The God of War - Editing

Max POV

Terry and Karl were waiting for me at the back door. “Set them in the war room. Julie is sleeping in my office, and I do not want them there. Get Ger to guard the door with Conor. I want all the warriors on high alert.” I sprint to my room to get some clothes. They were here uninvited, and I had to be prepared for anything.

As soon as I walked to the war room, Ares released a feral growl. “I will kill anyone that tried to take her for us, Max.” Karl, that was walking with me, got startled and said. “It is the wolf council, Max. You better get your head straight and deal with Ares. She is your fated mate. They can’t take her from you. But if Ares retaliates, we will have problems.”

“The news might be already out of what she can do, Karl, and if anyone else knows about this book, she will be even more in danger.” I knew that when other packs found out Julie had powers, they could try to take her from me. We already had a higher number of skilled healers, which put us at an advantage in war, and I was keeping my cool because we do not advertise our wolves’ names, and if anyone knew about the book, they would not be able to make the connection.

“The wolf council will not want us to have this powerful family and what the Blue Moon will become once my pups are born. If Ares senses anything, I will not hold him back, Karl. I have not fully accepted her yet to protect her, and Aphrodite said it will only relish my full powers once we are mated, and I have accepted Julie in my heart.”

“Max!” I could sense how worried Karl was. “No, Karl. The council is here uninvited, and they have not even scheduled a visit as they should. I want all the warriors on high alert. We are not sure what we are dealing with here.” I pushed the door and let my Alpha aura show. I would not back down if they wanted to take her.

“Gentlemen, I was not expecting a visit.” I thought they would have sent the diplomats, but no the four elders that were the head of the council were here in person, and I knew it was not a good sign. Jordan, the elder of them, spoke first. “Alpha Maximus. I forgot how beautiful your land was. The air is fresher here compared to the capital.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I am sure you did not come here looking for fresh air, Jordan. Tell me, what is this about?” He laughed. “Always straight to the point. You were never as diplomatic as your father and grandfather. But again, they did not have a powerful wolf as you have. Thinking of it, pretty much no one ever had.”

Ares growled at Jordan. We knew if Jordan could, he would have made us join the council years ago. “Why don’t you tell me what you are doing on my land uninvited?” Ferdinand clapped his hand. He was the peacemaker, always called to packs to get treaties between Alphas.

Smiling, he said in a soft tone. “We came because Alpha Michael White raised a complaint against you. You took his Omega while you were there on a visit, and we let it slide because it was you, and you probably wanted to play with the Omega, but another complaint came about you.” He looked at kell, the youngest and the smartest in the council, and he nodded.

“A severe complaint this time, and we could not look the other way. It was said that you are mated to a witch.” Terry looked at me, and Ferdinand continued. “You know we do not accept cross-breeding, and an Alpha as you cannot be mated to a witch. We are aware the matting has not been completed yet, and we are here to stop it.”

If they were here for that, I could prove Julie was not a witch. It would be easy to control. I put my walls up with much difficulty, or Ares would tear his head off, and we would start a war. I needed to act fast and complete the mated bond; I could not leave anything to chance, and Jordan would take her without a doubt.

“I can assure you all my mate is not a witch or a hybrid. I am sure Alpha Michael had not disclosed that what I took from his pack was not an Omega, and yes, his niece. An Alpha’s daughter with a pure lineage. The girl he claimed I took from there is my mate—Julie White, daughter and granddaughter of an Alpha and Luna.”

I fucking knew Tania would not accept defeat. What was she expecting? I would let the wolf council take Julie in chains and welcome her with open arms as my Luna. And, of course, John was regretting his decision to have added his daughter into the deal now that he knew I would not sign anything with him and was trying the last blow.

“I am sure. Alpha Michael also did not disclose how she had been treated there. He abused his power as an Alpha and hurt a pup for everybody to see. I have many testimonies from former members of his pack telling how she had been abused there and a doctor’s report of my future Luna’s state at her arrival. We can initiate an investigation against the Woodland Pack.”

They looked at each other. Of course, they were not expecting that. I had everything to back my claim. But I knew if they decided to inspect Julie’s body, we would have a problem, and I needed them off my land quickly.

Jordan frowned. “We will need to conduct an investigation, Alpha Maximus. Those allegations are alarming.” I could sense the unhappiness he was trying to mask. I knew they always counted on our help to settle disputes, and every time we went willing. But Ares having a fated mate meant he would be stronger, and they did even know how right they were.

I narrowed my eyes. “You better have brought a she-wolf to get my mate’s testimony. Because if you think I would let you put your dirty paws on my female, Jordan, you better think again.”

Without taking my eyes off Jordan, I said. “Karl, please set the wolf council and their companies in the north wing and organise everything to initiate our claim. Their stay in here will be very short.”

I left the room to check on Julie and rubbed my forehead. I did not plan to deal with it when I woke up. “Ares. Please reach out to Aphrodite. That sassy mate of yours has to stay put and not show off. We need them to leave as fast as they came. She must help Julie with this. You saw her condition. Not sure what her game is here, but she should be looking out for Julie.”

He ruffed in my mind. “Why can we not kill them all, Max? Many people are trying to take our mate from us, and we have not had their heads yet. I think it is time to start now. And I suggest we start with Jordan. Oh, Kid, I would love to taste his blood.”

“We cannot kill anyone yet, Ares. The wolf council exist for a reason, and our ancestors helped them establish themselves to protect the ones in need. They have not done anything wrong.”

When I got to my office, Ger and Conor guarded the door. Things were out of my control, and I was not too fond of it. Julie needed her guard and Karl to have more strength to protect her. And I could only do it officially after the Luna Ceremony, and the mating was complete.

They nodded and opened the door. Julie was sitting with her head lowered, and I could sense her discomfort and worries. Oh, Goddess! I could not get my head around how Aphrodite controlled Julie’s feelings. What is Aphrodite’s game now?

“Julie?” She looked at me. Her grey eyes were swimming in tears that she was fighting hard not to let fall. “I am sorry, Max, for what happened earlier. I will be stronger, I promise you.” I walked to the sofa. “Stop, Julie. You do not need to apologise.”

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the mate bond, pouring comfort into it. I looked at her, her face was already better, and her worries were gone. She looked at me, confused. “I can comfort you, too, throughout the mate bond now that you are marked. We can comfort each other. I am curious to know how Aphrodite was doing that to you. She should not be able to do it.”

I held her hands, and the feeling of the sparks was good. “The wolves do not control us, Julie. We control them. They are our souls, but we are in charge. You will learn when you become a Luna. Now I need to discuss something with Aphrodite. I have not seen her today.”

She looked serene now with her big grey eyes, and the mate bond pulsed. She felt happy. “She is quiet. She said she wanted to sleep.” I knew Ares still needed to do what I asked.

“ARES!!!!!” Why can this bag of black fur never obey me? “All right, all right. I will wake her up.”

“Can you, for once in your life, do as I ask? I am trying to prevent a war here. And you, my friend, are not helping.”

In less than a second, Julie’s eyes were shining pink. And I will have to put a stop to it, or Aphrodite will set camp permanently, and I will never have Julie. “Can you tell me before I do something you will not like? Why are you controlling her feelings, and now you just abandoned her?”

She gave me a sassy smile. “I can sense you are worried, but I will never take Julie’s place. I told you now that you found her. Her flesh is weak. All your strength comes from her much more than any other mates. I am not helping her when she is with you because I want you to help her just like you did now.”

“I get that you do not want weakness. But that is your punishment. Julie won’t be weak if you do your job. Things were not supposed to be like that. She was born to be fierce and lead the Blue Moon with you, but the greedy humankind changed Selene’s plan for you both. Now I must control her till she is ready, or she will hurt herself.” I felt cold inside me. I could not even think about Julie hurting herself again.

“I told you they would come for me. They are here, and Julie is not ready to deal with them.” Of course, I knew she was not ready. The little wolf has much fear and insecurities. “You don’t think I don’t know it? What now? The council will take Julie if you are in charge. You must stay put, not be sassy, and disobey me like you and Ares always do.”

Aphrodite smirked. “Oh, handsome. I cannot wait to mate you.” She winked at me. “Don’t worry. I know you are the Alpha in charge here, and I will obey you this time. They need to leave, and you need to complete the mating. I will go numb, and you help her with her emotions.”

“Ares, why are you so quiet? You are like a pup lusting after her, are you not?” He was sitting there like a lovesick pup. “That too, but I was thinking about how we are feeding from her. I don’t like to make mate weak.” I rolled my eyes at him. “It is not something we can control, Ares. Stop wasting your energy on it.”

Before she closed her eyes, I grabbed her hand, getting her attention. What Julie was feeling was too much for a small wolf, and Aphrodite needed to help me if she could. “I don’t like what you are doing, she is not well, and I know I deserve a punishment, but she does not.”

She laughed. “Possessive of her already, are we? You don’t like the overwhelmed feeling in your heart now that your walls are coming down. Guess what? She had been feeling like this since she was twelve. As I said, do your job, and she won’t feel hurt. We are a gift to you, then accept and cherish it.”

I felt the urge to pet Julie’s soft hair just like I did when she was in heat. I moved my hands slowly. Aphrodite smiled, closed her eyes and then they were back again. Those big grey eyes. I smiled at her. Now that I was letting the mate bond control my feelings and not blocking them, I felt more and more like Ares. I wanted to be around her all the time.

She breathed slowly while I petted her hair, and her intoxicating scent calmed my soul. I could not kill them all. I needed to be calm and help her get through it. She doesn’t need to be strong. I could make her strong.

“Julie?” I called for her softly, and she opened her eyes. “Remember when I said you have my word that the person who had mistreated you would pay?” I felt uncertainty coming from her, but she nodded. “The wolf council is here. Before I could file the claim, Alpha Michael did.”

She pulled from my touch and stood up, ready to leave the room. Julie shook her head fast and said. “No! I will not go back. Please don’t give me to them.” I quickly moved to grab her in my arms. Hugging her tight, I rubbed my thumb gently on her mark. Her head fell back, and a soft moan came from her mouth. I needed her to be calm. “Shhhh. You are not going anywhere. I won’t give you to anyone. You belong to the Blue Moon. You belong to me, little one.”

I moved us back to the sofa. “We are going to speak to the council. You will give testimony, nothing else. And there is something else. They think you are a witch. That is why they came. A witch will be called to ensure you have not masked anything.”

“The wolf council takes those accusations very seriously. Cross-breeding between a witch and an Alpha like me is not allowed. It will be only questions for now. I will be the whole time with you, and there is no need to be scared. Ok?”

I squeezed her hand. “Michael is not here, and you will not see him. For now, we should also avoid discussing what Aphrodite can do. Your primary focus has to be what happened since your family died.” I could feel fear in waves coming from her, and in a way, it was good. The elders would think I have taken a weak mate and aren’t going to suspect anything.

I stood up from my seat and offered my hand. “Come, it is time.”

Max hates weakness, and Aphrodite does it to him as a punishment. He will have to make amends with Julie and live with the overwhelming feeling if he does not figure out how to help her quickly. The wolf council have yet to learn about their powers, but as Max said, a witch would be called. Will they figure it out?