Julie

by Foster, Sherry

  Contents

  Dedication

  Copywrite

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Epilogue

  Author Notes

  Julie

  By

  Sherry Foster

  Dedication

  To the family I adore,

  my friends who keep me sane,

  and the readers who love to read.

  A special thanks to the man who

  continues to believe in me.

  He may never read a book I write,

  but he never fails to support me

  mentally and emotionally.

  Without him, these books would not exist.

  A special thanks to the readers

  who have fallen in love with this series.

  Thank You.

  This book is a work of fiction.

  All of the Characters, organizations, events,

  and places portrayed in this novel are products

  of the author's overactive imagination.

  Copyright © 2019 Sherry Foster

  DAS Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication

  may be reproduced, stored in a

  retrieval system, or transmitted

  in any form or by any means.

  Version 1

  Prologue

  Six years ago

  The three men looked around the cabin. They could smell an underage female, but the cabin was empty. Trey stared around the small cabin, two bedrooms and one bathroom, an open floor plan for the living room and kitchen, all empty of furniture and toiletries. The cabin had electricity, the refrigerator, containing fresh food and drinks obviously worked. Some of the cabinets were stocked and dishes, freshly washed, lay in the drain rack beside the sink.

  “We have to be missing something. Jordon not only admitted she was here, he showed no remorse for holding a female captive in this cabin. We smell her, so why can’t we find her?” Trey snarled.

  David, rubbing his neck, stared around the empty cabin once more. “We have checked both bedrooms and the bathroom. Who builds a cabin where everyone has to go to the same bathroom through one bedroom?”

  Trey, shaking his head, turned to Sam. David was clearly still in shock over the death of his parents, for the last hour, since the Alpha challenge, David had said random things. His way of coping Trey supposed. Hell, for that matter the whole pack was in shock, especially Trey, who was the new Alpha. A position he was woefully unprepared to handle at only twenty-four years of age.

  With trembling hands Sam started stripping. Closing his eyes, Trey drew himself up. He needed to get a handle on his life and start thinking like a leader. He should have thought of shifting to his wolf to track the smells better. The men shared much of the traits of their wolves, but in wolf form the abilities, like a heightened sense of smell were amplified.

  David and Trey followed the gray wolf into the larger bedroom and from there into the bathroom. When the wolf stopped at a wall to sniff the two men looked at each other, brows raised, then back to Sam. With a snort Sam, who had shifted back, pointed to a single golden fish eye in the mural on the wall. Cutting his eyes to his new Alpha he shrugged.

  The hidden doorway was unexpected.

  Trey reached for the doorknob. The three men had no idea what to expect on the other side. From the layout of the cabin the door could only lead to a closet, a small closet. Trey wanted to go back in time and kill Jordon again. What kind of Alpha kept a female locked in a closet for years? His heart hurt for the girl. His wolf raged inside of him. From the information Jordon had given up about the girl the men knew she had been held for years and it would be years before she was old enough to bond. But how many years was unknown to the three.

  Hands not quite steady he drew the door open. As his eyes opened wide he drew back in startled surprise. “Huh, a basement. I did not see that coming.”

  The basement, from the little they could see from the top of the stairs, appeared to be a concrete room. The light in the basement was not bright, but there was light. The men made their way down the stairs to find a large room at the bottom. On the single bed lay a small female. She was not moving, apparently asleep. Glancing around the room the men noticed the chain leading from the center of the room to the bed. The bathroom was open to the rest of the room, no privacy there.

  Toys littered the room and a tv and dvd player nestled in the corner. A bookshelf near the tv contained several dozen movies while another bookshelf held an assortment of books. Looking at the chain again Trey used the pack bond to tell the other two to quietly head back upstairs. Although both men looked at him with fury they obeyed. Leading the men back into the living room Trey started looking around the walls and opening drawers and cabinets. Sam and David looked a each other in disbelief.

  “What the hell boy, are we gonna get her out of here or what.” Sam muttered.

  “Can you break the chain on her? Cause I know I can’t. We need a key. They had to have one around here somewhere. How else did the poor kid change clothes or take baths.” Those words, muttered at the two men started a round of almost silent cursing.

  David wheeled and headed back toward the basement door while Trey and Sam continued to search the key. A moment later David came back in the kitchen holding the key.

  Shrugging at Trey’s look he muttered, “It was hanging on the wall at the top of the stairs. Brain told me I had seen something, but, my brain has been messing with me all day so I could have been wrong.”

  Reaching out his hand Trey gripped his best friends shoulder for a moment. Small comfort but all he had to offer for now.

  As the men returned to the basement they realized the little girl was awake and staring at them as they reached the bottom. As soon as Trey’s feet touched the concrete the child began to scream.

  “Shhh little one, we are not going to hurt you. No one will ever hurt you again. Let me get these chains off of you. Be still. We are going to get you away from here where you will be safe. Damn David, we should have gotten one of the females to help us.”

  David, jaw clenched was working to control his breathing. When he had gone to Trey asking for help he never imagined everything would go so pear-shaped. Now he and Trey and Sam were in the basement of the little cabin working to free the little girl. His parents were both dead; his dad by Trey’s hands and his mom by the true-mate bond.

  “Wouldn’t have done ya no good young man. What with Melanie being the one to help Jordon keep her here. She ain’t gonna have no trust in anyone male or female for years, if ever.

  Trey glanced over at Sam to find him on his knees, Trey and David quickly dropped down also. Trying to appear less threatening did not stop the screams, or the tears that were starting to trickle down the pale cheeks of the female.

  As he reached for the chain Trey began to sing little nonsense songs he remembered singing to his sister when she was still at home, before his parents had reluctantly sent her to Gammon’s. Intertwined with the songs were whispered assurances of safety and love and sunshine and freedom. When the chain
fell from the girl’s she jerked away from Trey, wariness on her face. The screams had stopped but the trickle of tears continued.

  “You are rescuing me?” the question, so faint the men would not have heard it had they been human, caused all three men to nod.

  “Yes little one, the ones who put you down here will never bother you again. I am more sorry than I can ever tell you for what you have gone through. They hid you well. No one knew you were here until this morning. Do you know where your family is now? We have a place of safety for you. My sister lives there for her safety. But if you have family, we want them to go with you. Do you know how long you have been here? Is there anything at all you can tell us to help you find your family?”

  “Dead, all of them are dead. It is just me. Well and my uncle, but he is the one that sold me. Please don’t send me back to him. Please.” The tears increased as the small female began to beg.

  The female squealed and scooted backwards on the bed when the three men growled. Trey turned to David, “I want that uncle found, and I want him dead within minutes of being located. I will not have a shifter walking this earth who would hurt a female. That is my decree, call it my first as Alpha of this pack. When one hurts a female, deliberately hurts her, he dies. No second chances, no forgiveness, and no excuses.” Turning back to the female Trey asked, “Now little one, do you think you could tell us your name, and what happened to you?”

  ***

  After getting the girl out of the cabin the three men had taken her to Sam’s cabin. The girl had refused to go into town where everyone could see her. After everything she had been through she had no desire to be around an excitable pack. Trey had told her what had led to her rescue and Sam, tears in his eyes had not stopped apologizing for not knowing of her sooner. The girl had finally settled in Sam’s arms and had refused to let go of him until he announced his intention of starting a meal for them. While Sam fixed everyone something to eat Trey called his grandfather.

  “Grandfather, I have a bit of a situation here.” Trey took a deep breath. David had promised to help him but there was only so much his friend could do in this situation. He was certain at some point over the centuries other males had taken over a pack while young. He didn’t personally know any, but it had to have happened. Of course, he was also certain they had to have had some clue they would be the Alpha. Rage, pure unadulterated rage had carried him through the fight. Honor had won him the pack. But he had no clue what to do next. The pack council, what was left of it, was going to prove to be a help over the years, he hoped, but he had one small problem he needed to take care of first.

  “What, no, I am still here. Oh, mom called you. I see. Then you were expecting this call?” Trey listened to his grandfather rant for a few minutes. David, standing a few feet away, grimaced and started shaking his head. It was fast becoming apparent the pack, while understanding they had a new Alpha, had no idea what had caused him to challenge the previous Alpha. David was still reeling from the death of his father. Neither man had considered the ramifications of what they had done.

  “No. No grandfather I did not kill Jordon because I was sowing wild oats. Mother raised me better. He needed killing and if you would stop for one minute and let me tell you what happened. I am not asking you how to get out of this situation. I am aware I am too young to be the Alpha. I know I have no training. None of that is why I am calling. There’s this girl. Dammit Grandfather, I did not kill the Alpha over a female.”

  “Technically you kind of did.” The choked whisper from David was just loud enough to be heard by Trey’s grandfather.

  “Ok, fine. Yes, I killed him over a girl. Now what I need to know is, what do I do with her now?” The color drained from Trey’s face as he listened to his grandfather. He could hear frantic whispers from his grandmother trying to find out more.

  “No, I don’t want her. Holy hell Grandfather, she is just a kid, what in the hell did mom tell you when she called? Look, no, you listen. Jordon was holding the poor thing captive in the basement of that little cabin down the road from Sam’s place. You remember Sam right? Ok, great. Well Sam found out about the poor girl and told David. David came to me and told me. We went to his dad and asked him what was going on. I am not going to apologize for killing him. My only regret is taking the father of my best friend away from him and in doing so caused him to lose his mother. But, Grandfather, he was holding her in that basement for four long years. Four years with no sunshine, no laughter, no love, nothing but Jordon and, what? Oh, she is about sixteen now. What would you have done?” Trey listened a bit longer before finally interrupting.

  “Well it is all well and good for you to say that but the fact of the matter is the High Council could not have done anything. The pack has to have an Alpha. Jordon would not have just rolled over and given it up to David or anyone else. Hell, he wouldn’t even agree to give up the girl. He thought David would just submit to having the poor thing forced on him. Now, the question is, are you going to help me or not? Can I send the girl to Gammon where Stormie is or not? And finally, what can you tell me about being the Alpha of a pack?”

  When Trey finally ended the call he turned first to look at David. The two had been inseparable for years but Trey worried the day’s events would be the breaking of both his friend and their friendship. At the moment his blond hair was in disarray. He had run his hands through his hair over and over all day. His blue eyes contained a haunted look now, so unlike his normal cheerful self. The friendly outgoing male of yesterday was gone, but Trey hoped to one day have him back. He was needed to help navigate being the Alpha of the pack. David had some training for the position. Because of his training, and his strength, Trey was determined he would be the Beta.

  Jordon’s beta had refused to swear his oath. Pointing to the door Trey let the pack know quickly anyone who did not give their oath would need to be out of pack territory by dusk or issue a challenge for the Alpha position. Twelve pack members had left in the hour following the fight. Trey did not have the power some of the others had, but they had watched the challenge, and not one pack member was willing to challenge the wolf who had taken down the previous Alpha. The ones who remained gave their oath. Trey’s mother had still been in shock when she called her father. The pack as a whole had been in shock and missed some key reasons for the challenge. Trey, David and Sam had been too anxious to get to the girl and rescue her to explain everything to the pack. Trey was going to have to have another meeting to help them understand why the leadership had really changed.

  After he had verified, as best he could, that his best friend was still hanging in there Trey turned to the little girl hiding in the corner. The three of them were helpless against the girl’s tears. Trey had called his mother to come over to Sam’s, but had not told her why. While they waited on her Trey tried to talk to the girl again. Sam had tried first, but quickly gave up. He had sent his niece to Gammon’s years prior because, as he told everyone, the pack had been no damn good for the girl and he was too damn old to figure out how to raise a kid.

  Going to his knees Trey thought about what he could say to the child. They had learned her name was Trisah and her parents and baby sister had been killed in a house fire when she was eleven. She had told them her age and precious little else since. Since Sam had put her down to fix a meal she had retreated to the corner and resembled a wounded animal more than a little girl.

  “Trisah, sweetheart, I want to help you, but I don’t know what to do. Will you let me help you? We have a place we can send you where you will be surrounded by ones who would kill to keep you safe. You can go to school, and have friends your age. It is a safe haven for female shifters. Tell me what you want to do. Help me help you. You will never again be locked up anywhere for any reason. I swear to you we will keep you safe.”

  After warily looking at Trey the child had gone back to rocking herself, curled up, arms around her knees, quietly sobbing. Trey had no idea what to do with this sad little female. He had no
idea how to get a female to Gammon’s for safety. His mother and father would, his grandfather had told him to get the information from them but as the Alpha he would have to make the arrangements.

  When Trey’s parents arrived at the cabin, and found the reason for the change in leadership, they threw their support behind their son. They helped him make the arrangements for Trisah to go to Gammon’s and they made the promise to never ask about her past again after how upset she became. Trey swore his pack would always have a place for her if she ever wanted one. But he made certain she understood, the decision would be hers to make when she reached twenty-one.

  ***

  A week after the child reached Gammon’s Trey got a phone call. Gammon, never one to mince words, kept the conversation short. Trey found the child refused to tell the councilors at Gammon’s much more than she had told them and she had drawn the same promise from the Alaska pack as he had given. The past would never be brought up again until she was ready. For six years Trisah refused to talk of her past. When she turned twenty-one she had made the decision to stay in Gammon’s pack and had allowed him to call forth her wolf and given pack oath to him. But the past was about to catch up to Trisah, in a most surprising way.

  Chapter One

  Gammon stared at the door Mia had just closed, exasperation on his face. After tightening his hold on his mate he lowered his head and breathed in deeply. The decades had not lessened his desire or his love for the beauty he held in his embrace. Sometimes she was the only one keeping him sane in a world gone mad. In all the centuries since he had left his mother country of Russia and moved to Alaska with his pack he had never encountered the strife he put up with since becoming the gatekeeper for the safety of the females.

  “All we know is her name, that is all Allison knew. She isn’t even sure Julie is her real name. We will take her back with us to Alaska. Hopefully Willow can help her heal. At least she quit screaming. She has started muttering a number now though. No idea what it is for, it is not a phone number. It doesn’t seem to be coordinates for anything. Maybe Kate will know when she recovers enough to talk to someone. According to Allison if anyone knows anything about Julie other than her name, Kate will know.” Mia snuggled into Gammon’s embrace while she talked. “She reeks of fear, yet still has some familiar smell to her. Did you notice?”