Chapter21

A week into being at the Hender pack, I began to get incredibly home sick.

I wanted to return back home to Lincoln, and to a territory I knew.

When I'd first arrived at Hender pack, I had thought it beautiful and picturesque.

Yet, it looked so similar that I kept getting lost.

I had been working in a little shop – with the She-Wolf Emma, that Valentine had introduced Lincoln and I to on our first day at the pack.

Emma was nice, but I wouldn't have classed us as friendly, and the work at the shop was easy.

When I was in Gresall pack I worked in a bakery, and that was a lot harder than the shop.

Evan had started at the Medical School, about half an hour away, and was really enjoying it.

Every time I saw him studying, I was confused by what he was doing.

I was good at school, but never top of the class, and medicine was definitely not something I knew anything about. Evan was clever, and I knew he'd make a great doctor.

During one of my morning at work, Valentine came to visit me at the shop.

"Good morning Julian" he smiled at me, strolling in.

I smiled as I looked at him; he wore a smart suit like he usually did, and held himself regally.

Valentine reminded me of a prince, the way he held himself it was as if nothing could ever touch him.

"Morning" I replied. There was a moment of pause, before I added; "Alpha". I was shocked with how hard I was finding it to be submissive once more.

I had spent the majority of my life submitting to Alpha's, Beta's and all strong Wolves. Yet, after a short affair with Lincoln, I had become so desensitised to status, that I kept forgetting to submit to Valentine.

Valentine smiled softly, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

He found it funny how I kept forgetting to call him Alpha, and not Valentine, but he never commented on it.

He just let me struggle alone. "How can I help you, Alpha?" I asked.

"Take a walk with me Julian". He gestured out the shop door. It was a nice day, with a hot sun and warm breeze.

Let me just get Emma to cover me" I replied, before heading into the back room and grabbing Emma.

Once Emma was set up out front, I followed Valentine out the shop. We walked for a few moments in silence; both of us taking slow, casual, steps through the forest area.

"How are you finding everything?" Valentine questioned – breaking the silence.

"I miss him" I said honestly. "Since he choose me, I spent every day with him.

But now that I'm not, it's feels wrong. Like I've lost a limb, or I'm grieving for someone who hasn't died. I just miss him an awful lot".

That's because you love him".

"Yes, a lot" I nodded. A thought occurred to me. "You don't have a mate" I stated, "but yet you weren't at the Mating Ritual last year".

"No. I was in the process of taking over as Alpha, and I didn't think it was a good time to take a mate.

Plus, I have my eye on someone and she isn't of age yet". He smirked down at me, eyes glistening with slight mischief.

I laughed slightly, "you seemed to have it all planned out.

Just like Lincoln". I shook my head as I smiled to myself, thinking of my husband. "Poor girl". My words made Valentine pause, and he frowned softly. "Did I upset you?" I asked.

"How much do you know of Lincoln's past?" Valentine questioned.

There was a heavy pause, as we carried on walking, and I wondered how to answer. I cleared my throat, and looked ahead into the forest.

"I know everything" I replied breezily, pretending not to be affected by the conversation turn. "Why do you ask?"

"So you know about Alyssa then?" he blurted out. As soon as he mentioned Lincoln's mother, I skidded to a stop.

My entire body frozen, as I looked up at the blonde haired Alpha. Valentine had a serious look on his face, so I knew that he knew about Lincoln's secret.

"I am the first person Lincoln told. If he finds out that you know, it'll destroy him.

And he'll think I told you, and he'll never trust me again. You can never tell him you know, if you do I don't know what he'd do" I worried.

Valentine looked at me for a minute or so; a serious, hard, expression on his face.

"After Lincoln killed Alyssa, he shipped a box of her stuff back to her father – my grandfather. But Lincoln didn't check the boxes, and there was a diary in there. She wrote a lot in it".

I took a deep breath, tears filling up in my eyes, as I shook my head. I was mortified for Lincoln.

"Who's read it?" I choked out, biting my bottom lip in worry.

"Only me. I unpacked it a few months back. Aunt Alyssa wasn't close to my family, so they didn't unpack her stuff.

They put it straight into storage. It was only as I sorted through it, that I found them" Valentine replied, and I let out a relieved breath.

"You can never tell anyone you know.

This is the last time it will ever be mentioned. When Lincoln told me, it took a lot for him to do so and now that I know, he never wants to revisit it.

If he were to find out that you know, he would never live down the humiliation. It would ruin his confidence".

Valentine paused, and we looked at each other for a moment, before he spoke. "I was so hoping you were going to say that she didn't **** him that–"

"Don't say it like that" I cut him off, cringing.

"Sorry. I just can't believe it. I was hoping you were going to tell me that nothing had happened, that was what I was hoping for".

He paused again, I could see the serious look in his eyes. "I sometimes forget that Lincoln was once just a boy".

"Let's not talk about this anymore". I began to walk again, and Valentine followed me. "You must never talk of this again, Valentine".

Valentine chuckled softly, "that's Alpha to you". He was trying to lighten and change the conversation, and for that I was glad.

I laughed at him, before playful swatting his arm. "And hitting an Alpha, who do you think you are Julian Burn?"

"That's Julian Addison to you" I playfully poked my tongue out at him.

Later that evening, Evan and I sat on the couch. I was watching a movie, and Evan was studying a textbook on Heart Disease.

It was quiet, but not awkward. "Are you hungry?" I asked him, as my phone buzzed with a message.

I could eat" Evan nodded, offering me a small smile. "I can go pick something up if you don't want to cook".

"Let me see what we've got in. I meant to pick up food this morning, but Valentine distracted me".

I walked into the small kitchen in our cabin, and had a quick look through the cupboard. "You might have to go out, Evan, it doesn't look like we have anything in".

"Alright, Alpha Female, I'll go now" Evan shouted back, before I heard him get up. "What do you fancy?"

"Anything but Chinese, you decide" I smiled, as he walked into the kitchen.

"Make sure you take your phone". I slid his mobile across the counter top towards him, as he grabbed his keys and coat.

"See you in a bit" I called, as he gave me a small wave in goodbye.

A few seconds after Evan left, my phone began to ring. It was Lincoln. I smiled to myself happily, as I placed the phone to my ear.

"Why didn't you reply to my text?" Lincoln demanded instantly.

"Hello to you to" I giggled, happy to be speaking to the man I loved once more.

"Julian I'm serious. You promised you would always reply to my messages, and you didn't reply.

Not to mention that you didn't ring this morning when you finished work like you usually do.

You're in danger, Julian, you have no idea how close I was to calling Valentine and demanding he came to find you" Lincoln ranted.

"Lincoln, I was with Valentine this morning, I just forgot. And, I was about to reply. It had only been a few minutes, I was talking to Evan and–"

"Oh so Evan and Valentine are more important than me now?" Layton snapped.

"What? I never said that".

"Well it's beginning to seem like you think of Evan as more of a mate, than a fake mate, at the moment.

You're my wife, not Evan's". There was a gruff growl in his voice – and I knew that he was close to a half-shift.

"I know I am yours, Lincoln. I'm married to you, and I love you".

"Yeah, well it doesn't fucking seem like it at the moment" Lincoln barked at me, before hanging up. I took a deep breath, as I listened to the dialling tone.

I felt tears spilling over my cheeks, as my bottom lip trembled.

I called Lincoln back, but it went straight to answer phone. I tried a further three times, before texting him four times.

Lincoln ignored all of them, which just made me more upset.

Deciding that Lincoln may not ignore Valentine, I scribbled a note to Evan before leaving the cabin and heading to Valentine's cabin.

I took a slow walk, thinking deeply about my argument with Lincoln.

I didn't think I'd done anything wrong, but I could see why Lincoln was upset.

He was very territorial, and I was in the process of being taken away of him – or that was how he saw it.

I stumbled through the Hender pack for a few minutes, making my way towards Valentine's cabin – or the way I thought his cabin was.

However, I must have taken a wrong turn because soon I was lost in the forest scenery.

Frowning, I tried to make my way back towards my cabin.

But I just wasn't sure where I was. I walked slowly, as the day light darkened, before I heard a sound nearby. It was a simple snapping of a twig; but it was close.

I spun on my heel, eyes scanning the darkening forest. "Hello?" I shouted, expecting to see a familiar face from the Pack.

But I couldn't see anyone, and no one replied. That instantly scared me – my heart began to race, and my hands to shake.

Convincing myself the noise had just been an animal, I tried to work out which way it was back to my cabin.

Deciding it was back the way I had just come, I turned around and began to walk that way.

A few steps later, I heard another sound nearby – that one a shuffling.

As soon as my ears picked up the sounds, I freaked out. I took off running, my feet hitting the ground heavily.

As I continued to run, I heard another set out heavy footsteps behind me.

I let out a small whimper as the footsteps began to gain on me. I pushed myself faster, as I pulled my phone from my pocket.

I quickly called Valentine, as I ran. "Hello?" he asked breezily.

"Valentine, there's someone after me" I cried down the phone, as the pursuer reached me.

I screamed as something hit me over the back of the head.

I dropped the phone on the floor, as I fell head first into the mud.

I could feel moisture on the back of my head – so I knew I was bleeding – but as my vision began to blur I knew it was a bad injury.

I could hear Valentine's muffled voice from my phone, but I didn't have the strength to reach out and grab the phone.

Just as my eyes began to flutter shut, the person stepped up to me.

My eye lids slipped closed, but not before I saw some very distinctive red stiletto heels on the feet of my attacker.