Chapter 37

(Ronan’s POV)

I whirled around, eyes scanning the trees surrounding me for some hint or trace of Julia and the witch. I sniffed the air, hoping I could track the scent, and got a whiff of something. I followed it a few feet to the treeline, but then it completely disappeared — like whoever had left the trail had just…vanished.

I growled in frustration, trying to get my feelings under control. Anger would only cloud my judgement, and right now, I needed to be clearheaded. Julia needed me to be clearheaded. I could not let my own frustration get in the way.

I went back to my car and headed to PackHouse. It looked like the witch was wrapped up in all of this, somehow, and I had files full of information on her back at the office. If there were any clues to be found, they were somewhere in there.

“Alex, grab everything on the witch and bring it to the conference room,” I barked as I stalked through the office. “We’re not leaving until we find something, do you understand?” I didn’t wait to see if he was following me. I knew he would be. Alex was one of the best Gammas in the game right now, and you don’t get to that position without being completely devoted to your Alpha’s needs.

“On it, Ronan.” I heard him calling orders to his own team of subordinates, as well as the sound of file cabinets being opened and boxes of research being pulled out. We had a lot of material, and I planned to look at every single piece of it.

I hauled a box of papers into the conference room and started pulling things out. We had maps of the witch’s last known movements going back years, we had text chain conversations and transcripts of phone calls, we even had a few grainy security camera footage screengrabs.

We’re going to find you, Julia, I said to myself. I promise you this. I’m not going to let you disappear. I’m going to find you and the baby, and I’m going to keep you safe forever.

(Julia’s POV)

“Alright, one more push!” I groaned at the sound of the witch’s voice, but I knew she was right. She had gotten me this far in the birthing process, and I knew she was doing her best to help me deliver this baby safely.

“I can’t!” I said, feeling sweat trickle down my forehead. “I can’t, it hurts!” The witch stroked my cheek and said, “Yes, you can, Julia. You can do it. One more push, you’re almost there!” I followed her advice and pushed one more time.

There was one short burst of pain, and then — I heard a baby’s cry. I opened my eyes to see the witch cradling something in her arms, wrapping it in a pale green blanket. “Look at you,” she said sweetly. “Look at how beautiful you are!”

“Can I see?” I reached my arms out, desperate to hold the child I had been spending the last few months dreaming about. “Please.” The witch handed over the tiny bundle to me with a smile. “It’s a girl.”

I felt tears prick my eyes as I stared down at this beautiful little girl. My beautiful little girl. “Hi,” I said, my voice thick with tears. “I’m your mama.” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her, but eventually, I looked up at the witch. “Thank you,” I said. “I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but thank you for your help.”

The witch smiled at me, but there was sadness in her eyes. I asked, “Why did you help me? I know you probably won’t answer, but…why?” She looked away, then back at me. I was surprised to see there were tears in her eyes.

“Julia, I’m helping you because I have to,” she finally said. “I’m helping you because…because I love you, and I loved your parents.” I asked, “What do you mean?” The witch took a deep breath, then said, “Julia, do you know anything about your birth mother?”

I shook my head. I always knew I was adopted, but my parents told me they never knew anything about my birth parents. I had accepted that answer, as I knew it was fairly normal for adopted children not to know anything about their birth parents.

“Your parents loved each other very much,” the witch said slowly. “But it was difficult for them. There were a lot of things against them. A lot of people against them. You see, your father was a werewolf, but your mother…your mother was a witch.”

I gasped. Werewolves and witches were courteous to each other on a good day, but typically saw each other as enemies. The idea of a werewolf-witch couple would have definitely made some people angry, especially because their offspring would make a powerful and unpredictable hybrid.

“Your mother was very talented,” the witch said. “A very powerful witch. I was always in awe of her abilities. Even when we were children…” She trailed off, choking back a sob. “I’m sorry, I’m getting emotional.”

“You knew her,” I said, comprehension beginning to dawn. “You…were you her sister?” The witch nodded, tears running down her face. “My name is Cordelia. I was your mother’s younger sister.”

“When she died, I was lost in my grief,” Cordelia said. “Your mother and father died in a car accident, and the police said it was just that — an accident. It had been raining, and it looked like their car ran off the road.”

She continued, “But I always thought it was suspicious. The police closed their investigation too quickly, and the evidence at the scene didn’t make sense. I was sure that some of the many people who were opposed to their union did something to kill them.”

“After your parents died, I got custody of you.” Cordelia smiled a little. “You were such a beautiful baby, but I was so young. Even in the best of circumstances, I didn’t know what to do with you.”

“Add into that the fact that you were a hybrid, and there were people who wanted to destroy you…” she trailed off. “I didn’t know what to do. So, I put you up for adoption. I thought that was the best way to keep you safe.”

She continued, “But I always kept track of you. I knew the family that adopted you, and I did my best to keep an eye on you and make sure you were happy and healthy. I was always so proud to see what you had accomplished — straight-A student, star employee.”

“So what happened?” I said, my head spinning from all the information I had just received. “What made you reveal yourself to me?” Cordelia frowned. “One day, I had a premonition. I get visions sometimes that tell me the future.”

“My vision was about your pack,” she said. “I saw that the Alpha of your pack would bring terrible misfortune if he got too close to his true mate.” I asked, “And why would that matter?” Cordelia shook her head sadly. “Because you’re Ronan’s true mate, Julia. His presence has the power to destroy you…and your baby.”