Disclaimer: All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.
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Time was flying by too fast. As she looked at herself in the mirror, Juliana couldn't believe she was going into her last quarter of school. For the last six months she'd been interning at Stavros Building and Design. She got along really well with everyone and she was excited when she found out the business was expanding; to Montana. Cyrus was starting a branch out there and he had every intention of bringing her on board when she graduated. She was going to get to do what she enjoyed for a living and wasn't going to have to scramble to find work.
Staring at herself in the mirror, Juliana couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach. Cole had surprised her with an impromptu visit and he was waiting for her in the living room. He was taking her out to dinner and she was putting the finishing touches on the little bit of makeup she wore.
When she thought about how far they'd come since she first moved to Aspen Creek she couldn't believe it. They'd started out as friends and now they were so much more. They weren't mates, not yet, not officially anyway, but the closeness between them was the same level as that of mates.
Juliana smoothed her dress and then went to the living room where he waited. It was a dark gray silk dress that fit her like a glove. Even with two inch heels Cole was still taller than her, not that she was complaining.
"Hi there, beautiful," he said and kissed her gently.
"Hi yourself, handsome. You look good all dressed up. Well, I mean, you look good anyway but..."
Cole kissed her again to stop her. "I knew what you meant, Jules. I love this color on you," he told her then offered her his arm to escort her out. When he'd first arrived she'd tried to get him to tell her why he was there, he'd told her it was a surprise. What was he up to?
With Kalika's help, Cole had gotten them reservations at one of New York's more expensive restaurants. He wanted this night to be special and the romantic ambiance of the Italian restaurant would help set the mood. Cole held her hand most of the drive to the restaurant.
Juliana arched a brow when they reached the restaurant and a valet took the car to park it. She was suddenly nervous. Not bad nervous, just nervous about what he was planning with this dinner. She'd come to the conclusion some time ago that while he was in love with her and said he found her beautiful, he wasn't sexually attracted to her. After all, he'd had no trouble sleeping with Kelly when they were dating yet with her all he ever did was hold her or kiss her gently.
Cole waited until they were seated and their orders in before he reached over and took her hand. "Jules, there's something I need to say. I was drawn to you from the moment we met. It's taken a long time to get to this point and I don't know where life is going to take us but I do know one thing. I want to always be at your side. Tonight, I'm making you a promise to always be there when you need me. A promise to always support you and your dreams. A promise to love you until my dying day and then on into eternity. We both have things we still want to do. You have your career in architecture and I have my teaching, or I will, but this promise is not something I'll ever take back." He pulled a small velvet ring box from his pocket and opened it. Nestled inside was an iridescent teardrop shaped amethyst stone on a white gold band.
"Cole... it's beautiful," she said softly. "A promise for something more when we're both ready," she added. "I still sometimes think this is all just a dream and I'm going to wake up and find things are back the way they used to be."
"If this is a dream I don't want to wake up, Jules," he replied.
"Me either." She looked at the ring a moment then lifted her gaze to him. "Cole? Can I ask you something?" He nodded and she waited until their server delivered their meals before she continued. "Why don't you desire me? I mean, I know you love me and you want to protect me but..."
Cole stared at her. "Jules, what on earth makes you think I don't desire you?" he asked.
She looked down at the table. "You've never... even done more than kiss me and I know you did a lot more than that with Kelly and that was only after a few months of dating. We've been together over three years now."
Cole reached out and took her hand, causing her to look at him. "Jules, you have no idea just how much I do desire you. That, in high school, that was just sex. Anything between us would be so much more and I wanted to be sure you were ready for more. I don't want you to ever feel pressured by me." He growled softly. "You have no idea how much willpower it takes to keep from just saying the hell with it and push you up against a wall. Damn it, Jules, I crave you but you're worth waiting for."
Juliana tucked her hair behind her ears. "Here I was thinking you loved me but weren't attracted to me when really you're just being a gentleman. Have I told you lately just how amazing you are?" she asked.
"You're the amazing one, Jules." The restaurant had a small dance floor where couples could slow dance and he led her out onto it to dance with her. "I love you, Jules," he murmured in her ear.
"I love you too." It still amazed her to be able to say it and mean it.
Cole stayed for two days then headed back to Aspen Creek. He knew in just a few months she would be coming home for good.
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"I can't believe four years have gone by already and you're leaving us," Kalika said as she helped Jules pack her things. Her graduation was the next day and then her banishment ceremony so she could go home.
"It doesn't seem like it's been that long, does it?" Jules replied. "I'm gonna miss the late night ice cream runs," she added with a laugh.
"You have to come back to visit, and when you and Cole finally get married I expect an invitation," Kali replied.
"You can count on it." Jules stopped to study her. "Things okay with you and Skye?"
"Honestly? I don't know. Part of me wants to say the hell with it, throw caution to the wind and risk it all but the sensible part of me doesn't want to hurt my family and friends. She's not pressuring me to be a wolf, that's all on me. I just... I can see now why Cole risked it because I can't imagine how hard it will be for her to watch me grow old. Then again, I don't even know if we're still a couple so that may be moot. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, Jules," she told her. Truth was Kalika was in love and it scared the hell out of her.
"I'll try not to worry too much," Juliana replied.
A 'Bon Voyage' party was thrown for her and those who'd become friends with her since she'd come there all came to celebrate with her. Many were pack members but not all. Skye was among them. "Hey," Juliana said as she approached her. "So, I'm going to be that nosy friend who feels compelled to stick her nose where it may not belong. Are you mad at Kali? She's been a bit down the last few days and no it's not because I'm going home to Aspen Creek."
Skye thought about the question. "I'm not really mad, just frustrated. I care about Kali but she seems to think it's not fair to me because she's human. I don't give a damn about that. She's fucking amazing and... ugh."
"Have you told her what you just told me?"
Skye started to say 'Of course I have' when she closed her mouth and her eyes widened. "Excuse me, I need to go talk to my girl," she said and made a beeline for Kali.
Jules shook her head and went to get something to munch on.
"You're going to be missed, you know that, right?" Trevor said to her. "But you better keep in touch, missy," he added.
"I will. It's too bad I can't take my two favorite pack members back with me; you would be bored out of your mind and Skye isn't going to leave Kali."
Trevor hugged her. "If there were hotties to oogle I'd be okay," he joked. He wiped his eyes and grumbled. "I said I wasn't going to cry but better now than tomorrow at your banishment ceremony."
Juliana shuddered. "I'm not looking forward to that part. It's awful. You're suddenly all alone and it's just overwhelming."
"It sounds horrible," Trevor agreed. "No more sad talk, this is a party. Let's dance," he added and turned the music up.
Juliana laughed and put her troubled thoughts aside. She would have to deal with that soon enough.
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Bran joined Charles and Anna on the flight to New York. He'd already informed the pack he would be bringing Juliana back into the pack soon after her banishment from the Manhattan Pack was done. Why? Because he didn't want his granddaughter to go so many hours without being in a pack again.
"She's finally coming home. I can't wait to be able to unpack her things and put them back in her room where they belong," Anna said as they headed across country to their destination.
"We've all missed her," Bran agreed. "I have it on good authority that she will be missed when she leaves New York, too."
"Of course she will be. Everyone loves our Jules," Anna said proudly.
Bran smirked at her comment. It was true though. Because of her submissiveness, Juliana was adored by the people who came to know her.
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Bran couldn't have been more proud than he was in that moment when he watched his granddaughter walk across the stage and get her degree. She was a bright light in the long years of darkness he'd lived through. He knew he would feel this way again when first Lexia and then Amaris also made that walk.
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Several hours after her graduation, Juliana was surrounded by the wolves she'd called pack for the last four years. They were gathered to say goodbye to her and there were a lot of hugs and even some tears. When her Alpha stepped forward Juliana swallowed. "I hate this part," she muttered and squared her shoulders.
"No one ever likes this part," Chris told her then began.
Charles and Anna moved closer to their daughter to be there to steady her once it was done. She would be given a little time to get herself oriented and then Bran would bring her back into the Marrok where she belonged.
Juliana was leaning against her mother when Trevor approached. "I've been thinking about what you said, about how you'd take your two favorite pack members with you if you could. Would the Marrok Pack accept someone like me?" he asked.
Juliana straightened and gave him a serious look. "Are you serious about that? Aspen Creek, Montana is the middle of nowhere."
"I am aware of that, dahling," he said flippantly. "Honestly, as accepting ad Chris is, I don't always feel comfortable with the pack. I think it's easier for Skye just because there are only two other females in the pack and neither of them has an issue with her."
Juliana looped arms with him. "Let's go talk to my grandpa then."
Trevor blinked. "Wait, the Marrok is your.. oh, duh, I should have... that means your father is... how did I not figure that out before now?" he asked.
Jules laughed softly. "You never really had reason to think about it," she replied. "Come on," she added and went to Bran.
Bran watched his granddaughter approach with what others would have said was neutrality as if he didn't care one way or another. He'd perfected that look but it wasn't always easy to maintain where Juliana was concerned.
"Grandpa, this is my dear friend, Trevor Canton. He's interested in relocating to Aspen Creek, to the Marrok, but is unsure he'd be welcome."
"Why is that, pup?" Bran asked the wolf in question.
Trevor met his gaze briefly then lowered his head and tilted it submissively. "Most packs are still unwelcoming to a wolf who is gay," he replied.
"Is the Manhattan Pack so unwelcoming?"
"No sir, it's not that. My Alpha is accepting and many of the pack have no real issue with me, but there are times when I don't feel very comfortable with them," he admitted.
Bran studied him. "There are wolves in the Marrok who will not be accepting. Many of our wolves are old wolves, born in a time when homosexuality was kept hidden. But we also have a number of younger wolves with whom you might get along. Let's discuss this after Juliana's joining."
"Thank you, Marrok," Trevor said and moved away as Charles and Anna once again took up position on either side of Jules.
The joining was a little rough so soon after the banishment but when she was suddenly reconnected to her family Juliana let out a soft gasp and tears blurred her vision.
"There you are, little one," Charles murmured to her. When she turned to him he hugged her tightly. "Don't ask me to let you move across country again, I don't think I could do it."
"I won't, papa," she promised.
When Trevor informed his Alpha he too was leaving Chris wasn't completely surprised. "She's become like a little sister to you, figured you might decide to leave." He iinformed the others and more than a few seemed relieved by it.
"Damn it, that's not fair," Skye told him. "I'm losing two of my favorite people at once. I guess Kali and I will just have to visit, often, with the Marrok's permission of course. Take care of him for me, Jules. You know how much trouble he can get himself into."
Juliana laughed at that. "Don't worry, I'll watch out for him, Skye."
Once Trevor's banishment was done they went to help him pack what he wanted to take right away. Sasha and Skye would oversee the rest of the packing and get his stuff shipped to Montana.
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On the flight to Aspen Creek Anna and Jules took turns filling Trevor in on what the town was like, what the humans were like, and most of all what the wolves were like. They went into detail about everything they could think of, who to be cautious of, who was safe, and what to expect in October. It was a lot for him to process but he did well enough. "The wild card in all this is Asil. He's... unpredictable, he could go either way, so around him, be careful until you know how he feels about you being gay," Anna told him.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Trevor promised.
"Until we have a place for you, you will use one of the guest rooms in the home I share with my mate and our daughter. We are careful with what we show Lexia of that part of ourselves because she is only eight and not quite old enough to fully understand it all," Bran told him.
"I will be careful, Marrok," Trevor promised.
"Good," was all Bran said.
"Oh, Trev, you should know there are over seventy wolves in our pack so it's a little... well, overwhelming, not like the banishment ceremony is, but being connected to so many at once is a bit of a whammy," Juliana told him as they landed.
"Oh, that's going to be fun," Trevor replied with a dry chuckle.
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When the plane landed Cole had to force himself to wait for Juliana to get off. After four long years his girl was finally home for good. No more long distances, no more aching to see her but not being able to, no more running in the mountains and wishing she was at his side. When she finally stepped off the plane he headed for her.
Juliana saw him there and ran into his arms. When he picked her up and spun her while he hugged her she laughed. "Put me down, you silly wolf," she teased.
Cole kissed her quickly and put her on her feet. That was when he saw the wolf who'd traveled with them. He'd met Trevor on one of his visits to Jules. "I wasn't expecting to see you. Does this mean you're joining the pack?"
"It does. Alas, I couldn't live without the laughter of our favorite submissive," Trevor said dramatically.
"Oh boy, you are going to shake things up here," Anna said and shook her head.
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Trevor was given a day to adjust to the time difference and his surroundings before he was brought into the pack. "Holy hell, that packed a punch," he said when he was able to catch his breath.
"I warned you," Juliana told him.
"True, true. This is... amazing, being connected to so many others. Losing this when you came to New York had to have been really rough on you."
Jules nodded. "I felt lost and alone. It's not something I ever want to feel again."
"You won't have to," Cole murmured. "You're home and I, for one, have no intention of letting you go away again," he added with a soft growl.
Juliana blushed a little and leaned into him. "We should take Trevor on a run into the mountains. He's always been a city boy so he's never felt the real freedom we have here."
"Sounds good to me, you game, Trevor?" Cole asked.
Trevor nodded. "Oh yes. Jules has regaled me with tales of how great it feels," he replied.
Trevor's first run into the wilderness of Montana was enthralling. There were so many new scents for him to learn, so many trails to follow. He stayed near Cole and Juliana and the trio were joined by Kara as they ran. A sliver of a moon rose above them and they lifted their voices to it in song.
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A week after Juliana returned to Aspen Creek she and Kara took Trevor shopping in Troy. She had no idea they'd gotten her out of the house so Cole could talk with her parents about something very important.
"Hello, Cole, Jules isn't here," Anna said when she answered her door to find him standing there.
"I know. Kara and Trevor took her shopping with them. I'm actually here to speak with you and Mr. Cornick," Cole replied.
"Alright. Come inside and have a seat, I'll go get Charles. He's downstairs working."
Cole nodded and sat in one of the chairs to wait for them.
"We have a visitor," Anna told her husband. "Cole is here to speak with both of us."
Charles gave his wife a look. "Let's go see what the boy wants, then."
"He's not really a boy anymore, Charles," Anna pointed out.
Charles made a dismissive noise. To him he was. "Anna tells me you want to speak with us. What's this about?" he asked Cole once they were in the living room.
"You know that I love Jules, with every fiber of my being. I know I have your blessing to ask her to marry me when we're both ready for that and I'm grateful. But... I want more than marriage. I want to ask Jules to be my mate. I'm just not sure how to do it or if there's some special words that have to be said or something."
"There is a ceremony that is performed but the mate bond itself is more an agreement between the two of you. You tell her what you feel, what you want, and let her decide if it's what she wants as well," Anna told him. Of course her daughter wanted that with him, she'd felt that way for a long time.
"Does this mean I have your blessing for that as well?" Cole asked.
"Yes. You've proven how much she means to you. But know this, if you ever hurt her you will suffer, greatly," Charles told him.
"If I ever hurt her I'd deserve it," Cole replied. "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Cornick."
Anna shook her head. "Cole, you're pack and you're going to be family, no more of this Mr. and Mrs. Cornick stuff. We're Charles and Anna."
"That... will take some getting used to but okay. Anna."
"Good. Go make your plans," Anna told him and watched him go.
"Does he really think Juliana won't want to be his mate?" Charles asked once he was gone.
Anna laughed. "I think the poor thing is too nervous to realize how silly it is to be nervous."
Charles smirked a little. "Something tells me our daughter will be keeping him on his toes for a long time to come."
"Oh lord, I need to have the 'talk' with her. And someone needs to warn him about the risks so they're careful," Anna said suddenly. The thought of her daughter getting pregnant and having to go through miscarriage made he feel a little ill.
"We'll take care of it," Charles told her before he went back to work.
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"Jules, sweetheart, there's something I need to talk to you about," Anna said that evening.
Juliana was at her drawing board working on a design for a house Stavros Building and Design was hired to build but she set her pencil down and turned to her. "What's wrong, mama?"
Anna pulled a chair over so she could sit near her daughter. She was glad her daughter had added two comfortable chairs the last time she redecorated her room. "There's not anything wrong, not really. I realized there are some things I never talked about with you, because of your age, and I need to fix that. I'm not going to give you the birds and the bees talk," she said at the look on her daughter's face. "Er, at least, not the way you think. You're an intelligent young woman, you know what sex is. However, there are things you need to know about werewolves. Because our change is so violent we cannot carry a pregnancy to term. Your Aunt Chloe is unique because she's part fae. If, when your relationship with Cole progresses to that point, please be careful. It would hurt my heart to see you go through a miscarriage."
Juliana shuddered at the thought. "That's so sad," she said softly. "But it makes sense. What about when the woman is human and the man is the werewolf?" she asked curiously.
"Sadly, many pregnancies between wolf and human end in miscarriage too. The only pregnancies that have a chance to survive are when the fetus is human.."
Jules blinked because her vision was suddenly blurry. "All those babies... all those families hurt by such loss. It's not fair."
"No, it's not, but it's the nature of what we are," Anna replied.
Juliana moved to where her mother was and sat on the floor to put her head in Anna's lap. "Thank you for telling me, mama. Do you think, if Cole and I got married and we wanted children, we could adopt?" she asked.
Anna ran her finger's through her daughter's hair. "That's something we don't know yet but there are a few couples looking into it. We'll see what happens." She looked down at her. "I'm glad you don't think you're too old to do this. I've missed you, sweetheart. And your papa, you have no idea how bad it has been for him. Brother Wolf was miserable without his pup around."
Juliana laughed softly. "I'll bet." She sighed and sat up. "I missed everyone so much but I think going out there was good for me, I proved to myself I can do anything I set my mind to. And I made some really good friends, like Skye and Trevor. I'm glad he came with us because he was right, there were quite a few who weren't happy with him being in the pack but the Alpha's word is law so they kept it to themselves."
"He's an interesting character, that's for sure," Anna said. "I'll let you get back to work," she added and left.
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Cole debated on how he wanted to go about asking Juliana to be his mate and settled on taking her on a picnic. Why a picnic? Because he knew how much she loved the outdoors. He packed food in a basket and draped a blanket over it for them to sit on. Then he went to see her. "Hey, beautiful. I think you need a break, you've been working almost non-stop on that design," he told her once he'd gotten to her house.
"I'm almost done though," she said over her shoulder.
Cole moved to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "A break will give you time to re-energize yourself to get it done. Besides, when was the last time you ate?"
Jules blushed. "Um... breakfast," she admitted.
"Come on, I've got lunch packed away on the 4-wheeler."
When her stomach growled she laughed softly. "Okay, okay." She let him lead her out of there and slid onto the back of the 4-wheeler once he'd gotten on. With her arms wrapped around him, Jules pressed her cheek to his back and closed her eyes. She loved being able to hold him so close and have no one's scent but her own clinging to him.
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Once they reached the alcove in the mountains that had become their spot, Cole spread the blanket out and set up their food.
Juliana watched him with a faint smile. "You even brought dessert?" she said when she saw the pie.
"Mmhm, blueberry, you're favorite," he replied. He held a hand up to her and when she took it he tugged her down to the blanket with him. He kissed her slowly then forced himself to end it so he could fix their plates. "I could do that, you know," she said and he shook his head "Today I am taking care of you," he countered.
"Okay." She sat patiently and waited for him to hand her a plate. Baked chicken breasts stuffed with mushrooms and cheese, potato salad, fresh baked bread, and the pie for dessert. It was all delicious."What's the occasion?" she asked once they'd finished eating.
"Jules, I love you more than anything else in this world. When we're ready I will follow through on this promise," he said and touched the ring on her hand. "But I don't want just a wife, just a lover. I want a mate," he said and swallowed nervously. "Will you accept me as your mate?"
Juliana stared at him. His nervousness over her reply was really sweet. She thought about how to answer and went with something she knew would convey her answer. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
Cole groaned at the kiss. "Is that a yes?" he asked.
"Yes. Don't you know that's what I've wanted, what my wolf has wanted, for years?" she asked softly.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out," he murmured.
"I forgive you," she replied.
When they kissed again it was filled with passion, longing, and need. Now that their human halves had made the decision it was as if their wolves decided to take over and solidify the bond between them. Hands roamed, clothing was removed, and Cole's eyes gazed down at the woman he loved, at his mate, and for the first time he saw her. Before, when shifting, he wouldn't let himself see her, he didn't want to embarrass either of them. But now as he gazed down at her he let the desire he felt for her fill his eyes. "You are absolutely beautiful," he breathed and slid a hand down her body to caress her skin.
Juliana arched into his caress even as she blushed at the compliment. "When you look at me like that I feel beautiful," she replied.
"I will endeavor to make sure you always feel that way," he promised and then he took his time making love to her for the first time. He was careful, gentle, and he made sure her body was ready for him when he finally entered her. As they moved together their bond was solidified and it brought tears to Juliana's eyes.
Later, as they lay there relaxing in the sunlight, Juliana snuggled closer to him and buried her nose against his neck. It took a long time for them to get to this point, but looking back, Juliana realized she wouldn't change a thing. All they'd gone through, it brought them to this point and made them a stronger couple for it. This was one tie she was glad it took a while to bind, because it made them the people they were today. As her eyes drifted closed she knew, no matter where life led them now, he would always be at her side.
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A/N: I would like to thank those who have read, followed, favorited, or reviewed this for joining me on Juliana's adventure. As with my other stories, Juliana's and Cole's story isn't finished. When I have the time and I have my other projects done, I will pick up with these two and see where my muse takes them!