Chronically in love

Chapter Twelve (Zoe)

When I woke up in a soft, fluffy bed with too many pillows, I was happy for three seconds. Three seconds until I remembered what we had done—until I remembered Victoria and my stupid plan. I had wanted to meet her, meet the fae woman who created werewolves and vampires. I hadn't imagined the warrior we encountered instead. I didn't blame her; she was clearly protecting her clan from outsiders.

I got up from Arthur's bed and left, heading to my room to change clothes and take a shower. Lately, I'd been wearing skirts and t-shirts—the castle was warm enough that I never got cold anymore.

After my shower, I grabbed my purple crutches and made my way to the kitchen. Julian immediately stopped me, sweeping me into a hug and scolding me, "You can't just leave like that! I was so worried, Zoe! I thought you'd been kidnapped or worse, but then the King was gone too, and I thought... I was just so worried, Zoe! You can't do that."

In my mind, I cursed myself. In my excitement, I had completely forgotten about Julian and Nalia. I hadn't left them a note or anything. I'd just disappeared. Stupid. "I'm so sorry, Julian. I forgot." Julian sighed.

"I forgive you, but Nalia is furious."

I shuddered at the thought of how angry the vampire likely was.

Julian accompanied me to get food, and then we went to our daily lesson on werewolves.

"If it's okay with you, Julian, I'd like to learn about Gammas."

He shrugged. "Sure, that's fine with me. What do you want to know?"

"Everything." I smirked back at him, and he sighed before rolling his eyes. "Okay, we'll start with the basics. A Gamma's main job is safety. He trains the pack's warriors and protects the Luna. You know a pup is destined to be a Gamma because, growing up, he's faster, stronger, and larger than the rest."

I nodded. "What do you mean, protects the Luna?"

Julian bit his lip, clearly debating how much he should tell me. "When a Gamma finds his Luna, he's incredibly happy. They form a quick friendship. A Luna and a Gamma share a special relationship—a Gamma is the Luna's best friend, her protector. He listens to her over the Alpha and will die to keep her safe. His first loyalty is always to the Luna."

Jealousy twisted in my stomach at the thought that one day Julian might have a friend he cared for more than me, that he might leave me to protect her.

"Do Gammas have mates?"

Julian looked relieved by the question, almost as if he had expected something else. "Yes, we do, but it's complicated. Since my first loyalty is to my Luna, my mate will always come second. Most Gamma mates understand this, but sometimes they reject us because they don't want a mate whose first priority isn't them."

I felt bad for Gamma mates. I would hate not coming first to the one who was supposed to love me more than anything. "What do you mean you would die for your Luna?"

Julian shifted anxiously, avoiding my eyes. "It means exactly that. I would take a bullet, a beating, a spear, so my Luna wouldn't get a bruise."

I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling something nagging at my brain when Nalia entered the room.

"You were gone! You just left! You're so mean, such a bad friend!" She moved as if to punch my arm, but Julian growled, angling his body to take the hit instead.

She wasn't really going to punch me—she loved me too much to hurt me—but that's not what caught my attention. I noticed that he was willing to take the blow to protect me. A thousand moments flashed through my mind: the time he took a paintball bullet for me, the first time he saw me and looked painfully happy, the time my period started, and he freaked out because I was bleeding, the time I cut myself with a knife, the time Daniel playfully punched my arm and Julian almost killed him.