Another update - hope you enjoyed it! Be sure to leave a comment or thoughts on the story so far. Reviews are always welcome! Ellie xo Playlist for this chapter, Don't Give up - Zoe Wees, Here With Me - Marshmello, Gimme Love - Sia
Eric POV I leaned my forehead against the door. I could hear her heartbeat racing. Racing in fear. Fear of what? Surely not me? “Julia, sweetheart, please let me in,” I pleaded with her trying to push my Alpha command on her. I knew it would not work. Mates cannot command one another, but I did not know how it would work with a human mate. “Go away,” Julia replied shocking me. “Why?” I asked needing to understand what had happened since I had last seen her. “I will call the police, if you do not leave,” she said with fear lacing her voice. Sighing I can tell she is getting more agitated. “Just tell me what happened, and then I will leave,” I replied to her hoping she would see sense. I hear her slide down the door that is separating us. I do the same feeling this was better than nothing. I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms and assure all would be fine. But I needed to go at her pace. She was not a part
Julia POV The warmth I felt being in Eric’s arms was comforting. Like he was right, and this was somehow meant to be. I did not believe in fairy tales, and I knew this would likely be fleeting, but for one moment I allowed myself to be present and comforted in a way I had not been comforted since losing my mom. I heard footsteps and looked up to see Cami walking up the hallway. “So, we have decided he is the good guy?” she asked with a smirk. I smiled at her before looking up at Eric. He was tall, and I could imagine how him kissing me would mean him bending down to reach me. My face went red at the thought. I was getting ahead of myself most certainly, but I could not help my thoughts. Being this close, it was natural to want more. I stepped out of Eric’s arms reluctantly. He looked to Cami with a smile, “It is good to see you again, Cami,” he said politely. “Back at you, big guy. So do we know who this
Julia POV It had been two days since I had seen Eric. We had texted and continued to get to know one another but my schedule and his schedule were not jiving. He told me about his art and promised he would show it to me one day soon. I had limited experience with art but could not wait for him to teach me about it. The fact was that I could not wait to see him again. I was quickly growing bitter that our schedules were not working. And then I had to give my head a shake. I was relieved I could pay my bills and that had to be my focus right now. The reason I was doing this made me sad for a moment, and then I realized I was at work and had meals to deliver. As we were approaching closing time, I heard the doorbell ring and felt my heart sink. We had a strict policy that we served all customers, no matter how late they arrived. As long as the customers were in the restaurant before closing time, they were served. Taking a
Eric POV I grabbed Julia before she touched Cami. “She is still alive,” one of my men yelled. Grabbing my phone, I immediately called 911 while holding Julia in my arms. She was fighting me, but I held tightly not wanting her to touch any evidence that may be on Cami. It broke my heart to hold Julia in my arms, feeling her fall apart. Suddenly there was a growl behind me. Jackson had entered the room, “Mate,” he stated as everyone turned to look at him. Julia was not paying attention to what Jackson had said but we all knew what it meant. One of my men was touching Cami, holding pressure to one of her wounds. Jackson was struggling with his wolf, to let the man continue to help her. It looked like someone, a wolf, had tried to claw her heart out. She had wounds all over her body indicating she had fought as best she could. We all knew she was lucky to have survived at all having fought a male wolf. And a human at that. J
Eric POV I wanted to hold Julia in my arms, but her body was tense. I could tell she was uncertain what to believe or who to trust. My heart hurt, but I could appreciate why she felt the way she did. It was an uncanny coincidence that I seemed to be near when things happened. I know it makes me selfish, but I was immensely grateful to the Moon Goddess that Julia had been with me. Seeing Cami, I was still in shock that she had managed to survive to this point. It was unheard of and caused me to pause and wonder about Cami. I knew I had never scented anything on her. But to be able to withstand the abuse she took was simply incredible. I give myself a shake, as I turn to look to Julia. I take her cold hand into mine. She does not hold my hand, nor does she reject my touch. I begin to wonder if she even recognizes my closeness. She seems lost in her own thoughts. I knew she felt guilty for Cami being hurt in her place. I
Eric POV I understood Cami’s parents were distraught about the news that their daughter had been attacked. I could not understand how they were treating Julia. It was not her fault that a rogue wolf had taken an interest in her. And it was not her fault that Cami had been hurt, obviously by mistake. I took Julia to another private area in the hospital. Jackson knew where we were, and he agreed to have us notified immediately on Cami’s condition as soon as she was out of surgery. Julia was incredibly quiet. I knew she was barely holding herself together. I hoped she would lean on me, but I also knew she was angry and confused. As we entered the private room, Julia moved to take a seat away from me. I took her hand and pulled her into my arms, simply holding her stiff body. I started to feel her relax, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The tension was leaving her body, allowing her to start to feel her emotions.
Eric POV “Yes,” I responded, firmly. She looked at me in surprise. “I am not staying that far away from Cami. I need to be close to her,” Julia responded quickly. Feeling a moment of success, I quickly agreed to what she was saying. “I have a place here in town. We will go there,” I said calmly, not wanting to make a big deal of her agreeing to go with me. “I am taking Julia to the apartment. How are you?” I asked Jackson through our mind-link. “I am alright. It is killing me to watch my mate fight for her life,” he replied angrily. “She is fighting. That is the most important thing,” I reminded him. “You are correct. I do not want to lose her after finally finding her,” he replied honestly. I paused for a moment before responding, “You will not lose her. We will not allow it.”. Closing our link, knowing he was looked after, I turned to look at Julia. I held my hand out to her, “Let’s go now,” I said to her. She slo
Julia POV I knew that I had asked a difficult question. It had bothered me for a while, and I had wanted to question Eric on this, but there was never a good time to discuss what it all meant. When Jackson had called Cami his mate, I had to know more. I had to understand what it meant, and why did it seem so important to them? Eric unwrapped his arms from my body, leaving me cold. He stood up and started to pace. I felt nauseous, and instantly regretted asking him the question. I suddenly realized that I did not want the answer. “Forget I asked,” I murmured wanting Eric to come back to bed and hold me like he had been. He turned to look at me, “I have so much I need to tell you. Some of it needs to wait, but I promise you that you being my mate is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he vowed to me. His words warmed my heart, but I felt an uncomfortable sense of trepidation. Like he was stalling in telling me som
Julia POV It had been six months since we had got rid of Henrietta for good. Martha had become a staple in our lives. She never tried to take over being anything more than an aunt to Beatrix. Cami had her baby boy. Jackson and she were in love of their little boy, and Beatrix was loving being an older sister. They named him Alex, a strong name for a strong boy. Layla was in love with Ethan and Lucas was his best friend. The four babies loved each other and were constantly searching for the others. “Life is blissful,” I murmured as we watched our babies. Eric was at work, Jackson as well and the two of us were on baby duty. I had started some online courses to work towards my social worker degree. I loved the courses, and found the right balance between the babies, Eric and my studies. As always, Eric was incredibly supportive of what I did. We were living a life of peace and quiet these days. But we wer
Julia POV My sobs quickly diminish as I realize that Martha is standing in our home. “How did you get here?” I demanded quickly. I stood, tense, in front of her, as Cami moved to stand beside me. She had given Beatrix to Jackson. Both men were tense by our sides, as we waited for her to speak. “I managed to escape,” she replied quickly. “How could you escape so easily, after having been contained?” Cami asked. “I do not know. One minute I was contained, and the next I was able to escape,” she said, sounding somewhat confused, before adding, “And then I was here.”. “That sounds too coincidental,” I stated. I moved forward, expecting her to disappear in front of me. “Julia,” Eric cautioned, but it would not stop me from moving forward. “How do we know you are not another version of Henrietta?” I asked softly. “You do not know. Call in the Witches Council. They will be able to verify who I am,” Martha replied calmly.
Julia POV I stood there holding the doors closed, as Cami came to stand beside me. “Careful ladies, you do not want to hurt the little one,” Henrietta cautioned. “You would hurt your own child?” Cami asked, disgusted. “Of course not, but you might do so in your haste,” she replied. My eyes scanned the room. I saw Eric and Jackson were moving to either side of Henrietta. “Stop right there, or I will kill her,” Henrietta spat out. Everyone stopped moving, as I glanced back to ensure my babies were safe. They continued to sleep, which I prayed they would do until this was over. “You are all going to step back and let me leave with my daughter,” Henrietta said. Cami gasped, as Jackson stepped forward, “Not a chance, bitch.”. “Is that any kind of language to use around an impressionable mind?” she taunted. “Coming from someone like you, that is rich,” I said, as I continued to watch her movements. She was gett
Julia POV “What the hell does that mean?” Jackson asked. We all sat there considering the words. “It could be the sister asking for help,” I suggested. “It could also be a ploy to trap us,” Eric said. Both were valid reasons given who we were working with. “What do we know about the sister?” I asked. “We do not know a lot. Just that she is Henrietta’s twin, she is powerful, like Henrietta,” Cami shared. “Was she ever considered the good witch?” Jackson asked. “I do not know if either would be considered a good witch,” she admitted, frowning. “I will contact the Witches Council,” Cami said as she stood and pulled out her phone. “Wait. What if this person does need help, will the Witches Council want to help? Or will they want to trap her and harm her?” Jackson asked. “Could it be the Witches Council who has her?” Eric added. Cami was looking between both men, when she threw up her hands, “I have no idea!”.
Julia POV Morning and all its delicious busyness came quickly. The twins were up early, waiting to be fed. We were fortunate they were quickly adapting to a reasonable schedule. One I knew was not the norm for newborn babies. I enjoyed my time feeding my babies, while Eric got them cleaned up. “We make a great team,” Eric smiled, as we put the twins in their car seats. They were perfect when we wanted to transport them, and when we got downstairs so they could stay in them until we had their mat out so they could crawl around and make all the fun noises babies made. Cami and Jackson were coming over this morning. Cami had found something out in her research, that she wanted to share as soon as possible. She wanted to come last night, but Jackson put his foot down, indicating they had other things to do first. I suspect it was a celebration, and chuckled at how annoyed Cami would be to be stopped when on a mission.
Cami POV “How do you know who I am?” I asked, uncertain of what to say. “It is my job to know who is inquiring about me,” the individual responded. “Where are you?” I asked, wanting to get to my questions. “Do you think it would benefit me to share that information?” the individual responded. I paused. They were right. If I had the right person, who was in hiding, why would they try to help me? “Why are you hiding?” I asked. “Seriously? That is the question you want to ask me?” they taunted. I felt like I was on a time clock, and I did not know the skill testing question. “Why is your sister so mean?” I asked bluntly. I did not know if I was, in fact, talking to Martha, but it was worth a shot. I saw a smiley face with tears come across my screen. Are you kidding me?!? “She was born that way,” the individual responded. “So, you are her sister?” I tried to confirm. “I am someone very close to her,” the
Julia POV I looked at Laura, concerned with her reaction. Aside from the reality that it was rude, it was also odd that she would be so bothered. She had not given any indication she was this bothered before. In fact, she seemed to understand why Lincoln was being held in the dungeons. “I am sorry Laura, but he poses too big a risk for us to release him,” Elizabeth replied. “Julia and Eric will assume responsibility for him. They will ensure he does not harm anybody,” Laura said. My body tensed at what she was suggesting. Before I could even respond, Eric said, “Absolutely not. There are children to consider, Laura, and I am not prepared to put them at risk given what his intentions have been.”. Laura let out a soft growl, reminding us all that she had a dormant wolf inside of her. “Julia?” she asked, looking to me for some support. I shook my head, “I am sorry Laura, but I agree with Eric,” I stated. She looked at me an
Julia POV I watched my mother frown as she nodded her understanding of needing to wait for Elizabeth to make the decision. I was surprised she had started on this again, even with Henrietta gone. “Can I take the babies for a walk?” Laura asked. I looked at Eric and then to her, “I think it is too soon to be taking them out on walks,” I said to her. I saw the look of anger cross her face, before disappointment took its place. “What is going on, Laura?” I asked, confused with her behaviour. “I want to feel useful. I am doing nothing to help,” she replied. “There will be plenty of time to help with the babies. Right now, they are far to young to be away from me and Eric,” I shared with her. I knew what I was saying was silly. Of course they could be away from me, but Eric and I had discussed how we wanted this time to bond with our babies. “You do not trust me, do you?” Laura asked angrily. I looked at her in surprise, “Tr
Eric POV We had an amazing few days with just us and the babies. They were adjusting to a normal routine so quickly; we could not have been more blessed. “I think Layla is already showing signs of being a Guardian,” Julia said to me. “What?” I asked, surprised and a little concerned. “There is this look in her eye, like she is far more advanced than having just been born a few days ago,” Julia shared. “We will have to do our best to encourage them both to stay young. I do not want them growing up too fast. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with being a Guardian,” I shared. “I agree. I only found out once I was grown, I cannot imagine the pressure she will be under at such a young age,” Julia agreed. As we continued to talk, I heard footsteps coming from the hallway. Laura came around the corner, “Am I intruding?” she asked, prepared to leave the room. “Not at all. We were just admiring the babie