The thing about being brave

is it doesn't come with the

absence of fear and hurt. 

Bravery is the ability to look

fear and hurt in the face and

say move aside, you are in the way.

~Melissa Tumino

I can't believe my luck -or was it my misfortune?

I feel as if I'm back in middle school, stealing glances at the popular boy I was crushing on and looking away each time he caught me staring at him, but I can't stop my gaze from wandering over to Julian. Both families are having lunch together, and it just so happens he's sitting in front of me. Maybe they're doing it on purpose to rile me up. If that's the case, it's working.

As we're enjoying our meal, Mum suddenly asks Julian, "Have you found your mate yet?"

I hold my breath. I know the answer, but I want to hear the response. I know we agreed on keeping the mate bond a secret for now, but I'm not going to lie. I'll be furious if he doesn't acknowledge me. Maybe he can say there's someone he's interested in or he's searching for her, but recognize that there's someone in his life.

"Yes, I've found her." Julian casually drops the bomb.

His parents drop their forks on their plates with a loud clinking sound. Sylvie stares at him perplexed while my parents happily smile at him. I'm jealous of the twins who are happily munching on their food without a care. Anything is better than the choking sound I make when I hear him admit it.

"Are you okay, Sophia?" Mum worriedly asks, ready to rush to my side, but I stop her.

I drink lots of water and hit the center of my chest. In less than a minute, I'm back to good health. "I'm fine, sorry for worrying you. The steak went down the wrong pipe." I lie.

Julian is the only one who holds my gaze, and he mouths, "Are you okay?" To which I nod.

"Where were we?" Emma wonders, scratching her head.

"The part where our son found his mate and hadn't mentioned anything to us." Julian's dad pointedly stares at him.

"It's fresh, and we're seeing where things go. Once the relationship is steady and she's ready, you'll be the first to know." He promises.

"Do we know her? Is she from our pack?" His mum presses further.

"No information until I get the green light from her. I'm sorry Mum, but you'll have to wait more to meet your new daughter."

The conversation moves on, but I can hardly contain my smile. Julian talked about me! It's not a direct mention, but he confirmed that he found me and called me his mother's daughter-in-law. That means he'll accept me, and I'll finally have a mate by my side. Maybe things are looking up for me now.

"What are you looking at, Dad?" I ask, perching on the arm of the chair and watching as my father hastily shoves a stack of papers under a pile of books.

"Well, that was fishy!" I think to myself.

"Nothing for you to worry about, honey. How did your lesson with Tabitha go?" my dad asks.

Tabitha is the witch my dad assigned to help me control my powers. We get along for the most part, but there are days like today when she gets on my nerves.

I can't always shoot fire on demand! Next thing you know, she'll want me to weave a web-like Peter Parker!

"It went fine," I reply flatly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he presses.

"Not really," I say.

I try to sneak a peek at the documents, but he has a tight grip on them. I can only see them if he leaves me alone in the office, even for a minute. But how can I make that happen?

I cough deliberately, my body shaking and my chest aching with the vibration, catching my dad's attention.

"Are you okay? Do you want some water?" he asks, concerned.

I nod, but as I turn to cough in the other direction, my arm accidentally knocks over the crystal water bottle and the glass.

"I'll go get some water," he says before hurrying off and leaving the door open.

After waiting for his footsteps to fade, I quickly check the hallway and close the door. I run to his desk and remove the cover from the documents. As I scan through the papers, the first few sentences confirm my initial suspicions.

It's a report on my parents - or the people who raised me. They were seen at a pub in Alaska a few months back, spending time with the locals.

Does that mean they've been alive all this time?

But why would they kidnap me and then abandon me? It couldn't be because they were afraid since no one would have known of my existence if it weren't for their rejection and my leaving the pack.

'He's coming back! Hurry!' Astra warns me.

I take a photo of the documents before putting them in their place and arranging everything as my dad had done. I open the door and sit back on the arm of the chair, coughing.

Dad appears through the doorway, panicked and holding a glass of water in his right hand. He offers it to me, and I accept it, gulping it down in one go.

"Are you feeling better? Do you want me to call the doctor?" he asks, still worried.

I shake my head. "I swallowed wrong. There's no need for the doctor."

He lets it go, but he still looks concerned.

"I'll go rest for a bit. It must be the witch lessons getting to me. I'll be fine after a nap," I say, standing up and pointing to the door.

"I'll have someone call you for dinner," he assures me, and I thank him, leaving the room before he can suspect anything.

"I can't make sense of it, no matter which point of view I choose. Why kidnap me if they were going to abandon me? Does the pack know what happened, or were they unaware? It seems unlikely that they didn't know, considering you can't just show up with a baby when nobody is pregnant," I mumble.

Lost in thought, I unintentionally collide with a wall, then stumble as I try to avoid it. Just in time, someone grabs me to keep me from falling. I look up and find myself staring into Julian's eyes.

I offer him a weak smile and attempt to walk past, but he gently stops me and asks, "What's going on?"

I pretend not to know what he's talking about. We're not a couple yet, so I don't want to burden him with my problems. "Nothing's going on," I reply.

"You're not fooling me. Tell me what's happening."

I avoid his gaze, but he gently takes my chin in his hand. "I'm always here for you."

"You should tell him. He's your person. If he doesn't care about your well-being, who does?" Astra's words echo in my head. I understand what she's saying, but I'm socially awkward and tend to shut down after experiencing trauma. I know that's not healthy, though. Miscommunication can damage relationships, and I don't want to jeopardize this. I can see a future with Julian.

"Let's talk somewhere more private. Follow me to my room," I say, quickly walking to my room, trying to avoid any curious onlookers. I shut the door, shutting out prying eyes.

"How much do you know about me and my life?" I ask, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Julian, out of respect for my privacy and personal space, sits in a chair a few meters away. "Not much. Just what's available to the public."

"So you know about someone kidnapping me when I was a baby?" I ask.

He nods.

"My life is a story for another day, but I grew up with a couple and their son until I was twelve. At twelve, they disappeared without a trace, and nobody has seen them since. My father had people search for them, and they were last seen a few months ago in Alaska."

"Do you want to see them?" Julian asks.

"It's not that I want to see them. I want answers, but I don't know if it's good for me to know," I confess.

"Sometimes you have to learn the truth, no matter how ugly it is, to move on."

"Do you think so?" I ask.

Julian nods. "I do, and I can help you if you want."

"How?"

"I'm friends with an Alpha whose pack is in Alaska. He can show us around and introduce us to some people."

"I'm really grateful for your help, but how can we leave together without raising any eyebrows? We can't say we're mates or looking for my 'adoptive' parents."

"I can say that something's come up, and I have to return to the pack for a few days. You can say you're visiting friends."

"That could work," I say, relieved. "I'll say I'm heading to Zoe's to catch up. She'll back me up and convince her mate to pretend I'm there."

"What do you say? Are you in?" Julian asks.

I nod. "I think so."

"Good. I'll make some calls and arrange everything. Meanwhile, prepare the ground for your 'days off.'"

"I can't thank you enough. You've only known me for a few hours, and you're already in so much trouble because of me," I say, feeling guilty.

He takes my hand and intertwines his fingers with mine. It is the first time we've had physical contact, and it feels like heaven. "You don't need to thank me for anything. I'll be there for you, and it has nothing to do with the mate bond. It may sound crazy, but I'm starting to catch feelings for you and want to be with you through thick and thin."

'This one's a keeper,' Astra sighs dreamily.

'I know,' I reply, staring at Julian lovingly.

Edited: 20/03/2024

Words: 1675