Midnight Beauty

By Juley Morgan

Juliana Whitlock has a secret. Although she has lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, for the past five years with her family and best friend, she’s an immortal vampire.
Elliot Salvian has just returned from San Angelo, Texas, to Alaska and works in the local bookstore. He’s got a secret as well—he’s a werewolf.
When Juliana and Elliot meet, they fall deeply in love. But the odds are against them: They’re from different species. Their families detest each other. Both sides are in the middle of a war with reborn vampires.
Will their families accept their relationship? Or will their love only make everything worse?
Rich with passionate love, friendship, and family drama, Midnight Beauty is a romantic fantasy that will melt your heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Juley Morgan
• Release date: Aug 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005541101

Juley Morgan

Juley Morgan was born in Klerksdorp, North West, but grew up in a small town nearby called Stilfontein. She is a kind, heartfelt person who enjoys reading fantasy, and romance novels. Ever since she was a young girl, she has always been creative and thinking outside the box. During high school, she started writing her own short novels and later turned them into good, fantastic stories. Music and art inspire her to write most of the time. When she finished school, she got engaged to her fiancé, John, in 2016. She also attended SA Writer’s College in 2021, studying a course in Copy-Editing & Proofreading. When not writing, she spends most of her time with her beloved husband and delightful daughter, Juleka. She also creates landscape paintings in her spare time and loves crafting.

Book preview

About the Book

Juliana Whitlock has a secret. Although she has lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, for the past five years with her family and best friend, she’s an immortal vampire. 

Elliot Salvian has just returned from San Angelo, Texas, to Alaska and works in the local bookstore. He’s got a secret as well—he’s a werewolf.

When Juliana and Elliot meet, they fall deeply in love. But the odds are against them: They’re from different species. Their families detest each other. Both sides are in the middle of a war with reborn vampires. 

Will their families accept their relationship? Or will their love only make everything worse? 

Rich with passionate love, friendship, and family drama, Midnight Beauty is a romantic fantasy that will melt your heart.  

About the Author:

Juley Morgan was born in Klerksdorp, North West, but grew up in a small town nearby called Stilfontein. She is a kind, heartfelt person who enjoys reading fantasy, romance novels. Ever since she was a young girl, she has always been creative and thinking outside the box. During high school, she started writing her own short novels and later turned them into good, fantastic stories. Music and art inspire her to write most of the time. When she finished school, she got engaged to her fiancé, John, in 2016. She also attended SA Writer’s College in 2021, studying a course in Copy-Editing & Proofreading. When not writing, she spends most of her time with her beloved husband and delightful daughter, Juleka. She also creates landscape paintings in her spare time and loves crafting.

Dedication

For my kind-hearted friend and biggest fan, Bettie Haward, who has supported my writing journey since the first draft. You are a river of happiness, and I am forever thankful for our friendship.

Acknowledgement

A huge thank you to:

My husband, John. Thank you for all the love, care, and support in the world. You are my safe haven and one and a million worth. And our little angel, Juleka, for all the joy and laughs she has brought us.

My parents, Hennie and Sandra, for your help and support.

My friends, the Haward family, who has always been like a second family to me.

My editors, Edna Cane Swannepoel and Beth Caunter, for helping me become a better writer. And for helping with Midnight Beauty, making it better than I could imagine.

My cover designer, also Beth Caunter, for a perfect sight of Midnight Beauty.

And finally, Mecs Publishing for making my dream as an author come true. Thank you for all the work you put into making Midnight Beauty the best it can be.

Chapter One

Whitlock

~ Julia ~

Despite the incredible smell of ice in the Alaskan air, my nostrils caught a sniff of the familiar stench of a wolf. The reek from the woods in the Salvian territory always revolved around my family and me. This, however, was a fresher scent: a shapeshifter, which I wasn’t so acquainted with.

The sky was clear, though the atmosphere seemed thick with a cool mist. Despite the cold, the birds weren’t shy about singing this early in the morning. They were probably used to the cold weather—like I am. As I ran, my boots creaked against the snow, passing tree after tree within seconds.

As soon as I saw him, I stopped in my tracks in the snow, moving behind one of the trees. It was the third day this week that I had found him here, early in the morning, while I was on my way to Liv’s after hunting animals. I had never seen his face—just the back of his head as I passed. 

He was seated in the icy snow, his back resting against a large aspen tree. Tiny crystal snowflakes dotted his dark, wavy hair. He wore a pair of grey-blue jeans with black winter boots and a blue button-up shirt under a grey wool trench coat. He was reading a book; from the size of it in his hand, it looked like a novel.

I knew I wasn’t supposed to be here, near the line that separated my family and the shifters’ lands. But it was a good hunting ground to find deer, and I was the only one in my family who hunted here; no other Monroe would go near the Salvian territory. Firstly, because it was forbidden—my adoptive family couldn’t stand the Salvian pack. Secondly, the wolves’ stench was too sickening for us to be near them. 

You know I can sense you. The man’s head rose from his novel, slight irritation in his tone.

Of course, he could sense me, just like I could sense him with my inhuman abilities. I remained motionless behind the tree as he stood up, turned to face me, and began approaching me. 

He was extraordinarily handsome.

His skin seemed pale for a werewolf, although not as snow white as my own. He stood around six feet tall—taller than me, at five foot seven. His dark, wavy brown hair fell onto his -forehead, resting above his remarkable deep, chocolate-brown eyes. His full lips looked so soft. 

Ashamed of spying on him, I stepped out from behind the tree into plain view. He stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on my face.

I watched him from six feet away as he stared at me, an unfamiliar emotion glittering in his eyes. My immortal ears listened closely to his heartbeat, suddenly thundering in his chest. The sound made the corners of my lips twist softly.

It sounded beautiful, like the beat of life.

I’m sorry. He exhaled, glancing down at the snow. 

His voice was deep but pure and so gentle. It took me a moment to realize what he had said. Was he apologizing for acting rude? Or was it because of his staring? I assumed it was for both.

No, I’m the one who should apologize. I didn’t want to disturb you from your reading.

I couldn’t bring myself to look away from his handsome face. He was quiet and frowned before his gaze returned to my face. He hesitated, his shoulders tensing and his breath quickening, and then he stepped towards me, his gaze locking with mine. 

I considered going closer, but I stood my ground instead. I didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable being so close to me and my hard, icy-cold skin. I knew werewolves are familiar with warmth, unlike my kind. I doubted he would react kindly to my cold skin. I didn’t realize my breathing had become heavier until a gasp caught in my throat. 

He stopped two feet away from me. 

You didn’t. He grinned. I was on my way already.

His voice was calmer now, with soft kindness. The corners of my mouth curved up.

I’ve noticed you were stalking me over the last few days, he continued, smirking at me.

I couldn’t help but let out a light laugh, rolling my dark brown eyes. 

It’s not stalking, but… I pass by here when I’m on my way to my friend’s house, I explained, placing my hands on my hips. I just happen to see you each time.

His smirk faded, his expression becoming more sincere.

Oh, sorry. I didn’t know-

It’s all right. Are you new around here? I asked.

Yes, I arrived here a few days ago from San Angelo, Texas, he replied, throwing me a warm, shy smile.

His smile was just as gorgeous as his brown eyes.

Are you part of the Salvian pack? I asked.

Speaking the name ‘Salvian’ made my heart ache, and I hoped his answer would be no. The truth, however, was written on his face. His gaze remained planted on the snow at his boots, and I knew what I had expected was right, no matter how much I wished it weren’t true. He was, indeed, a member of the Salvians. That thought alone caused my heart to sink with disappointment. Disappointed that our conversation would soon end, and I would never see this handsome man again.

I was ready to apologize again for making him feel blue, but he spoke first.

Yes, he admitted, his voice sounding fragile. He finally introduced himself. I’m Elliot Salvian. 

His tone made me realize he felt ashamed. Ashamed of being a Salvian, maybe, I wasn’t sure. 

An ache cracked inside my chest. I understood precisely how he felt—I felt the same way. His family was shapeshifters—werewolves—while mine was immortal vampires. But the different species didn’t matter; the important thing was that he was a Salvian and I, unfortunately, was a Monroe.

I cringed, caught off guard, when he reached towards my face. His fingertips stroked a strand of my honey-blonde hair and tucked it behind my ear. His warm fingertips brushed soothingly against my pale, cold skin. 

His touch felt like the sun melting ice: warm and relaxing. 

You must be a Monroe? he assumed.

He gazed down at my face as if he were searching for something.

Whitlock, actually, I corrected him.

His brows furrowed, his gaze locking with mine again.

Without realizing what I was doing, I reached up to where his hand still lay against my cheek, my fingertips touching his. Our skin felt so different from each other, like fire against ice. Soft against hard.

The warmth of his hand made a smile curve upon my lips, and his heartbeat caused my own to flutter with delight.

Juliana, I whispered. But most people call me Julia. 

Julia, he whispered back, with a smile in his voice.

The sound of my name on his lips sounded too perfect. His hand stroked my cheek and came to rest at the base of my neck, beneath my wavy blonde curls. His scent overwhelmed me. Even though I should have been disgusted by it, he smelled… extraordinary, for some reason.

I tried to keep my breathing even, but his body heat sent a shiver down my spine. Either that or my body was quivering from excitement. Or was it another emotion I couldn’t describe?

I fought the urge to close the gap between us and placed my hands on his chest to steady myself. Though, the moment my fingertips touched his flush, beating chest, a voice brought me back to reality.

Julia,

I broke eye contact with Elliot and glanced over my shoulder. My eyes widened as I spotted my sister-in-law, Chelsea Whitlock.

As always, her dark brown hair curled down and framed the sides of her beautiful porcelain face. She wore a pair of black jeans and a deep violet-blue blouse underneath her coffee-coloured leather jacket.

Her deep brown eyes narrowed at the sight of Elliot’s touch on my neck. I could hear her breathing stop at sight she was witnessing, and I held back my own gasp of surprise, my legs wobbling.

Elliot took a step back, dropping his hand from my cold skin. He could sense the danger in the thick air, just as I did. 

I missed the warmth of his touch immediately. I glanced down at his hand.

I’m sorry. His voice was a faint whisper, and he didn’t take his eyes off Chelsea.

I swallowed, feeling my throat thicken with fear. Firstly, from being caught being near a Salvian. Secondly, from realizing I could never see Elliot again. The thought felt like a sharp knife stabbing through my heart. I was surprised at how fond I was of Elliot, even though we had only met moments ago. It was something I couldn’t understand.

My hands twisted at my sides; my brain and my heart fought not to clench them into tight fists. Part of me wished I could stay here with Elliot. But the other part knew it would only make things worse. It was against the rules to be near a Salvian and their land. 

I didn’t want to fight with Chelsea, knowing she could go off at any moment and remind me that what I was doing was wrong. Dangerously wrong. I had two options: stay with Elliot and break the most important rule of our family, or leave with Chelsea and avoid her questions. I knew that with my family’s super hearing, it would be impossible for her to discuss this alone with me, and she wouldn’t dare go to my parents with this. No, she wasn’t a blabbermouth. But she would tell my brother about it, one way or another.

Fighting every impulse within me to move, I finally took a step back. I spun around, marching towards Chelsea with a deep, aching hole in my heart.

Chelsea was still staring at Elliot. I grabbed her hand and tugged at her to come with me. After a moment, she turned around, and we walked away together. I glanced back over my shoulder at Elliot, whose eyes locked instantly with mine.

I couldn’t understand the strange feeling inside my chest, and I couldn’t understand the emotions I saw in his eyes. 

I forced myself to look away, and then I broke into a run. I headed north of Fairbanks; Chelsea followed close behind me as we sped through the trees. 

My heart cracked, the ache getting deeper and deeper with every step my boots took. It was an overwhelming feeling, something I had never felt before or experienced with anyone. It was hard to describe. It was as if my heart had felt empty before my eyes had locked with Elliot’s today. Like a blind person who had finally seen a flash of light in the darkness surrounding them. 

Like a part of me was missing until I crossed paths with him today.

The huge white and silver Monroe mansion came into view when I reached the last row of trees, and the forest opened into a massive snowfield. I slowed my pace when I had almost reached the eight-foot-tall black and white front doors. I didn’t even glance at Chelsea as she reached my side and instead went inside. 

The mansion had eight bedrooms, a garage, a large living room, a kitchen, two study rooms, and a massive front room. It also had a large yard, but my Aunt Jade had removed all of the plants in the garden since they were dying from the freezing cold.

The mansion was quiet as always, except for the classical music coming from the study on the upstairs middle floor. Aunt Jade was obviously home. 

Are you all right, Julia? I heard Chelsea whisper.

I nodded. I’ll be upstairs, studying. 

I grinned at her. I figured if I acted like the moment between Elliot and I hadn’t happened, Chelsea would think it wasn’t important to me. That what I had felt, that fiery spark between us had meant nothing to me. However, she clearly didn’t buy my ‘good mood,’ pressing her full lips together in a thin line. But she then threw me a small smile, placing her hand on my shoulder.

I’m going out again to find your brother, she said. I keep on seeing him changing his mind in the future, and that worries me. 

I then realized that with her ability to see the future, it would have been impossible to keep the secret of meeting Elliot from her. She would have seen us together because of my decision to walk closer to Elliot. That’s how her ability worked: it was based on people’s decisions. 

Maybe he’s trying to surprise you again. 

She rolled her eyes. 

Not that you’re trying to let him do that, I teased, smirking. 

It was true. Chelsea was too curious, which is why she used her ability to always find out the answers to her questions. But it wasn’t so easy for her, not when the person kept on changing their mind or wasn’t fully focused on their final plan. That’s what my brother, Jared, and I had learned throughout the years of being around her.

She laughed. 

Joseph should be home any minute, too, she said. He’s getting off early today from the hospital. Have fun studying.

Have fun searching for Jared! 

She laughed as she exited the mansion.

I let out a soft breath of relief, grateful she hadn’t brought up the topic I was avoiding. Especially since it was the only thing, I could think about.

Within half a second, I was seated behind my desk in my spacious bedroom. My bedroom was huge, like all the others in the mansion. The carpet was a light, greyish blue, and the walls were white and hung with framed photographs of wildlife and landscapes. My silver king-sized bed was positioned on a platform with two striking glass side tables. Behind the bed was a personal bathroom I barely used, next to a built-in closet. At the other end of the bedroom was a living area with a bookshelf in the corner; this opened onto a balcony with glass doors and grey and silver drapes. 

My large desk sat a few feet away from my balcony’s glass doors. The usual grey, the leather-covered book was open in front of me on a clean page, and there was already a pen in my right hand.

2 February 2005

Dear Journal,

I met an interesting man today. We didn’t talk too much, but I could feel the connection somehow. The way he looked at me… the way he was so gentle and sweet with me…

It’s unusual because what I’ve seen and learned about werewolves is that they are not gentle. They hate our kind because we kill humans. So why didn’t he turn and walk away from his enemy as any other wolf should? We are just ‘bloodsuckers,’ as his kind loves to taunt us.

But he was different than the others. He was paler, which means he doesn’t spend much time in the sun, I assume. He reached out and touched my face. He seemed so…unreal. His heartbeat got faster once I noticed him staring at me. There was something different about him. Something that made him stand out from all the other werewolves I’ve seen or met. There was something in those dark, warm, but mysterious chocolate-brown eyes of his. Something I have never seen or felt before in my life.

I sighed, letting the pen fall out of my hand and onto my journal.

My fingers played with the silver sunlight ring on my right hand, my third finger. My gaze travelled up to my wall of photos, which displayed different types of landscapes around the world: trees, mountains, forests, waterfalls, lakes, flowers, oceans…

One picture was of a snowy forest, and it made me think about Elliot again.

I couldn’t get him out of my mind, and I knew that once Jared got home, he would know that, too. And even though Chelsea wasn’t a mind reader like my brother—she could only see the future—she had noticed today that something was wrong. 

Of course, it was wrong—usually, a werewolf and a vampire couldn’t stand to be so close to each other. But Chelsea took the scene surprisingly well if I must say. I thought she would have gone off, yelling at me for what she had witnessed. 

Although she hadn’t seemed too shocked or scared, there was still something she wasn’t telling me. I had been relieved earlier that she hadn’t brought up the topic, but now it bothered me that she hadn’t. Maybe she saw something in the future and had decided not to tell me. Maybe that was why she hadn’t seemed surprised—because she already knew the truth, like always. But what was it?

I didn’t know why I’d felt a connection with Elliot, and I wanted to know more about him. Where had he come from? Why had he been in Texas before he came here? He simply couldn’t have been born there since he didn’t look Southern or have an accent as my mother had. 

Should I be concerned that you’re crushing on a man you barely know? 

My breathing stopped.

Jared’s lanky, muscular frame leaned against the doorframe; his arms crossed over his chest.

He was taller than me by only five inches, standing around six-foot-one. With his honey-blonde hair, light brown eyes, pale but handsome face, grey button-up shirt, and ripped blue jeans, he looked like an angel from hell.

How long have you been standing there? I snapped, jumping up from my desk.

Long enough to hear your thoughts on your so-called crush, he scoffed.

Those were my private thoughts, Jared, I snapped in my mind. Don’t butt in!

They might be your private thoughts, but the moment I heard the word Salvian…I just had to butt in. He smirked, not bothered to hold back his sarcasm.

I rolled my eyes. Just leave me alone, would you? 

Irritated, I stepped toward my nightstand and picked up my Canon EOS-1D X camera. 

I’m just telling you to be careful,

His tone was easy-going, but his voice was serious.

Telling me or ordering me? I fired back.

This time, he rolled his eyes at me.

Just be careful,

Turning on his heels, he walked down the hallway.

Then stay out of my thoughts!

I sighed as I looked down at the camera in my hands. I walked over towards my balcony doors. Opening them, I stepped outside into the dark, cold night.

I hadn’t noticed the time flying so quickly; it was already dark outside. No wonder I hadn’t even realized that Jared had been spying on my thoughts for who knows how long. I barely noticed the cold since my skin was already as cold as the snow that lay on the ground two floors below. 

I gazed up at the dark night sky, seeing the full moon with millions of diamond stars. I brought the camera up towards my face, looking carefully through the lens. It took me a moment to capture the right angle of the full moon, with the stars in the background.

Click. 

I returned to my bedroom and placed my camera on my desk, and then I pulled out the pictures from my middle desk drawer. I grinned as I looked through them. 

There were many pictures of different cities that I had both visited and lived in for the past half-century. Photography was one thing I have learned to love and enjoy throughout my immortal life because it was both creative and beautiful. Taking a photo lets me express myself in so many ways. A picture was like a work of art, telling its story.

Elliot’s deep brown eyes flashed through my mind once more. I sighed, shutting my eyes.

What was wrong with me? 

Chapter Two

Salvian

~ Elliot ~

2February 2005

Dear Journal,

These last couple of days have been busy: moving to Alaska over the weekend, unpacking, and to top it off, I had to work on Monday morning. At least I had my mother to help me most of the time. 

The only time I get to relax is in the early mornings and late afternoons when I sit reading in the forest, which brings me to the woman I met today. I have never seen such beauty. And it wasn’t just her immortality. It was as if there was a connection between us, an understanding without using any words.

I knew she felt overwhelmed when I was near her and when I touched her. When I gazed into her eyes, I wanted to know so much more about her. It hurts to think I know absolutely nothing about her, yet I feel like I know her so well. I want to touch her soft milky skin again, feel her. See her and hear her beautiful, honeyed voice. There is nothing I want more in the world than to know she is mine.

There was something that drew me to her like a magnet, something so… extreme. This is the first time in my life I have become so obsessive about someone. Every thought in my mind is of her. Her face, so pale yet so perfect, joyful, and lovable… and her lips, so full, sweet, and kissable…

I closed my journal and rested the back of my head against my dark wooden headboard. My bedroom wasn’t that big. The walls were plain white, the floor a dark shade of wood, and my single covered bed stood against the righthand wall, with a wooden bedside table on the left side. There was a window opposite the door that gave me a perfect view of the stars. My wooden desk stood against the lefthand wall opposite my bed, piled with books and a few papers.  

A sigh left my lips as my eyes fell shut. Placing my journal on my bedside table, I got underneath my bedcovers and switched off the light.

It felt as if an hour had flown by when I realized I couldn’t sleep, even when I counted the stars outside the window in the dark. 

I couldn’t stop thinking… thinking about her.

What was she doing now? Hunting? Sleeping? Dreaming of me, perhaps?

Really, is that the best you can do? I thought to myself with dissatisfaction. Hoping she is thinking of me too?

I sighed miserably, infuriated with myself for thinking so unwisely of Julia.

Her kind did sleep, but not as long as other immortals since she was fully inhuman. Wolves, although immortal as well, were still half-human, and we needed our rest as any human would. Like vampires, we were fast and strong, with senses stronger and sharper than any human.

Now that I thought about it, maybe wolves and vampires weren’t that different. 

Still, we could never be together. I gripped my sheets and bit back a snarling growl as I imagined us as a couple—and our parents discovered us. Why did our families have to be enemies?

My pulse quickened with sudden fury, my blood boiling. Did our parents’ hatred mean we should hate each other too? 

We were different species, one hot and one cold, and we might never have a normal life together. But if what I felt in my heart was true—that I needed her—why couldn’t we try? 

It was my choice if I wanted to be with her, but also a risk to be with someone of her kind—especially a Monroe. Surely if she had been a vampire but not a Monroe, things could have been easier for both of us. 

Tossing aside my bedcovers, I gave up on sleep for the moment and began pacing the room. My mother’s family, the Platts, had been in Alaska since the 1700s. When the Monroe family had first arrived in the 1930s, my grandfather, Gilbert Platt, had made a deal with them to split Fairbanks into two lands. 

Gilbert had always had a problem with their kind, even though they were the type of vampires who fed on animals, not wanting to murder humans. He didn’t want vampires hunting around him or his family, and he didn’t think their different beliefs made them good people. So they had their land, and we had ours. We would stay out of each other’s way—forever.

Even though I had never met anyone from the Monroe family before Julia, I had been told they were cruel and terrible people, hiding behind their fake friendliness toward humans. They were wealthy, and they loved the spotlight; I’d heard that one was a doctor and another a lawyer.  

The doctor was someone I’d seen around, and my parents had spoken about him a few times: Dr. Joseph Monroe. He was a doctor at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and the first vampire doctor I had ever heard of. The humans around Fairbanks loved him, not only as a physician but because of his good looks and personality. 

Julia had made it clear she was a Whitlock, showing she wasn’t proud to be a Monroe and a part of their family, I assumed. It made sense because she seemed too pure and friendly to be a Monroe. But then again, other than Julia and Joseph—who were both great people, as far I’d seen and heard—I didn’t know the Monroe family, including the brunette who had interrupted me with Julia today. I only assumed things because I was told by my pack how awful they were. Why would my family think this? Was I missing something? 

Finally, I felt tired enough to climb back into bed. My eyes closed, and soon after, I fell asleep, thinking and dreaming of her…

Juliana Whitlock… Julia…

∞❆∞

I woke up to the booming laugh of my older brother, Josh. 

His bedroom was across from mine, unfortunately. I had my own bathroom while he had to share it with my parents. 

The house only had three bedrooms and was in the middle of the forest, just outside Fairbanks. The kitchen was the largest room in the entire house since my mother loved cooking and baking. It was one of her many talents. The dining room sat between the kitchen and living area downstairs, along with her study, which was below my bedroom.

At twenty-one, Josh was only a year older than me. He had been home for the past six months after coming back from a trip to London, England. He had a security guard job here at the Fairbanks International Airport.

Werewolves like us had two forms: human and shape-shifting. We age, but only by phasing. My parents, Garrett and Elena, had lived a normal supernatural life together and raised our family. They only aged because they wanted to grow old together, and they didn’t want to worry