Chapter 32

(Sandy’s POV)

News of Julia’s decision to bow out of the Beta selection spread like wildfire. Everyone was buzzing about why she was choosing not to compete, but I didn’t care. All that mattered to me was that my sister wasn’t going to be the Beta.

My sister just kept bouncing back, no matter what happened, and it was driving me crazy. She was Acting Beta, heading up the most important merger PackHouse had seen in years, and she was about to become a mother, and she was blowing up in the magazines and on social media, and she still had that mysterious rich boyfriend I knew nothing about. It wasn’t fair!

But now that she wasn’t going to take part in the Beta selection process…well, maybe this was finally my chance to take back the spotlight. It was simple enough to send in my official statement announcing my intention to take part in the ceremony. Now, all I had to do was start turning people against Julia.

“But don’t you think it’s odd she pulled out of the selection process?” I whispered to some people in the breakroom. “I mean, maybe there was a reason. Maybe she messed something up with the merger and wants to get out of the project before people realize and blame her.”

At an after-work happy hour, I encouraged people to speculate on the father of Julia’s child. “Everyone thinks it’s Kevin, but she has some mystery boyfriend she hasn’t told me anything about,” I said conspiratorially. “She wouldn’t even let me and my parents see him when he picked her up one night.”

It was almost too easy. Before the week was out, PackHouse was buzzing with talk of Julia and what could have led her to decide not to go for Beta. Nobody was talking about how impressive she was anymore, and I loved it.

It wasn’t enough, though. I needed Julia to feel as horrible as I had, watching her rise to the very top of society as if it was nothing. I needed her to feel small, just like she used to before this job and this baby and her strange friendship with Ronan.

I wanted Julia back under my thumb, and the best way to do that was by getting her back under the same roof as me. I needed her to move back into our family home, which would take some work, but it wasn’t anything I couldn't handle. The first step was getting my parents on my side, and I knew just how to do it.

“It’s just so embarrassing,” I sighed. My mother and father looked at me from across the table, waiting for me to go on. “You know,” I continued. “The way Julia’s been conducting herself? It’s shameful.”

“Well, I don’t know…” my dad said. “I know she’s had a bit of a bumpy time lately, but Julia’s made quite a name for herself. She’s doing such a good job with this merger, and she’s been in every magazine and newspaper. People are really inspired by her story.”

It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. “Oh, I know, I know,” I said, hoping I sounded sympathetic enough. “But still! Here she is, pregnant, and we still don’t know who the father is. Everyone still thinks it’s Kevin, but I know it’s not.”

“She cheated on her mate,” I continued. “And now she’s living God knows where, and it’s — it’s humiliating! She’s dishonoring our family, and it’s reflecting poorly on all of us.” My mom looked troubled. “Hmm. I guess I never really thought about it that way, Sandy.”

“Julia needs to come home,” I said firmly. “We need her back under our roof, where we can make sure her behavior doesn’t affect us and our family name.” My parents nodded thoughtfully, and I knew I had them in the palm of my hand.

Now came the hard part: getting Julia to agree. I didn’t know where she was living with her fancy new boyfriend, but I had a feeling it would be difficult to convince her to move back in, especially with the way we left things.

I told my parents they should be the ones to ask Julia to come back, as it was their house and their decision, in the end, but really, I just knew she would hear my voice and immediately hang up the phone.

I waited in the other room while they called her, biting my nails and hoping this would work out. I needed this to work out. My parents finally emerged from the next room, with smiles on their faces.

“She’s coming back!” My mom cheered. “Julia said she would love to move back in!” My dad smiled. “Isn’t that great, Sandy?” I grinned back. “Oh, yes. It’s absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait for her to be back!”

(Julia’s POV)

Things with Ronan were worse than they had ever been. His former quiet frustration had turned into barely-concealed hostility. He was deeply upset over my choice to pull out of the Beta selection ceremony, even though he was the one who kept urging me to put my child over my career. I didn’t know how to fix it.

I kept thinking about whether or not I should move out, and by the time my parents called, it felt like fate. “Julia, we just really want you back here, with us,” my mom said. “And now that you’re about to have a baby of your own, you need your family. Please come home.”

It was a sign of how vulnerable and weak my ongoing tensions with Ronan had made me that, almost without thinking, I said, “Okay. Okay, Mom, I’ll come home.” I packed a bag and left before Ronan could try and stop me, and swore all his house staff to secrecy about where I had gone.

Before I knew it, I was back home, sitting on the couch between my parents. “We’re just so glad you’re here!” my mom said, squeezing me into a tight hug. “We missed you, Julia!” I hugged her back, trying to believe her words.

“Yes, we did.” I looked up to see Sandy standing in the doorway, smiling at me. “We really missed you, sis. Even though you obviously didn’t miss us.” I frowned. “What do you mean, Sandy?”

“Oh, you know,” she waved her hand. “You were out there, flaunting your infidelity, your pregnancy, your friendships with high-ranking members of the pack. You sold your story to anyone who would listen. You clearly weren’t thinking about us.”

Before I could reply, my dad said, “Yes, we wanted to talk to you about that. Julia, we’ve really been upset about how your recent behavior has reflected on our family. It’s been hard, for all of us, and if you’re going to be living here, some things need to change.”

As my family started going into specifics about how my actions had hurt them, my head spun. I almost couldn’t even process their words; that is, until I heard Sandy say, “You could even get rid of it.”

“What?” I said harshly. “Get rid of what?” My stomach turned as Sandy smiled cruelly. “The child,” she said slowly. “Why not get rid of it? Abort the baby and try again, once your personal life is…more stable.”

To my shock and horror, my parents nodded along. “It’s really not such a crazy idea,” my mom said. “And Sandy is right! Right now, your life is complicated. Why not abort the child and try again when it’s more convenient?”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing!” I stood up and started backing away from them. “Are you seriously telling me you want me to get rid of my baby? How could you even think that? I would never do it!”

“I can’t believe you’re being so selfish!” Sandy shot back. “You’re putting yourself first, just like always. Your poor decisions are going to ruin this family, and it’s like you don’t even care.” I stormed out of the room, calling over my shoulder, “I don’t!”

I ran upstairs to my room and slammed the door behind me. I grabbed my phone and, without thinking twice, dialed Ronan’s number. “Julia, where the hell have you been?” His voice was cold, but I could hear some relief there. Like he’d been worried about me.

“Please, just listen to me,” I said. “I’m at my parents’ house and — and I know we’re not really talking right now, and I know you’re really mad at me, but I need your help. I need you.” There was a brief silence, then Ronan growled, “Don’t move. I’ll be there in five minutes.”