Julia reached the Dirus manor house at three in the morning, and thanked her lucky stars that she had remember to stick her entrance card in her shoe before taking off through the woods with Connor. All visitors to the compound had to enter through the front gate, but residents, with proper ID, could enter through an automated gate in the back. She quickly passed through the entrance and then made her way across the spacious backyard. She could see two couples in the hot tub that sat adjacent to the large pool. The lights in the water cast an eerie neon blue aura around the area, and she could hear the laughter from the occupants. The skinny brunette with the chin length hair was her sister Deena, who was currently sitting on her husband's lap. The other couple she didn't recognize, but that was not unusual, Julia never really ran with her sisters' crowd of friends.
She'd have to keep to the edge of the backyard for as long as possible as she made her way to the west side of the house. Her room was located on the third floor, but luckily the siding of the house was easily climbable. She had struck a deal with her maid, Elda, to leave her window ajar so she could climb through it. Elda had been a godsend for the past couple months, helping her avoid the detection of her father and making up excuses for her random disappearances and late night adventures. Tonight, Julia was supposed to be honing her night-time hunting skills.
Julia scaled the wall quickly, pushed her window up, and climbed through it, grateful that the group in the backyard had been too distracted to pick up on her presence. She didn't know why, but for the first time since she started her affair with Connor she had been incredibly nervous coming home. Probably because there was now bodily evidence that spoke of her guilt. There was no mistaking the bite on her shoulder as anything else but the claiming of a mate. Feeling the plush carpet of her spacious bedroom beneath her allowed her to start relaxing.
Passing by her bed, Julia felt the desire to just fall into it and pass out, but on her way here she had decided not to wait until morning to leave. Connor had said to meet him at eight-thirty but there was no way she could wait that long. She'd make her way back to the nature reserve and get a few hours of rest there. She would then slowly make her way to the meeting place. There was no point in staying here any longer; there was nothing here for her.
Julia flicked on the lamp onto of her nightstand and then knelt down by the side of her bed to pull a large chest out from under it. A layer of dust had settled along the top of the carved, wooden chest, and she coughed as she opened it. A hodgepodge collection of her mother's things could be found inside. She wouldn't be able to take most of the things inside of it --a beautiful white dress her mother had worn during her mating ceremony or her extensive jewelry collection- but she wanted to at least look at them once more. The only thing she did take out of the chest was a map. Her mother had loved geography and travel and had an extensive collection of maps and information about various locations. Grabbing a map of the five main lycanthrope territories in this state, she tossed it on the bed and then closed the chest. The other things she refused to leave without were sitting on her nightstand: her mother's over-stuffed leather-bound journal and a framed picture of the two of them joyously lying in the grass, surrounded by daisies.
Her mother had written about many things in her journal: stories and rantings about daily life, her joys and fears, and her concern with the direction her father's pack was heading. Amelia Arctos's father had been the alpha before Bronson Dirus mated with her. It had been the largest and most prosperous pack for over half a century. At least that was before Bronson took over and wasted pack resources on his plans for expansion. Bronson had once been a great mate to Amelia, but over time the corruption of power took its toll. Amelia could be seen constantly jotting down things into the pages of her notebook, and Julia had found it and kept it the day she learned of her mother's death. Reading the entries made Julia feel like she could still hear her mother's voice, like she hadn't lost her completely.
For now she took the picture out of its frame and placed it in between the pages of the journal. She found a small bag she could place her things in, and then set about choosing the clothing she'd wear. Stopping by her vanity, she ran her hands over the bottles of perfume, make-up compacts and keep-sake figurines that she'd be leaving behind. Her eyes settled on a silver necklace that had a star cradled into the curve of a crescent moon. It hung from the corner of the mirror, and upon seeing it her hand instantly went to her chest, Julia suddenly realizing that she hadn't been wearing it. The necklace had been a gift from Connor for their first month anniversary. He had cheesily claimed that she was the light of his life, shining like the sun in the day and penetrating the darkness of his nights like the moon. She had giggled and told him he was silly, but she had worn it every day since. In the excitement of seeing him, she must have forgotten to put it on. Remedying that, she picked up the necklace and clasped it around her neck.
When she finished packing and changing into the clothes she was going to wear, she took stock of what she was bringing and what she was leaving behind. As the alpha's daughter, she had everything under the sun. She was giving up thousands of dollars worth of designer clothes, shoes, purses and accessories to take a pair of black pants, a camouflage top, hiking boots, and a jacket. She wasn't exactly going to be stylish, but they would offer her the best freedom of movement.
Julia heard hurried footsteps carrying someone down the hall to her room, and she turned her head toward the noise. The footsteps had belonged to her maid, Elda, who quickly entered the bedroom and shut the door behind her. Elda was a short middle-aged woman, who had once had her own romantic love affair, and was therefore highly sympathetic to Julia's current situation. Elda's dark red hair was beginning to grey, but she was still beautiful to Julia.
"Oh Miss Julia, he is truly upset tonight," Elda whispered obviously upset. She hurried to Julia's side and grasped her by the arms. "You're father noticed your absence from the manor house again. He had invited Mr. Signatos over and had expected you to agree to the match. He was furious when he discovered you missing and demanded to know where you had gone." Julia's heart sank into the pit of her stomach. "He didn't believe our story and swore that he would get to the bottom of it. If anyone sees you, they are to take you directly to see him. He has been in his office all night, waiting for you to return."
Julia suddenly felt as if tension had dropped down like a blanket, engulfing the entire house. She couldn't wait a moment longer; she had to get out of there.
"I'm leaving right now. I just wanted to grab some things and change." Julia set her hands on her beloved maid's shoulders. "I'm not coming back this time, Elda. I'm mating with Connor. I want you to know how much I appreciate what you have done for us. And know that I am truly happier than I ever thought I could be." Tears began to form in Elda's eyes, and she hugged Julia fiercely.
"You don't understand. He told his guards to alert him when you arrived. That is how I knew you were back. I heard them talking about going to your father. They were hesitant to do so because they weren't sure if they really saw you on camera. They were going to check the gate entrance records."
"Shit," Julia said in response. This was not good. She'd have to run, and if they took her ID code away, the gate wouldn't open for her. She'd be trapped inside the compound. "Elda, Elda listen to me. I'm going to climb out the window again and make a run for it. If I'm caught I need you to take a message to Connor, could you do that for me?" At Elda's nod Julia set out trying to find a pen and paper to write a message of reassurance to Connor. She may not be able to meet him tomorrow, but she sure as hell was going to get to him somehow. Once done, she sealed the message and quickly related to Elda how to get to the Alliance facility. "Ok, now hurry back to your room. They can't know you saw me. I am so going to miss you."
The bag Julia had packed was one that could be worn as a small backpack. With so little in it, it would be hard to see under her jacket. So Julia, quickly swung the bag around her shoulders, put on her jacket and then climbed out the window.
