âIf you want, Maya can come back in.â
Julian could tell by the look of sympathy in Oliviaâs eyes that she felt sorry. But he didnât. Maya had walked in, dropped her friend off, and walked right back out.
Could it be something he did? Or was it because she smelled so strongly of Willow? He pondered the possibilities.
But he didnât press the issue.
He just didnât have the strength for it at the moment.
Julian was at a loss for what to say to Olivia, or how to respond to her inquiries.
He knew she had good intentions, but he was struggling to understand what was happening to him. He doubted she could provide any assistance with this.
He needed to figure it out on his own.
âIâm okay. Sheâs preoccupied.â
Olivia gave a nod. âMayaâ¦sheâs a bitâ¦â
âUnconventional?â
Olivia let out a chuckle. âYeah, something like that. I donât thinkâsheâs unsure of what to do. And she despises inaction.
âShe also canât stand being told what to do, so as you can imagine, itâs not exactly a breeze dealing with her right now. But itâll work out.â
âDonât worry, Iâm familiar with Mayaâs ways.â
Julian didnât mind. She kept him on his toes and was always entertaining. That wasnât the problem. ~The issue was figuring out what to do with the bastard who might tear her to pieces or decapitate her~.
âOkay, well, I mean... Iâm sorry, I told Maya I probably wouldnât be much help... I think we have to wait for your memories to return.
âIf youâre in pain, I can get you something to alleviate that... but regarding the memories...â
âIâm not expecting miracles. I didnât even think Iâd regain any memories.â
âWolves have a knack for healing. Give it more time. Iâd like to see if triggers would help, but Willow didnât jog your memory... so Iâm not sure whatâs happening there.â
~Perhaps she wasnât significant enough. The memory of his sister was, but~... Willow hadnât meant much to him?
Maybe she was just a way to kill time, a friend but not someone who had a place in his heart.
She had seemed so attached to him. Julian had assumed the feelings were mutual, but it seemed they werenât. And Willow was oblivious.
Did that make him a terrible person? Or perhaps it was just the luck of the draw. The trauma of losing his family was more potent than anything else.
âYeah, time. Weâre running short on that.â He gave a smile.
âDonât worry, I know your mate doesnât want anyone discussing pack matters with me. Iâm not expecting you to spill the beans.â
Olivia rolled her eyes. âHe may be the Alpha, but as Maya might have told you, Iâve never been particularly good at following his orders.â
âJudging by how Maya interacts with him, Iâm beginning to think no one listens to him.â He intended it as a jest, not a dig, but he wasnât sure how Olivia would take it.
She surprised Julian by laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. âYou might want to refrain from making that joke in his presence.â
âNoted.â
âItâs not... Okay, I wonât say youâre his favorite person, but... Alex has a hard time trusting strangers, especially after what happened to me.
âItâs a long story, but deep down, I donât think he despises you... at least not ~too~ much.â
âThatâs reassuring.â
He didnât have any expectations, and he was aware of the reality: he couldnât stay here indefinitely.
Even if he and Alex were the best of friends, two Alphas didnât mix, and they were bound to clash.
So, being on good terms or not didnât really change the inevitable outcome. What it did influence was their potential strategy against this adversary.
Regardless of how they got to this point, the situation needed to be addressed.
But Julian was confident that when push came to shove, they would be able to cooperate ~if~ necessary. But that wasnât Julianâs plan.
No, he didnât want anyone else involved. Not more than they already were, at least.
He needed to figure out how to eliminate a hunter, but he didnât know the first thing about them.
He doubted anyone would leave him alone long enough to see if they had any information about it here.
A cellphone was of no use, because this wasnât exactly the kind of stuff he could search for on the internet.
A hunter was just a man at the end of the day, wasn't he? Ordinary methods should be enough to take him down, butâthey weren't.
He was too knowledgeable. He had ~decades~, maybe even centuries, of experience in this field.
He knew everything about them, which was expected given his profession but⦠~he knew too much~.
Could he really triumph in a direct confrontation? He wasn't sure, but he had no choice but to try.
âOlivia, I appreciate it. Could you let Maya know Iâm okay? Even if she doesnât believe you.â
âSheâll do as she pleases, but yes, Iâll pass on the message.â Olivia cleared her throat. âShe visited Willow.â
âIâm aware.â
He had a hunch that's where she went when she deceived him. Besides, how could he miss the lingering scent on her?
He was aware. Maya was Maya, and he had no plans to interfere.
After all, heâd also sought out Willow when he needed answers. So, how could he fault her for doing the same?
âI donâtâshe didnât share much, but I think Willow upset her.â
Olivia was ~lying~. He could sense it.
The only falsehood he could think of was that she was withholding information. Was she scared of crossing a line? He wasnât sure.
âI think Willowâs mere existence upsets her.â
Olivia burst into laughter. âYouâre not wrong there. I donât think Maya likes to share her toys.
âWhen she sets her mind on something, she gets it, no questions asked. I found her attitude quite refreshing when we first met.â
âAnd now?â
âWell, Iâm not sure if Alex and I would be together if it wasnât for her. Sheâs my best friend, so. If you hurt her, Iâll have to hurt you.â
A threat from an Omega wasnât exactly intimidating, but he appreciated that Maya had a loyal friend like Olivia.
âIâd rather die than let her get hurt,â he declared.
Which was sadly closer to the truth than heâd like, but he wasnât about to share that with Olivia.
Maya was the only one he somewhat opened up to, and he wasnât planning on telling her about this either, soâ¦
âGood.â Olivia clapped her hands on her thighs before standing up. âI think Iâve done all I can here. If you change your mind about the painkillers, let me know and Iâll get you some.â
âThanks, Iâll remember that.â
He wished he could take the painkillers. He wished something could alleviate his suffering. But nothing could.
He smiled, he joked, he put on a show. But inside, it was turmoil. Every moment he was alone with his thoughts, more memories surfaced.
And none of his memories were pleasant.
Willow had spoken of good times, but he hadnât recalled those. All he remembered was the pain. The death. ~Everything he wished he could erase~.
He waved at Olivia as she left, half-expecting Maya to follow her. But he doubted it.
They had agreed that the hunter couldnât get away with this. Heâd said that hoping she would focus her energy on Willow or on finding solutions.
Anything that kept her occupied, away from him and within the safety of the packhouse was good. That way, she wouldnât get hurt. That was all he wanted.
If she kept her distance from him, that would also be beneficial. Because then he would be free to find a solution to this.
But apart from offering himself as bait, Julian couldnât think of any other strategies.
The problem was that if he walked away and tried to lure the hunter, Alex or someone else might intervene. Meaning, he would have to share his plan with at least one person.
What worked in his favor was that Alex didnât give a damn about him.
Alex wouldnât bat an eye if he died or was torn to shreds.
None of it would matter.
Yes, Maya would be devastated if he died, but they werenât mated. She would heal. She would find someone else. Never a mate, but was that important?
At least they didnât share a bond that could be broken and shatter her heart.
If he were to die, it would be best if it happened now, before they lost control, before they did something irreversible.
~Damn~.
He would have to talk to Alex. He would have to figure out a way to serve as bait and thenâ¦he had to eliminate the bastard.
He didnât have the luxury of time to devise a thousand plans. He didnât have the time to come up with the perfect strategy.
No matter what he could come up with, the hunter had likely already considered it. It seemed like he was just toying with them at this point.
Why delay the inevitable? It was do or die. Julian let his eyes fall shut, his body collapsing onto the ground with a heavy thump.
He absolutely despised shutting his eyes.
The voice was relentless.
~Julian, save me!~
~Please, I need you!~
~JADE!~
...That was it. His sisterâs name was Jade.
The stuffed animalâ¦her name⦠These could be his weapons. Possibly.
Maya needed to be occupied. Olivia too. Then he could approach Alex, and they could dive headfirst into the danger.
With any luck, Alex could keep Maya preoccupied for a bit. It was the simplest solution.
And if everything went to hell, heâd leave Alex to break the news to her.
She would get it.
She wouldnât be bothered if he didnât make it.
~Please, donât be bothered.~
Because at this moment, his heart was throbbing with the agony of loss.
And he fucking hoped she would never have to experience this pain.