Chapter 15

***Jackson POV (cont)***

'Your mother knew nothing about this. I had found the mage coven myself. I had a potion made and administered to the pups. As their mother never got over the loss of her husband or loss of station, she had little to no interest in her young cubs. But; even after I had done all of this, I could not have anticipated just how powerful Julia was. There must have been remnants of who they were, before the attack. As she always held herself with honour and grace. That kids her age would never have displayed.

As my father continued to gush about the Alpha Luna and how amazing she is, all I could keep thinking of was the name, Julia. It could not be the same woman, surely. Evas sister was a wastrel. A selfish person, who had little love for her family.
My mother brought me out of my daydream, by slapping me around the head with her tail.

‘Sorry, father. I was thinking of something. Please continue.’ So my father did just that.
‘When I felt unwell a few days ago, it was because the pack had an un-sanctioned member disconnect. Do you know what that is boy?’ I admit, I didn’t. And said as such. I listened to my father grumble about me for a few minutes. It’s not like I didn’t know this, just to piss him off, for goddess sake.

‘An un-sanctioned member disconnect is when a member of my pack leaves my territory, but also breaks fealty to the pack. This makes them a rogue. And you know what we have to do to any rogue we find.’
My parents looked at me like I was supposed to react, shocked. Horrified, even. I didn’t get it.
‘So, if a member is so un loyal to us that they can leave so easily, why would we want them here anyway. Good riddance to them, I say.’

The slap came out of nowhere. My head snapped around so suddenly, I felt a crack. My mother was standing over me, breathing hard. Her anger was pouring off her like a torrent of waves. I held my hand up to my stinging cheek. Holding it there, whilst I looked at my mother in complete shock.

‘Don’t you get it? Are you really that wrapped up in your own selfish life, that you do not understand what your father has been trying to tell you? Jackson,’ she said my name so dejectedly, I felt ashamed.
‘The pack member that left, the one we should have been looking after, is the girl your father has just been telling you about. And if our information is correct, having spoken to her mother and sister, then it would Seem to be true. But what could have happened that would warrant the reaction of leaving the pack. We do not know.’

My stomach had started to squirm, this was all too much of a coincidence now. I needed to ask. Many thought’s flicked through my mind, on how I should ask. In the end I just blurted it out, ‘this girl. The Alpha-Luna. What is her name. What is her family name?’ Although I asked this question quietly, both my parents heard me. But it was my father who responded.
‘Fathers name was Mic, short for Michael. His last name was Mason. The girl I am worried about, her name is Julia Mason. Her mother and sister are Maria and Evangeline. Jackson, why have you gone so pale? Are you unwell? Shall I send for the doctor?’

‘Mother, father. I am so very confused. And I believe I am the reason Julia has left. Did you never realise that Eva, my chosen mate, is Evangeline Mason?’ I said this in the hope it would dampen the blast that I knew was coming my way.
‘And, I can tell you. That you have been deceived about the character of Julia Mason. She has never helped her family. She is a filthy cleaner in the pack hospital, who spends all her money on herself. And does not give her family a penny. So you see, maybe we are better off with out her influence.’

Just for a moment, the room was deadly quiet. Then the walls shook with another sound, the sound of my fathers laughter. My mother just shook her head and put it in her hands, an exasperated look on her face.
When my father stopped laughing his arse off, he said. ‘Where did you get such ridiculous information from?’

‘Eva,’ I said, defensively. ‘Eva has told me all about her wastrel of a sister. About how they have always struggled to get by. Eva even explained about the warrior widow fund.’ I looked at twin perplexed faces staring back at me. No one was laughing now. In fact, my mother had her worried look, and father had a deep frown etched across his brow.

‘Perhaps, there are two families out there with the same names. Perhaps your Eva, is not the second child of Maria Mason. And perhaps Julia Mason is in fact just a normal girl, from a broken home. OR, you have been led up the garden path, and expected to play with the fairies!’

After another ten minutes of my father describing the Mason family to me, I had to admit that they were the same family from my fathers story. There were a lot of questions I had to ask, that was until my mother asked one of her own. ‘Jackson, you said it may be your fault, that Julia left. Why did you say that?’
I had really hoped we would not get into this, now. But if we must, so be it.

‘First, I want to know who has been responsible for the financial stability of Eva’s family.'

My mother continued, ‘to know the answers to those questions, you will need to know a little more about Julia mason. When Michael Mason was killed in the rogue attack, Julia was only twelve at the time. Already a strong warrior, she excelled at her studies and was loved by all her pack.
Julia was always very protective of her younger sister, even though the girl was spoilt by her mother, it never mattered to Julia. She just loved her family.

Just before the attack on Michaels pack, we found out that Maria had been having an affair with one of the omega’s. And apparently it was not the first time. Maria had fraternised with quite a few men over the years. We were shocked, of course. But it was decided that their relationship carry on for the sake of their girls and the pack. Your father and Michaels Beta, pushed Mic into having a paternity test done on both the girls.

Julia’s test came back. It showed not only was she Mics daughter, it also showed that she was an Alpha-Luna. Evangeline’s test, however, showed that Mic was not her father. Mic was of course, devastated by this news. But Alpha Michael Mason was a strong willed man. And said it mattered not, and that he loved the little girl. Over the next couple of years, the knowledge that one of his girls, as he used to call them, was not his, weighed heavy on his heart. After talking with Mic, your father and I were given instructions for the future. Should anything happen to Mic, his family would be provided for.

The reason I am telling you all this is, after his death. And we did what we did to the girls. Maria survived, as you call it, by blowing through the two million dollars, that Mic left her. We were not aware that this had happened until we found out that Julia had asked a good family friend for a job. So she could support her family. Julia was fourteen. Over the years, Julia worked all the hours she was able to, not as a cleaner, as you say. But as a highly qualified nurse in the pack hospital. In less than ten years, Julia made sure her family had enough food to eat, made sure all the bills were paid and somehow found the money to send her sister to college, to finally buying the house from the pack.

There was never a fund for widows of war. It was all Julia. She exemplifies the truest Alpha-Luna. And now, it seems that we have, not only lost her. But may never get the chance to tell her about her inheritance.’
Although I had a rather large rock sitting in my stomach, after hearing such a different version of the wicked sister I had heard from Eva. I sat a little straighter when I heard that last part, ‘inheritance.’

I said, as innocently as I could, my mother saw through me within seconds and admonished me, again.
I held up my hands, and bared the back of my neck to show I meant no disrespect, and my mother backed off a little.

‘Jackson, I demand to know. Why do you say that Julia Mason leaving, could be your fault?’
I took a deep breath in, knowing what was about to happen to me, and hoping to the goddess that it would not be father Brutus who saw to my punishment. If that were to happen, I doubt I would see the light of day any time soon.

‘Mother, father. As you know, I chose Eva to be my mate. I was fed up of waiting to find the type of love you and father have. When I met Eva, I found it. Even though we are not fated mates, my love for her was strong. Then, we came home. And went to see Eva’s family first, as she was excited to share our news with them. Whilst I was there it became apparent that my fated mate was inside the house. It was Eva’s sister, Julia. She was my fated mate.’

Before I could finish, my mother jumped up from the sofa and started clapping her hands and yelling her thanks to the goddess. My father stood up, pulling me from my sitting position and hugged me, clapping me on the back. My mother was now shouting out, “I knew it. I knew it,” over and over.

My father looked me dead in the eye, so I could see Brutus shining through and said, with a catch in his throat, ‘we always hoped you two would be blessed with the fated bond. Alpha Mic would be so proud to know, what we wished for as young parents, has come to pass.’

I felt awful, I had such a sick feeling in my stomach, and obsidian had gone so quiet, it was as if he was no longer there. All of the congratulations were making my head spin, so I had to shout out what I needed to say. What I must say. ‘Stop, both of you. You don’t understand. I love Eva, I love Eva,’ I just kept repeating it over and over, sounding like my mother. Both my parents stopped celebrating.

‘What have you done, pup?’ There was such an urgency in my mothers question. I swallowed, hard. Then said the words I had been dreading, since I had uttered them to Julia herself.

'I rejected her, Julia. I rejected Julia. And Julia accepted it…I loved Eva.’ I finished, somewhat pathetically. I waited for the eruption, but all I heard was my mother crying. She was breaking her heart, so my father walked over to her, lifted her in his arms and cradled her to his chest. He then turned to me, a look I had never seen on his face before.

‘You are no son of mine.’ He said, coldly, before walking out of the room.