Chapter 224

Amber’s POV

The day of the fight, Aunt Kathy came over. Alice hugged Julian and me goodbye, and then he and I left to go to the event. It was being held at an arena, with the ring set up in the center and all the seats in the stands surrounding it, facing it. To my knowledge, every seat had been claimed already, though no sales had been made for tickets.

Tickets had been first-come, first-serve, and I heard it had been nearly a riot to get seats. Those that couldn’t get seats but still wanted to watch could do so on their televisions, as the fight was being broadcast. Though many people came to the arena and stood outside of it.

A projector had been arranged with a screen alongside the front of the building, so that even those outside could witness the event.

Apparently, this was the biggest event the pack had seen in a very long time. I supposed I could understand why, with the winner destined to become the Alpha.

Hopefully the fight would be quick and insignificant, with Julian coming out on top right away.

But with Olivia also in the mix, I truly didn’t know what to expect.

Presently, Julian and I were in one of the locker rooms, this one designated just for us. Julian had his arms around me, and I was resting my cheek on his chest, listening to the steady thud of his heartbeat.

He didn’t seem worried at all, even though my anxiety had only been higher on a few other occasions.

As if to help calm me down – which felt ridiculous, since he was the one who was about to fight – Julian spoke to me softly while rubbing a hand up and down my back.

“When I reclaim my pack, we should have another wedding. A vowel renewal. We can treat it like a marriage since it’s been so long. Alice could be our flower girl.”

I didn’t commit to anything, but I didn’t deny him either. I just continued to hug him, silently listening. Closing my eyes, I tried to imagine the future he had planned for us, visualizing as he spoke.

“When you are my Luna,” Julian continued, “I want us to have more children, as many as we can. Alice would like having siblings, I think, and the house would be filled with laughter. But I wouldn’t leave it all to you, of course. I want to be in those kids lives as much as I can, doing my part. Especially because I imagine you are going to go back to the hospital to work.”

“You wouldn’t ask me to quit working?” I asked softly.

“No,” Julian replied quickly. “You are a talented and dedicated healer, Amber. You save so many lives, including Mom’s. You made things easier for Alice. Why in the world would I ask you to stop, when I know there is so much more good you can do? And you are a good mom, besides. We can make it work. We can have a future where we both have our dreams come true.”

This future of his did sound nice, and though I wasn’t ready to commit to anything yet, at least not verbally, I already wanted this for myself and our family.

My heart had been Julian’s from the start, though it had taken me a long while to accept that. Now, however, I was ready to embrace it. I wanted him and the future we could make together.

And now that this future seemed within reach, I was determined not to let go of it for any reason.

I would fight for it.

Olivia’s POV

Tony and I were in his locker room when I gave him the swirling blue potion.

He accepted it willingly enough. Bringing it up to his face, he looked at it closely. “What is this?” he asked.

“Something that will give you an edge,” I said.

Tony widely grinned. “About time. You had me worried, Olivia, that you might not pull through.”

“You trusted me to find you something to help you win?” I asked.

“Of course,” Tony said. “I know you hate leaving things to chance. I’m confident I can take my cousin, but I knew you had your doubts. With this, the victory is assured, and I probably won’t even have to try that hard. I’d hate to mess up my handsome face.”

“Yes, that would be tragic,” I said, only half-sarcastic. He did have a handsome face.

Whether or not it was punched in though, he likely wouldn’t be able to enjoy its benefits anymore.

The potion was probably going to make him go feral.

Maybe I should have warned him, but why? He was the one who had gotten us into this mess, so he was the one who should have to suffer. Plus, this was the only way I was confident he could actually win against Julian.

No matter what false hope he felt inside of him, the fact of the matter was obvious. He didn’t have a hope’s prayer in an actual fight with Julian. He needed this potion or he’d lose in the first three minutes.

“Go on,” I said, encouraging him. “Take it. It might take a few minutes to kick in, so I want you to be prepared.”

Tony took the lid off the bottle and then downed the whole thing. I stayed, watching carefully to be certain that he didn’t miss a single drop.

When the potion bottle was empty, I nodded, satisfied, and turned toward the door.

“Going to your seat?” he asked me.

“Sure,” I said, lying. Whether he knew that or not, I didn’t care anymore. I was done with him.

Now was the time for me to go to Julian’s estate and start my Plan B.

“I’ll fight for you,” Tony said.

With my back to him, my hand on the doorknob, I rolled my eyes. “Just win,” I told him and walked out into the hallway. When the door closed behind me, I turned my feet toward the parking lot.

And to my car.

Julian’s POV

I didn’t want to let Amber go, loving the feel of her against me. I tried to soak up as much softness as I could, knowing I would receive nothing but hatred and pain in the ring.

The public was still evenly split between supporting Tony and me. I was sure to receive some harsh words yelled from the crowd.

At the same time, though I was confident I would win against Tony, that didn’t mean I thought it would be a flawless victory. I was going to take a few punches and earn a few bruises.

I wasn’t afraid of the pain, or of the fight, but I much rather would stay here holding Amber.

Yet, soon, the crowd had gathered and started to cheer. They were loud enough for us to hear the roar even where we were in the locker room.

Amber pulled away first, looking up at me. “I think it’s time.”

“I’ll end this as quickly as I can so that I can get back to you,” I promised.

“Just come back to me,” I said. “We’ll figure out the rest.”

Gods, I loved this woman.

Leaning down, I kissed her once more.

A knock sounded on the door and it opened.

“Alpha, Sir. It’s time.”