Hope you enjoyed this update. Be sure to leave a comment or gem letting me know what you think of the story so far. Thank you for all your support! Ellie xo
Julia POV Louise had been contained, albeit reluctantly. Elizabeth had returned to her office shortly after escorting Louise from the room. “She is going to stay, and I have convinced her to think of the baby she is carrying. The baby is innocent, and my hope is she will think about that before she leaves,” Elizabeth relayed. “She cannot leave with that baby,” Cami started to say when Elizabeth cut her off. “I will do everything in my power to keep her here, but I will not make her a prisoner. For now, Julia will stay away from the palace, so that we can keep Louise calm. She has some questions for you, Cami. Questions about the baby. I suggested she get some rest, and you would visit her later. I admit I felt a little bitter at the thoughts of being banished from the palace for the time being. But it was a small price to pay for the safety of the baby. I could not imagine Cami becoming a mother, but her passion for this
Julia POV We raced through the night to the location the officer had told Eric they were waiting for us. I felt a sense of nervousness, almost as if foreboding what was to come. Cami glanced my way, “You okay?” she asked me. I nodded, “Something feels off,” I told her. Eric and Jackson both looked at me. “What do you mean?” Eric asked. “I do not know. Just something does not feel right,” I shared with them uncertain what was going on. “Perhaps we should go back?” Jackson suggested. “No! We have to get Fred and Mary out of that situation,” I said to them. I could not leave the elderly couple in the hands of whoever had them any longer. Eric looked at me before replying, “We will go, but we all stay together,” he said. I agreed, “I think that is the best plan.”. “We also have our warriors with us. We will have some strength in our numbers,” Jackson added. Cami and I sat back. I felt Cami take my hand and squeeze it.
Julia POV “My dad? I do not know my dad,” I commented. “He has been watching you for many years. Who do you think sent us to retrieve you?” Fred said. Retrieve me. What was I? A dog? “Well, you cannot retrieve me. I have a mate; I have a life here,” I said to them calmly. Much calmer than I felt. Inside my stomach was churning. “She will not be going anywhere,” Cami said strongly. Mary laughed as Fred scowled at her. “You fucked a lot of things up. The rogue was sent to retrieve Julia the night you were attacked. You surviving the attack was a disappointment. Clearly you have healing powers of your own that prevented your death,” Fred said. Cami shrugged as I looked at her. What else did I not know about my friend? It did not matter now. I was grateful she was alive and with me. I still felt Eric prodding to get into my mind, “How many are in there?” Eric demanded angrily. “There are three that I can see,” I
Julia POV “Not on my watch,” the voice said as the witch was tossed across the room. I saw her try to scramble to stand up, but she had been injured when she had been tossed. As she hit the wall, Cami was freed from her frozen position, and Jackson leapt forward to catch her before she fell. I felt Eric beside me, as I turned to look behind me. I was confused to see Elizabeth standing there with another small, blonde woman beside her. The stranger’s hands were raised, and she was waving her arms in the air similar to Cami when she cast a spell. I heard the witch scream, and my head whipped around to see her being bound by golden cuffs.“You cannot do this,” the witch screamed. “I can and I have,” the stranger said as she stepped towards us. Cami moved forward and hugged the stranger, “I have never been so relieved to see you,” she murmured to the woman as they stepped apart from one another. “What is going on?” I asked.“Julia, meet my cousi
Eric POV I watched as Julia sparred with Carter. He was not going easy on her and she was holding her own. It killed me to watch her have to train this hard, but it was the only way she would be able to learn how to defend herself in her human form. Her wolf would help her but was limited unless they were in wolf form. There was also the looming threat of her father. We had talked late into the night about how she would like to meet her father. I can appreciate her need for familial connection. I am simply concerned this is not the right time. And I am concerned about her father’s intentions. If he went to this much trouble to try and acquire her, it does not bode well for his intentions. And how is he connected to the witch, Henrietta? So many questions. We needed our own seer. Someone who could see the future for us. But they were hard to come by, and we had not had success in finding one for the Kingdom.
Julia POV I looked to Eric in surprise. He put his phone on speaker phone and nodded to me to speak. “Hello?” I replied. I heard a swift intake of breath from the other end of the line. “Julia?” I heard come out in a somewhat strangled voice. “Yes. Who is this?” I demanded. “I am your father, Julia,” the man responded. “How do I know this is even real?” I asked. I had no connection to this voice. No immediate sense of recognition. No feeling like I was talking to a parent. “I understand you have questions,” he started to say when I interrupted him. “Questions? I have more than questions. I have years of wondering where the hell you were. Years of wondering if you even knew I existed. My mother never mentioned my father, so how do I know this is not some sick game for you?” I asked, as my voice cracked. A small part of me wanted to believe there was someone out there who I was related to. But not like this. Not rel
Eric POV My body tensed and I stepped in front of Julia to protect her from whoever was in front of us. I watched the woman move forward towards Julia, but I held my hand out stopping her in her tracks. “Do not come any closer,” I cautioned her. I had no qualms about killing this threat. “Julia,” the woman said softly. I glanced at Julia to see tears streaming down her cheeks. What the hell. Who was this woman? “It is not possible,” Julia mumbled as Cami moved forward. “What kind of joke is this?” Cami demanded angrily. “Who is she?” I asked tersely, needing to know what we were dealing with. “My mother,” Julia responded in a strangled voice. I looked between the woman and Julia and could see the family resemblance. But how was it possible? She died? Didn’t she? “You are an imposter,” I said angrily, moving towards the woman. I would not have Julia hurt more than she already had been. “Do not come an
Julia POV “Why is that any different than what we already knew?” I asked, confused and angry at the situation we were in. I was in shock, I knew that. My mother was alive and standing in front of me. And all I could feel was bitterness and resentment. I should be rejoicing in her being alive, but I felt nothing but betrayal and hurt. “Guardian wolves are rare; a healing Guardian wolf is even more rare. We can heal other wolves as well as humans,” the man claiming to be my father stated. “That is a good thing. We could help many people,” I stated, unclear what the problem was. “Julia, sweetheart, you do not understand,” Eric started to say when I cut him off. “So, dumb it down for me, Eric. What is the problem?” I demanded angrily. Eric sighed, “If you heal too many people, you will die yourself. Once people realize you can heal wolves as well as humans, there are corrupt wolves who would sell you to the highest bidders;
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
Julia POV “Are you mad?” she whispered. “Mad? Are you crazy? I could not be prouder to know my mate is expecting our pup,” Jackson replied before capturing Cami’s lips in a passionate kiss. The room exploded with excitement, as everyone gathered around to congratulate the couple. I hugged Cami, with Beatrix between us. “I am so happy for you,” I said, as I wiped tears from my cheeks. “I am excited and terrified. We will have two babies under a year old. I cannot imagine,” she said, sounding a bit overwhelmed. I stared at her for a moment and then we both burst out laughing. With the twins, I also had two under the age of one. “We will figure it all out together,” I promised her as she hugged me again, before everyone else crowded in to get hugs. I could not believe how blessed we all were. With the four babies being gifted to us, and knowing their futures would be bright, and dangerous, I sat there for a moment as the re
Julia POV “What does everyone mean?” I questioned, as Eric moved towards me, nudging me to sit down. I took my seat while Jackson stood by the chair where Cami and Beatrix were sitting. “It is not an easy answer,” Elizabeth starts to say as Cami gasps, her grip on Beatrix tightening. Elizabeth stepped forward and took a seat on the table directly in front of Cami. She reached out and touched the baby in Cami’s arms before looking to both Cami and Jackson. “I have worked out an arrangement,” she started to say when Jackson cut her off, “What kind of arrangement?”. “One where you get to keep Beatrix, for the time being,” Elizabeth said. I gasped, realizing that Cami may not get to keep Beatrix. I had assumed because she was here, she was theirs. I had forgotten about the witches who wanted Beatrix. “That does not sound good,” Cami stated as she rubbed the baby’s back. Jackson had his hand on Cami’s shoulde
Eric POV I held Julia in my arms for hours. I never stirred and as if sensing the need for this time, the pups did not stir either. I heard the doctor enter the room, “Prince Eric, we wanted to check on your mate, before we sign the release documents,” she said softly. I looked at her in surprise, “So soon?” I asked. “It is incredible. I ran the labs a short time ago, and she was already healing much further along that we would have expected. I suspect she has a strong wolf, who was able to take over once we had done all we could,” the doctor stated. I looked to her for a moment, before turning my head back to Julia. “You did it sweetheart,” I whispered as the doctor left me to wake my mate up. I leaned forward, kissing Julia’s lips softly. Moaning in her sleep, her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer. Our tongues slid over one another, tasting each other, reconnecting and celebrating us. As our kiss deepened
Julia POV I laid there silently watching my family. Eric was asleep in the chair beside me. He was slumped over the bed, with his arm around my waist. I could hear the little satisfied sounds babies make when they first wake up. I loved that they were patient enough to wait for their daddy to wake. I lifted my arm, it was heavy and shaky, but I moved it to place it on Eric’s head. Playing with his hair, as I waited for him to wake up. I knew all that he had gone through was horrible. Watching me being rushed to the operating room, our babies being delivered without him being there. Waiting for me to wake up. It had been a long couple of days, but I finally opened my eyes. I did not think I would ever close them again, for fear of missing something. As my fingers moved through Eric’s hair, I felt him stir. I recognized the moment he realized something was different. He slowly turned lifted his head, look
Eric POV I watched as the twins were wheeled into Julia’s room. I went to her and told her that her babies were waiting for her. I kissed her warm lips softly, before stepping away to help set the twins up. It was late, and I wanted to get the twins settled before I stepped over to watch over Julia. Both twins fussed for a couple minutes but quickly settled after they had a bottle. I kissed each child, “Your mommy is going to be with you soon; I promise,” I murmured to them both. The nurse looked to me, “Would you like me to stay?” she asked quietly. I looked to her, “No, thank you for everything you have done,” I responded as she nodded and walked from the room. Everyone had left, as I had requested, so it was just the four of us. I could hardly grasp everything that had happened today. From finding out Henrietta had been under our noses all along. To having the twins arrive, to almost losing my mate. I did not care what
Eric POV I watched Julia fight to survive; I held my breath waiting. The intense sound of the alarm signalling death was unnerving. I started to turn away, my heart in my throat, ready to crumble to the ground. Suddenly there was a faint blip in the sound. It did not fully register with me until I heard a second … and then a third. I heard a gasp from one of the medical team, “She is alive,” they stated. “Barely. We need to get her to the ICU. Finish stitching her up, and then we will move her quickly,” the doctor said. I watched in disbelief as they prepared Julia for the ICU. “Is she in any pain?” I asked, alarmed at everything that was happening around me. “We do not know; we will give her something to help just in case,” the doctor assured me. I watched as they finished and rushed Julia to another area. Realizing I had forgotten about our pups, I turned to see them being wheeled away, “Where are you taking them?” I as