She Wolf Ch 07

Hello, and welcome to chapter 7. In this chapter, we take a break from the vampires, and visit with the pack. The last two chapters were hard, I know. Please read and share your thoughts. Let me thank you for reading the story and let you know that I really appreciate it.

I would like to thank Overstar for reading and editing this chapter. You, sir, are a Godsend.

It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required. Winston Churchill

*

Weeks had passed since the vampires took Mrs. Valdez. Even though her loss was felt be everyone, Kyra seemed to take it the hardest. Everyone knew she blamed herself. One day the Alphas had felt her pain long enough and decided to intervene. Everyone was concerned, but Kyra knew she would be alright. She was helping with kitchen duties when surprisingly; she got a summons from Elise, Madam Alpha. She quickly reported to her office. Her entire family was there. Mom, Celia, BJ, Blaine, and Thaddeus sat waiting. The alpha pair was there also.

"What's going on?" She asked nervously as she entered the room.

"Kyra, sit. We're worried about you. Sweetheart, we know you blame yourself for your aunt being taken, but we need you to understand it was not your fault," Elise explained. Kyra began to cry. She knew the alpha bitch was telling the truth. She had no power and could not stop him, but if she had not had to take care of her, maybe she could have fled.

"Madam Alpha, she was there because of me. She always moved around, and it was probably to stay away from him. She stayed because of me and he found her," Kyra explained as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"No, love. You don't know Gernick. If he wanted to take her, he could at any time," Elise exhaled and turned to Javon. Javon spoke to the young she wolf. "I met him once. I was young, much like you, and decided to defy my father and experience life away from here. One night I met Gernick and his brother Garrick. They were powerful and could have killed me on the spot. I, for one trespassed on their land, and being a wolf I should have died. They grabbed me and tied me up. They spent days torturing me for their own amusement. I knew I would die." He stopped. Lost in a memory from so long ago. Elise never knew of this. He never told her of his encounter with the vampires.

"One day, Garrick was bored and decided he wanted to see a dogfight. They threw me into a pit with a pit-bull. They knew I was werewolf and this dog was just a vicious killer. As soon as I was thrown in, the dog attacked. They stood along with others watching and laughing." Javon closed his eyes as he re-lived that moment. Elise watched her mate, stunned speechless. She knew he went through something, but nothing this horrific. Javon opened his eyes; no one spoke. Everyone waited on bated breath. "I killed the dog. I had no choice. I went for his jugular and ripped his throat out. They laughed, and Gernick told me to go home and don't pester them again," he concluded. No one said a word. Finally Javon finished, "Sweetheart, if he wanted her, he would have taken her anyway," he explained.

Kyra was speechless. "Alpha, Javon, I-." Thaddeus interrupted. "I remember. You came home hurt. You never would say what happened. Dad wanted someone to go after the beast, but you said you had a challenge and won." Growling and pacing. "I knew you were lying. I knew it, but you were older and we had to listen..."

"Thaddeus, we were kids. He survived and that's what's important." Blaine looked at his brother. "Javon, I am so-." Javon interrupted. "I don't want accolades; I need Kyra to understand that none of this is her fault. " He walked over to her and kneeled, Kyra sat crying. If he did all of those things to a guy he did not even know, she could only imagine how he tortured her aunt.

"He taunted her. She was so scared," she cried. "She screamed at me. Aunt Nicky never screamed at me."

"Sweetheart, she wanted you safe," Nina explained as she moved to her side. Celia joined her mother. Elise held Javon, and felt a sense of pride for her mate surge from within. He held on to his mate. He'd never told anyone of his encounter with the vampires, but if would help save Kyra, he was glad now that he did.

"Momma, she didn't deserve to..." she broke down sobbing, once again mourning the death of her aunt. Nina, Celia, and Elise held Kyra and comforted her. Soon the young girl could cry no more.

"Aunt Nicky would not want me to be sad like this, but I miss her so much, momma. I miss her. I read the letter she wrote and she told me it's not my fault. She wants me to live my life and go on. She said, she loved me, and always would. I want to go on, but I don't know how," she sobbed. Nina hugged her baby girl, "I know."

The group spent hours together talking, crying, and sharing their memories of their time with Nicolette and Mrs. Valdez. After a few hours had passed, everyone hugged and promised to be there. It turned out that the intervention for Kyra was needed for everyone else as well. BJ asked to speak with Javon.

*****

BJ missed Julianne. He'd gone to see her a few weeks ago, but she had to work so he didn't spend as much time as he would have liked with her. This weekend, he planned to tell her his secret. He was nervous, but he had to tell her who and what he was. As they were leaving the family meeting with the Alpha pair, BJ stopped Javon to ask for a favor. "Alpha, I plan on traveling to Shreveport to see Julianne this weekend, will you call and get permission from the Gaines Pack for me to be there? " He asked, praying Javon would agree. Javon smiled. He loved Julianne and her mother. He actually wanted to talk to them abut relocating to Texas. He knew the headquarters for their company was in Louisiana, but he wondered if they could relocate it to Texas.

BJ called Julianne on Thursday to confirm their outing on Saturday. She was very excited, enthusiastic about seeing her friend once more. Julianne worked all day Thursday. Even though she technically owned the company, her father had left certain people in charge so they still treated her as an underling. As she was preparing to leave Thursday night, one of her father's cronies, Horace Lee, stopped to speak with her. "Julianne, we have contract negotiations with Briggs Corp I need you here Saturday morning to help type up the proposal," He demanded as she was leaving.

"Mr. Lee, I can't. I have plans." She started to explain.

"Young lady, this is your father's company. He would roll over in his grave if he saw how sloppily you've been doing things. Now, Mrs. Marks has children; Betsy has plans with her boyfriend; and none of the other women need to be exposed to this information. You have the time. I expect you here at eight am sharp." Then he turned, "Maybe, the shareholders are right. We need to vote you off the board and take over the company. You, young lady, are in over your head." Then he left.

Betsy had plans with her boyfriend. Well she had plans too. Why did they think what she wanted didn't matter. But he was right. They wanted her off the board, out of the company really. Her father left her his shares, but she'd need the backing of the other person who also held a significant number of shares. The way Mr. Lee spoke, she was sure that person was supporting them. Julianne went home, and Margaret knew something was wrong immediately. "Honey, what's wrong?" she queried

"Nothing Momma. I just have to work Saturday. I'm calling BJ and telling him not to come." She answered dejectedly.

"No, you will not. I'll go in. Whatever Horace wants you to do, I can do it." Her mom insisted.

"Momma. It's OK. Daddy wanted me to run the..." Julianne looked off.

"Sweetheart, you work too hard. You need a break. I will meet Horace Saturday morning, so don't worry." Margaret insisted. "You go shower and come down. I've made dinner. We can catch up."

Julianne didn't have any fight left. She simply did as her mother suggested. After she left, Margaret made a phone call. "Hello, Miriam, this is Margaret, is your husband Horace home. Let me speak to him. I'm fine. Thank you. Yes, I do miss him. Let me speak to your husband and then if you still want to we can."

Horace came on and said, "Hello, Margaret, how are you? It's nice of you-." Margaret cut him off.

"I'm filling in for Julianne Saturday. She has plans. It won't be an issue will it?" she asked sweetly.

"Of course not Margaret, " Horace answered. "She should have told me she had plans. I would have understood."

Margaret knew he was lying. She was also aware of the level of disrespect he showed Julianne at work. One day, her assistant Natalie called. Horace was being a horrible and Julianne was clearly upset. Natalie heard the exchange and she called her mother. It was the first of many calls. Well this was the final straw. She was aware of how he'd treated her before she even made it home. One of the security guards, Mike, called. He like Julianne, and he thought the way they treated her at the office was reprehensible. As a matter of fact, after Oscar's demise many of her coworkers noticed how she was treated.

Julianne never talked about work. She kept her feelings to herself. Margaret knew she was a private person, but no one had the right to mistreat her child. It was time to put Horace, and the other so-called leaders at that office in their place. Julianne joined her mother in the dining room and helped set the table. "Momma," she gasped. "You prepared salmon with wild rice. It's my favorite! Why?" she asked.

"Just because. You deserve it. I know you've given up so much to be here for me and honey I appreciate it. I want you to know things are about to change and things will get better. Tomorrow, go on to work and leave early. Your friend is coming to visit and you need to spent time with him," she added. "And Saturday, I'm going in in your place, alright?"

"Momma, Mr. Lee-" she started to say. "I already called and talked to Horace. Don't worry about him." The two women ate and talked, and Julianne relaxed for once. When Margaret brought up their visit to Texas, Julianne smiled. Margaret knew her daughter belonged there with the man she was falling in love with, but she'd never leave her in Louisiana.

"You cooked. I'll do the dishes," Julianne stated as they finished their meal. Margaret hugged her daughter, and went to gather the things she needed for Saturday morning. Julianne finished the dishes as she heard her mother's phone ring. Her Mom picked up and she knew it was one of her friends. She smiled and went to her room. After the death of her father, Julianne moved back home with her mother. She didn't want to be in the apartment without Celia, and her mother was having a hard time coping with the death of Oscar.

Margaret talked with Miriam Lee and agreed to get together for brunch on Sunday. She heard Julianne go to her room, and decided to call Javon. The Alpha picked up on the first ring. "Hello. Margaret." Javon spoke jovially. The two talked and then Margaret spoke with Elise. She confirmed that BJ was definitely coming this weekend.

Friday morning, Julianne arrived at work. As she entered the office, several people greeted her. She smiled slightly and spoke, and then quickly made her way to her office. As she entered, Natalie met her with her coffee. The two women went over their schedule, but Natalie didn't leave when they were done. She had to say something. Julianne looked at her concerned. "What is it, Natalie?" she asked.

"Ms. Kent, you own this company. Mr. Lee and the others shouldn't treat you like they do. They never treated Mr. Oscar like that. I mean..." she stopped fearing she'd said too much.

"Natalie, it's OK. They mean well. It's just that they want me to do things their way and I'm not..." she stopped. Then she inhaled.

Natalie spoke once more. "He's a bully and he's wrong." Then she returned to her desk. Julianne was stunned. She had no idea anyone even noticed how she was treated by the board.

The day went on uneventfully. A few of the women from the office invited her to join them for lunch. At first she started to decline and then went, just to get away. It was fun. They had a great time, and even apologized for how they had treated her before. Betsy told her she heard about Mr. Lee demanding she worked Saturday. It wasn't fair. She explained that he never even asked if she could work. Julianne was surprised because he made it seem as if Betsy refused because she had plans. Well it didn't matter. She wouldn't be there.

The day ended and BJ called. She loved talking with him. It surprised her how much she missed home. She chatted with Celia online and was about to go to bed. She decided to check on her mother, and Margaret was laying out her clothes to wear ton the office the next morning.

"Momma, are you sure you want to do this?" Julianne asked.

"Young lady, I too own stock in that company, so I should see what they are up to," she answered her daughter. She could tell she was worried, but she'd seen enough. Horace Lee and Burke Lakes had gone too far. It was time they were reminded of who was really in charge. She admitted that she was unfair to her daughter as well, but know she'd make amends. Juliann deserved to find her happiness, and this weekend with her beau was just what she needed. She'd report to the office and things were about to change. Julianne hugged and kissed her mother good night. After she'd gone, Margaret made one more call. The person that she called would join her at the office the next morning. Margaret smiled and soon she fell asleep.

The next morning, Margaret arrived at the main office. Horace and Burke met her and welcomed her. Instead of working, they wanted to talk about allowing someone else to be CEO of the company. Margeret listened. Then she had a question. "What do you men have against my daughter? She has worked harder here than most men. She comes in earlier than all of you, and stays later. Now, I've been informed that you all plan to vote to have her removed from the office altogether. Gentlemen, let me explain some things. This is my company. I run it. Your jobs depend on whether or not I let you keep them. So today I'm calling for a vote. I am disbanding the board and taking over as CEO."

"Wait, you can't do that! You don't have the votes. Even if your daughter voted with you, you'd only have a forty five percent vote. Unless you get the secret partner to vote with you, sweetie, you don't stand a chance in hell of taking over anything," Horace sneered. He liked Margret, but right now she just added her name to his shit list.

Margaret smiled and made a short phone call. "We need you. Come in." Everyone gasped as Levin Martin entered the room. Levin was not a tall man, but his presence was imposing. His dark hair, graying at the temples gave him a distinguished looked. His strong square face caused several of the women to gape at him in awe. He had one weakness, and she stood before him now, in a room filled with hostile asses. He kept his feelings for his best wife's friend secret, even moved away to keep from acting on them. Now she needed him, and he would move heaven and hell to help her.

Levin was Oscar's oldest friend. He served as his personal attorney until he and his wife moved to Florida years ago. Levin never came to Louisiana. He and his wife divorced, and his friends begged him to move back home. He refused. The last time he was here was for Oscar's funeral last year. Horace and Burke were nervous. If Margaret called in Levine, the jig was up. As the family lawyer, he was dressed for legal combat. When Margaret called, it angered him that these men thought they could treat her daughter this way and then take over her company. He smiled, and glared at every person in that room.

"Levin Martin, hello. We're glad to see you." Burke attempted to shake hands welcoming him. Levin glared at him. Oscar left the significant share of his company to an anonymous third party, him. He knew what these men might try and he had to take care of his wife and daughter.

"Shut up, Burke!" Levin sneered. "Julianne is my niece and I know how you all treated her. I know how you treat people you think you can rule over. But you see gentlemen, it ends today. I join with Margaret and Julianne and disband this board. Margaret is taking over as CEO, and I am returning as well. This is a family business. Oscar trusted you to be fair, but you think you can run over and take control." Horace stood to protest, but Levin cut him off. "Horace, don't get it twisted. I'm trying to be civilized today, but one word and I will knock you out. Now gentlemen, you have thirty minutes to get your stuff and leave this office," Levin stated.

Horace and Burke took off. The other people who were in the room sat frozen, not sure what was going on. Margaret recognized Horace's assistant, Mrs. Green, and she addressed her. "On Monday I want to meet with everyone in the office. Can you set up a conference room by nine am?" She nodded and went to call the janitorial staff. Margaret faced her friend. "Levin, thank you. I know how hard this was for you. I would not have called if..." Levin embraced his friend.

"No one shits on my family! I should have stepped up sooner. You and Julianne are all I have left, and I love you guys," he whispered.

Julianne heard her mother leave but she was anxiously waiting for BJ. Soon she heard him drive up and rushed out to meet him. BJ cut off his engine and as he climbed from his jeep. Julianne leaped into his arms. She kissed him. She had no idea that she missed him so much.

"Hey stranger," he whispered when he caught his breath. "Miss me much?"

She laughed and he loved it. "Come in. Have you eaten? I was making breakfast, join me," she suggested.

Sitting at the counter watching her make scrambled egg withes with honey wheat toast, BJ asked "Where's your Mom?" Julianne responded, "Oh, she went to the office. The board wanted me to work today and Mom called to see if she could cover for me." She looked pensive. "I need to call and check-." BJ caught her hand as she reached for her phone.

BJ laughed. "Baby, eat your breakfast. I'm here all day and we can bother your mom later. Besides, your Mother is grown and can handle herself. She was probably giving you a day to do what you want." He smiled, "We'll treat her to lunch. Now, I've heard a lot about this place, show me some hot spots," he teased. Julianne laughed and he could not resist. He had to kiss her, his mate, his love, simply because she was his. She agreed and quickly ate her toast and scrambled eggs. BJ loved watching her eat. He just loved watching her. She blushed. His woman was so shy, and endearing to him. Soon she'd finished eating and it was time to go.

"Come on, let's go." Julianne locked the house and she and BJ sped off in his jeep. They spent the morning together simply talking and laughing. Around noon, Julianne called her mother to see if she could join them for lunch. Margaret wanted Levin to meet BJ, so she accepted and agreed to meet them at Liana's Italian Deli. She and Levin went to the deli and chad a seat in the back. BJ and Kyra arrived and BJ was taken aback. A man was with her mother, and Kyra rushed to embrace the man. Margaret hugged BJ and introduced him to her friend. Levin reluctantly shook his hand, and he immediately liked this young man. He cared about his niece and would take care of her. The four enjoyed their lunch.

"Momma, how were things at the office?" Jules asked concerned. She knew how harsh Mr. Lee and Mr. Lakes could be. She hoped they treated her Mom better than they treated her. "Actually, some changes were made. You have a mandatory meeting Monday morning," Margaret explained. A shadow of doubt crossed Julianne's face. Levin took her hand. "Lil' Bit, don't worry about those old fools. They won't bother you again," He reassured her. Julianne smiled and felt BJ wrap his arm around her and held her close. In parting, Margaret said, "So, you two. I'm making dinner at six. Be back at the house. It's rare that I get to feed friends, so this is a big deal."