The Hybrid’s Second Chance
Chapter 38

Julianna's

POV

When I opened the door, I was surprised to see Margaret on the other side. She was smiling, but the smile looked a little forced to me.

"Margaret, is something wrong?" I asked, confused.

"No, not at all. I thought you could use some help organizing all your things."

"Did Alex send you?"

"No, I thought I would come on my own."

"I think I have most of it done already, but you're welcome to come in." Stepping aside, she came into the foyer, her heels clicking on the hardwood. I led the way back upstairs and into my closet. Margaret began picking up items and placing them on hangers. "How are you liking it here so far, Julianna? I see you're moving into Alexander's room."

"Oh yeah, I figured he wouldn't mind. But the pack is nice. Everyone's been very welcoming."

"Well, once I start showing you what it means to be a Luna and Queen, you might change your mind."

"How so?"

"It's just a very difficult job, even for the most experienced Lycan."

"Is she trying to scare us or something?" Sofia wondered.

"Possibly, but it's not going to work. Remember what Alex and Hannah said? She's only nice when she wants something."

"How did you find the pack house this morning?"

"It was beautiful, and much different than what I had back in my old pack."

"Yes, I remember you saying. And how are you feeling after leaving the hospital?"

"I feel good, much better than I thought I would so soon after getting out. Alex really has been so good to me."

"Yes, well, you're his mate, so that's to be expected."

"Look, I know you're not thrilled with me being his mate, but I want you to know I really care about him and I'm not going anywhere." I told her this to let her know how deep my feelings for Alex were, but also to let her know she wasn't going to be able to scare me away so easily. She smiled at me, in a way that told me she was holding back a sarcastic comment.

"I'm surprised Dr. Williams let you out of the hospital so early." Her saying that made me remember I was supposed to go to the hospital today for him to take my stitches out.

"Oh, I just remembered I was supposed to meet with Dr. Williams to get my stitches removed today."

"Really? That soon?"

"Yeah, he said I was healing pretty quickly. I should probably go before it gets too late."

"I'll come with you."

"Are you sure?" Her wanting to spend this much time with me seemed strange.

"Absolutely, what kind of mother-in-law would I be if I let you do this alone, since Alexander is so busy today."

"Okay, thanks." I walked out into the bedroom and back down the stairs. She opened the door and gestured for me to go out first.

"Thank you," I told her as I walked past. The first half of the walk to the hospital was silent, but there was heavy tension between us.

"After we finish with this, would you like to go on a tour of the pack lands with me? I can show you where the border is and explain how our patrol schedule works."

"Sure, how long do you think that will take? Alex is expecting to meet me for lunch or at least come and visit him later."

"It shouldn't take longer than an hour or so. I know these lands very well, having been the Queen for so long."

"Is she just rubbing that in our face or something?"

"I have no clue." We arrived at the hospital and Margaret went in first.

"Dr. Williams?" she called as we got closer to his office.

"Luna Margaret, Luna Julianna! I thought you had forgotten about coming today. I was just about to mind link Alpha Alexander to remind him."

"Sorry, I did forget until Margaret mentioned something about it."

"That's not a problem, you're here now and we can get started. Luna, if you'll follow me into the exam room."

"I'll just wait outside and let you have some privacy," Margaret said. She left Dr. Williams and I alone, going to what I expected was the waiting area in the lobby. I followed him into an exam room, where he handed me a hospital gown. "You can go behind that curtain and change while I go prep the supplies."

"Okay, thank you." I took the gown and went to change. When I came back out, Dr. Williams was still gone, so I took a seat on the exam table and waited.

"It's kinda cool we're gonna have a scar. We can make up some crazy story to tell people if they ask about it," Sofia said.

"You're really enjoying this aren't you?"

"Now that we didn't die and we're mated to the hottest Lycan in the world, he** yeah I am. We can tell people we got it fighting a pack of rogues or something!" I laughed as Dr. Williams came back into the room carrying a tray. "Something funny?" he asked.

"Just my wolf."

"What's your wolf's name, if I may ask?"

"Sofia."

"Well, I look forward to meeting her one day. Would you please lay down on your stomach?" Doing what he asked, he covered my lower half with paper again. I appreciated his attempt to keep what little dignity I had left.

"So, Luna, is it alright if I ask you more about your former pack?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

"How did you find it there?"

"It wasn't a good place for me. I was hated for being a hybrid and all I wanted was to get away from them. My mom is the only reason I stayed. I ended up being mated to the Alpha's son, who wouldn't let me reject him even though I tried." "It all sounds very complicated."

"It was. I'm just happy it's all over now." We talked about my pack more while he snipped and removed my stitches. It took longer than I was expecting, but finally I heard him put the scissors down.

"Okay, we're all done, Luna. You've healed beautifully and all that should remain is a small scar." I sat up and looked at him.

"Thank you, Dr. Williams, I owe you, my life." Reaching out, I shook his hand.

"My dear, there are not more thanks needed as I've already told Alpha Alexander. I look forward to seeing the amazing things you do as our Luna." He kissed the back of my hand. "Now, I think you need to go meet Luna Margaret; you're going to quickly learn she's not a patient person. Come back for anything else you might need." He left the room, and I hopped off the table, putting my clothes back on. Margaret was waiting for me in the lobby. She looked a little annoyed I had taken so long.

"Sorry, that took longer than I was expecting." I didn't know why I was apologizing for something I had no control over.

"That's alright, we can get going now." I followed her out of the hospital and Margaret went immediately towards the woods. "We're starting in there?"

"Yes, I thought I would show you the border first. Making sure this pack stays secure is one of the most important things, and that starts with knowing where our territory starts and ends. You'll also be responsible for planning all the events for the pack. We have a lot of them, so that's also a lot to handle. It's planning menus, decorations, seating charts, organizing the guest lists, things like that. You'll be expected to help Alexander lead the pack and make important decisions too. You might also have to take on pack matters alone when he's away on business. There's book after book you'll need to memorize about our laws and customs."

"That seems like a lot of responsibility," I told her.

"It really is, which is why not just anyone can become the Queen. She needs to be strong, a leader. That's why it's so strange to me that Alexander was mated to a wolf. Usually, they don't have the capacity for responsibility like this."

"Is she trying to piss us off?" Sofia barked. She continued further into the woods, until she finally came to a stop. "This is the border where Alexander found you."

"Yeah, he took me here before. This was one of the first....." I didn't finish my sentence because there was a piercing pain in my neck. Something was being jammed into me, and I could feel the cold of liquid running through my veins. "I'm sorry, but I've worked too hard to get this pack to where it is. If you're the Luna and Queen, you'll screw it all up." Margaret was standing behind me breathing into my ear.

"What.... Marg....." The world around me was growing dark as I stumbled sideways, falling to the ground.

"Sofia...." But she wasn't there. That meant I had just been injected with wolfsbane. How was this happening? I knew Margaret wanted me gone, but I didn't think she would go to such extreme levels.

"Alex...." I called out weakly. The wolfsbane was quickly taking effect, the forest was getting blurry, and it was getting harder to keep my eyes open. I fell to the ground, and red high heels approaching me was the last thing I saw before everything went black.