Chapter 37

Julia

While I didn’t have many clients to meet with, it was still going to be a full day. Hadley was stopping by to talk to me about werewolves and try to help me better understand what was going on with Gryph. Thankfully, I had a few minutes to myself before my meeting. Gryph had gone downstairs to deal with several unexpected deliveries. Nothing was coming up to Bliss unless he knew about it. Oliver was busy napping on the sofa in my office. He was mad at me for refusing to let his friends visit. He was further annoyed that Allie had taken the morning off to take Sam to the vet. It seemed he and Sam were now good friends. Who knew terrorizing enchanted bunny slippers could be such a bonding experience?

There was a soft knock at my door. Since the familiars’ rampage through the reception area, we still hadn’t replaced the broken intercom system.

“Your appointment just arrived,” Persephone called out in a cheerful voice.

“Can you send her back, please?” I asked.

“Sure,” Persephone replied.

“Thank you,” I told her.

Hadley entered my office with a warm smile. Her blue eyes locked with mine as she said, “You must be Julia.” Her brown hair was cut extremely short, accentuating her angular face.

“And you must be Hadley. Thank you for coming here to meet me,” I told her. “I know this isn’t the most convenient location.”

“It’s fine,” Hadley assured me. “Evie told me a little about what’s going on, so I understand why you need to meet in a more secure place.”

When Hadley took a seat on the sofa next to Oliver, my familiar’s eyes opened, and he growled at her.

“Don’t be rude, Oliver,” I warned.

“She smells funny,” he complained. “I don’t like her.”

“You don’t even know her,” I chided. “She’s my guest. If you can’t be nice, you can go sit with Persephone.”

Oliver gave me the beagle version of a you’ve got to be kidding me look before responding. “Persephone is still mad at me because her plant got knocked over when I was playing with my friends.”

It was an exaggeration to say Persephone was mad at Oliver. She certainly hadn’t been happy about having to clean up the mess. She’d also let the familiars know she was disappointed in them. Oliver was just being overly sensitive.

“If you don’t want to go out there, then I suggest you be nice to Hadley,” I told him.

Rather than agreeing to either option, Oliver moved to the far end of the room and let out a pitiful doggy whimper.

“Sorry,” I told her. “Oliver likes very few people, and he definitely has something against werewolves.”

Hadley waved off my apology. “It makes perfect sense. Beagles have very sensitive noses that can be easily overwhelmed. Werewolves put off one of the stronger scents.”

“He still needs to learn to be less rude about it,” I told her.

“Diplomacy is hard,” Hadley added. I looked over and noticed Oliver was watching her with new interest. He seemed to like her defense of him. “I live in an apartment complex surrounded by humans. I have to avoid being home on weekends so I don’t end up snapping at people for how strong their food smells.”

“I don’t blame you for that,” I told her, wrinkling my nose. “One of my sisters has some really questionable taste in food.”

“I’m not sure I want to know what she eats,” Hadley told me with a laugh. “So, what did you want to know about werewolves? Evie thought it would be better if you told me what was going on.”

“You’ll tell me if I’m asking too many questions, right?” I asked. “We just met, and I’m worried I’ll be asking too much of you, despite what Evie said.”

“I doubt you could ask me anything more intrusive than some of the werewolves at the pack meetings do. You only want to ask about werewolves in general, while some of them want to know every intimate detail of my life,” Hadley assured me. “Evie says you’re dating a werewolf. I can see how that would create a lot of confusion. Werewolves are too damn secretive at times, and we don’t usually date in the traditional sense. Does his pack know about the two of you? I haven’t been part of the local pack in a very long time, but as I understand it, they still aren’t in favor of intermingling with other species.”

“Thankfully, that’s one problem we don’t have to worry about. Gryph isn’t a member of the pack anymore,” I explained.

Hadley’s blue eyes widened. “Gryph? As in the former head enforcer for the local pack? That is who you’re dating?”

“That’s him,” I confirmed. “I should have guessed you’d know who I was talking about. From what I’ve heard, he made quite a name for himself as an enforcer.

“I wonder why Evie didn’t tell me you’re dating Gryph,” Hadley uttered before falling silent. I gave her a little time to process what I’d said. She likely had trouble picturing him in a relationship with me or anyone else. “Gryph saved my life,” she finally said.

“I imagine many members of the pack have stories of him saving their lives,” I added. “I’ll bet he was a good enforcer.” It still made me angry that they’d repaid his years of service by casting him out of the pack when he’d needed them.

Hadley shook her head. “He didn’t save my life as an enforcer,” she corrected me. “I mean, he was an enforcer when he saved my life, but he wasn’t killing people to protect me.”

“What happened?” I asked. When Hadley looked at me, there was sadness and loss in her eyes. “You don’t have to answer that,” I quickly added.

“It’s fine. I’ve moved past that time, but it was definitely the darkest point in my life. Sometimes, it’s hard to think about. If you’re dating Gryph, I want you to know what he did for me. I had a lot of issues with depression,” Hadley began. “I still do, but I take medication now, and I’ve learned other coping mechanisms. During my teen years, I didn’t think it was possible to be happy. I couldn’t get help in the pack. It wasn’t okay to need help with mental health issues.”

“I’ve heard about the problems with werewolves being cast out for these types of issues,” I told her. “You shouldn’t have been made to feel you couldn’t get help.”

“I totally agree,” Hadley said with a sad smile. “That’s why I work so hard to educate packs. Sadly, my old pack still won’t listen to anyone, but others have changed because of the work I do with my team.”

I nodded. “I’ve heard about some of the work you’ve been doing. It’s really great that you can help others, and I think you’re very brave for facing the packs.”

Hadley let out a soft laugh. “It can be scary at times,” she admitted. “I had a situation a few months back that turned really ugly. Thankfully, Evie and my mate were also with me. Despite the danger, I’m happy with what I do.”

“Tell me how Gryph saved your life,” I prompted.

“When I attempted suicide, Gryph was the one who took me to the hospital,” she explained. “I’m sure the pack expected him to just drop me off and leave. Instead, he stayed with me as long as he could. He told me he thought the pack should stand by me. Even my parents wouldn’t come see me at the hospital. Gryph was the only wolf who offered me comfort that day. Memories of his kindness have stuck by me through the years. They’re part of the reason I was willing to try to get the packs to change. Without Gryph’s support that day, I might have believed no one cared. It gave me hope that things could change.”

“He is much more than he seems,” I mused.

“Yes, he is,” Hadley agreed. “It sounds like you already appreciate that about him.”

“I do,” I replied. “At first, I was determined to avoid having any feelings for him, but it seems I can’t help myself. That scares me, but I really care about Gryph. I want to make things work, but I’m confused. I don’t always understand what’s going on with him. I’m not sure what to think about where he stands with all of this, and he’s not great at explaining it to me.”

“Are you worried about Gryph’s feelings?” she asked before adding, “Are you afraid he might not care about you as much as you care about him?”

“Somewhat,” I admitted. “I don’t know if Gryph loves me or if he just feels like we have to be together because he thinks I’m his mate.”

“His mate?” Hadley asked cautiously.

“He’s referred to me as his mate several times,” I explained. “I guess that’s the werewolf term for girlfriend.”

“He used the word mate to describe what you are to him?” Hadley asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “Months ago, he said I was his mate. He’s also said it several times since then.”

“That’s pretty serious,” Hadley remarked. “You’re sure he didn’t just say you were his?”

“He does say I’m his, but he also uses the word mate,” I assured her, suddenly realizing I might have underestimated the significance of what Gryph was saying. “He’s also said it’s why he can’t just have sex with me. I’ve never heard of werewolves choosing to remain celibate until marriage. Gryph has also been willing to do plenty of other things to me.”

She laughed softly. “Werewolves aren’t known for sexual restraint, but Gryph definitely can’t just have sex with you if you’re his mate,” she agreed. “He could if you were a werewolf, but you being a witch complicates matters. I’ve never heard of something like this happening before.”

“Why can’t he just have sex with me?” I asked.

“Werewolves only have one mate,” she began.

“But I haven’t agreed to be his mate yet,” I argued. “He may want me to be his mate, but there’s got to be more to it than that. Among witches, a warlock can recognize a witch as his, but he needs a bonding ceremony before it’s official. Werewolves must have something like that, too.”

“You don’t need to agree for it to be a fact,” she argued. “The males are usually the first to recognize their mate, but it can be the other way around. Once they recognize their mate, they experience a nearly overwhelming desire to claim and mark her.”

“He may have just been using that term to mean girlfriend, like I said before,” I pointed out. “I’m not a werewolf.”

“He wouldn’t use that term unless he’s certain you’re his mate,” Hadley insisted. “From what you’ve said, he’s trying to make sure you’re ready before he claims you. This is a good thing. You definitely need to make sure you’re ready before Gryph marks you. There’s no going back once that happens.”

“So, if I seduce Gryph, I’ll become his mate for real?” I asked, not sure I understood. Bonding was much more complex with witches. “Maybe I shouldn’t have sex with Gryph if that’s the case. What if he finds a werewolf he wants for his mate later? That seems like it would be much better for him in the long run.”

Unbidden anger rose to the surface. I didn’t want Gryph to find a werewolf. A voice in the back of my mind shouted he was mine and I wouldn’t let him go.

Hadley shook her head. “If he already recognizes you as his mate, you’re his mate. He’ll never find another. It’s hard to get the wolf and the human side to agree on a mate. Once they do, they don’t change their minds. You’re it for Gryph, and it says a lot about his restraint that he’s resisted the urge to claim you.”

That realization weighed heavily on me.

I smiled when I heard the knock on my office door. It was Gryph. His knock consisted of one fist pound against the door.

“Come on in, Gryph,” I called out.

He entered the room, hesitantly scenting the air. He’d have noticed there was a werewolf in the office. With his werewolf hearing, he’d definitely heard at least part of my conversation with Hadley. “Hadley?” he asked.

“Hi, Gryph,” she greeted him with a warm smile. Her eyes remained downcast, likely because she’d grown up behaving that way around Gryph.

“It’s good to see you smiling,” he remarked as he closed the door behind him and leaned against it. “Can I assume life has been good to you?”

“It has,” Hadley replied. “I’ve got a good life and a mate I love.”

His eyes drifted to me, and I knew his next words were as much for me as they were for Hadley. “A good mate can make all the difference.”

Heat flooded my body, and I was a little embarrassed that I was getting turned on in a room with two werewolves, both of them able to tell my reaction just by my scent.

“What have you been up to?” she asked.

“Just doing some security work,” he replied with a shrug. “Basically, I’m doing the same thing I was with the pack. I hear you’ve been causing all sorts of trouble among the packs.”

Hadley’s grin widened. “I’ve been doing my best to stir things up.”

“Good for you,” he said with a nod. “Things need stirring up. What were you two talking about?”

“You,” I admitted. Even if I’d wanted to lie, he already knew what we were talking about. “I was asking Hadley about werewolf stuff, and she ended up telling me how you saved her life.”

“The doctors saved her life,” Gryph argued.

“You were part of it,” Hadley stated. “So, a witch as a mate? That’s certainly unusual.”

“It’s a good thing I’m not in the pack anymore,” was Gryph’s reply.

“Now, we just have to deal with the witches,” I muttered, not looking forward to our meeting with the Council of Witches that night. Tatiana’s parents had insisted on a council inquiry into her disappearance, and I was being interviewed as part of that inquiry.

“Don’t worry, Sass,” Gryph murmured as he moved to my side, placing a hand on my shoulder. “They won’t have time to worry about anything going on between us.”

I snorted. “That might be true of most witches, but my dad is going to be in the building, and he will definitely be curious.”

“Are you ashamed to have me meet your father?” he asked.

Hadley’s laughter interrupted our discussion, and when Gryph looked over at her, she explained herself. “I’m laughing because you’re acting like she’s worried something will happen to her. She’s worried her father will be mean to you.”

“Is that true, Sass?” he asked, reaching out to stroke my cheek with the back of his knuckles.

I nodded and turned to look up at him. “My dad is already unhappy with me, and I’m afraid he’ll take it out on you.”

“Don’t worry,” he assured me. “One of the benefits of having the big bad wolf at your side is that I’m scarier than everyone else. I’ll be fine.”

I snorted. Gryph was clearly living in denial. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”