3rd Times A Charm

Chapter 8

Derek's POV

After Julie talked about her past, I saw that Xavier and Maria wanted to kill the guys that rejected her. I am so glad that Julie is getting along with Xavier and Maria, because I know that they will protect her if anything happens. The fact that Julie and Xavier have a sibling bond doesn't make me jealous at all surprisingly, because I thought for sure that Max would be mad at any male that is close to his mate. But Max is fine with it, because he understands the bond and knows that Xavier would never do anything inappropriate to Julie. Maria is my bond sister, so we are one big happy family, and laughing all together is something I have been waiting for  since I heard about mates.

Julie is perfect in every way; she is better than I could have ever imagined. Her laughter is beautiful, and she is just stunning. I am so glad that the Moon Goddess gave Julie another chance, and that chance would be my mate. Sitting here with my mate, my best friend, and my bond sister is like a dream come true. I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. I have everything I would ever need right here. 

We continue eating while Xavier and I talk about the increase in rogue activity lately. The girls are eating while listening to what is going on. For the past couple days, more rogues have been spotted recently. Most of the time they try to stay away from pack borders, to not get attacked, but lately they are getting closer to the border and we don't know why. 

"I want a tighter guard along the border. Keep the rogues away from the border and only attack if they get to close, but other than that leave them be," I command Xavier.

"Yes Alpha," he replies right away. It might be rude for me to command my best friend, but in these situations we need to do what is best for the pack. We dismiss the topic, and dessert is brought out for us. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate chips in the cake. I might be a little obsessed with chocolate, but it looks like my mate is too by the look on her face. She looks like she is going to shallow the whole thing; I think she might be drooling a little bit.

"Do you like chocolate, Julie?" I ask her. She blushes and looks down while letting out a quiet, "Yeah."

"You can have all the chocolate you want as long as you don't get sick."

"Really?" She brightens up right away, and I nod while smiling. She gives me a bright smile in return and says, "Thank you. I love chocolate, but my parents wouldn't let me have any because it was 'bad for me.'" My smile gets a little smaller when I hear that, and I see that Xavier and Maria are also saddened by this. What else couldn't she do growing up? I am going to make she gets to experience everything she ever wanted to do. I mind-link Xavier and Maria telling them that, We are going to make memories that she will never forget. They agree with me and with that we eat our dessert.

After dessert Maria asks, "Can I take Julie shopping tomorrow?"

"I don't know. We will see how she feels tomorrow then I will decide if she can go or not," I respond while Julie and Maria look at me with pleading expressions. We have a stare down, but Julie is the first one to break it  and say that I am right. I smile when she says that because it means that she trusts me. Julie yawns which makes me stand up and say, "I had a great night with you, but Julie needs to rest."

Xavier , Maria, and Julie stand up, and we all say goodbye to each other. We walk out of the dinning room, and Xavier and Maria go left and walk towards their room with hands linked. I grab Julie's hand and lead her down the opposite hallway towards our room.

"Did you have a good night?" I ask Julie, once we start up the stairs. 

"Yes. Xavier and Maria are great people, and I can't wait to get to know them better. The food was amazing. I have never had something so good."

"That's good to hear. I will make sure to tell the chef you said that."

We walk to our room, and Julie heads to the bathroom while I start unbuttoning my shirt. I take my shirt off and undo my belt. Julie walks back in with one of my t-shirts and boxers on; she also took her makeup off. She lifts the comforter and sheet and gets into bed. I pull my pants down and throw my dirty clothes in the laundry basket. I walk back in the room and make my way over to the bed. Going to the other side of the bed, I lift the comforter and sheet up and get under. I turn to look at Julie, and she is laying there smiling at me. She scoots over to me, and I put an arm around her waist and pull her up against me. Her body fits perfectly with mine: her hands on my chest, her head using my arm as a pillow, and her legs tangled with mine. Max purrs with delight at the feeling of our mate up against us. 

"Goodnight, baby," I whisper softly and kiss her forehead. 

"Goodnight, Derek," she replies half-asleep. I just lay there and watch her fall asleep. The small rise and fall of her chest, and her lips are slightly open. She is absolutely beautiful, and I know I keep saying this but I am so lucky that she is mine. With the feeling of my mate safe in my arms, I fall into a deep slumber.