Chapter 208

Amber’s POV

Early the next morning, Rafael took us all to the airport. He had two private jets ready, one to take Julian, Alice, and me to Julian’s pack. The other was for Anna, to take her back to the quiet little town that housed our small clinic.

It was generous of him to accommodate Anna, as he did when she arrived, and I’d already thanked him profusely.

For now, he stood off to the side with Julian and Alice, all of them giving me time to say goodbye properly to my best friend.

Our visit had been way too short, and I missed her terribly. But this parting couldn’t be helped. I had to go back to help Julian reclaim his pack from the forces that wanted to take it.

Tony, the man who had poisoned me, who didn’t seem to care that the poison would eventually turn fatal.

As long as he got what he wanted, why should it matter to anyone else?

I gave Anna a tight hug, so sad to see her go again. We had started our little clinic together, but now, I felt like I was abandoning it and her.

“I’m so sorry,” I told her.

“What is it that makes you think any of this is your fault?” she asked me.

“I’ve left you and the clinic,” I said. “I swear when I did, I fully thought I’d be back.”

“You make it sound like now you think differently.” She leaned back to look at my face. I wished I could have told her that I didn’t, but she was right to guess this way. Things were different now. Not just because Rafael had accepted me as his sister, making me a princess of his pack.

But also because I was realizing I didn’t want to be apart from Julian anymore.

That small clinic of ours had been an escape for me, but I was tired of running. Now I knew what I wanted, and that meant I couldn’t stay at the clinic anymore.

“I can’t go back,” I told her. “I want to be where Julian is.”

I thought Anna might scold me or give me an exasperated look. Instead, her eyes were soft with kindness and understanding. Truly, she was my best friend and deserved that title wholeheartedly. I never should have doubted her.

“I know,” Anna said. “I think I always knew, the minute you walked out the door with him. It’s not that I don’t want you to come back, or that I won’t miss you. I do, and I do. But you need to be where your heart is, and your heart is where he is.”

She smiled. “He needs you, too, Amber. He’s totally changed these past few months, after being with you. And honestly? So have you. You seem happier now, and I’d never begrudge you that.”

It was a relief to hear her say these things, but I still had some concerns. “You aren’t a healer, Anna. How will the clinic stay open?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Anna said, and she started blushing a little, which was incredibly suspicious.

“I’m doubly worried now,” I pressed. “Tell me.”

“Well… After you left, I found a different healer to help with the clinic. It was supposed to be a temporary thing, but… the longer he stayed, the more neither of us really wanted him to leave…”

“Anna!” I gasped. “Are you in love with this mystery healer?”

Her blush burned her whole face now. “Maybe,” she said. “But now isn’t the time for stories like these. We both have plans to catch and people waiting on us.”

“I’m going to call you,” I told her. “I want to hear absolutely everything, okay? All the details from start to finish.”

“I’ll prepare everything in advance so I don’t leave anything out,” Anna said.

She came in for another hug, which I eagerly returned. This was likely to be the last one for a good long time.

“Take care of each other,” she told me. “You’ll see this through. And then I want an invitation to the wedding.”

“Technically, Julian and I are already married…”

“The vow renewal then,” she said. With one last squeeze, she let me go, then dashed away to catch her plane. I suspected she left so quickly so I wouldn’t see her crying. But I knew she was, because I was too.

At the door to the plane, she turned back and waved. Now I could see her tears freely, and she could see mine.

“Goodbye, Amber!”

“Goodbye, Anna!”

Then she got on the plane and was gone.

My tears weren’t really ones of sadness. More, bittersweet. I rubbed them away and they stayed away, even though I already missed my friend.

I returned to Julian, Rafael, and Alice, just in time to hear Rafael giving something of a pep talk to Julian.

“You are a good Alpha,” Rafael said. “Remind the people of the comforts your leadership has allowed them, and they will think twice about throwing those comforts away from some wildcard who never worked a day in his life.”

“I will, thank you,” Julian replied.

“And listen to my sister. She has a good head on her shoulders and will be a good support to you.”

Hearing Rafael say those things filled me with a warm, happy feelings. To have a brother, to know that he cared for me, to know that he now approved of my relationship with Julian…

Truly I couldn’t ask for more. Especially since I never expected to have a family at all.

Now I had a brother. And my mate was back in my life.

With these allies, I felt we could face any hardship. Even one as scary as Tony.

Julian held out his hand and Rafael shook it.

“If you need backup…” Rafael said.

“I appreciate it,” Julian told him, “But if I can do this on my own, I don’t deserve to be Alpha.” He glanced over at me. “Well, mostly on my own.”

“I’m glad you aren’t leaving me out,” I said, more confident than I meant, as I closed the distance between them.

Rafael had been holding Alice’s hand, but she came to me as I approached.

“Mommy!”

“Hi, sweetheart,” I said.

“Well,” Julian asked. “Ready to jump from the stove to the fire?”

“I’m ready to stop Tony from ruining our pack.”

Julian’s brow lifted. “Our pack?”

I nodded. “Our pack.”

At that, he beamed.

Julian’s POV

Hearing Amber call my pack our pack did something to me. It promised a future happiness that not that long ago, when I had thought I lost her, I didn’t know was possible.

Now, I felt like my life was coming back to me, everything was falling into place.

We just had to deal with Tony.

When the plane landed back in my pack, the first thing I wanted to do was go and see my mother. We’d only been away for a few days, but she was still sick enough to be in the hospital, and I was worried about her.

Amber agreed, so after leaving the airport, we all made our wait to the hospital first.

I walked confidently with Amber and Alice to the front door, only for one of my own enforcers to step in the way, stopping us.

“What is the meaning of this?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” the enforcer said. “But we can’t let you or your mate into the hospital.”

“What?” My anger spiked.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the enforcer said again. “By order of the council, we are to deny you entry.”