Page 68 of Rejected and Pregnant by the Alpha (Forbidden Alpha Kings #52)
Hannah
The room is cold, and I open my eyes to find that Julian is no longer beside me.
Sadness seeps into me at this realization, and I take a deep breath, trying to stop the tears welling in my eyes from falling.
His scent reaches my nose, and for a moment, I wonder if it is from Julian lying on the pillow I clutch in my hands.
Opening my eyes, I reach out to the right side of the bed, hoping to feel some lingering warmth.
Instead, my fingers touch something soft, something that isn’t part of my bedspread.
Clutching the soft item in my hand, I discover it is Julian’s shirt.
He must have left it here for me to keep so that his scent would be with me while he was gone.
I pull the shirt to my nose, breathing in his mango scent and relaxing into the bed. By how dark my room is, I know it is past midnight and not yet time to wake up, but the ache I feel with Julian gone woke me up.
Six months.
He will be gone for six months completing the royal tour.
I have a feeling it is longer because he wants to hunt down a few more hunters’ headquarters while visiting each pack.
I can’t blame him, as I heard that Sabrina helped them find more bases to attack with the files that were recovered before they burned down the one here in Ottawa.
Carefully turning onto my back, I wince as my wound pulls a bit, and I close my eyes. I was shot without warning, thinking all the hunters were dead. Who’s to say it won’t happen again with Julian risking his life to take down more of the hunters?
Opening my eyes, I look over at my nightstand to find my phone sitting there.
Julian must have put it on the charger before he left, and I can’t help but miss him more.
I have learned that he is attentive since we talked about the past and cleared up all misunderstandings.
If I needed anything, it would be within my reach without asking.
He waited five years to find his mate and went through ruts that nearly broke his mind because he did not want to touch another she-wolf unless it was his mate.
He was loyal to the mate bond because he did not realize he had rejected me, and now I miss him.
Reaching out for my phone, I unlock the device once it is in my hands and click on the contacts, thinking I would have to scroll to find his name. I laugh instead when I find that he put his name at the top of the list by adding an “A” in front of it.
Pressing on the contact, I hold my cellphone up to my ear and wait for the call to go through. It rings a few times, and I wonder if Julian is really going to pick it up.
“Han-Hannah?” His voice comes tentatively through the call, and I smile. He sounds shocked that I would call by now.
“Hi, Julian,” I call out softly.
“It really is you,” he says with relief, his soft voice barely audible.
“I told you it was her!” I hear Fabian shout in the background, making me grin. Of course, that big idiot would have to say something and ruin this moment.
“Yeah, yeah. You know I didn’t have Hannah’s number till now,” Julian says dismissively before the sound of a door closing is heard.
“Sorry about that idiot. You know how Fabian can be,” Julian apologizes with a sigh. “What are you doing up so early?”
“I woke up because the bed was cold with you gone,” I answer honestly, tugging the blanket over my body and yawning.
“So you missed me?” he asks in a teasing voice, his love for me shooting through the mate bond.
“I… yeah, I missed you,” I admit, a soft smile playing on my lips.
“I guess I just got used to your annoying self being next to me,” I add in a whisper, wanting nothing more than to snuggle into his side and fall asleep again.
“Well, now that I have your number, I will be annoying you as much as I can while continuing this tour,” Julian states, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“I don’t doubt it. I look forward to your calls,” I counter, giggling. Goddess, I feel like a love-struck pup.
I ask him where he is now and find out that his group just reached the vampire coven in Timmins and that it’s been hard keeping his men from attacking the vampires there for drinking from live humans, humans who seem to be willing blood slaves.
I frown at this, wondering if they will be released with their memories altered. Julian confirms that the coven leader plans to use the hunters they capture as blood slaves, keeping them for their own pleasure, the way they kept the vampires and werewolves for their own pleasure and monetary gain.
“News of our planned strike on the hunters’ headquarters has spread to a few trusted vampire covens, thanks to our allies here,” he explains.
“They’ve offered to sign a treaty: any ordinary humans we come across will be spared if we hand over the hunters as blood slaves.
I told them I’d think about it and I want to discuss this with you and Aileen, as you two know the vampire world better than I do. ”
It surprised he wants to seek my input and Aileen’s on the matter.
“Does this mean you will be returning to Haven Trail after dealing with the hunters in Timmins?” I ask, receiving silence in return.
“No,” he admits finally, sadness in his voice.
“I have to visit two packs just a few hours away from here, one of them being Snow Pine pack, before I can come talk to you. I just hope the hunters haven’t learned about our plan until it’s too late and we’ve taken out a couple of their headquarters,” he explains, the loneliness of his absence growing inside me.
“Be safe, please. I just accepted you as my mate. I am not ready to lose you again,” I whisper.
“I will, my luna queen,” Julian says, his sincere words and the title that is rightfully mine reaching my ear.
That’s right, I am his luna queen. The clicking of the door opening in the background catches Julian’s attention for a moment, and a muffled conversation can be heard.
The door closes again, and I frown, wondering if our call is coming to an end.
“I gotta go, Hannah. We are finalizing the plan of attack with the vampires. Miella just came to fetch me,” I hear Julian state, his words growing serious.
“I understand. Call me as soon as you are on your way to the next pack then,” I say, trying not to let the worry I feel for him seep into my voice.
“Okay. You should go back to sleep, Hannah. You’re still healing from the silver bullet. I left my shirt there for you to snuggle into with me gone so that my scent can comfort you and Saben.”
With that, the call ends, and I am left alone in silence. Julian won’t be reckless now that he knows Saben and I are waiting for him to return to us—to build a life as a couple and as a family.
“Mama.” My bedroom door opens, and I turn to find Saben slowly toddling inside, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“Is Papa gone for his tour?” my son asks, crawling into my bed and scooting over to my side.
“He is. He just called to check in on us,” I answer, letting the white lie slip through my lips. There is no reason to worry my son about the danger his father is facing.
“Can I sleep here tonight? I smell Papa in the room.”
I grin, wrapping my arms around Saben and showing him the shirt left behind by Julian. “He left this here for us so that we can sleep with his scent beside us,” I say, smoothing back his white hair.
Saben smiles, sniffing the shirt before resting his head against my shoulder. “Good night, Mama,” he yawns, snuggling into me.
“Good night, baby,” I whisper back, listening to my son fall asleep before closing my eyes and letting Julian’s scent lull me to sleep.