*****
Mrs. Anderson made coffee and the five of them sat around the kitchen table holding untouched cups of the stuff. There were only four chairs to the table so Max sat in a folding chair next to Josette, his arm slung across the back of the chair she sat in. Julian had pulled Brianne’s chair close to his and he held her hand in both of his. It was a sweet sight, especially when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it across the knuckles. Just a brush of his lips, while Brianne looked at him, trying to make herself believe she wasn’t in some strange dream.
“Falling in love with you set the course for everything that has happened here today. I’m sorry,” he said.
“My guardians were still here the day you visited only because they didn’t know I had returned to my parents. Once I was imprisoned they were sent for.”
“You mean the people I met were not your parents?” Brianne asked.
“No. I tried everything to return to you. I was kept heavily guarded until three weeks ago.”
“What happened three weeks ago?” Josette asked.
“My father died.”
There was a knock at the door that startled everyone. Well...everyone that didn’t have advanced hearing which meant Brianne, Josette and Mrs. Anderson.
“That’s my mother,” Julian said with a sigh.
They all turned, Max and Julian stood as the door was opened and held by a tuxedo wearing tall thin man.
The woman was tall, six feet if she was an inch. Words like: voluptuous and statuesque sprung to mind. She was breathtaking, beautiful in an otherworldly type way. The cream silk, crawl neck dress fit her body like a glove. Heavy gold jewelry and pointed toed sling back pumps accented the dress perfectly. Her ebony hair was pulled up in style that was not overdone but not messy either. Her porcelain white skin made her look more like a vampire than a werewolf, and Josette had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing out loud.
Why laugh? Because she was half mad. Not angry—crazy. There was not one thing funny about what was going on.
Max offered a bow from the neck and Mrs. Anderson curtsied.
“Maxwell, Adele,” the woman said before turning her attention to Julian and then to Brianne. “This must be the woman that is at the root of our problems.”
Josette was instantly on her feet to defend her mother. “This woman is my mother, and her name is Brianne Freeland,” she said and Max put his hand on her arm to calm her down. The woman was unfazed, not acknowledging the outburst.
“So, Brianne, has my son filled you in on his little secret. Has he explained that you are the reason my husband is dead?”
“Mother, stop it,” Julian said. He took Brianne’s hand, who hadn’t said a word at the accusation
“Who are you to tell the Nonakris what to do?”
“Once father died I became Lycaon,” Julian said and Josette almost gave herself whiplash turning her head from side to side trying to watch the two of them.
“You’ve not accepted. Like every other decision regarding your birthright you have failed me and your father,” the woman said through clenched teeth.
“Technicality,” Julian said and waived his hand at her as if to dismiss her and then sat down pulling Brianne with him.
Max moved away from his seat and offered it to the queen, who looked at it like it was covered in something vile and disgusting, but eventually sat. Max moved slightly behind Josette and put his hand on her shoulder.
The woman now sat right next to Josette and she couldn’t help but stare. Her eyes swept the room looking at each of them and stopping at Josette last. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the ring Max had given her.
“Adele, would you like to explain why this child has on the mating ring of your family?”
Josette thought Mrs. Anderson would die of fright. She looked at her hand and then at Max. It had never occurred to Josette to take the ring off. Max hadn’t told her it was a secret.
“I have asked Josette to marry me.” His voice was strong and he straightened his back and stood a little taller. Josette wanted to crawl under the table.
“What!” Mrs. Anderson and her mother said together and they both looked at the young couple in the same way.
“Of course you have,” the woman said and began to rub her temples as if the whole world had lost its mind
“Josette?” Brianne said, clearly waiting for clarification or an explanation.
Now Josette had the attention of the whole room. Most of the room was looking at her except…her grandmother? She was still rubbing her temples with her eyes closed and Mrs. Anderson was looking at Max. Even the driver had eyes on her.
“Max asked me to marry him tonight. I haven’t given an answer,” Josette said in a small voice hoping that it would be enough of an answer to get her mom to stop looking at her like Max had announced she was pregnant.
“But you’re too young,” Brianne said.
“The topic of my impending wedding is the least of our worries at this exact moment,” she said looking at her mother with wide sarcastic filled eyes. Really, in the gist of things her engagement was small potatoes. Hello...her dad and Max were werewolves.
“The child seems to have more sense than her father,” the woman said, “So Julian, has the woman decided to come back to sit on the throne with you?”
Now it was my Brianne’s turn to be the one that everyone stared at, even Mrs. Anderson broke her gaze from Max.
“I’d not asked her yet,” he said and looked like he wanted to reach over and strangle his mother.
“What...wait,” Brianne said looking between her potential mother-in-law, and the man she’d loved since thirteen. She was shaking her head and her brow was creased. In confusion...in shock, who in the hell knew. It was too many cards on the table.
“Brianne, I came to ask for your hand if you will still have me.”
“But—” Brianne started and couldn’t finish.
The room was completely quiet as they all waited for her answer. Josette could see the questions running through her mother’s mind on her face. It was so much to take in. First he was werewolf and then royalty, King no less. But most importantly he had been gone for so long. Granted he had been held prisoner by his own parents, but eighteen years was a long time. Josette knew the answer before Brianne gave it.
“Yes,” she whispered.
The smile on her dad’s face was enough for Josette to forgive and forget a lot of things. Julian fell to his knees next to Brianne and kissed her hand. She looked down at him and took his face in her hands and kissed his lips. The moment deserved some privacy but there was nowhere to go. The kiss was short and chase but there was so much love behind it Josette blushed and felt Max’s hand squeeze her shoulder lightly.
“Adele would you be so kind as to bring me something to drink,” the queen said breaking the mood.
“Yes, of course, Mrs. Anderson said and went to her cabinet to find a glass.
“I’m sorry but some questions still need to be answered. What does any of this have to do with Pops attacking me?” Josette asked, since the lovey-dovey stuff was over.
Julian returned to his seat and looked at the queen. “My refusal to marry started a feud. The other pack decided to fight dirty,” he said.
“What exactly does that mean,” Brianne asked.
“After my father’s death my mother was forced to free me.” Julian looked at his mother, “As I am rightful heir to the throne. Upon my release somehow the other side found out I had fathered a child. Killing Josette was to be a message to me on how serious they are about me marrying their princess.”
The room was completely silent. Julian glared at his mother and understanding hit Josette like a ton of bricks.
“Did you tell them about me?” she asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said but it was a lie. It was the only time she failed to look regal, sitting there at the table picking at imaginary lint.
“You d
id.” Josette whisper was venom filled.
“How could you,” Brianne almost yelled. “What has Josette ever done to you? Was it not enough that you took her father from her?”
“Julian was a child when we sent him here to live. He had responsibilities. We didn’t send him here to fall in love with some human.” The queen spat at Brianne.
“Careful mother how you speak to this human, she is to be my wife and Nonakris” Julian said.
“And I am your mother and you will not speak to me this way.” The queen looked up at her son and the eighteen year long old battle that they’d fought was far from over.
His parents had locked him away to keep him from Josette and Brianne and the first thing he had done when he was released was to come back. The queen thought she could finally get the upper hand by ratting them out in hopes that the other side would kill them. The whole situation was –ridiculous with a capital R.
Josette couldn’t stop looking at her grandmother. It felt right to call the man missing “dad” calling the woman sitting next to her “grandmother” sounded like sacrilege. Josette had never seen the woman in her life and she’d decided that she hated her enough to want her dead. She couldn’t stay any longer. Josette thought she’d kill her with her bare hands.
“Josette?” Max said.
“I have to get out of here.” she said, standing and taking a step away from the table.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” the hated witch asked.
“I can’t be here right now.” Josette said taking another step. Max was right on her heels.
“Wait.” Someone said.
“Wait?...Why?” she asked, “So I can hear more how my grandmother, whom I’ve never met, hates me so much she’d see me dead?” She turned to look at her, all the rage that she felt being released.
“I don’t know you lady. I didn’t do anything to you. I didn’t know about you or any of this. Why couldn’t you just leave us alone?” she asked. “We don’t have anything but each other and now you want to take that from us too. I’ve watched my mother miss my father. I’ve watched her come home from working two and three jobs so I can have the things that other kids have. I’ve seen her struggle alone because you took the only person she loved.” The tears were hot on her face and she didn’t know if it was because she was so angry or because it was just hot in the room, but she thought if she didn’t get out of there soon her head would explode.
“Young lady, I—”
“Shut up!” Josette yelled so loud that everyone in the room cringed. “You don’t get to talk to me. You don’t deserve to talk to me.” She ran from the house.
Chapter Nine
Lupa (Second Edition) Page 15
