Chapter 233

Julian’s POV

The head of the council lowered his head as if in a show of respect. “I apologize for the mistakes I have made in the past. No, not just me, but for all the mistakes of the council, I apologize.”

“An apology is not enough,” I said. It would never be enough, not so long as my mate and my mother were both unconscious, fighting for their lives. My rage was only growing, with my vision flashing red and my fingers curling, ready to shift into claws.

Maybe my rage would have been enough to cause me to shift here and now, but before I could, Alice came rushing over to me. She wrapped both arms around my arm and gave me a hug.

I couldn’t possibly shift with her this close to me, and, after taking a few deep breaths, I started to calm down.

The councilor relaxed slightly, seeing me less angry. At least he didn’t cower anymore, though he still appeared cautious, his arms tense and slightly lifted like he was trying to defend himself.

“Forgive me, Alpha,” the councilor continued. “I will work on proving my loyalty to you as we move forward. Unfortunately, I did not come to see you, or have tried to reach you for so long now with only an apology in mind.”

“What do you want?” I asked him, annoyed by his continued presence here. Even if I was no longer in danger of shifting, I still didn’t want to have to deal with him. He should have run away by now, with the amount of sheer menace I was exuding. Perhaps Alice’s closeness gave him some boldness.

“The council has been debating with what to do with Tony. As you know, he has turned feral, and there is no known recovery for this,” the councilor said. “We’ve gone back and forth, but we are all in agreement that, as Alpha of the pack, the decision is ultimately yours.”

“My mate is fighting for her life,” I said through gritted teeth. “And you think I care at all about what happens to Tony?”

“I understand why this might not seem important to you,” the councilor said, lowering his head respectfully again. “But you did win the fight, Julian. That means you remain pack Alpha. And there are some choices that we cannot make for you.”

“I don’t have time to worry about Tony,” I said stubbornly.

“The pack needs you,” the councilor pressed. “Division still separates us. There are many pack members who are angry with how the fight turned out. To bring back those dissenters, you must continue to prove yourself a strong leader. Ignoring Tony will only make things worse.”

He was likely right. Even though my family seemed to be supporting me now, that came with a great deal of work and time, as well as some sacrifice. And that was just my family! To win the pack, would take even more than this.

Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to care overmuch about this, when half of my world was sick with silver-poisoning.

“I will think about what to do with Tony,” I said. That much, I could promise, even if it would take me some time to come up with a solution.

The councilor nodded. “If you would return to the Alpha headquarters building, we could present you with our thoughts.”

“No,” I said. “My family needs me here. I will not miss being here when my mate finally wakes up.”

The councilor seemed unhappy with this, but I stared him down, letting him know that I would not be swayed on this.

“We will send our arguments in email, then,” the councilor said finally. “You will read them?”

I supposed I could, staying at Amber’s side as I planned to. “If there is time,” I told him, noncommittal.

He nodded, likely realizing this was the best he was going to get out of me.

“Very well,” he said. “Thank you, Alpha. And truly, all of us on the council wish you and your family their health.”

“Sure,” I said, still not trusting him. Just because Alice’s presence kept me from shifting and hurting him, didn’t mean that I had to like him. “You can go now.”

He nodded again, more hastily, more nervously, then turned and rushed out.

With him gone, I finally breathed easy again, surrounded once more by only the healers and my family.

An hour later, I sat in Amber’s room, watching her rest, when Penny hurried to the door. She didn’t come in much past the doorway, though looked at Amber first with a frown before turning her eyes on me. She hopped from foot to foot like she couldn’t contain her excitement.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s your mom,” she said. Then, all the excitement burst out of her, as she shouted, likely louder than she meant to, “She’s awake!” Immediately, she covered her mouth with her hand, her cheeks going red.

I stayed with Amber only a minute more. I didn’t want to leave her, but I trusted that checking on my mom was something she would encourage me to do.

Just in case, I asked one of the nurses to please check in on her often. I didn’t want her to wake up alone. The nurse understood and promised me she would.

With that settled, I walked into the waiting room and then across it to find Mom’s room. Half of my family was already there, trying to get in to see my mom, but the healers were keeping most people out while they checked on her.

Being Alpha gave me special privileges, so I was able to come through without issue.

The supervisor was there, finishing his examination. Mom looked from him to me.

“Julian! There you are. I was just asking them to fetch you.”

Gods, it felt good to see her awake finally, after having been worried about her for so long. I moved closer to her, walking right up to her side.

“How are you feeling?” I asked her.

“Like I’m hungover,” she admitted with a small laugh. “Though without the fun from earning it. I remember things now, everything about Tony… The healer was just telling me that it’s all over now and that you’ve reclaimed the pack.” Though it was said like a statement, there was a bit of a question in her voice.

“Yes,” I answered. “Tony and I met in the ring and I came out victorious.”

“Good,” Mom said. “What a shame about him. He should have stuck to acting.”

I agreed.

Mom shook her head, and then looked at me again. “I want to hear everything, but first… The healer also told me that I have Amber to thank for helping me to get well. Her idea to boost my own wolf… what a smart choice. I’ve never felt stronger. My wolf had been quiet for a while, but it’s so strong now.”

I nodded, unable to speak about Amber out loud. At least, not yet.

“Where is she?” Mom said. “Tell her to come in so I can thank her myself. And Alice too, I miss my granddaughter already.”

I was silent for a bit longer. “I can send in Alice, but…”

Mom watched me, her eyes going sad. “Oh, Julian. Oh, no. What more have I missed? What’s happened to Amber?”