Chapter 142

Rafael’s POV

I went with Roman back to the airport to see him off. As he lost the challenge, he was mostly ostracized now, so it felt necessary to be friendly, to maintain good relations between our packs. I also just wanted to speak with him privately.

He was the one I had supported to be with Amber. Now, that was impossible.

Even so, I appreciated his efforts, and, as we stepped out of the vehicle, walking across the tarmac to his plane, I told him so.

“If things could have been different, Roman, I would have liked to have you as my brother-in-law, Roman.”

“Yeah,” Roman said, his voice sloping downwards at the end. “I thought I had her this time, but… That was foolish of me. It was always Julian for her, and it probably always will be.”

I didn’t like that attitude and frowned. “You don’t know that.”

“I do, better than anyone else,” Roman said. “This isn’t the first time she’s picked him over me. It’s past time for me to bow out of this fight.”

Spotting my annoyed expression, he turned to look at me. “The bond between Julian and Amber is strong, Rafael. I genuinely don’t see any way of breaking it.”

“I refuse to believe that,” I said. “I want the best for my new sister, and Julian is not that. I don’t know the full story, but I know he’s not good enough for her. After all he’s done, I don’t know how she can even put up with him at all.”

“For better or worse, they love each other,” Roman said. “Whether they themselves realize that, I can’t say. But it’s burned deep within them.” He paused a moment, considering. “Maybe you can break them up somehow before they realize that. But it will be difficult.”

“I’ll find a way,” I said. “I have to. I’m absolutely certain that Julian would only make Amber miserable. And then there is the child to consider.”

“Alice.”

“She might end up as the pack heir,” I said, thinking about more long-term possibilities. “She needs better role models in her life than those that would keep their mates hidden and unhappy.”

Roman nodded. I could tell that he agreed with me, but the topic must have been difficult for him to talk about.

“I hope you are right about that,” he said. “If you’ll excuse me… None of this concerns me anymore.”

I couldn’t argue with that, so I stepped back and allowed Roman to move forward.

“Thank you, Roman, for your efforts,” I said, before he could get too far.

He looked back at me from the stair to the plane. “I wish you well, Rafael. And good luck.”

As Roman boarded his plane, I turned around and started walking back to the car. Just before I reached it, my phone started to ring. Curious, I pulled the cell from my pocket and checked the screen. My cousin Gwen’s name was written on the screen.

Sighing, I answered the call. I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before my family found out about Amber. Gwen was the most bold gossip in the family, so it wasn’t a great surprise that even if other’s suspected, she was the first one to reach out.

“Gwen. How nice to hear from you.”

“Rafael, what is this I hear about a new potential relation?”

Straight to the point then. I supposed I could appreciate her straightforward nature.

I didn’t really want to give out this kind of information before it could be confirmed. We were still waiting for results from the blood test, and it seemed pointless to worry Gwen and the rest of the family before we knew all the facts for sure.

Still, if she was calling me like this, she already knew more than I had wanted her to. Without my influence, her imagination would likely run wild. I needed to get a hand on this before it could blow out of proportion.

“I am testing someone,” I said. “But we don’t have the results yet.”

Gwen was quiet for a moment. Then she asked, “Who?”

I replied, “Her name is Amber.”

Amber’s POV

Julian and I left Rafael’s together. He seemed distracted at first, looking out the window as I drove us to Gail’s place to pick up Alice.

I was perfectly happy to do the drive in silence. After everything that happened today, I was feeling overwhelmed as it was. I could still hear the ringing in my ears from the loudness of the crowd. And my heart was still racing as much as it had been when Julian had been in danger.

Now was the calm after the storm but my body and mind needed time to catch up, to remind myself that everyone was safe and everything was over.

Julian was quiet for the length of a few more stop lights, before he finally glanced over at me.

“You cheered for me,” he said.

“I did,” I could admit that.

“Is that because you love me?” he asked.

I wished he didn’t ask me these things while I was driving, because I very nearly swerved off the road.

The truth was, I loved Julian, but I couldn’t admit that to him. I could barely admit it to myself!

And to tell him would lead him to thinking things were more stable than they were, when the truth was so much messier. I had no idea if Julian was my future. I loved him, and I wanted him near me. But our love had caused so much heartache, not just for the two of us but for those around us too.

Roman couldn’t even be my friend now.

And Rafael didn’t like Julian at all. I still didn’t know what he said to him behind closed doors, but I was sure it wasn’t anything good.

So I couldn’t answer Julian’s question yet, and I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to.

“There are a lot of problems left for us to face before we can get into anything like that,” I said. Maybe it was a coward’s way out, hiding behind our problems. Years ago, before the hurt, I would have been more bold with my love and my feelings. But now, I was scared of my own shadow.

Maybe I didn’t know how to love boldly anymore.

My words, my warnings, didn’t seem to deter Julian at all, and he continued on, “Rafael wants me to prove myself to him and his family. He doesn’t think I’m worthy of you. Honestly, I don’t care at all what he thinks. You are the only one I want to prove myself to.”

“Julian,” I said, unsure what to say after that. I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to prove himself to me, but maybe he did. Maybe some of my hesitation about us was still the hurt lingering from all those years ago.

I should have been able to let things go by now, but I was still so scared they would happen again.

Julian was different when he was here, traveling with Alice and me.

But if we returned to his pack with him, trying to go back to normal, would he return to the way he used to be? What assurances did I really have that things would be different this time?

I couldn’t just take his word for it. I had to see it for myself before I got myself into that situation.

And that meant I needed time.

And maybe that meant I needed him to prove himself too.

“You’ll see,” Julian said, sounding even more determined than before. “I’ll show you how much I care.”