how well he listens. I don’t like to get my hands dirty so early in the day..” Lie. “But if I have to, then I will.”She nods in approval.We walk the rest of the way in silence. The closer we get to the fields set up near the athletic building, I can hear the sound of balls hitting bats and the defining sound of whistles. I never sa
Mila’s POVI can’t tell if having Steven walk me to my classes today is a good or bad thing. For one thing, no one has yelled horrible things at me. In fact, no one has looked my way other than to stare at Steven. It’s…nice. We make our way toward the coffee shop. I’ll be working out for the next couple of hours until it’s time for my afternoon class. Steven picks a spot far enough to not crowd me, but close enough that he can monitor me. Things are fast and intense for the first hour but slow down a little and I take that time for my break.Steven orders a black coffee and I order and white chocolate mocha. We sit together but don’t say much, but it’s a comfortable silence. He’s not bad company.“So, how long are you assigned to be my protector?” I ask him.“As long as my boss says so.”Right.“I think he’s being a little paranoid.” I point out, making him smile a little.“Not at all. I can’t say much, but you’re the only woman who’s ever caught his interest like this.”I look at him
Julian’s POVI look down at my phone and feel my blood heat at what Steven just told me. Some girl laid a hand on Mila and threatened him with police action. That last part makes me snort out a laugh. We have people in the police and DA's office who could have any charges thrown out before the ink dries on an arrest warrant. That girl has no power, and she will damn well know it.“Are you listening?” Melody’s voice catches my attention and I glance up to see her unamused eyes looking at me.“I heard everything you said.” I say to her with a little less patience in my voice than I normally have with her.I’m trying to get on her good side after all, but right now I’m ready to scare the shit out of some stuck-up bitch who thinks she can lay a hand on my mate. My skin ripples with the urge to shift right now and take care of her now, but I can’t screw up the small window I’ve created for myself with Melody.“Really? Because it looks like you’re more interested in your phone, then what I’
Mila’s POV“I’m sorry you had to deal with all that because of me.” I tell Roman through his window when we arrive at the university.He gives me a forced smile. He’s clearly seriously pissed still.“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing I can’t deal with. Have a good day! I’ll call you.” He waves to me and I step back to let him go.I watch him drive off and had this feeling in my stomach that he won’t be calling me. Isn’t that what guys say but never mean it? I need to watch some RomComs so I can get better educated in the universe of dating. With a sigh, I forget about men and all the confusion they bring, but the universe has a wicked sense of humor because when I turn around, I see Scott heading my way.He’s smirking and is surprisingly alone. “Hey Babe.”“I’m not your babe anymore, Scott, and according to you, I never was.” I say, walking past him.“Are you still upset about that? It was a long time ago. Can’t we put that behind us and be friends?” He grabs my elbow to stop me.I w
Mila’s POVI jog down the stairs from my new room and head for the front door of Isabella’s house. She wanted to walk me down, but no way am I going to let her act like a disapproving mom and question the heck out of Roman. So I promised her I would text her if at any time I felt in danger. That didn’t seem to make her feel much better, so she handed me a sparkly pink taser to put in my bag. She had a whole keychain of self defense stuff but I convinced her a taser was more than enough.She seems to suddenly be taking on the role of concerned mother and it’s kind of sweet. It’s the first time someone really cared about me like this and I like it even if it seems a little much. When I step out of the front door, I stop short at the sight of a very handsomely dressed Rowan leaning on a very expensive-looking car. I have to blink a few times to make sure I’m not hallucinating, but no, he’s one hundred percent real.He smirks at me before pushing to his feet and buttoning his suit jacket
Mila’s POV“Girl, you need to spill right now. What is going on? You were in the news because of a shooting Mimi!” Isabella sets in on me the second I climb into her car. Guilt hits me like a brick at how concerned she’s been while I’ve been worrying about a bunch of other stuff I want to keep away from her. She’s too pure and happy to see the darker parts of the world, but now I don’t have a choice but to tell her. “It’s a long story.” I say, hoping to brush everything off until tomorrow when it doesn’t feel so raw. I should know better than to expect something like that from her. It’s a shock. I’ve been able to keep any of this a secret for this long. “Mila enough. I know there is something you haven’t been telling me. You think I never noticed the marks or the scars? I said nothing because I didn’t want to push you, but now. You need my help and I will, but please don’t lie to me. I’m your best friend.” She’s right. It’s time I told her everything. “My stepmom has been hurtin