ACKS POV
I was in the board room meeting with my finance team. I could concentrate on what the chief of finance was saying, I was thinking of an excuse to see Charlotte. It’s been days and I missed her, my wolf misses her even more, he was growing restless
“What do you think about securing long–term offshore investments to protect the company’s liquid assets?” he asked.
Every head turned toward me.
“Perfect. Send it to my email. They lowered their heads as I stood and walked back to my office.
Demian fell into step beside me. “I’ve contacted the owner of the restaurant where the picture was taken. He agreed to relocate to another city. Of course he was more than willing to do that, with the amount of money we threw at his feet. The other people in the restaurant that night, they won’t be saying a word either,” he explained.
“Good.” After that stunt Moon pulled last night, I had to do something fast.
I was so pissed at her after the video I watched. I called Charlotte multiple times and I have every reason to believe she blocked me. I ran out into the bush last night, peeking through her window just to get a glimpse of her, but I saw nothing.
“You want to see her, don’t you?” Demian muttered. I threw him a blank look.
“It’s all over your face. Just go see her and stop sulking.”
I rubbed my temple. “I don’t think she wants to see me. She blocked me, and she’ll be busy at work right now.”
“She’s a doctor and you’re her patient. She can’t say no to a patient.” He checked his tablet. “You have the doctor’s appointment today. If you leave now, you’ll make it to her office before your time elapses.”
“I’ll go see her right now,” I said, already rushing for the door.
“Ace, don’t come back unless you’ve made it right. I don’t like you sulking.”
“Shut up.”
By the next minute, I was crossing the border and speeding to her hospital. I had to use short cuts to get there faster. It was lunch time when I got to the hospital. She was supposed to see me after lunch. Her secretary said she was with a patient and let me into her office to wait.
After waiting an excruciating thirty minutes, the door opened. She walked in, looking exhausted. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw me, then they changed, switching to anger and resentment.
Right. She had every right to be mad at
- me. “I’m working. I don’t have time to talk to you.”
I glanced at my wristwatch. “You’re supposed to see me after lunch today. It’s past lunch time, and you’ve already taken some of my time.”
“I don’t have time for your games. Just leave, please.”
“Are you going to let your patient die because you’ve refused to talk to him?”
She looked desperate for me to leave, but I couldn’t. Not until we talk and she explains to me why she blocked me.
1/3
10:41 Tue, Fed TU
Chapter 34
She dropped her patient file on the table, placing her hands on her waist.
“No. You’ve never kept to any of our appointments. You don’t come for your weekly checks like you’re supposed to. Why should I take you seriously today?”
Without another word, I unbuttoned my shirt and pulled it off my body. Her eyes scanned my bare chest. “Okay. I see that you’re healing slowly.”
I turned my back to her and she gasped. “Is this new? This looks different.”
1 felt her fingers trace my back, and it sent shivers down my spine. She always does this to me. I turned to face her, my whole body burning hot from her touch, but the look on her face showed she was completely unaware of what her closeness was doing to me. I rolled my hands into fists beside me, trying to control my wild wolf from jumping out and claiming her.
She pulled off her gloves and tossed them into the bin. Then she placed both her palms on my chest. I sucked in a deep breath. She closed her eyes, and it felt like she pulled me into whatever she was doing. By the time she stepped back, we were both breathing hard.
“What did you see?” My voice came out low, almost breathless.
“The curse is eating deep inside your body. It’s getting worse.” She moved quickly, grabbed a needle, and took my blood. “I was hoping it wouldn’t get to this, but I need your blood to work on a new solution.”
She placed the vial on her table.
“What’s the difference between what you’ve been enduring and this recent one?”
I exhaled slowly. “It usually starts the same way. I always feel sharp pain, like claws ripping through my bones. It comes in waves. Some days it slashes across my chest and back, leaving marks on my skin like I was whipped. Other days it burns from the inside, like my blood is on fire.”
I fixed my gaze on her because somehow it makes this whole thing easier to handle. “What happened last night was different. The pain went deeper. It felt like something was eating me from the inside, digging into my organs, my wolf. The outside pain was nothing compared to what I felt within.”
She shook her head slowly, quickly writing something down. “This isn’t good. If you go through pain worse than this, you’ll end up dead. And what’s coming next…” She swallowed. “I fear it will be much worse.”
“I don’t believe the Moon Goddess wants me dead,” I said quietly “She’s put me through hell every day for six years, but she hasn’t killed me. If she wanted me dead, I wouldn’t still be standing.” My wolf was right. The moon goddess wants me to find my mate and make it right. She doesn’t want me dead, at least not yet. “Maybe she wants me to find my true mate.”
“Yeah.” Her eyes shifted, something unreadable flashing through them. She took off her coat and hung it on the coat rack. “Any progress on that?”
“You’re suddenly interested in my mate?” I cocked a brow, watching her closely. “Last time, you said you hoped I would never find her. Have you changed your mind?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. You’re my patient and I want you to live.”
“Why did you block my number?” I asked, voicing the question that had been burning in my chest. “Did I do something wrong?”
She let out a sarcastic laugh. “Bold of you to ask. You told your wife that my son and I were beggars you picked from the street. Oh, and you didn’t stop there, you told her I stole your watch and your ring, your family’s precious heirloom.”
“That is not what happened,” I said immediately. “She made all of that up. I swear to you, I never spoke to her about anything.”
2/3
rew TV
11%
Chapter 31
The look in her eyes told me she didn’t believe a word I said, and my heart sank.
You migst think I’m stupid” She snapped. “One moment you are kissing me, holding me, acting all possessive with me and my son, then you go behind my back and you talk shit about me to your wife. Of all things, Ace…. a thief? Is that how low you
think of me
My heart dropped. “Why won’t you believe me? I’m telling you the truth. She made it all up to get back at me. I would never hurt you like that. Never. Please, believe me.”
I was desperately begging.
I meant every word. If only she knew the truth. That she was the only one for me. My soulmate. The woman I lost because of my own stupidity. If she knew that her life and mine were tied together, that she held the key to my life. Would she look at me differently? Give me a second chance?
I get better whenever I’m around her without any medicine. My wounds healed on their own. The pain didn’t disappear completely, but it eased drastically.
I swallowed. “Hypothetically, if someone did to you what I did to my mate, and he came back after realizing his mistakes….. would you take him back?”
I held my breath as I waited for her answer, my heart pounding so loud I was sure she could hear it. I really hope she would say she’d forgive him and give him another chance.
She opened her mouth and…
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
