Chapter 22
Julian
Deep breaths, brave face. Take a deep breath, make a brave face, and you’ll be fine.
Oli’s voice runs through my head as I trudge up the steps to my family home. It’s what got him through dealing with our parents, and I’m praying it’ll do the same for me.
I stop in front of the familiar oak door, fighting back a grimace.
I don’t want to be here. In fact, it’s the last place I want to be. But I’m all out of excuses, and if I keep avoiding them, they’ll eventually find a way to corner me. And that’s the only thing worse than me coming on my own.
I raise my fist and take a deep breath before I finally knock. Time to get it over with.
The door swings open almost immediately, and my mother stands on the other side. I tense, ready for the sharp glare and the berating that always follows, but neither comes as our eyes meet. Instead of icy curtness, my mother quells her naturally aloof expression to offer me a smile.
A smile.
I step back.
It isn’t that she never smiles. She does, and often, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen her smile like this. It looks almost real.
“Julian,” she greets, following my retreat to wrap her arms around me.
I go stiff as dry wood, too shocked to think, let alone hug her back or push this imposter away. If her warm smiles were rare, her hugs were anomalous. My mother had never been a hugger, even before what had happened with Oli.
Our family was not an affectionate one, which was to be expected when we were an alpha household. Being the leaders of a pack didn’t leave much room for displays of love, so this is odd, especially when I know how hugs are supposed to feel now.
Aiden’s felt … warm and safe—like home. This feels like a marred attempt at that. Especially since the last time I’d seen my mother, she’d been trying to maim me with her eyes.
It takes her longer than it should for her to notice that I’m not reciprocating her random display of affection, but when she does, she steps back with an awkward smile and waves me in.
“Come in,” she breathes, smoothing her hands down her legs. “I’ve just finished setting the table. Your father is waiting inside.”
“The table?” I repeat with disbelief I can’t quite hide.
“Yes, Julian. The table,” she says mockingly, but with fondness rather than venom. “The one we used to eat?”
My lips part. I know my parents have their tricks, but this is certainly one I’ve never seen before. Affection.
It leaves me off-kilter, instincts blaring to leave, if only to escape this strange dimension where up is down and right is wrong, or at the very least, to call Aiden.
More and more these days, there’s that insistent need to have my mate near when things are unpleasant.
But I’d survived my life thus far without Aiden, and as much as I appreciated his support, I couldn’t lean on him for everything.
Besides, I still need to know exactly what my parents had done during their time away.
It’d only been two days since they’d spawned on our sofa with Aiden’s parents in tow, but it’d been nine days since they’d left without my permission.
For now, only Goddess knows who they spoke to about matters I hadn’t approved, but I needed into the fold.
I couldn’t turn tail and run now. No pack could run with an alpha who didn’t know its affairs.
So I follow her into the house that smells sweet like vanilla. She leads me to the dining room, and my eyes grow wide. There are three places set and awaiting dishes almost overflowing with food. My father sits at the helm of it all, and when his amber eyes lift to mine, they’re terrifyingly warm.
“Julian,” he says, standing to offer a hand.
Lost, I take it, and almost find my arm outside of its socket with the force of his shake. I yank my hand free and eye the two creatures masquerading as my parents.
“What is this?” I ask, hating the unease in my voice. “What’s going on?”
“We wanted to have breakfast together,” my father answers with a slight frown. He stares at me as if I’m the one acting crazy here. “We need to talk, of course, but we thought doing it over a meal would be nice.”
“A meal,” I deadpan, staring at the food as if it might reveal itself to be a prop. “You want us to share a meal?”
“You act as if we never have before,” my mother replies with a slight chuckle. “It’s only breakfast.”
“But we’ve never had breakfast together,” I snap, because I can’t play pretend as neatly as them. “You and I?” I gesture between her and me. “Yes. But the three of us?” I shake my head. “Never.”
My father’s features twist into a grimace as he nods stiffly. “Yes, as alpha, I was out before the both of you. I had patrols and meetings.”
I want to laugh, and Goddess knows I almost do at that weak excuse.
For my whole life, my father had been the alpha of our pack. Busy as he was, I did have memories of breakfast with him at the table, and others of him cooking with Mom, the two of them laughing and smiling. But after what happened to Oli, our home changed.
The little affections they let slip free vanished, and what was left of our family bond went cold.
My father put his all into securing the pack’s trust, in showing himself to be a capable alpha, and my mother had been right there beside him to present a composed front.
And I, the new alpha heir, played my part in catching up on years of training and teachings, to prove myself, to be an alpha worthy of them.
Day in and day out, we were being the family our pack needed, without pause, and it took its toll. By the time we made it back through our doors, there was no room or time for family. We were three beings in a disjointed home, but at least my parents had each other—they were mates. I’d had no one.
“I came for your report,” I say, willing my voice to remain impassive. Now was not the time to let old wounds flare. “I’d like to hear it.”
My parents share a look that only serves to put me more on edge.
“I want the report,” I press.
“At least sit down, Julian,” my mother says, her gaze imploring as she gestures to the seat set for me. “We will give you your report, but just sit with us. Please?”
A denial sits on my tongue, but what good would that do? The sooner I complied, the sooner this ended. Begrudgingly, I take my seat, and my parents fill the ones across from me. It feels like settling onto a bed of spikes.
“How have you been, son?” my father asks, and this time, I can’t help but laugh. “What?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.” No need to expose the annoyance flaring within me. “I’m fine. The pack is fine, and so is Aiden.”
“That’s good,” he says, and it almost sounds real. I hate that I’m still not sure.
“How was your trip?” I ask, eager to stop my part of this hellish play with them. “You were gone for an entire week. I hope you didn’t run into any trouble.”
“We didn’t,” my mother replies carefully, sounding uncharacteristically anxious. “The trip was fine.”
“Just fine?” My eyes narrow as I look between them. “You were out with no pack clearance for an entire week, and it was fine?”
My father sighs. “We know you’re upset, Julian—”
“You left without authorisation,” I cut in because I’m a lot more than upset. “If any other wolf did what you did, you’d expect me to punish them severely.”
“We would,” he admits, though his gaze doesn’t waver under mine.
“But you should be given an exception because you’re my parents?” My lips curl into a nasty smile. “Because you thought you wouldn’t need to go through me first?”
“No,” my mother says, her frown deepening as the sincerity behind her eyes chills. Good. I was used to this side of her. “An exception should be made because we were looking out for your best interest.”
I scoff, barely managing not to roll my eyes in the face of their pretences.
“It’s true,” she insists. “We left quickly and quietly because we wanted to reach our pack representatives and any others we could while the news of your mating was still fresh.”
“To tell them what?” I press, tired of the circles. I just wanted a plain answer. “What is the narrative you wanted to get out there?”
Because that’s what their whole trip had truly been about.
Anyone else could’ve gone to our outside pack members to let them know that our pack would be merging with the Dark Woods Pack, and that Aiden was my mate.
Letters could’ve been sent, calls could’ve been made—we weren’t living in an archaic age where that wasn’t possible.
So, the only reason they had to go themselves, and so swiftly, was to ensure that the story was told in the way they wanted.
My father meets my eyes. “To make sure everyone understood that once the packs merge, you and Aiden would both be titled as alphas.”
Surprise flickers through me. Of all the schemes I expected, honesty hadn’t been one.
I blink the shock away. “I believe everyone knows this already,” I say flatly. “Aiden and I said as much when we discovered we were mates.”
“Yes, but—” my mother pauses to frown at me, her expression almost pleading. “Julian, come on. Be smart about this.”
I scowl. “Be smart about what?”
“You are an alpha now. You are this pack’s alpha—our alpha,” she snaps. “But if you weren’t—if Oliver were still here, you would’ve discovered that you were meant to be Aiden’s luna on his coronation day.”
All the ire I’ve been swimming in evaporates as the world goes silent.
“But you are an alpha—” my father continues quickly, almost earnestly.
“Goddess made it so, this pack made it so, and even though you and Aiden are mates, you will always be an alpha.” His amber eyes hold mine with the same intensity they had the day his power shifted to me.
“We wanted to make sure no one thought you were to be his luna—to ensure none doubted your position.”
“We left because with your father there, he could show that he was no longer alpha, that Goddess approved of you,” my mother continues. “We had good intentions, Julian.”