Julie came out of the dressing room and joined her friends on the bench. The other trainees sat around as they watched the members of Midnight do their own preparations for practice. There were vocal warm-ups, physical warm-ups and when their choreographer and backup dancers arrived, a dance rehearsal.
Julie watched as her mate worked on his routines and practiced his raps. She was impressed with how dedicated he was and that dedication was echoed by every member of Midnight....with the possible exception of Taekwoon. He was busy flirting with all the girls in the room, particularly with Stacy who had clearly caught his eye.
"Are you really going to flirt with him?" Julie asked her friend.
"Absolutely. He's my bias and I've wanted to get my hands on him for years. That boy is a sex god and I want a turn." Stacy said without looking away from Taekwoon.
"Are you sure you really want to do this?" Elizabeth asked in a worried tone of voice. She also couldn't seem to keep her gaze away from Taekwoon's direction even though her bias was Seokmin.
"He's hot, why would I not? Besides, we're not mates, so there is no risk of attachment. He'll leave on tour and I'll have an awesome memory. What more could I ask?" Stacy said while watching Taekwoon with hungry eyes.
"I can't believe you," Elizabeth got up and walked out of the gym.
Stacy watched her go in surprise, "If I didn't know better, I'd think she was jealous."
"I don't think so, but you never know." Darcy commented, "She's been all keyed up ever since the concert. I think the stress is getting to her."
"She's empathic, so that might be it. The stress levels are pretty high right now. I better go check on her. " Julie got up, nodded to Jaeson and went after Elizabeth.
A crowd had started forming when word got out that Midnight was helping with training and by now there were many people trying to get in from around the pack. Even the humans who were fans were starting to gather. The screaming picked up as calls for autographs and attention started from the girls who were gathering. This was too good an opportunity to pass up for access to the members and they were not to be thwarted. Cries could be heard as fans desperate to reach the members increased their persistence to gain entry to the gym. Each fan was desperate to find out if they were a mate match and they were not going to be cheated out of a chance.
Julie had to push through the growing crowd as she searched for Elizabeth. She saw Elizabeth heading toward the forest shortcut to her house. As she tried to push through the crowd, she saw her father arrive.
"Dad?" Julie said in surprise.
"Hi pumpkin, how was training?" He looked her over to see if she had any bruises.
"It was good. Why are you here?" She noticed other warrior wolves standing behind him.
"Security. Aaron called us in with this crowd forming. Where are you headed?"
"I'm heading after Elizabeth, something is bothering her." Julie checked to see Elizabeth disappearing down the trail. "I've got to go,"
"I'll see you later," her dad waved her off. Before she took off after Elizabeth, she noticed her Dad and the other warriors of the pack were creating a wall so that the crowd could not get into the gym. Others were starting to remove those who had no business in the gym at that moment. Cries were increasing on how unfair it all was as the girls tried to get access to Midnight.
Shaking her head, Julie turned and ran after Elizabeth. She ran down the trail that was a shortcut through the forest and headed in the direction of Elizabeth's house.
Stop! I hear crying! Jewels called out.
Julie stopped and opened her ears. Far off the trail, was the faint sound of sobs. Jewels increased their hearing and Julie finally identified the sound as coming from Elizabeth. Sniffing the air in the direction of the sobs confirmed that there was a faint cinnamon and vanilla scent hiding in the trees. Julie walked over following the scent of her friend till she reached her hiding place.
Julie found Elizabeth sitting on a dead log worn down over the years till there was a seat that one could sit on. Years of use had polished the depression into a comfortable spot that didn't risk splintering your butt when you sat on it.
"Here you are," Julie said in a mild tone as she gently approached her friend.
Elizabeth turned away, unhappy to be caught crying. "How'd you find me?"
Julie pointed at her own head, "I have this new friend with special abilities. Did you know you smell like cinnamon and vanilla?"
"Really?" she sniffed as tears continued to fall from her eyes. "At least I smell nice."
"What's wrong, Elizabeth? Why did you run out of the gym?" Julie leaned up against the log trying to be casual.
"I don't know, really. I've been in knots ever since the concert. The emotions have been running so high and I haven't had a break from all the worry your situation is causing us. Then we've got Midnight in our midst and that crowd outside the gym was getting more emotional. Not to mention all the pain and hurt that was filling that gym from... I...I ..... just couldn't take it anymore" Julie put an arm around her friend as she continued to cry.
"I guess Stacy was the last straw?" Julie asked gently.
"Oh my gosh, Julie, she's running so hot that its crazy. I can't get away from it. It was even affecting me and I don't even like Taekwoon. I'm starting to wonder if there is something wrong with me, why do I have to be the emotional one?" Elizabeth broke down in another round of weeping.
"There is nothing wrong with you. You're just an empath. Look, you shift in 3 months, maybe your abilities are increasing as you get closer?"
"Oh no, Julie. Don't say that. I can't handle it if it gets stronger. Why did the Moon Goddess make me this way." Elizabeth wailed.
"As you guys are so fond of telling me the last few days, 'the Moon Goddess must have a reason'," Julie said, teasing her friend a little.
"Oh no," Elizabeth stared at Julie with her eyes full of tears. "I hate hearing that right now. I'm sorry for saying that to you. That just sounds awful."
"Yeah, it really does," Julie said with a chuckle.
Elizabeth chuckled a little bit in return, "Your mate really loves you." she tried to change topics.
"He seems to," Julie said trying to sound nonchalant.
"You doubt him?"
"It's not that I doubt him, per se. It's more......that the situation is too unstable. This could all blow up badly at any moment. And if it does, will I lose him? Will I run away? I just don't know the answer to those questions." Julie said in a thoughtful manner.
"What does Jewels say?" Elizabeth looked at her.
"She is perfectly happy with her mate. His wolf is named Jay and he's even more romantic than Jaeson if you can believe that."
"Really? More romantic? I didn't know wolves were romantic. I sort of thought they were more animalistic."
"My parent's wolves are very emotional people, so it doesn't surprise me. I'm just surprised that my mate is so romantic. The Moon Goddess really did give me everything I didn't know I wanted in a wolf mate." Julie said with a sigh.
"My parents did not enjoy their mating, as you know. Their wolves are compatible, but....maybe that's why this whole thing with Michelle and Nathan has me rattled so much. The hatred rolling off Nathan and Michelle made it very volatile in the gym. Adding on the crowd and Stacy's libido and...and....it was too much...." Elizabeth broke down again. Julie just held her letting her cry out the emotional overload.
Jewels kept an eye on the surroundings while Julie comforted Elizabeth. She was keenly aware that they had been followed into the woods, but she didn't alert Julie as they were keeping their distance. Jewels had watched Nathan and Michelle carefully during Julie's part of the training. Elizabeth was correct, hatred did exist between them and that hatred looked to be building if Jewels' observations of their behavior during practice was anything to go by. She opened up their senses so she could better track the person standing off to the side of the trail, watching them. For now, they weren't intruding, they were standing there calm but the menace was clear. As long as Nathan stayed back in the trees and away from Julie, Jewels would not alert her while she took care of Elizabeth.
Nathan stood amongst the trees, watching the two friends talk. Elizabeth was a busybody who should keep her feelings to herself, he thought. He was so furious right now, he couldn't even see straight. How dare Julie find her mate. She belonged to him. She had always belonged to him and now she dared to go to someone else.
She is not our mate. She doesn't belong to us. Why do you dwell on her when we already have a mate who satisfies us? His wolf asked. His wolf had never understood his love for Julie. As she was not their mate, she was not important to his wolf. He would never understand how Nathan felt.
Julie had been his whole soul until the moment of his shift. Then it felt like he broke into two people. One who loved her, and one who didn't. His wolf had dismissed Julie the first time he smelled her and after that, he never understood. He wanted that slut, Michelle.
You will NOT degrade my mate. His wolf warned. She belongs to us and I love her. She is our mate. She is strong and wild.
She wasn't Julie and that's all Nathan cared about. He hated the sparks when Michelle touched him. It was as if the pleasure was mocking him, daring him to betray his feelings he'd had since he was a child and had stolen a kiss from Julie during naptime in kindergarten. He knew then that she was the only girl for him and to be pleasured by another was a mockery to everything he loved. He hated how his body and wolf enjoyed Michelle's embrace. How the pleasure was better than anything else he could have ever dreamed, but he rejected it. He would reject Michelle too if the Alpha would let him. Who was he kidding...Julie would have his hide if he caused Michelle to go rogue. He didn't reject her because of Julie, but now Julie belonged to another. Julie had betrayed him just like his wolf and his body had betrayed him.
His only consolation was that Julie hadn't yet mated with that pretty boy. He had been shocked when he realized that they were still unmated, but oh so glad. When Michelle had informed him of Julie's situation, he had both died and rejoiced at the news. He wanted to scream in rage that Julie had found her mate, leaving him to suffer, but he rejoiced in the knowledge that she couldn't claim her mate yet. That meant he could still claim her. Oh, then he would have her, she would be marked by him and nobody could take her away then.
We will not mark a woman who doesn't belong to us. His wolf said. Nathan ignored him. He didn't understand and Nathan was tired of trying to make him understand. Julie belonged to him and him alone.
He melted behind a tree as Julie and Elizabeth got up and started to walk back. All he had to do was wait. Wait for those pretty boys to leave and then he would take and mark Julie before anyone knew what had happened. She would be his and nobody would take her away.
He could feel his wolf's disapproval of his plan but he didn't care. The Moon Goddess had betrayed him by not giving him his Julie and the wolf was her accomplice. They were not to be trusted. The Goddess owed him for this betrayal and he would make things right or there would be hell to pay.