Chapter 39

***Julia POV***

“Reece! For the love of the goddess. Put him down. Put him down, right now!”

I yelled. The last word came out stronger than the rest, and made Reece drop Jackson like he was a ball of flame. All four men had turned towards me, and they all had their necks exposed to me.

“Right! That’s it. Someone had better start explaining whatever is going on. Do you understand! Which one of you will go first?”

I brought my finger up to my lips, and tapped against them. Overtly showing them all I was pondering my options.

“Hmm. I think I will start with you, Jackson. Why are you still here. What do you want?”

My glare must have been quite frightening, because Jackson let out a yelp of fright as he hit the ground, then fell straight to his knees.

“I am so sick of people doing this to me. Why do they do it? Well, Jackson. Why have you done this?”

Jackson didn’t look up at me. It was as if I were too intimidating for him to face me. Only, that would be ridiculous if it were true. Who am I to warrant such behaviour.

**Jeremy POV**

The situation was quickly getting out of hand. It had slipped my mind, that I had told him to wait in my office. In hindsight, I should have asked Jackson to wait in the break room, whilst Julia waited in my office.

I had not meant any harm, but this shit needed sorting out

“Please, everyone! Please take a seat and I will get straight to the point. There is a lot to go over, and Alpha, Jackson is here under his own volition. He didn’t have to be.”

I looked at Julia as much as I dared to. “Julia, I will explain why Jackson is here. It ties in with what I have to tell you, anyway. If you are ready, I will begin. Although, Jackson, as this is partly your story too, if I get something wrong, please correct me.”

I waited a second more, for Jackson to nod. Then I began to explain.

Once again, I tried to tell Julia who she really was. This time though, it held more truth, as Jackson confirmed that Julia’s family were indeed the premier family of this pack.

I explained that Alpha Maximus had taken Julia and her mother and sister, to protect them. At first. It was when I got to the part where Alpha Maximus used a forbidden potion on Julia, that the tension in the air grew. Julia, did not move, not an inch during my whole explanation. Alpha Reece on the other hand stalked my small office and punched my wall. Jackson just sat there with a defeated look about him.

I hadn’t finished speaking to the group yet, but had dropped so much information on them, I suggested a break.

**Julia POV**

“A break? No. There will be no break. There is something else you are not telling me. I want to know everything. Please.”

I finished, politely. I was nothing, if not polite.

In truth, I was barely hanging on to my sanity. First I find out that I am; from this pack. That my father was; the alpha and that I am, officially, the heir.

I then find out that I was taken, after my father was killed, by good family friends, by all accounts, only for Maximus to become wary of me and my position. I was a threat. And he made sure I was removed. By stealing my past from me.

In the space of ten minutes I also found out that Eva was only my half sister. And was definitely the reason my life had been so hard the last few years.

Eva had been poisoning me with TTP. Had been doing so for around seven years. The warriors of the Moons Wane pack had searched my home there, and found Eva’s ingredients stashed under the floorboards of her bedroom.

Eva was now on the run, it seemed. As no-one had seen her for three days. Not even her mother.

“Doctor, would you please tell me the rest?”

I watched the doctors eyes flicker to his Alpha, then Jackson. I saw Jackson give an almost imperceptible nod of his head, then the doctor continued.

“Julia, whilst we have been running tests on your blood we discovered something that has impacted your wolf directly.”

I held up my hand. “Stop. What do you mean, my wolf. I don’t have a wolf. I have known that for years. It was Richard who confirmed that for me. Right? Richard?”

I spun in my seat to look at my old friend. Surely he could not have lied to me? Not Richard?

“Julia, why do you think I left? I found out yesterday, from a member of my own staff, that you were still taking the potion that strips you of knowledge, about who you really are. Once I had learnt that my own Alpha had been the one to order such a potion. I knew I could no longer be a member of his pack.”

“So, your telling me what? That I do have a wolf? That I have always had a wolf? Has this potion taken her from me, forever?” The last question came out as a mere whisper. The truth of these words more horrible than I fully understood.

I had a wolf. I was not wolfless, at birth, as I had been led to believe. I felt a stray tear fall from my eye. Just the one, within it held all the sadness I felt for a mother that I knew had never really loved me.

I don’t remember reaching out my hand. But I must have, because I suddenly became aware of electricity running up and down my arm. I stared blindly at the point where my hand seemed fused with Reece’s larger one.

I went willingly as I was pulled against his muscular chest. As I was still sitting, Reece had squatted down next to me, so I had perfect access to the crook of his neck. I buried my face within it, and drew in a deep breath.

It helped. It actually did. When I felt calmer, I pulled away from his chest, but stayed within the circle of his arms.

“Richard, how was I getting this potion? As in, who was giving it to me?”

What Richard said next, floored me.

One word. One name really.

“Stacey.”

My friend? No, he must have gotten that bit wrong. I told him so. But he was adamant, “Stacey told me herself, yesterday. Something to do with unrequited love, jealously and money.”

I closed my eyes as a shudder ran through me.

“So, this was all about Billy. Am I right? I have had my wolf taken away from me. Have been lied to. For years. All because Billy loved me, and not her?”

“Not taken. Just, hidden. She is closer than you think.”

I tilted my head at him.

“Closer.” I mused.

“Within reach, my love.” Reece whispered against my ear.

Then, everything went dark