Pursued (Completed) ✔️

Chapter 22

I love coffee :)
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The rest of my birthday was spent talking to Eddie and Harry. We held on to his hand at all times, never leaving the room together so he wouldn't be alone. For the first time since the accident put him in to a coma we had hope. The wolves left soon after they brought me a coffee.
Dad returned with Ben in tow.

"Any change?" Dad asked hopefully.
"Yeah, our sister is getting old!" Harry laughed and I thumped him for it.

"Juliette. A word?" Ben asked from the door. I caught dad's surprise but walked out after kissing Eddie and telling him I'd be back soon, just going for a walk.

Silently Ben led me outside and we walked to the park behind the hospital without a word between us.

"I expect McKellar recognized the shield?"
"Are you really a prince?" I asked without looking at him.

"Not anymore."
"You have a family." I didn't ask, I simply stated.

"Yes. Mother, father, older brother and two older sisters too. I was the baby of the family."
"Why give me this? Why now?"

"I wasn't hiding from my family. I simply left. I talk to my mother every week and visit my sisters as often as I can. Coming to your place was fated according to my mother. We are somewhat more sensitive than regular wolves and I've always felt the need to protect you like an omega."

"What's an omega?"
"The weakest links of the pack. They are the teachers, cooks and carers. They are treasured and protected."

"Great! So I'm a weakling."
"You are purposely ignoring the point. You call to the protective instincts in our wolves. Your soul is pure. It's like a piece of a puzzle that would fit perfectly in several locations even if you have a mate out there for you. You'll only feel the pull for your mate but your pull affects everyone. More so if the wolf is unmated."

"Yeah, so I was told."
"So how are you dealing with it?"

I thought for a few minutes as we walked on. I wasn't a blubbering mess yet. However, the need to stay close to him was overwhelming, I didn't feel safe anymore. It was at a level I couldn't control, logic couldn't compete with the feeling of being prey. The logical part of me agreed with the fear and I accepted Ben simply because in my mind he was part of the family.

The logical part argued that I was safe because these people wanted to protect me but the blue eyes haunted me. The bright blue eyes that had stared right into my very soul as the car had rocked from the force of someone hitting it. Someone that had managed to dent the car. The memory of that force, that moment, made my heart beat faster. That wasn't safe. I was prey and if the stories about werewolves were true the car was like a tin can compared to their strength. Since I'd found out I realized that the dent in my car, the funny sound it had made as he drove out meant David had put his fist through the steel, damaging the engine.

"Come here. Calm down." Ben said softly as he pulled me in his arms. "It will all be fine." He mumbled, trying to settle me. And I broke down.

He didn't try to talk me out of it. Trying to deal with the overwhelming fear, I sobbed in his arms before fear turned to anger. He let me punch him and yell at him that it was all his fault. I blamed my parents, my useless mother, the sun, the moon and the whole damned world and I hit him to accentuate my hatred for everything wrong in my life. And then he held me as I collapsed. Worn out, a few stray tears escaping as my breathing slowly returned to normal.
"I hate this." I whispered, my voice hoarse from crying and yelling.