Chapter 24
Jude had slept badly. Danielle’s revelation that Steve Leon was indeed violent and dangerous, and therefore in no way suitable for a gentle soul like Charlotte, had hit him like a rapidly approaching freight train.
He should have trusted his sister when she’d claimed that she felt that Steve Leon was evil.
Now it was even more important to stop his parents and the Werewolf Alliance from forcing her to mate with him.
But they wouldn’t just take Danielle’s word for it.
He needed proof to convince them that allying themselves with the Leon pack was a recipe for disaster.
It was early, and the house was still quiet, when he went to Mason’s room and asked Mason and Austin to join him and Danielle in the master suite. After filling them in—except for what had happened to her stepfather—his brother and his cousin stared at them, stunned into silence for a few moments.
“Fucking hell,” Austin let out. “Our little sister has quite the sixth sense.”
“We can’t let her mate with that guy,” Mason added. “We have to protect her.”
Jude nodded. “I know. But we need concrete evidence.” He exchanged a look with Danielle. “I trust you, my love, but as I said before, the Alliance will want proof.”
She squeezed his hand. “I know that.”
Austin cleared his throat. “Francisco is already working on digging up dirt about the Leon pack. We’ll need more manpower to work on that. I can assign Grant and Parker to him.”
Jude nodded. “Do that. But you can’t tell anyone what Danielle just told you. I don’t want anyone in the Gallagher family overhearing what happened in Danielle’s past. They will only use it against us.”
Mason furrowed his forehead. “I don’t get it. Why would her experience with the Leon pack give the Gallaghers something to use against us?”
“I can’t tell you that,” Jude said, shaking his head softly. “Just trust me. If Danielle’s past with the Leon pack comes to light, it may lead the Gallaghers to ask more questions than we’ve got answers for. It will only put her in danger.”
Mason hummed, clearly contemplating his words, and exchanged a look with Austin.
“That wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that you created a new identity for Danielle, would it?” Austin asked.
“It has everything to do with that,” Jude admitted, aware that Austin knew about the papers he’d provided for Danielle, because Austin had lent a hand.
“Say no more,” Austin replied, lifting his hand. “I trust you both.”
Mason nodded at Jude and Danielle. “Nobody will find out from me. We’re family.”
“Thank you, both of you,” Danielle said with a gentle look. “Charlotte deserves better than Steve Leon. We need to make sure he never lays a hand on her. We have to protect her.”
“We will,” Austin said. She shifted his gaze back to Jude. “What about Byron?”
“Did he try to go to her room last night?” Jude asked.
Austin nodded. “Wendell and I sent him packing.”
“How did he take it?”
Austin shrugged. “He was pissed off for sure. But I think you might have misjudged him.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said he might try to take advantage of the fact that Charlotte is in heat and get her pregnant so our parents will agree to a union between them. Turns out that Charlotte told him she’s not ready for children yet, and he claims he wouldn’t do anything against her wishes.
” Austin rubbed his nape. “He sounded pretty sincere.”
“And you believed him?” Jude asked, shaking his head.
“Oddly enough, yes. I think he’s changed. Three months ago, he would have challenged any one of us to a fight because he couldn’t keep his anger under control, but last night, he was almost calm.”
“That doesn’t sound like Byron at all.” But did this mean Byron wasn’t a hothead anymore? He doubted it. “Tell the others to keep an eye on him.”
Danielle touched his arm, making him turn his head to look at her.
“Are you saying that you won’t even let them talk to each other? Don’t you think that’s going a little too far?”
“I’m just trying to make sure that they don’t do anything they can’t undo.”
Danielle tilted her head to the side. “You mean like what we did?”
“That was different.”
“It wasn’t,” she replied. “We did what our hearts dictated, and we didn’t know each other any longer than Charlotte has known Byron.”
“She’s got a point,” Austin interjected.
“Well, thanks for your support, bro,” Jude said dryly.
“Not to start a fight or anything,” Mason said, “but Byron might be the lesser evil.”
Jude shot him an annoyed look.
“I’m not saying that he’s the best choice,” Mason added quickly, “but he’ll protect her better than any one of us can.
Let’s face it: if we forbid her to see him, all she’s gonna do is try to escape.
That alone will put her in danger. But if we allow her to speak to Byron, she has no reason to leave, and she’ll be safe here on the estate. ”
He hated that his cousin had a point. “But what if he lied? What if he really tries to get her pregnant so that we have to accept him into the family?”
“How about I talk to Charlotte woman to woman?” Danielle asked.
“And ask her what?” Jude said.
“Leave that up to me. She needs to speak to a woman. She’ll confide in me,” she assured him.
Slowly, he nodded. “Alright, but we’ll still keep our eyes on her.”
Then he looked at Austin and Mason.
“Let’s dig into Steve and the Leon pack. They must have skeletons in the closet. Let’s find them.”
Jude looked over his shoulder at Danielle. “We’d better get started. But that doesn’t mean you have to get up yet. Why don’t you rest a little? My tossing and turning last night probably didn’t help you get a good night’s sleep.”
She smiled at him. “You boys go. I’ll be down soon.”
He followed Austin and Mason out of the master suite. From downstairs, he could already hear the sounds of several people. The smell of coffee drifted to him, and coupled with the smell of bacon, it made him hungry.
“Uhm, Jude,” Austin said and stopped walking. “What are we gonna tell Mom and Dad? They need to know. Frankly, I’m surprised our phones aren’t ringing off the hook.”
Jude stopped, and Mason turned toward them.
“I’d rather wait to tell them about the Leon pack until we have tangible evidence that Steve Leon is unsuitable as Charlotte’s mate,” Jude said. “You know Dad as well as I do: if we come to him with just hearsay, he’s gonna accuse us later of manufacturing evidence.”
“If we tell him that we’re looking into some allegations, at least he might give us more time,” Austin mused.
“Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it,” Jude replied.
“That might be sooner rather than later,” Mason added. “Let me check in with my parents to find out whether they know where your parents are right now. Then we can decide what to do.”
“Just be careful what you tell them,” Jude advised.
Mason winked. “Don’t worry, I know how to handle my mother. If there’s anything useful to know, I’ll get it out of her.”