CHARLOTTE’S POV
My breathing slowly evened out and I pushed myself up. He stood up too, his eyes never leaving me, like he was scared I might fall again. That alone made me uneasy,
“Was that what they called me back in my former pack?” My voice came out in a whisper. I wiped the sweat off my temple.
He nodded slowly, guilt flashing across his face. “And from the look on your face, that’s also what you used to call me.”
A soft, sad laugh slipped out of my throat before I could stop it.
“Everything is not as it seems.” He pushed his hands back into lo pockets. “I know you have questions. A lot of them, I can see it all over your face.”
For six years, I had wanted someone to recognize me. Now I was standing close to someone who might, and I didn’t even know how to feel about it. Instead of relief, my heart felt uneasy It was starting to feel like my past wasn’t just painful, it was filled with things one would want to forget, a lot of emotional and physical torture.
He continued. “But I don’t really know much about you or your past. The little I know, I’ll tell you. Before that, let’s talk about why I came. My patient.”
He explained that he had left that day because something urgent came up. He knew the man was safe in my care. There had been a problem in their clan. The man went missing. When they finally found him, he was unconscious and badly wounded in the bush, with no memory of what truly happened to him.
When I pressed him about how he knew me, he refused to talk. The only thing he said before leaving was, “We will surely meet again, Charlotte. Then maybe we can talk about how I know your name… over dinner.” He suggested with a quiet shrug. He winked and walked out before I could ask further questions.
After work, Les and I headed home together. Liam’s nanny had texted me an hour earlier to say she took him to his swimming lesson. They should be on their way back home by now.
Les was driving. As we got closer to the gate, we both noticed it was slightly open. My heartbeat increased. Something was wrong. We got out of the car and moved on foot.
“You think someone broke into the house?” Les asked, her voice low.
We stepped inside quietly. The main door was open. A break–in for sure. Then the smell hit me again, the same one from the bush that morning in Ace’s pack. The Rougarou.
The living room was trashed. Furniture smashed and glass pieces everywhere. I turned toward the kitchen and froze. A pair of red eyes stared back at me. It growled when our eyes made contact.
Les turned very fast. “What the hell is that?” she screamed in horror.
“Something that shouldn’t be breathing,” I said, already moving. My wolf roared.
A louder growl came from upstairs. It came from the direction of my room, then another one joined it.
“You go upstairs. I’ll handle this,” Les said. She shifted mid–run and charged toward the kitchen.
I let Astra take over and shifted, leaping upstairs in one move. One of them crashed through my window and disappeared into the woods. The other lunged at me, slamming into me with its weight. Its claws raked across my side and something hard struck my ribs. I felt a sharp crack and my breath left me at once, pain spreading fast but I stayed on my feet.
I twisted, caught its arm in my jaws, then went for its neck before it could pull away. It thrashed, snapping and clawing, but I held on, tearing through flesh until its body went limp. I dropped it and didn’t waste another second, the smell of the other
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Chapter 37
Rougaron already pulling me back toward the broken window.
I jumped through the window and chased the other into the bus. Astra was running too fast to be stopped. I spotted it running down the narrow path that led to the river.
I tackled it.
I caught up to him and slammed into his back with force, sending both of us crashing to the ground. We rolled, snapping and clawing. I was getting to him, my teeth finding flesh, ripping into his shoulder and neck, making him snarl in pain.
He moved faster than I expected. Something sharp pierced my neck, quick like a needle. My body reacted instantly. My legs felt too heavy to move on their own, my strength draining too ft. I refused to stop. I bit down harder, tearing at his neck and arm, feeling his blood fill my mouth. But my body was giving up on me. My vision blurred, and I collapsed hard against a rock, the world spinning as darkness crept in.
ACE’S POV
“Alpha, the Moon Ascension festival is just weeks away and you still haven’t done what the elders asked of you,” Roman said as he walked into my office. “They’re not backing down. They want an heir, someone to succeed you. Elder Simon is quiet for now, but we both know that won’t last.”
“I can’t mark Moon,” I muttered loudly. “I can’t mark anyone. It’s part of the curse and there’s nothing I can do about it. Even if I could, I wouldn’t. Whatever I had with Moon is already coming to an end.”
Roman frowned. “You’re not seriously thinking of divorcing her are you? Her father won’t accept that. The elders won’t either.”
“I’m not going to live my life like a puppet,” My teeth clenched hard, holding back the growl rising in my chest. “I won’t let them pull my strings.”
He sighed. “You won’t like this, but you need to do something to calm them down. They’re watching you closely now. They know you’ve been crossing into the human world a lot. Everyone knows you run multiple businesses in the human world, but you’ve been out there too many times these past few weeks. They also know you’ve been going to a hospital.” He paused, then looked straight at me. “It won’t take long before they find out which hospital and why. And after that, they’ll find out about Charlotte.”
My jaw tightened. That name alone was enough to make my wolf stir. He bristled at the mention of our mate, a low snarl vibrating through me. “I don’t care what they say. I’m not getting Moon pregnant, and I’m not marking her.”
“You don’t have to mark her,” Roman explained calmly, leaning back in the chair across from me. “You just have to make them believe you’re playing their little games. Get closer to Moon. She’s always wanted to move into your penthouse, let her. That way, she’ll think she’s getting what she wants, and the elders will back down for now. They’re still buzzing about that picture with your son and Charlotte. We don’t want them thinking that boy is yours. If they do, Charlotte and her son could be in danger. Just play their game.”
I had already bought a new Manhattan mansion with a penthouse. Moving there would put me close to Charlotte and her son, easier than running miles every night like I had for the past week just to catch a glimpse of her.
“Are the papers ready for the new house in Manhattan? I need to move there as soon as possible. Moon can move in the other penthouse.”
Roman shook his head. “Not yet, but the papers should be ready in a few days.”
My phone rang, cutting through the tension, and a grin spread across my face when I saw it was Charlotte.
“Hey,” I whispered in a slow breath.
“Alpha.” I heard an unfamiliar worried voice that wasn’t Charlotte’s. “I need your help, I think Charlotte is in trouble.” I shot on my feet with lightening speed, running out to the door. Roman was right behind me.
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Chapter 97
It was late at nigh when we got to Charlotte’s mansion. The place looked like a war zone. The gate was broken, the entrance wide open.
and inside. It was worse. Furniture was turned upside down, glass scattered everywhere, and Les was pacing frantically, tears streaming down her face.
“What happened?” I barked, and she rushed toward us.
“I have every reason to believe that my friend isn’t safe anymore We came home in the evening only to find out that our house was attacked by those Rougarou creatures. She tried to ch her breath, wiping the tears that kept spilling down her cheeks, more kept coming. “And Liam seems to be missing toove called the nanny a hundred times, but no answer”
A cold wave hit me. fear twisting my chest. My mate and my so gone. The thought made my wolf restless.
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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.
