Sweet Creature

//Harry//

Morning came quicker than I wanted it to. Holding Julianne while she peacefully sleeps is one of my favorite things to do. She's just so beautiful, and I love looking at her pretty face as the early morning light glows over her features. However, it's now nearing ten o'clock and I need to get up. I can't afford to sleep any extra hours, especially these days. I have a lot on my mind, many things to consider, and a strategy to build. I do my best thinking while I'm alone. Even when she's asleep she distracts me, so it's best if I leave her alone for a while.

Carefully, I slide my arms from underneath her and watch her body gently fall completely into the mattress. She stirs only a small amount, bringing her arms closer to her chest to retain the warmth I left behind. I lift the blankets up to her shoulders, tucking them in around her. I place a kiss on her temple and faintly run the side of my thumb over her forehead.

Being as quiet as I can, I put on some sweatpants and use the toilet before heading down the staircase. When I reach the living room, a smile gently crosses my lips. It's been cleaned and left spotless. I'm sure Julianne and Sophia had something to do with that - neither of them like to leave a mess behind. I walk into the kitchen and get a pot of coffee brewing. I know Julianne will probably want a cup whenever she wakes up. I doubt she'll sleep too long, though. My absence is something she notices quickly, even when she's in her deepest slumbers.

I rest my hands on the island top as I try my best to focus on this damn attack. It's hard to keep things from Julianne, she always seems to notice when I'm not being truthful or when I'm hiding something. But, thankfully, she hasn't noticed anything major lately. Every now and then, when I've drifted into thought about it, she'll ask me if I'm alright. I always tell her I'm just thinking of her, even if I'm not. She never questions me any further than that, which leads me to believe she fully trusts me.

He'll come after the end of autumn.

My head instantly floods with the contents of that letter. It has haunted me ever since I received it - nearly five months ago. I can't prevent the horrible thoughts from filing in alongside the terrible, yet very possible, outcomes. I try to shake it off, but I can't get free. Everything is fogging my mind.

Julianne's safety is my number one certain, priority, and goal. She's my entire world, I could never function without her existence in my life. This threat, this letter - it's all consumed me over the past few months. I'm losing my focus, I'm losing my sanity. The pack is trying to help, they really are doing the best they can and even more and I'm so, so grateful for that. On the other hand, it's frustrating. I don't want the people I love and care about to risk their lives for me - but I know I'd easily do the same for any of them.

"Harry?"

All the things in my head vanish as the sound of her beautiful voice washes through me. I snap my head up, I hadn't even realized I'd let it drop in worry, to see her standing on the other side of the island. Her eyes are wide, full of concern.

"G'mornin', love." I smile gently, trying to keep her from thinking too much about the state she just saw me in. I know if I don't keep her sidetracked that her curious, anxious mind will drift into worry.

"Good morning," She grins back, blushing a little at me, "are you making breakfast?" Her eyes scan the kitchen quickly, but when she doesn't find any evidence of prepared food, she reverts her gaze to me.

"Not unless you'd like something, dear." I say, pushing myself off the marble counter top.

She sighs, a faint smile on her pretty lips, "I just want some toast."

"Plain?"

"Mmhm." She nods.

I go to the pantry and grab the bread from the shelf. When I reach the toaster, she trails over to me, curiosity in her bright blue eyes. Just as I drop two pieces of bread into each side fo the toaster, both of her small hands grab onto my left wrist.

"Did you sleep well?" I mumble, shifting my gaze down to meet hers.

"Sorta." She shrugs, not really in the mood for small talk. I need to keep myself, my mind rather, occupied, so I still continue to ask her little things that I never forget to say every day.

"Any nightmares?"

"Nope."

I sigh, glancing to see if the bread was close to be finished but it's hardly begun to get brown. I mentally groan, why is talking to her suddenly such a difficult task? Julianne catches my attention when she takes my hand and shoves it under the shirt she's wearing - which just so happens to belong to me - and presses my palm against her stomach.

She softly moans in utter relief as I instantly let my temperature radiate off my palm. She leans her forehead against my bicep, happy to be close to me. I lift my other hand up to cup her cheek, it's still red from when she was sleeping on it.

"Have you started?" I keep my words in a low whisper, I know how she gets during this time. On top of being very cuddly and extremely clingy - more than the usual - she doesn't like loud noises. They give her headaches that can have her up for hours at night.

"I'm.. I'm sorry." She utters out, her warm breath fans over my exposed skin.

I furrow my brows, even though she isn't look, "What do you mean?"

"I.. It's.. on the sheet.."

I take in a deep breath, she should know never to apologize for things like this. I've always told her that this part of her life is not under her control, and sometimes things accidentally happen and we can't prevent them.

"No, baby. It's fine. Don't be upset." I rub my thumb her swollen lips as an attempt to soothe her.

"It's gross."

"Julianne.. it's fine."

We both jump as the bread pops out of the toaster, it's quite easy to get startled when you're so focused on one thing - especially when it's the thing you love the most.

"I'll go change the sheets while you eat."

"I'm really sorry." She huffs out as I grab a plate from the cabinet above us.

I sit it down on the counter and sit the toast on it, "Don't be, babe. It's fine."

She unwraps her fingers from my wrist and my hand falls from her stomach. I give her an apologetic look as she steps in between me and the counter with her hand pressed against my chest.

"You looked overwhelmed earlier.. Is everything okay?" She asks quietly, those pretty eyes flicker up at me through her long, dark lashes.

"Everything's fine. I promise." I kiss her forehead, letting my lips linger there a little longer than necessary.

Her hand curls around my nape, forcing me to lean down closer to her, "Don't lie to me, please." She pecks my lips very, very gently.

"I'm not." I assure her with a quick kiss, hoping that my affection will convince her.

"Can you rub my back after I eat?" She releases her tight hold on me, which allows me to straighten my posture.

"You don't have to ask, you know I will." I show her a smile, just to ease any tension that could possibly exist.

And with that, I left her alone in the kitchen to eat her breakfast and I ended up in the bedroom. It wasn't a hard thing to change the sheets, nor was it a big deal. Besides, they needed to be changed anyways - not just because she had an accident last night.


After making the bed up, I threw the dirty sheet into the laundry basket and found my way back to the kitchen. Julianne was at the table, the only thing left on her plate was the bottom crust of the bread slices - she's never enjoyed the bottom edges. I've never questioned it, just admired the cute little detail.


"Time for that back rub, eh?" I ask with a laugh, hoping to bring some joy to the air.

Her head lifts, but my smile drops. She's been crying. How did I not hear her? I always hear her, every damn sound she lets leave her mouth - I hear it. I decide to leave that thought for later and I rush to her side, not sure what's going on.

"Hey, hey.. What's the matter, baby?" I ask in a soft tone, my hand slides to cup her neck.

She shifts her head, our eyes meet finally, "I feel like I'm.. I'm a.." She huffs suddenly, pausing her words.

I take a few breaths, patiently waiting to see if she'd continue. When she doesn't, after a few long moments, I decide it's best if I carry this on.

"What is it?"

She grunts, shaking her head in disapproval of what it is she's thinking in that beautiful head of hers. I wish I knew, I wish I could just hear everything she said so she wouldn't have to be embarrassed about anything. She's always so nervous about saying something wrong or stupid, and I just wish she'd realize how much she means to me. I would never laugh at her or judge her for anything she said or asked.

"I feel like... I'm a.. a bother to you." She stammers out the words, her bottom lip quivering uncontrollably.

"No, no, babe. You're not a bother. Please, don't think that." I kneel down beside her, watching her eyes follow me.

"I could've.. I could've changed the-the sheets.. I could have.. have made the toast." Julianne's hands are trembling as she lifts them to cover her face.

I firmly grab her waist, "No, stop this, right now, Julianne."

I try to remain calm but this is very frustrating. Why does she do this to me? Why does she freak out over the slightest, smallest things? Me changing the sheets isn't a problem, and me making her toast it's an issue either. This has to be something deeper. I know she's hormonal right now, but I can just tell it's something more.

She keeps wiping away her tears, but more continue to spill from her eyes to wet her cheeks. The streams going down her pale skin have my heart aching, I hate to see her cry.

"Baby, listen to me, alright?" I say, taking one of her hands off of her face and I lace our fingers together. She looks back down at me, eyes puffy from the emotions flooding her body. "You are never a bother to me. I love doing things for you. It's never been an issue for me."

"F-for me.. it-it is. You-you treat me.. too-too good." She stutters terribly, a sign that she truly has lost all control of her emotions. She isn't able to reel them in right now, not able to tame her feelings or her thoughts.

"How about.. we calm down some.. and go sit on the couch? I owe you a back rub, remember? You love my back rubs, don't you, lovey?" I ask in a hushed whisper, kissing her knuckles gently as I wait for her to answer me.

She bites her shaking lip and gives me a nod, "I.. I do love your back rubs."

I smile, pleased that she's understanding this is nothing to worry over, "I know you do, baby. C'mon, let's go then, yeah?"

As I stand up, I release her hand and allow her to stand on her own. I want to give her some independence, especially since she's currently feeling like she doesn't have much. But, despite my efforts, she quickly snatches my hand from my side and squeezes it a few times.

I guide us to the couch where I place myself in the middle. She gladly takes her spot across my lap, folding her arms beside my thigh so she can comfortably rest her head. I watch her eyes close as she tries to relax and focus on what's about to come. With a deep breath, I lift her shirt and carefully sit my hands on her back.

She'll enjoy this, I know. She's always so happy when we get to do things like this - just spend time with each other. It makes me happy, too. I hope she knows that.


---


"You should tell her." Zayn's voice enters the room before he does.

I turn around, sitting the glass down on the island, "I'm not going to, not now."

He sighs, inviting himself to join me at the island. He sits on one of the stools and rests his arms on the marble. He came over today because I had to do an emergency hunting session. I don't know why I suddenly had a craving, but i had to handle it. Sophia was occupied, so he volunteered. I highly doubt Julianne even knows I left. She's been upstairs asleep for a few hours. She's having horrible, painful cramps, so I gave her some medicine that should've helped her go to sleep.

"She'll be mad at you." He warns me, acting like I don't already know that.

"When is she not?"

His eyes roll, "Why are you so afraid?"

My head snaps up, anger boiling under my skin, "Excuse me?"

"I said, why are you so afraid?" He freely repeats, as if I wouldn't phase on him right here, right now.

"Fuck you. I'm not afraid."

In order to keep my composure, I had to exit the kitchen. I need some fresh air. I carry myself outside, not sure if he will follow me or not. Before I had time to care, I picked up on his scent trailing behind me. I grunt as I lean against the railing of the porch.

"Then tell her." He carries this stupid conversation on like we don't have another choice.

"She doesn't need to know."

"You don't want her to know."

"She's too sensitive, alright? She'll have a panic attack every five minutes."

He exhales, pausing for just a few seconds, "What if something were to happen to one of us? Or to you?"

I furrow my brows at his question. Anything could happen at any time, so how does this relate to what we're discussing? He quickly answers the question I had in my head.

"If it comes down to a fight.. and someone gets hurt.. How will you explain it to her? She'd be extremely upset with you, you know."

I turn to face him, just to see that there's a serious expression on his face. At least I know he's not trying to purposely get underneath my skin. I thought about hitting him, just to shut him up. I thought going off into the woods, just to get away from him. But I remained in place as we stared at each other.

"If you love her, you'd-"

"Stop." I'm fast to cut him off, not wanting to hear whatever bullshit he had to say. "Don't tell me how I should handle things. I'm the Alpha, remember?" I clench my jaw in an attempt to remain collected. Julianne wouldn't want me to explode over something so.. unimportant.

"Just tell me.. why won't you tell her?" He shrugs a shoulder, finally giving up on trying to convince me to do something he knows I won't do. He should know I'm stubborn, that I won't listen to anyone's opinions. I don't care what any of them say, this is my situation, my girl, and above all - it's my choice, my fucking decision.

I sigh heavily, closing my eyes as I lean myself onto the railing once again. A thousands thoughts are racing inside my head right now, some regarding the letter, some are about Julianne, some are about the possibilities - but most of them are just a blur. My heart shudders as I think about the most horrible outcome possible. If it irritates me, then it would definitely, without a doubt, bother Julianne.

"Because," I take a quick breath, "none of you understand how she is, how she handles things. I do, I know her. She's.. she's in a good place, mentally, these days.. and I don't want to ruin that for her. She doesn't.." I stop to swallow harshly, this is bothering me, "she doesn't deserve it. This shouldn't be happening.. and if she knew it was all because of her.. that it was her fault.. then she'd never forgive herself.. she'd never be comfortable with living. She'd want to die.. and I.. can't.. have.. that.. hanging.. over my fucking head."

By the time I had finished, my heart was racing, my voice was loud, and my blood was burning through my veins. He must have took notice of my physical state, because he raises his hands slowly to show that he's not trying to intrude.

"Alright.. I understand. But.. just remember.. she does deserve to know some things."

"But not this." I make sure he's aware of that.

He nods understandingly, "Not this."

"And keep your fucking mouth shut about it, understand?"

Zayn means no harm, I'm well aware of that, but it's still very frustrating to have everyone coming at me with the same shit. It annoys me more than it should, but only because they continue to bring those thoughts to my head. I don't need to be distracted by anything like that, especially while I'm trying to plan a defense.

"Hi, Zayn," Julianne's voice guides my eyes to the doorway, "when did you get here?"

"Hi, Julianne. I'm just visiting." Zayn gives her a kind smile.

Her gaze moves past him and lands on me, a smile tugging on her lips. Without saying anything, she walks over to me and swiftly takes a hold of me - both of her small hands wrapping around my forearm.

"Hi." Her head tilts back, those precious eyes staring up at me.

"Hey, love." I give her a gentle smile, trying to hide any signs of irritation on my face. She doesn't seem to pick up on it, so that's good.

"You took tired." She frowns.

"Just a little." I make sure my smile grows, hoping that she sees I'm not feeling bad or anything of the matter. She worries too much most of the time.

"If you wanna lay down for a while.. I could use some cuddles." She lowers her voice, trying to keep this private. Despite her boost of confidence, her cheeks blush from the words she spoke.

A smirk finds its way to my mouth, "I'd love to cuddle with you, baby. Five minutes.. and I'll be up, alright?" I tell her, patting her butt playfully.

She releases a giggle, "Harry!"

Julianne's never been the one to like displaying our affection in front of other people, aside from the simple hand holding or a kiss here and there. Besides, I doubt Zayn cares what we're doing right now. Knowing him he's still thinking about our talk.

"Five minutes." I mumble on her lips.

She grins, "Four."

"Fine, four." I peck her mouth a few times, admiring the way her lips are still swollen from her nap.

She gives me one last smile before releasing my arm and excusing herself back inside. Once I know she's out of ear shot, I take a few steps closer to Zayn. He tenses up, not sure what's about to happen. I take a deep breath, remembering to stay calm. Just approach the topic gently, there's no need to be hostile.

"Don't bring it up again, got it?" I say through gritted teeth. I guess my efforts weren't strong enough.

He nods, fear easily flowing in his eyes, "I won't."



Within the four minutes I agreed to, Zayn had left and I made my way up to the bedroom. Julianne was already under the covers, the air conditioner was blasting just how she likes it. She'll never admit it but she suffers through the cold so she can be in my arms. My high temperature can be overwhelming, and it's easier to handle when she's freezing.

A smile grew on her lips as I pulled the blankets back to join her. I drop the sweatpants I'd been wearing all day to the floor and quickly moved next to her. There's a faint warmth underneath the covers that her body has made, and it's very comforting.

"We barely cuddled last night." She mumbles as I slide my arm under her and the other goes around her waist. I guide her closer to me, adjusting myself as needed to make sure she's comfortable.

"Mm, I know." My lips brush against her forehead, making her sigh in relief.

Her back was hurting last night, so for the majority of the time we slept with my hand pressed into her back, not very comfortable on my part but she was fine. She wasn't against me, that's what made it upsetting for me.

"Hey.."

Julianne brings her hand up, pressing it to my cheek. She moves on the mattress, our eyes level now. I rest my head on the pillow completely, I love it when she's touching me like that.

"Hmm?"

"I love you." The corner of her mouth lifts up.

"I love you." I assure her with a kiss to her nose.

She giggles gently, she's always adored that little move of mine, "What were and Zayn talking about?"

Her question makes me bite down on my tongue. I should've known she would eventually ask about that. She probably saw how on edge I was and how cowered Zayn was when she found us. I decide it's best to brush this off before I have to explain too much to her.

"Nothing really.. Um, just, Sophia was wonderin' if we were comin' over tonight but I politely declined." I smoothly lie, she'll never catch on to it.

"Why?"

I tighten my grip on her waist, "I figured you'd wanna stay home and relax."

She nods, "You were right."

A small laugh comes from me, she's entirely too cute, "You seem worried, love. What's wrong?"

Her face contorts, confirming what I said, "Um, it's nothing."

"It's something, tell me, babe."

I let my hand glide down her waist and over her hip. I give her thigh a little squeeze before my hand settles in the small of her back. I'm trying my hardest to calm her nerves, I can sense something's wrong. She appears to be pleased with my movements, so I end up letting my other hand run through her hair, pulling out a tangle every now and then.

She curls her arms between us, sighing as she slides down to get comfortable beside me. Her head falls against my chest, her breathing is heavy. I close my eyes, I need to keep myself under control yet again. I hate seeing her like this, yet I love holding her and taking care of her. Before I could do anything in return, she finally speaks to me.

"Just.. I feel like.. you're.. not.. telling me.. something."

Careful with my words, I try to assure her that nothing is wrong, "Darlin', I've just been tired a lot.. It's nothing, I promise."

I swore mentally to myself, I'm promising a lie. Her palm touches against my chest, right over my heart, and she mumbles something about believing me. I keep my breathing normal, my heart beat pattern leveled. I don't want to give her any evidence that I'm actually not okay. Time slipped by, and before long her eyes had closed and her slumber had taken over.

The less she knows, the better.. I hope.

Notes

-- book 2 is going to have a lot more of Harry's POV than book 1 did, you can probably tell why.

-- I know the chapters look extremely long, but they're around the same length as most of the book 1 chapters, they're just laid out differently and that makes it look longer!

-- feedback always welcome, of course. I love you guyss xxxxx updates coming x