Chapter 35

(Ronan’s POV)

I was surprised when Julia kissed me, but it didn’t take long for me to return the kiss, moving my lips against hers. I groaned into her mouth, my heart rate increasing as my senses took all of her in — her scent, her hands on my shoulders, the sweet sounds she was making.

My heart was responding, too. I wanted Julia, and I wanted her forever. I had never felt this way about anyone, and it was frightening…but also exhilarating. I wanted Julia, and with this kiss, I realized she might want me just as badly.

That’s why I was a little taken aback when Julia abruptly pulled away from me, her eyes wide. She put a hand to her mouth, and I could already see the wheels turning behind her eyes as she overthought every single thing that had just happened between us.

“Ronan, I’m so sorry!” she said. “I — I can’t believe I did that.” I put my hand on her arm to reassure her and said, “Julia, it’s—” but she interrupted me. “It was a mistake, Ronan. It was just a stupid mistake.”

She laughed a little, pushing her hair back. “God, I guess those pregnancy hormones really do affect you. The doctors told me they’d make me act strangely, but I didn’t really believe them before now.”

I nodded slowly, hoping I was hiding my disappointment well. For a few moments, I really had thought Julia wanted me just as much as I wanted her, that she might be feeling the same, strange things I had been feeling for the last few weeks.

But I understood. The doctors had told us that pregnancy could cause impulsive and out-of-character actions, and Julia kissing me was definitely impulsive and out-of-character. So, I just smiled and patted her shoulder.

“I understand,” I said. “Of course, I understand. It’s been a long and stressful night, for both of us. Let’s just go to bed, okay?” Julia nodded gratefully, and we both slid under the covers. Julia went to sleep right away, but I couldn’t. I was too distracted by my whirling thoughts, all of which involved Julia.

I had always been conscious of the physical attraction between us. Julia was beautiful, and I would be lying if I said I’d never thought about what she might look like underneath her prim and proper office clothes.

But now…now I could no longer ignore the other part of my feelings for Julia. The deep, emotional connection I felt to her was too strong to push away, and I knew I had to deal with it, sooner or later.

I just couldn’t understand it. I had been waiting for so many years, working tirelessly to break the curse of the witch and find my true mate. It had been so important to me, but now, with Julia sleeping beside me, it didn’t seem that important anymore.

I looked down at Julia, so peaceful as she slept. As if she could hear me thinking, her mouth curved into a slight smile, and with that, I decided: I would give up my search for the witch. I didn’t need to find my true mate any more. Instead, I would make Julia my chosen mate.

The thought made me smile so hard, my face hurt. I almost woke Julia up to tell her what I had decided, but decided against it. With all that had happened tonight, plus the stress of work and the upcoming Beta ceremony, Julia didn’t need anything else to think about. Instead, I resolved to tell her after she gave birth.

(Sandy’s POV)

Julia being swept out of the house by the Alpha threw a wrench into my plans to ruin her life, but I wasn’t giving up. She was still out of the Beta competition, and I had turned enough people at PackHouse against her to create a problem for my sister.

I went into work the next day, confident that I would still be able to bring Julia back down where she belonged — until I opened my email. Two messages were at the top of my inbox. The first was an official message from the Beta selection committee informing everyone that Julia would, in fact, be part of the ceremony.

The second message was directly to me from Ronan. “You have been removed from the list of candidates for Beta selection, effective immediately, for unbecoming conduct for a member of PackHouse. As previously stated, we do not tolerate any slanderous comments about other employees, and you are now rendered ineligible for competition.”

I stared at my computer screen in shock. In just a few minutes, every part of my plan had been ruined, and once again, Julia was coming out on top. How? I raged silently. How does she keep winning? What does she have on Ronan?

I clenched my fists. No. No, I will not let her win. Julia cannot beat me. I will do anything to take her down. Whatever it takes to make sure she’s no longer an obstacle in my path. I will not stop until she’s finished here at PackHouse. For good.

My plan came together very quickly. I messaged several of my allies at PackHouse, all of whom were opposed to the merger with Pack Theta. As much as the high-ups at the pack wanted it, many of the pack members didn’t want any new blood.

In addition to being resentful that the Alpha and other leaders were making decisions without taking into account the opinions of their pack, many members were also angry that their own positions in the pack had now been weakened by the influx of new people.

We have to keep Julia from being named Beta, I wrote in my message. She’s been the architect of this merger from the beginning, and she will only make things worse if she’s given any power. We all need to work together to keep her out of the competition.

And that’s what we did. From “forgetting” to email her about important decisions, to rescheduling meetings when we knew she had doctor’s appointments, to spreading more and more gossip about Julia, we did everything we could to make her appear like the wrong choice.

However, none of it seemed to work. Julia was in some haze of happiness, floating around the office solving problems and talking about how excited she was for the baby, who was due any day now.

She didn’t even seem to notice the problems we were creating for her, and when she did, she solved them so quickly, it was like they didn’t even matter. My rage grew and grew, and finally, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. I had to do something that would take Julia off the chessboard — for good.

As the Beta selection approached, I knew I had to do something, and fast. I had gotten my hands on a powerful poison that knocked the drinker out quickly. In a larger dose, it could even kill. The night before the ceremony, I brought the vial with me to the break room where, after making sure I was alone, put it in a mug of tea.

I carried the tea to Julia’s office, my hands shaking with nerves. Finally, Julia is going to get what’s coming to her, and I can be back on top. I knocked on her door and heard a cheerful, “Come in!”

I opened the door to see Julia sitting at her desk, surrounded by paperwork and looking way too happy. “Hi,” I said, matching her smile. “Look, I know things went badly between us at home, and I guess I just wanted to say sorry.”

I help up the mug of tea. “I know it’s not nearly enough, but would you take this? Just as a peace offering?” To my surprise, Julia smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Sandy. You’re right, it’s not enough,” she said. “But it’s a start.”

I closed the door behind me and handed Julia the mug. She took a deep sip and after a few more drinks, her eyes started to flutter. A few seconds later, she dropped the tea, falling unconscious onto her desk.

I grabbed her and hauled her out of her office and down to the parking lot. I had waited until the workday was over and everyone had gone home so I wouldn’t need to worry about anyone seeing.

Before I dumped Julia in the trunk of my car, I picked her head up and slammed it hard against the side of the car. Just in case the poison doesn’t take quick enough. Once I got her inside, I started driving.

I was going to take Julia out into the middle of the woods, where no one could find her before she died. In fact, there was a good chance no one would ever find her. Julia would simply disappear, and I would never have to think about her or her stupid pup again.