The Alpha’s Companion - Chapter 63

When the meeting was over, Julien took Lacey’s hand and led her up the stairs headed toward their suite. “Lacey, we need to talk,” he said, looking sexy as his eyes filled with concern.

A crease formed between her eyes. “Okay.” She took a few more steps, trying to keep up with his long strides. Obviously, the thought of having to take down his brother was weighing on him heavily. Lacey gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Julien, are you okay?”

He nodded. “We’ll talk in our suite.” It was the first time that he had acknowledged that it was their suite together, and not just his. He pulled her in and then closed the door. Then he walked over to the bar and poured himself a bourbon on the rocks and downed it. Then he poured another and held it up to her. “Want one?”

Lacey shook her head. “No, thank you. I’ll have a glass of wine, but I’ll get it.”

Julien shook his head and smiled, already taking a long-stemmed glass from the cabinet. “No, it’ll give me something to do.” Then he crossed the room and handed it to her. “Here.”

“Thank you.” She took a sip and watched as he walked over the huge plate-glass window overlooking the forest and took a sip of his drink. The view seemed to relax him when he was upset. Lacey set down her glass, and then quietly walked up behind him and placed a hand on his back. “Julien, are you okay?”

He nodded, his eyes still trained on the view. “I’m so sorry you had to find out that Rex was my brother like that. I should have told you before.”

“Julien, look at me,” she cooed. When he turned around, she placed a hand gently on the side of his face, looking into his eyes. “Julien, it doesn’t matter to me where you came from. What matters to me is who you are now. And you are a strong, wonderful man who would die to protect his pack.”

Julien gave her a slight smile, a crease forming between his eyes. “Lacey, I think you should know that if Rex and I battle and I fall, he will claim you as his Alpha Queen in a show of dominance.”

Lacey gasped, not expecting to hear that. “But you won’t fall—”

“Hear me out,” Julien cut her off. He sighed as he set down his glass and then placed a hand on her stomach. “If he takes you as his, this means that if you are pregnant with my child, he will take the child as his, too, along with you. Please understand that I can’t allow that to happen.”

Lacey looked into his eyes, never wavering. “It can’t let it happen either. But you won’t fall.”

“Lacey, let me finish.” He pulled her over to the couch and sat with her on his lap. “Lacey, if I fall, I want you to run and don’t look back. Take refuge in The Shadow Pack. After you came back from your visit, I called Arkin to thank him, but I also asked him if he would protect you should I fall, and he agreed. He gave me his solemn oath.”

Tears filled Lacey’s eyes. “Julien, if you should fall, then I will fall with you.”

Julien shook his head. “No. If you are pregnant with my child, we both owe it to the child to be born. To have a life.”

“For me, there will be no life without you,” Lacey replied, her eyes welling up with tears. “I can’t live without you.”

Julien nodded. “You can and you will… for our child.”

“But I’m not pregnant—”

“Do you know?” Julien asked, cutting her off. “Do you know for sure?”

She stared into his eyes and then slowly shook her head. “No, not yet.”

Julien nodded. “Then you will do as I say.”

A lump formed in her throat as she looked into his eyes, thinking of the implications of their conversation. “Julien, promise that you won’t leave me.”

He shook his head, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I can’t promise you that, but I can promise you that I will never leave you by choice.”

Lacey bit her lower lip and nodded as tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Lacey, there’s one more thing that we must discuss,” Julien said, wiping away a tear from under her eye and she leaned into his palm. “I want you and the young warriors out of the fight.”

“No.” Lacey angrily wiped the tears away from her cheeks. “You said it yourself. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

Julien shook his head adamantly. “If it comes down to it, I will protect you at the cost of my own life. But you must follow my orders while I do what must be done.”

“But Julien—”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Your safety is imperative. You have come to mean more to me than my own life.” He bit his lower lip and then released it, looking into her eyes. “Lacey, if you should fall and I should live, I will never take another mate. You are my one and only mate. And I couldn’t live with myself if you die and I live. The pain would be too great.”

Lacey squared her shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Julien, if I had to promise to live on if you fall, then you must promise me the same. You must live and take another mate if I should fall… for the sake of the pack. You will need an heir—”

“No,” Julien cut her off. “Not without you. Now. Here are my orders. You and the young warriors will protect the interior of the castle. Do not let anyone penetrate the interior. This is very important. If the Wildclaws come in, they will either kill all the children, enslave them, or take them to raise as their own. And as the Alpha Queen, it is your duty to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Of course, but it won’t come down to that.”

“God willing,” Julien replied.

Lacey knew that if the Wildclaws were trying to breech the castle, then the warriors on the outside would have failed. And Julien was right. The castle would need protection. She and the young warriors would be the last line of defense for the pack.

Lacey nodded. “I agree to protect the children… as their Alpha Queen.”

Julien nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. “Good. Now. No matter what you see outside, do not leave the castle. Agreed?”

“Aye,” Lacey said, knowing if it came down to that, then it was over… which was something she would never let happen. At that moment, she swore to protect the pack and the children with her own life…. should it be asked of her.