What do you want, Julian?

Mila

When I wake up again, the room is dark except for a small sliver of bright sunlight coming through the crack of the curtains. My head is still killing me, but mostly I’m feeling a lot better.

“Hey sleepy head!” I roll over to see Isabella laying on the bed next to me.

She looks up from her phone to smile at me, but there’s something off about it. I go on high alert.

“What happened?” I push myself up to sit against the headboard.

“What do you mean?” She asks nervously, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Something’s off with you.” I point out, and something on her neck catches my attention. “Isabella! What is that?”

I basically jump her to look at the mark better. She squeals in surprise, but I already have her pinned.

“Is that a bite mark?” I ask with a gasp as I please her.

She sits up slowly, covering the mark. “I can explain.”

“Did Steven do that? Isabella, do you know what he’s done?” I barely learned about it, so what are the odds that she understands what this means?

She slowly nods her head, and I curse. “Steven told me everything. I know it seems crazy, but there was a clear pull between us and it happened so fast.”

“Did he force you?” I ask her, feeling a wave of anger unlike anything I have felt before.

Isabella is my best friend and I would be damned if I let her get sucked into something she didn’t want.

“No! Of course not. He asked me if I wanted it, and I said yes. It was like I couldn’t say no. Everything inside me was telling me it was the right thing to do. It feels right.” There is a soft smile on her face, and I let myself react.

“You’re really okay with being bound to Steven for the rest of your life? That’s a huge decision to make.” I point out. “I’m not sure if I’m ready for it.”

Her head snaps in my direction with her eyes wide. “Julian? Steven said his dad is the Alpha of their pack, so I put it together that Julian is an important member. Your his…”

I nod and blow out a breath, going back to my position of sitting against the headboard and dropping my head back against it.

“When he showed me I sort of freaked out but that pull your talking about, I felt it with him. He told me what we would need to do and we sort of got hot and heavy, but then he stopped. Like he couldn’t bring himself to finish the bonding or whatever. It hurt me.” I admit.

She turns and crosses her legs so she can look at me. “Did he say why?”

“He said he didn’t want to bite me until I’m ready. So I climbed in bed and pouted like a child, but now that I think about it…I don’t know if I’m ready either. It will change everything and it feels like so much in my life has changed so quickly. Maybe he was right.”

I don’t like the way I feel about him possibly being right about this. He makes the whole thing seem so important and intense, which means he must be suffering the longer he has to wait for me. So why would he pull away?

“I’m sorry. That’s a dick move.” She says, and I burst out laughing.

She doesn’t say those kinds of things often, so it always sounds weird.

“Are you happy?” I ask her.

She smiles. “I think I am. Maybe it's the fact that Steven is connected to me in such a deep way, but I’m not worried about him being a jerk to me. Not that he was soft about it, and he’s a pain for sure, but I like that between us. It’s too soon I know that, but it also doesn’t feel…wrong. The opposite, in fact. Although, I’m not sure how to explain him to my parents. I can’t exactly tell them he was my destined soulmate. They’ll think I’ve lost my mind. Also, he mentioned the Alpha would likely give us our own place, but I think we’ll stay at my house for now. He’s supposed to be watching after you anyway, so it works out.”

“That’s a good idea, I think. We don’t know all that goes into this pack stuff, so moving in with a bunch of shifting strangers might be too much.” I say and she nods in agreement.

“So, what do you want to do? Should I take you back home?” She asks.

I shrug. “I guess so.”

I throw the covers off me and glance around for my clothes or even shoes, but there’s nothing. Did Julian throw it out?

“I don’t have any shoes.” I tell her.

She looks down at my feet and hums. “Right. Okay, I’ll try to scrounge up some stuff and be right back.”

She opens the door but yelps when she nearly collides with none other than Julian. I lower my eyes to my hands and try not to look his way.

“What are you doing here?” Isabella says.

I glance up to see her standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

“I live here.” Julian says blandly.

“So? You offered Mila this room, which means it’s her space until she vacates it, which she will do soon.”

He looks from her to me and looks almost hurt by her words. It only lasts a second before all emotion drops from his face.

“She isn’t leaving yet.” He says with little room for questions.

Isabella scoffs and is about to lie into him when he steps aside and Steven shows up. He smirks down at Isabella, but she doesn’t relax or look any calmer than a second ago.

“Come on, little mate, let’s leave them to their business.” Steven says before wrapping one of his arms around Isabella’s waist and ushering her out of the way so Julian can walk in.

I hear her protesting the whole way and Steven’s amused chuckles.

Julian closes the door behind them and stands in front of it, watching me.

“What do you want, Julian? Are you going to keep me prisoner here until you're ready to claim me?” I wasn’t planning on snapping at him the next time I saw him, but I guess I don’t have much of a filter right now.

“You’re not a prisoner here. I brought you here because you needed to rest and it was safer until I could deal with Roman.” He says.

“And did you deal with him? What does dealing with him entail exactly?” I ask with too much bite.

“It means I warn him not to go near you again in a more memorable way. He started a war when he took you to that hotel.” His voice is tense and angry in a whole other way than mine is.

His sounds like it’s coming from a dark place whereas mine comes from a place of insecurity and disappointment.

“You hurt him.” I already know the answer. That’s why I say it as a statement instead of a question and yet I want confirmation.

He nods. “He’s still alive, but he won’t be able to take a shit without help.” There’s a smirk underneath that cool expression.

I shake my head. “You didn’t have to do that.”

That has him moving over to the bed and climbing across it to reach me. He cups my face in his large hands and forces me to look at him.

“I will always keep you safe and I will always offer justice if anyone hurts you. No one can touch you unless you or I allow it. A wolf does not like sharing his mate, and he defiantly does not like another wolf’s scent all over her.”

“Great, why don’t you pee on me while you’re at it?” I say with a huff.

“Stop it.” He says firmly and drops his hands from my face. “You’re acting like a child.”

I scoff at him. “Your treating me like I have no choices. You claim you want to protect me, but what if I don’t want to be protected by you? What if I don’t trust you? Have you ever thought that I don’t want anything to do with this or…you?”

I know the second those words leave my mouth that I’m lying.

“Listen to me. You can not get rid of me. There is nowhere in this world you could go now where I couldn’t find you. You are mine, and you will accept that.”

Why do I bother? He won’t listen.

“So if I’m not a prisoner, then I can go home? You don’t need me here. You punished Roman and sent him on his way. You told me the truth, and I accepted it, so what now?”