Julie's POV
It was after lunchtime when Aphrodite started to whimper in my head while lying down, and it was then that I felt the pang in my heart, and the pain was unbearable. First, I felt like my body was on fire, and then the pain in my heart started. It was like someone was cutting my chest open over and over again.
I fell to the floor, curling my body like a ball, and screamed. After just a few minutes, the pain stopped, leaving behind an ache in my heart. I took deep breaths to try to get back to normal. Nobody came to the room. And I was glad. I did not want them to see me weak again. I spent the rest of the day in bed. I could not shake away the pain inside my heart.
In the evening, Beta Terry walked in with the food tray looking great in a tuxedo. He looked at me with concern. "Is everything ok?" I rapidly nodded. I did not want to tell him anything. "Yes, I was just tired." He knew I was lying but did not push. I got off the bed and moved to the sofa to eat my dinner. "You look great, Beta Terry."
"Thank you, Julie. The Shadows Pack is visiting. We have shared borders. Their territory is south of ours." I looked to the other side and nodded. I was trying hard not to cry in front of him. The ache in my heart only increased when he said Shadows Pack. He watched me, and I started eating to see if he would go to the bathroom like always. But for a minute or two, he did not move.
The food had no taste today. I had to force it down. I knew I could not afford not to eat. I needed to get better and explore the grounds. I took a deep breath when I heard the water running, and knew Beta Terry was not watching me anymore. I only hoped he had to return to the visitors soon and would not keep me company. I did not feel like talking.
"Your bath is ready for when you finish, Julie." He ran his hand over his hair, messing it. "You know you can tell me if something is wrong, right?" Without taking my eyes off the food, I nodded. I wanted to be alone for the first time since I got here. He did not say anything else. He collected my tray when I finished and left, locking the door.
After that, I could not keep anything inside. I felt sick and ran to the bathroom, throwing up all my dinner. I wept hard, like when I lost my family. My soul was hurting, and I did not know the reason. After a few minutes, I got into the bath, hoping it would soothe my soul's ache. I felt better and went straight to bed.
It was the middle of the night when I woke up screaming. The pain was sharper than before. I bit my hand hard to muffle my cries and tried to reach out to Aphrodite. I did not know what was happening to me. I could feel her cries, and I got scared. Was she dying? Is that how a werewolf feels when they lose their wolf?
I thought we were getting better and Aphrodite would not die. Not now that we were here in a much better place and away from uncle Michael. The pain and the burn finally stopped. It lasted longer than before. I was gasping for air. I took slow deep breaths to calm down. And then it hit me again. I screamed repeatedly, falling to the ground and holding my chest.
****
Beta Terry's POV
After the party, Karl and I were having a drink at the Alpha's wing. Max had disappeared at the party, and I thought he would be up here, but he was not. Karl, Max and I have been great friends since we were pups. We trained at the same place, preparing for our roles. My father was the former Beta, while Karl's was the former Gamma.
Max chose us when our wolves arrived, and we were glad to help him run the pack. We were laughing about the party when a piercing scream interrupted us, and I knew exactly who it was. Karl's wolf was on alert, and I ran towards the door with Karl on my tail, ready to attack.
I unlocked the door, and she was writhing and screaming on the floor, holding her chest. Karl looked at me, surprised. "Who is she? What is she doing in Max's old room?" I looked at him. "Julie. She is Max's mate."
I lowered to the floor closer to her. "Mindlink the pack doctor, Karl. She needs help." Karl shook his head. "There isn't anything he can do, Terry." I looked at him, angry. "What are you talking about?" I reached for her arm, and he said. "Don't do that." But it was too late. I had already touched her, and she screamed harder as if I had hurt her.
"You can't touch her right now, Terry, and there isn't anything doctor Paul can do. Max is mating with Tania right now. I saw them leaving the party to the guest wing. The pain will stop when he stops."
I was beyond angry now, and so was my wolf, Noah. He already had a bond with her and wanted to protect his Luna. But I was not the Gamma. It was the Gamma's job to protect the Luna against anything, even the Alpha. But that was not possible at the moment. One, because Karl had only met her now and they did not have a bond, and two, the Alpha had not given him power to do so.
It was nearly sunrise when the screams and cries stopped. There was nothing neither of us could do other than watch her in pain. I looked at Karl. "You can carry her back to the bed if you like. She won't reject your touch now that it is over." I tucked her into bed, and she let me. She seemed in a trance the whole time we were in the room. "She will sleep now, Terry, her body and soul are exhausted."
Karl went back to his room, and I decided to sleep in the room next to hers, just in case. I was disappointed with Max. He was making a mockery of the Moon Goddess.
I knew that if Julie had calmed down, Max would have gone back to his room alone. I went to his room, and he looked fresh out of the shower. Of course, Max went straight to get Tania's scent off him. He did not want Ares complaining in his head, and probably, he would not be able to stand her scent on his skin for long when he already had a mate.
He raised his eyebrow, questioning what I was doing there. "I hope you are pleased with your doings with Tania. I found your mate last night agonising in pain on the floor. She screamed for hours, and there was nothing I could do to help."
I shook my head. "You knew it would hurt her, but you did it even though. Because the mate bond is getting stronger daily, you must fight it harder and think Tania can help you fight it. But she cannot because I am sure now that you have a mate, you felt terrible after mating with someone who isn't your other half."
He knew everything I was saying was true. But he could neither let her go nor accept her. "First, you let her suffer for three days while in heat. She just woke yesterday morning from it, and now you hurt her again by mating Tania. Max, accept her or reject her, please. I can't be a part of it anymore."
He did not say anything, and I left. The Shadows Pack would return home only later, and I hoped he would not look for Tania anymore. Julie's body needed to rest. I slept for a few hours and went to check on her. There was no Max's scent in the room, and he did not check on her after I left his room.
I took my laptop with me, sat on the sofa and started to do some work. Julie had stayed in the position I had put her in this morning. It was nearly dinner time when Karl walked in with a food tray for me. "They left now, and Alpha John was asking for you. I told him you were busy. Tania praised me and said she is looking forward to having me as her Gamma."
My eyes went wild. Maybe I should not have spoken to him like that. I did not want to push him into Tania's arms. "Please, tell me Max didn't sign a deal with him, and Tania is the new Luna." Karl shook his head, and I felt relieved. "Max told John he would let him know soon. How is she?" We looked at her. "She has not woken up yet. Are you sure we shouldn't call for doctor Paul?"
"Positive. There isn't anything he can do." Julie made a sound, and her eyes opened. They were no longer grey. They were pink, sparkling like diamonds. I had never seen anything like that before. It was beautiful. I felt calm instantly. All the restlessness I was feeling wasn't there anymore. And just like that, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. I looked at Karl. "Did you feel it?"
"What was that, Terry? Her eyes were stunning. Was that her wolf? I have never seen a wolf with pink eyes before." I left the food tray there in case she woke up and drove to see the witch. The potion had finished. She might need more now that her soul was shattered. I also borrowed a few books from the witch. They had pictures, and I hoped to find a wolf with pink eyes on it, but I could not find anything. I expected to find something in the vast pack's library.
There are many ancient books there. I would have more chances there than anywhere else. But it might take some time as I needed to figure out what kind of book I was looking for.
Do you think Max did it on purpose to hurt Julie? Leave your comments below.