19 Chivalry

Julien was around the corner on the other side of the stairs when he heard Brock flirting with Lacey. His wolf growled inside, wanting to protect what was his. He was actually proud of Lacey for standing up to Brock like that and for turning him down, but Julien knew that he would probably have to have a talk with Brock before it was over. But if he wouldn't take no for an answer from Lacey, then he was going to take no for an answer from him.

Julien headed toward the stairs and Brock jumped back, not expecting to see him. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen up," Julien said, his voice low. "Lacey is the future Alpha Mate... my mate... so leave her alone." He narrowed his eyes. "Trust me. You don't want to get on my bad side."

Julien stared at him for a moment and then nodded once. "Good to know." Then he walked on, appearing to be unaffected. But Brock had been loyal to him for years and Julien wasn't going to throw that away just because Brock was being stupid. But he had been warned.

Julien headed up the stairs, taking his time. He had a while to get ready before he met Lacey, but he needed a shower. He had been dealing with some rogue Wildclaws on the edge of the Harvest Moon Pack property line, threating to cross over, but it appeared that the rogues had been playing with them, scoping out the lay of the land, possibly scouts for the other Wildclaws. They were preparing something, but Julien would not have his men attack without cause.

All day on the mission, his men had been talking about Lacey. Her abilities and knowledge. The way she had taken down Brock when he popped off. Julien had just let them talk, listening to what they said about her. But when they drew near the Wildclaws, he had told them to focus, bringing their admiration of Lacey to an end.

After fighting alongside her against the rogue Wildclaws when they first met, Julien had known that she was a fierce warrior, but he had no idea as to the extent of her skills. At that moment, he knew he had made the right choice in a Warrior Trainer and in a mate. The whole trip, he couldn't help but think of Lacey in the small dining room, admiring his paintings.

What he couldn’t tell Lacey was that he had stopped painting after Shana left. There was just no reason to paint anymore, having had closed the door tightly to it. But now, Lacey had brought in a glimpse of sunshine through the door and was giving him hope. Hope for the future, hope for his pack, and hope for him.

He quickly showered and dressed for dinner, getting ready early. So, he stood in front of the big picture window in his master bedroom and looked out, thinking of Lacey. Since he met her, she had invaded his mind and his thoughts... every moment of the day. And Lacey had even invaded his dreams, taking a starring role. At first, he wasn't sure what to do with her. Now, he was.

He dressed in a black suit with a white, long sleeve shirt and his best gold cufflinks, but opted to leave the shirt open at the collar. Then he donned his best black boots, and put on his Rolex watch, ready.

Julien headed out the door, finding himself eager to see Lacey. Keeping a normal pace, he walked down the five flights of stairs. On the stairs just before Julien reached the bottom floor, he heard Lacey.

"Get away from me!" she yelled. "God help you if Julien sees you! I don't want to hurt you, but I will!"

When Julien came around the corner, Brock had her pinned against the wall, his body pressed tightly to hers. Scar was standing to the side, laughing.

From her vantage point, Lacey couldn't see him. "That's it," she said, her voice suddenly calm. "I warned you." Dressed in an evening gown, she flipped him over her shoulder and rammed the heel of her shoe into his chest. Then she walked purposefully toward Scar.

"Enough!" Julien bellowed, using the Alpha timbre in his voice. "Scar, leave us."

"But she—"

"I said, leave us!" he yelled, his eyes glowing gold.

She nodded and then walked out the front door, letting it slam closed behind her.

Then he walked over to Brock and his wound in his chest was already healing. Julien reached down and pulled him to his feet, grabbing him by the shirt collar. "What the h*ll were you thinking, Brock?"

Brock pulled free and wiped the blood from his lip where he had hit the floor. "Well, you don't want her!" He shrugged. "Why can't I have her, or any of the rest of us?"

Julien reared back and punched him hard in the jaw, feeling it crack under his fist when the punch landed. "Take him to the dungeon!"

"No!" Brock yelled as other shifters that had gathered grabbed his arms. "Get off me!" Then he looked over at Julien. "For how long?"

Julien stepped up close to him. "For as long as it takes you to remember how to respect a lady. Lacey is your future Alpha Queen, and you will respect her as such!"

Brock smirked. "And will you?"

Rage filled Julien's chest. "Take him!"

"You can't do this to me!" Brock yelled as other shifters pulled him from the room.

"Are you okay?" he asked Lacey, approaching her slowly.

She nodded but was visibly shaking. "If you don't mind, I'd like to freshen up. I'll be right back."

Julien nodded. "I'll go with you to stand outside the door to make sure no harm comes to you." He wrapped his arm around her waist. "I'll have a talk with the pack tomorrow. I promise you this will not happen again."

And as he led her slowly from the room, he knew that everything had changed, but on the other hand, nothing had changed. He was going to have to see about that.