22. Chapter 22
Adrian
I wake with a start, my body instantly alert. The bed beside me is empty, the sheets cool to the touch. For a split second panic grips my chest before my senses kick in. Julia's scent still fills the cabin, fresh and alive.
She's here, in my house. In our house. Everything I have is now hers.
I listen, focusing my heightened hearing. The soft gurgle of my ancient coffeemaker. The gentle pad of bare feet on wooden floors. A quiet humming, slightly off-key but achingly sweet.
My wolf settles immediately, contentment spreading through me like warm honey.
For the third night in a row, I've slept through the night without waking once.
No restlessness, no prowling at three a.m., no staring at the ceiling, waiting for dawn.
Just deep, untroubled sleep with my mate in my arms.
My mate. The thought still sends a thrill of disbelief and joy through me.
Sunlight streams through the gaps in my bedroom curtains, painting strips of gold across the rumpled bedsheets.
I stretch, muscles pleasantly sore from last night's activities.
The memory of Julia beneath me, around me, her scent mingling with mine as I marked her as my own, sends a fresh wave of desire through my body.
I pull on a pair of sweatpants and follow the scent of coffee and Julia into the kitchen.
She stands with her back to me, wearing nothing but my flannel shirt, the hem exposing the luscious curves of her thighs.
Her hair falls in tousled waves down her back, and sunlight catches the strands, turning them to burnished copper.
Her head bobs slightly as she hums, completely unaware of my presence.
The sight of her in my kitchen, so at home, so comfortable, makes my chest ache with a feeling I can barely contain.
I move silently across the floor and wrap my arms around her waist from behind, burying my nose in the crook of her neck where my mark sits, dark against her pale skin.
My wolf’s saliva healed it quickly, but the redness will linger for a while. And the mark will stay forever.
"Morning," I murmur, inhaling deeply. The scent of us, mingled together, makes my wolf rumble with satisfaction .
Julia jumps slightly, then relaxes back against my chest. "I was wondering when you'd wake up. You were sleeping so soundly I didn't want to disturb you."
She turns in my arms, two steaming mugs of coffee in her hands. Her eyes are bright, cheeks flushed, lips slightly swollen from last night's kisses. The flannel shirt gapes open at the top, revealing the curve of her breast and a trail of small marks I left on her skin.
"I've never slept better in my life," I admit, taking one of the mugs from her. "Must be the company."
A small smile plays at the corners of her mouth as she raises her coffee to her lips.
"Must be."
I can't resist leaning down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss, savoring the taste of coffee on her tongue. When I pull back, her eyes are half-closed, that small smile widened into something that tears my heart to shreds.
"You're very possessive in the morning," she observes, raising an eyebrow. "Should I expect this every day now?"
"Every morning, every night, and most moments in between," I confirm, not bothering to hide my wolf's satisfaction at having her here, in my space, wearing my clothes, carrying my mark.
Julia laughs, the sound soothing something in my soul that I didn’t even know needed soothing.
"I'll have to adjust my schedule to accommodate all this possessiveness."
I'm about to reply when a sharp, distinct knock sounds at my front door. Three firm raps, evenly spaced.
I groan. There is only one person in the world who knocks on a wolf’s door that way, that early in the morning. Meredith Wolfsbane.
Julia turns toward the door. "Are you expecting someone?"
"I’m not, but I know that knock," I say, setting the mug down on the counter. "It’s my mother."
Understanding dawns in Julia's eyes. She glances down at her state of undress, then back at me.
"I should probably go put some clothes on. Make myself scarce for a bit?"
"No." The word comes out more forcefully than I intended. I take her hand, running my thumb over her knuckles. "You are my mate. You have every right to be here. This is your home now. You don't need to hide."
Julia squares her shoulders and nods, though I can sense her nervousness in the slight quickening of her pulse. The knock comes again, more insistent this time.
I cross to the door, Julia trailing slightly behind me.
Taking a deep breath, I swing it open to find my mother standing on my front porch, impeccably dressed as always in pressed slacks and a dove-gray blouse despite the early hour.
Her silver-streaked hair is pulled back in a neat bun, not a strand out of place.
Her expression betrays nothing as her gaze flicks from me to Julia, then back again, but I can smell her displeasure, the sharp and astringent stench beneath her usual scent of lavender and cedar.
"Good morning, Adrian," she says, her voice perfectly even. "We had a Council meeting scheduled this morning. I was concerned when you didn’t show up. "
Shit. The monthly Pack Council meeting. With everything that happened yesterday, the fire at Windfall Manor, bringing Julia here, our mating, it completely slipped my mind.
"I apologize," I say, stepping back to allow her entry. "I should have called."
My mother steps inside, her posture rigid with disapproval. Her eyes scan the cabin, taking in the evidence of our night together, discarded clothing on the floor, tangled blanket on the couch, two coffee mugs on the counter.
"I see you've been otherwise occupied," she says, her gaze settling on Julia, who stands barefoot in my kitchen wearing nothing but my shirt.
Julia steps forward, extending her hand with remarkable poise considering the circumstances.
"Good morning, Mrs. Wolfsbane. May I offer you a cup of coffee?"
My mother hesitates just long enough for me to notice before shaking Julia's hand for a brief moment. Just enough not to be insulting.
"That won’t be necessary, Julia. I won’t be staying long."
Julia withdraws her hand and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I should probably get dressed," she says, glancing between us. "I'll give you two some privacy."
"That won't be necessary," my mother says, her voice suddenly sharp. "If I'm going to speak plainly, you should hear it too."
Julia freezes, caught between the kitchen and the hallway leading to my bedroom. I move to stand beside her, my hand finding the small of her back in silent support.
"Please, sit," my mother continues, gesturing to the living room seating area as if this were her home and not mine .
We move to the couch, sitting side by side while my mother takes the armchair opposite. She perches on the edge, back perfectly straight, hands folded in her lap. Meredith Wolfsbane is the picture of control and authority, like I’ve seen her for my entire life.
"Adrian," she begins, her voice measured, "you have responsibilities to this pack that cannot be set aside for personal indulgences. Your father and I have been patient with your… reluctance to fully embrace your future role, but that patience has limits."
I feel a muscle tick in my jaw as I clench my teeth. Julia's fingers find mine, squeezing gently.
"The alpha's mate is a position of honor and responsibility," my mother continues, her gaze shifting to Julia. "It requires someone who understands our ways, our traditions, our nature. Someone who can bear strong cubs to continue the Wolfsbane line."
Her meaning is clear in the pointed way she looks at Julia's very human form.
"Mother," I say, my voice low with warning.
She continues as if I haven't spoken. "For generations, the Wolfsbane alpha has taken a mate from one of the respected werewolf families. It strengthens our pack bonds, preserves our bloodlines, maintains the balance of power."
Julia's pulse quickens beside me, but her voice remains steady when she speaks.
"I understand your concern, Mrs. Wolfsbane. This must be quite a shock."
My mother's gaze sharpens. "Frankly, Ms. Schroeder, I had hoped this was simply another of Adrian's rebellions against tradition. A passing infatuation that would run its course before any lasting damage could be done."
"This isn't an infatuation," I interject, heat rising in my voice. "Julia is my mate. My wolf has chosen her, and I've accepted that choice fully and completely."
"Wolves can be misled by strong physical attraction," my mother counters, her tone cooling further. "It doesn't necessarily indicate a true mating."
"Enough." I stand, unable to contain my frustration any longer. "I respect you, I respect the pack, but this isn't negotiable. If it comes down to choosing between the pack and Julia, I choose her. I'll always choose her."
The room falls silent. The weight of my declaration hangs in the air between us. To threaten to leave the pack is unprecedented for an alpha heir. I can see the shock on my mother's face, quickly masked by a return to icy control.
Julia stands beside me, her hand still in mine.
"Mrs. Wolfsbane," she says, her voice trembling slightly but growing stronger with each word. "I don't want to come between Adrian and his family or his pack. I know I'm human. I know I don't understand all your ways yet. But I'm willing to learn."
She reaches up with her free hand and pulls the collar of my shirt aside, fully exposing the mating mark on her neck.
"I know what this means. Adrian explained everything before I accepted it."
My mother's eyes widen at the sight of the mark, so clearly visible and fully healed, evidence of a completed, accepted bond.
"I don't want to take him from his people," Julia continues, her voice steady now.
"I love him. I want us to be happy together, and he can't have that without you and the pack.
So I'm asking you to give me a chance to prove myself worthy of being in your family, even if I wasn't what you expected for your son. "
The raw honesty in her words seems to catch my mother off guard. For a long moment, she simply stares at Julia, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, she rises from her seat and approaches us.
I tense, unsure what to expect, my wolf rising close to the surface in preparation to defend my mate if necessary. But my mother's movement is deliberate, measured, as she steps closer to Julia.
She reaches out one hand, hesitating just a moment before gently touching the mating mark on Julia's neck.
Her eyes close briefly, then, to my complete astonishment, my mother's expression softens.
She pulls Julia into an embrace, her arms wrapping around my mate's slender frame.
Over Julia's shoulder, I can see tears glistening in my mother's eyes.
"My stubborn son," she whispers, her voice so low I barely catch the words. "Of course you would find your true mate in the most unlikely place."
She pulls back, her hands still resting on Julia's shoulders, and whispers something into Julia's ear that even my enhanced hearing can't quite catch. Whatever it is, it makes Julia's eyes widen, then fill with tears of her own.
My mother steps back, composing herself with visible effort.
"I should go," she says, her voice almost back to its usual controlled tone. "Jeremy is waiting."
I blink in surprise. "Father is here? "
She nods once. "In the car."
The implications hit me like a physical blow. If my father, the current alpha, is here as well… this isn't just my mother checking on me. This is an official pack response to my absence.
My mother moves toward the door, her movements graceful despite the emotional moment. I follow, my mind racing with questions I don't dare voice. Julia stays where she is, seemingly stunned by whatever my mother whispered to her.
I walk my mother to her car, parked at the edge of the clearing in front of my cabin. As we approach, I notice another vehicle, my father's massive black truck, imposing and solid like the man himself.
Jeremy Wolfsbane stands beside it, arms crossed over his broad chest, his silver hair catching the morning light. His expression is unreadable, but his posture speaks volumes. This is his alpha stance, commanding respect without a word spoken.
And it works. My father has ruled as alpha over our pack for more than thirty-five years.
Cold dread pools in my stomach. My father's approval means everything to the pack. If he rejects my choice of mate, our position becomes precarious at best.
My mother pauses halfway to her car and turns back to look at Julia, who now stands in the doorway of my cabin. To my shock, she raises her voice deliberately, ensuring my father can hear every word. As well as any pack member listening from the shadows.
"Welcome to the family, daughter."
My father's expression remains stoic as he opens the car door for my mother. But just before he slides into the driver's seat, he looks up at Julia and gives her the faintest of nods, a gesture so slight I might have missed it if I weren't watching him like a hawk.
It's not acceptance, not quite. But it's not rejection either. It's the beginning of a possibility. And that’s all I need.
As their car disappears down the winding road that leads from my cabin to town, I return to Julia, who looks shell-shocked.
"What did she say to you?" I ask, pulling her into my arms.
Julia looks up at me, her eyes still wide with surprise. "She said, 'Anyone strong enough to stand up to me like you did is strong enough to be a Wolfsbane. Welcome to the pack.'"
I laugh, the tension of the encounter finally breaking.
"That sounds like my mother."
Julia leans against me, her head resting on my chest. "So what happens now?"
I look down at her, this remarkable human woman who has turned my world upside down in the best possible way.
"Now we get you the most dazzling dress and properly introduce you to the pack as my bonded mate."
"Is that all?" she asks with a light chuckle.
"It’s only a start," I promise.