Julie entered the breakfast parlour, and all voices hushed into a loaded silence. She, unlike most of the other inhabitants of the pack's main mansion, was entirely unaware of the developments of the day before.
"Good morning," she said, chipper as always. Awkward glances were traded and though she received a few muttered good mornings in return, she picked up on the tension hanging in the room. She paused halfway to her chair, her gaze darting around. "Did something happen?"
All eyes rested on Austin then.
"No, nothing," he said.
"Alright," Julie said. She sat down beside Austin, glancing around the table. "Why is everyone quiet, then?" There were seven people at the table and normally they made a lot more noise.
"Why indeed," Conall said. He sipped his coffee, smirking. It made Julie nervous. Nothing made Conall that happy but the prospect of drama.
Camden, one of the council members, rose from his chair. "Excuse me, I still need to finish preparing for the classes I teach today."
"And I need to prepare today's training," Archer, Midnight Moon's head warrior, said, too hastily stumbling up from his own seat. The both of them looked at Kyle, another council member, who stuffed the last slice of an apple in his mouth and got up, nodding.
"I'm drowning in paperwork, honestly."
With a sigh and a dismissive gesture, Ellis allowed them to leave. Julie had never seen the usually so composed council members flee any room in such disarray. Her eyes flicked up to Austin, who kept his gaze pinned to his plate. In fact, all three brothers seemed unwilling to meet her eyes.
The door clicked open and Caroline slipped inside the room. Julie noticed a suspicious glittering in the teenager's eyes. The girl was practically bouncing on her feet, staring at Austin with a distant look, that told Julie she was linking him. There was definitely something going on.
She leant forward and picked up the teapot perched in the middle of the table. She poured herself a cup and watched smoke trickle upwards. "How did Reconciliation Day go?" she asked, raising her eyes to Austin again.
"It was fine," Austin said.
"Austin..." Ellis' voice dripped with warning.
Conall set his cup down with force, drawing all attention to himself. "What is your plan here, Austin? Never tell her? She's not stupid."
"Shut up, Conall."
"He's right, you know," Carry said. "You have to tell her."
Julie dragged a spoon through her tea, watching the liquid slosh. "You found her, didn't you?" It remained eerily quiet around her and she let the spoon slip from her fingers, listening to the little tinkle as it hit the rim.
"Perhaps we should give them a minute," Ellis said, already getting up.
"But I'm hungry!" Carry said, slumping in a chair and grabbing a bun, setting her teeth into it to illustrate her point. "And I want to hear what happened!"
"I'm with Carry," Conall said. "I'm not leaving right when it gets interesting."
With a sigh, Ellis set himself back down.
"I don't want her," Austin said, looking up at Julie. "Nothing has changed."
"Everything has changed," Ellis said.
"Nothing has changed."
Julie wrapped a palm around her cup, the heat of it setting her skin ablaze. She brought it to her lips and took a sip. "So, who is she?"
"Some criminal," he said, his voice pitched too high. "She's violent. Half-feral, really."
"She was charged with trespassing and attacking some guards," Ellis said. "She's especially violent towards the royal family, which is why King Alder didn't feel comfortable releasing her. He was willing to, but only if Austin took responsibility for her, which he hasn't yet."
"Nor will I." Austin shot Ellis a daring glance.
Julie nodded slowly and put her cup back on the table.
"What happens to her now?" Carry asked.
"That doesn't concern us," Austin said.
"She'll stay in prison. Alder's been silvering her to try and get information out of her, but it hasn't been of use so far," Ellis said. "She's in bad shape. I don't give her a week."
"You mean she'll die?" Carry looked at oldest and youngest brother alternately, her eyes wide. "You're going to let your mate die?"
"She's not my mate."
"Did you reject her, then?"
"No," he said, his eyes latching onto Julie's. "I would have, but Ellis wouldn't let me. I'm going to go back to the castle and reject her as soon as I'm permitted."
Julie fumbled with her fingers and picked up her tea again, encircling it with both her hands and letting the steam waft against her face.
"You're making a mistake," Ellis said. "You don't even know her."
"I don't want to know her. I don't care about her. What is she to me?"
"She will die."
"So?" Conall said. "She wouldn't be in prison and she wouldn't get silvered if it weren't for her own actions. Austin has nothing to do with that. I say reject her."
"You know you're making a mistake when Conall agrees with you," Carry said. "You can't reject her. It's fate!"
"You listen too much to Ellis' nonsense."
"Watch it," Ellis said.
"Fate is an illusion," Conall said, waving his cup around to emphasise his words, some of the black liquid sloshing over the rim. "It's ridiculous to expect people to throw their lives around just because fate says you should be with someone you never even would have noticed otherwise. Reject her, Austin."
"That's the plan," Austin said.
Had she been alone with Austin, Julie might have found the words to react. As it was, she said nothing, eyes latched onto her cup. Her hands trembled and a rivulet of tea trickled down the side of the cup and over her fingers.
"What does your wolf think of that?" Ellis asked. "Surely he doesn't want to reject his mate."
"She's not our mate," Austin said, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. "I don't care if you don't approve of Julie and me – that's your right – but you do not get to disrespect her."
"I'm not disrespecting Julie. I'm not disrespecting you, Julie. I'm just saying that fate cannot be ignored. Surely you understand that, Jules. You've had a fated mate of your own."
"Don't you dare try to guilt her right now."
"I'm not. You need to give her a chance, Austin. You can't just reject her. You'll regret it for the rest of your life."
"No, I won't. You're the one that insisted I go to Reconciliation Day. I've been very clear from the start that I don't want a fated mate. You might be my alpha, but you can't force me to accept someone I don't care about. I'm going to reject her, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
Ellis' eyes darkened. "We'll see about that. Take it from someone who has had a mate: you will regret it. Julie can tell you as much."
"Stop it," Austin said, digging his nails into his palms. He got up, his chair wobbling on its hind legs. Not liking to have to look up to anyone, Ellis rose as well.
"I'm just being realistic." He was both taller and broader than Austin and towered over him. "Julie has had a fated mate. She knows what it's like. She never would have rejected her mate, not even for you."
More tea sloshed over the rim of Julie's cup, leaving a stain on her lap. With shaking hands, she put it back on the table, wiping her hands on her skirts. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came.
Austin clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "I don't want to hear anyone's opinions," he said. "However I handle the situation is up to me and Julie. You don't get to make us feel bad about our relationship." The remark was aimed at Ellis, but he made sure to shoot his other siblings warning glances too.
"I am still your alpha, and I will not give my blessing for you to mate Julie if you do not first seriously consider your fated mate," Ellis said.
"We don't need your blessing."
"Careful who you pick a fight with." Ellis' pale eyes turned a dark grey. Austin might have been his brother and his beta, but Julie knew he would not hesitate even a second should it come to it.
Austin bore his eyes into his brother's.
"Austin, don't," Julie said, rising from her chair.
For a few seconds, no one moved. Then Austin broke away and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Julie stared down at the floor, unable to meet her alpha's eyes. "Permission to go after him?"
"Actually," Ellis said, "I want to talk to you."
________
A/N: Thanks for reading!
Any opinions on Julie? As always, any other comments/ criticism/ thoughts/ (praise)/ questions are welcome too :)