Rejecting the Prince's Mate のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

Julia POV As we drove away, I felt a pain inside my chest. Like something was wrong. I could not put my finger on it, but I knew it had something to do with Prince Eric. He was a puzzle I could not figure out. Why did he show up so suddenly? How did he seem to be there at the exact right time? The thought caused me to sit up straighter. Had he had something to do with the break in? What would his motive have been? I did not know but I would have to be more guarded around him. Assuming I would see him again. “Julia!” I hear Cami say sharply. “Hmm, what?” I asked distracted by my thoughts. “How are you doing?” she asked looking at me with concern. “I am okay, now that I am away from there,” I replied honestly. “You can stay with me as long as you need to,” she said watching the road. “Thank you; I am afraid to go back,” I admitted to her. “It is understandable. Do you have any idea what they were after?” she asked. S

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 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 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 “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