Chapter 39
Charlotte looked out the window and watched as rain began to saturate the ground.
The danger was finally over. Jude and his team had made sure the Leons would never again be a problem.
Both she and Danielle were safe now. Her parents had left for Montana an hour earlier, and they hadn’t urged her to accompany them.
Jude was probably responsible for that. She should feel happy, but she felt as if the water raining down on the estate were her unshed tears.
There hadn’t been a party to celebrate their win because the residents who hadn’t been part of the successful mission couldn’t find out that Jude and his team were responsible for the three deaths that had taken over the news cycle.
The second reason was that death was never a pretty thing, and taking a life, no matter how evil the person was, should never be celebrated but mourned.
While nobody openly celebrated the deaths of the three Leon men, she suspected that nobody was mourning their deaths either.
She certainly hadn’t shed a single tear.
Yet, her eyes were full of unshed tears. All because of Byron. She didn’t know how to get past his betrayal. She’d trusted and loved him. And he? Had he truly loved her? Or had he just used her to follow his own agenda? Had she been only a pawn in his game?
There was a knock at the door, and she turned away from the window before responding. The door opened, and Jude entered.
“Do you have a minute?” he asked with a gentle voice.
She nodded and watched as he closed the door and approached.
“I haven’t thanked you yet,” Charlotte said. “If you hadn’t believed me… I don’t know what would have happened.”
He took her hands in his and looked at her. “We both know what would have happened. I’m happy that we were able to eliminate the danger. And there’s no need to thank me. Others did far more than I. And your idea was brilliant.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And there’s something else you need to know.”
She lifted her head a little bit, curious about what he wanted to tell her. “Yes?”
“Remember when you went downstairs to get the others to come up to the master suite so we could discuss things in private?”
She nodded. “What about it?”
“After you left the room, Byron volunteered to kill the Leons by himself, without involving anyone from the pack or the Alliance.”
“But that would have never worked. The Leon pack would have come after Byron.”
“I told him as much. But he didn’t care.” He squeezed her hands. “He was willing to give his life for you and Danielle.”
Her heart felt as if somebody had sucker punched her. “But why?” She shook her head because the first answer that came to her mind couldn’t be true.
“Why do you think?” Jude asked softly, his voice a mere whisper now.
Their eyes met, and she felt a tear roll down her cheek. “But he doesn’t love me. He used me.”
Jude pulled her into his arms, and she pressed her head to his broad chest.
“He didn’t. It may have sounded that way on the tape, but that’s not him. Not anymore. He risked everything for you just so you would be safe.”
A sob tore from her chest, and she didn’t have the strength left to hold it back.
“Will you give him another chance?”
She sobbed, unable to speak. What if it was too late to forgive him? What if their relationship was already ruined, and what had gone wrong between them couldn’t be repaired?
She felt Jude release her from his embrace, only to feel a different pair of arms wrap around her.
With it, a familiar scent engulfed her, and she lifted her head.
Her vision was blurred by her tears, but she recognized him nevertheless: Byron.
He was here, holding her in his arms, while the door shut, indicating that her brother had left the room.
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, her voice still tinged with tears.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. I should have told you right away what Flora and I talked about that night. It was all spoken in anger. It was stupid and immature. I would have never been able to go through with it, even if I’d known right away who you are.
I’m the one who’s sorry. Please forgive me. ”
She smiled through her tears. “I do. And I want everything to go back to what it was before I saw that surveillance video.”
Byron cupped her shoulders and held her a few inches away from him, his eyes meeting hers.
“I don’t think that’s possible anymore.”
Shock went through her. “But—”
“I want more. I don’t just want to be your lover. That’s not enough.”
Her heart swelled with hope. “Then what would be enough?”
His gaze briefly dropped to her neck, and a pleasant shiver traveled down her spine. “You know that already.”
“I want you to say it.”
He chuckled softly. “Alright then.”
He let go of her shoulders and dropped down to one knee. “Charlotte, will you mate with me?”
New tears threatened to rob her of her ability to speak. She swallowed them and took a breath.
“Yes!”
Byron rose to his feet and took her into his arms. Their lips fused in a passionate kiss, and every worry was forgotten. She pressed her body to his, eager for his touch and the feel of his hard body, losing herself in the desire that burned like a hot flame between them.
He released her lips. “I know your parents will be against it. Your father doesn’t exactly like me. But Jude is on our side.”
“Even if they’re all against us, I wouldn’t give you up,” she replied.
“Then let’s make sure they can never tear us apart again.”
She knew what he was saying. There would be no long engagement, no wedding to plan.
She didn’t care. In fact, now that she thought about it, she realized that she’d never dreamed of a white wedding like other girls when they were young.
She’d only ever dreamed of a wolf making her his, even if it happened on the bare ground or a bed of straw.
“I’ll help you pack your things,” he suggested. “Austin needs his room back.” He grinned at her with a sparkle in his eyes. “And I need you in my bed.”
“Careful what you wish for. I might never let you out of that bed again.”
“Works for me. The big bad wolf has a big appetite.”
“Then why are we still talking like we have nothing better to do?”