Chapter 241

Amber’s POV

While I’d been having some trouble getting around, not able to stay on my feet for very long yet, I’d still been having a nice time at home with Julian and Alice. If we weren’t watching television or playing board games, we were learning recipes to cook together – though I had to instruct from one of the stools while the others did the work.

It was a nice bonding experience for all of us, and helped us feel like a real family.

But we couldn’t stay locked away forever.

Especially when Alice asked, “Can we go see Grandma?”

Gloria was still in the hospital, and now that Alice mentioned it, I wouldn’t mind going to the hospital myself, to check on her care and the other things going on there.

“No,” Julian replied stubbornly.

“But I miss her,” Alice said. “And I’m worried about her.”

“We can call her on the phone,” Julian said. “We can talk to her that way, but we can’t go see her.”

“Julian,” I said, scolding lightly, hoping to get him see how harsh he was being.

But he shook his head, not hearing me at all.

“Alice, honey,” I said. “Why don’t you go play in your room for a few minutes, okay? I need to talk to your Dad.”

Alice looked between us like she was unsure, but I was stern. Eventually, Julian nodded, backing me. Alice stood then, and left the room.

I returned my attention to Julian then. I was sitting on the couch, and he was on the chair. With his elbows on his knees, he was leaning over, his hands dangling in front of him. His gaze was downcast.

“We can’t stay locked up forever,” I told him, finally breaking the silence.

“I don’t need forever,” he said. “Just right now. Just until we can confirm that Olivia died. When we have a body, we can relax.”

“Her body could have been taken,” I said. That would have been unusual, but it wasn’t an impossibility. Julian really had no reason to believe she was still alive, other than his own suspicions, and Tony’s.

Maybe that was enough. Olivia had proven cunning and resourceful before, and there was evidence that she had tried to stop herself on the way down – with the broken flagpoles and the torn banners.

“Do you really believe that?” Julian asked, lifting his gaze to mine.

Perhaps I was the one being difficult. My healer instincts told me surviving that fall was unlikely… but not impossible. Without a body, maybe he did have cause to worry.

Even so…

“Staying home all the time isn’t good for Alice,” I said. “And I would like to get back to work.”

“No,” Julian said, even more adamant than before. “I’m sorry, but no. Olivia has proven that she will stop at nothing to hurt you and Alice to get to me. Until she is caught, you both will be safer here.”

“If we have bodyguards…” I started, but it was difficult for me to keep up the argument. The silver pain sometimes spiked inside of me, and though my body was doing its best to combat it, every once in a while it make me wince or steal my breath away.

Julian spotted my discomfort the moment it happened. He stood and approached me, helping me ease back on the couch.

“This right here is another reason I’m being protective,” he said. “She could attack you again, and you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself this time. Already being poisoned… Amber, if something were to happen to you…”

I could see the worry in his eyes and in the growing tension of his body.

Not wanting him to feel this way, I took his hands in mine and held them. For now, to help him I could make accommodations, but it wouldn’t be able to last forever.

“I will keep Alice home with me for a while, so you don’t have to worry about us,” I said. “But, there will come a time when we have to leave the house. Alice needs to have friends and a social life. I will need to be checked out, and I eventually do want to get back to work.”

“I know,” he said. “Just give me a little bit of time, okay? Let me try to track this down. A week at least. Maybe a month. Then we can reevaluate.”

That seemed fair, and it was nice to talk to Julian in a way that felt healthy. In the past, we would have never been able to meet in the middle like this. That we could communicate so successfully now felt like a strong step forward for us.

“Very well,” I said.

Really, I hoped this whole thing was needless worrying. But, given everything that Olivia had done against us before, I understood we couldn’t take that chance, not with Alice and me so vulnerable.

Julian leaned in and kissed me lightly. The touch was comforting, but too quickly it was gone, and Julian was preparing to leave himself, to face his own Alpha burdens.

I wished I could help him more, but injured as I was, and per our agreement, I could only stay here and support him from afar.

Julian’s POV

Keeping Alice and Amber safe and guarded at home was a necessity, but I hoped Amber at least could understand it wasn’t one I pushed for because I wanted to. Amber was a successful career woman, and I was proud of her success. Alice was at a point in her life where she needed friends for her social development.

If Olivia wasn’t a looming threat, I would have supported both of them and succeeding in their day to day lives. But as Olivia was a threat, I needed them safe more than anything else.

I could only hope that my enforcers could catch Olivia quickly and put an end to all this fear. There would always be some danger – that was just life – but having someone out there who hated my family so much she already tried to kill them multiple times, it was overwhelming.

Even leaving the house now, knowing Alice and Amber were safe inside with lots of enforcers and guards around, I still felt anxious. I wanted to be there to protect them myself.

But I was still the Alpha of this pack, and the pack was wounded and needed help healing. I couldn’t just ignore that.

After leaving home, I went to the jail where Tony was being housed. Now that he had regained his senses, he was no longer chained in a metal cell, but had been given one of the nicer cells of the building, with a bed, chair, and writing desk.

He stood as I came in, and then lowered his head. “I can’t thank you and Amber enough, Julian. You didn’t have to help me, but you did. I’ll never forget that.”

I nodded. “No one should be trapped as a feral. We’re all fortunate that Amber is so talented… and that Olivia didn’t succeed in trying to kill her.”

“Yes…” Tony stared at the ground like he hoped it would eat him. “I made so many mistakes.”

“You did,” I said.

“I’m sorry, cousin. Let me try to fix things.”

“How would you do that?” I asked.

He looked up, determination in his eyes now. “Let me talk to the press. I think I can rally everyone behind you and unify the pack once and for all.”