Chapter 93
King Braedon POV
I stalked back into the study feeling like a complete bastard. Blair was right. I should have trusted her instead of accusing her of doing something so underhanded as to cheat on me. I hadn't been thinking straight or rationally. I had gone all gungho on her without any proof to the contrary and now she was hurt and furious with me. I didn't blame her for it at all. I sighed, sinking down onto my chair and putting my face into my hands. What the f**k was wrong with me? Why hadn't I just listened to James when he insisted that Blair wasn't capable of doing something like that? My own beta knew my mate better than I did. I had never felt so low in my life as I did right now. I couldn't blame Blair for being so angry with me. What I had just done was unforgivable.
A knock on the study door had me jerking my head up and my eyes narrowing. I wasn't in the mood for company and I let whoever was on the other side of the door know it. "Who is it?" I snarled.
Normally I could discern what pack member it was by their scent but the perfume they wore was disguising it and I could only tell that it was a woman, further darkening my mood. It wasn't Blair and I had no interest in speaking to a member of the female species right now. "It's Julia," said a muffled voice.
I scowled. What did she want? I opened my mouth to instruct her to leave but then paused. Julia didn't deserve my anger. She had done nothing wrong and Blair had already shown the poor woman enough derision. I sighed. Come in Julia," I said sulkingly.
James was nowhere to be seen. Evidently, he had known how my confrontation with Blair was going to go down and had seen fit to leave. Bastard. I glowered at where he normally stood. The son of a b***h could have at least remained and comforted me as a friend. Then again, he might be angry at me too, for not listening to him when he tried to warn me against accusing Blair. I sighed. The door to the study opened tentatively and then Julia poked her smiling head in. "King Braedon," she said quietly "I brought you some coffee and sandwiches" she added quietly, kicking the door wide open with her foot and showing me a tray that was in her hands, laden with a variety of sandwiches that had my mouth watering despite my black mood.
"You didn't have to do that," I told her, as she walked in and put the tray carefully on the desk with a small smile "but I appreciate it, Julia."
It was a simple thing but the gesture was thoughtful and touching.
She wrung her hands together and beamed at me. "I don't mind King Braedon," she said with a dip of her head "I saw that you had an argument with your mate and I thought that this might comfort you a little" she added and I fought not to blanch.
How many people in the castle were aware of the argument I had just had with my mate not too long ago? I suspected it was now gossip amongst all the omegas and warriors and cringed.
She looked at me expectantly "Is there anything I can do to help?" she added, "Maybe I could offer a female's perspective on it if you want to talk?" she suggested kindly.
I hesitated. If James was here, I would have talked it over with him, but he wasn't. Would a female's perspective really be that different? I surmised that it was entirely possible that Julia would be able to offer me some sage advice on how to earn my mate's forgiveness. I was willing to try anything to get Blair back to speaking to me without staring at me with stony eyes.
"I promise whatever you tell me will be confidential" Julia reassured me "And you used to confide in me all the time," she said a little upset.
Before Blair came along. She left those words unsaid but I could tell instantly what she meant. I raised an eyebrow at her and felt a small pang of guilt wash over me. She was right. I used to converse with her and chat about anything and everything with her but with Blair's distaste for the woman and the feeling being mutual on Julia's end, I had stopped doing that out of respect for Blair. I gritted my teeth and then signaled for Julia to have a seat. She turned and closed the door, locking it, and gracefully sat down, smoothing down her dress and smiling widely.
I grabbed a sandwich and bit into it. I gestured for Julia to do the same but she shook her head. "I'm trying to watch my weight," she said drily.
"You don't need to" I grunted eyeing her slim figure and shaking my head in disbelief.
What was it with women and watching their weight? She was thin enough as it was. Julia gave a light laugh but looked extremely amused by my comment.
“So what exactly has upset Blair?" she asked, pouring me some coffee from the jug and putting cream and sugar in it, passing me the mug before pouring herself some. I avoided her gaze but her eyes narrowed and she looked at me with suspicion. She knew me too well, this woman and I turned and looked at her fully as she blinked at me with patience, patience I suspected that would rapidly disappear once she had heard all of the details of what I had done to poor Blair.
I groaned out loud "I f****d up big time Julia and I have no idea how to fix it" I confessed, watching as she folded her hands over her lap and continued to stare at me, awaiting further details.
I bowed my head in shame, my cheeks burning.