CHAPTER 4

Xavier:

The moment I laid eyes on her, my wolf went silent.

It was her son that pushed me towards the forest, but I did not expect for my wolf to go quiet over a woman, regardless of who she was. I did not know, but I knew this, the bond that formed between us the second that my eyes laid on her was one that I did not expect.

Then came the weight, everything snapping back into place. Tethering, yanking tight, wrapping around my chest, deep in my bones. My wolf growled, but not in warning, but in recognition.

Mate.

But she didn’t feel it.

If anything, she seemed to be completely oblivious of it.

She stood before me bruised by betrayal, reeking of Crescent Moon… and heartbreak. Her scent was off, frayed at the edges, like a thread unraveling from too much pain. The bond pulsed beneath my skin, but hers didn’t respond. She did not feel it, or maybe she did. Her wolf was just concealing it. She was in too much pain for her to recognize it.

It didn’t matter.

For now, I did not want to push her. For now, I knew better than to do so.

I buried the instinct. Suppressed the primal need clawing at me. Now wasn’t the time. She didn’t need another Alpha hovering over her, demanding answers or claiming rights she didn’t recognize. And I could tell, despite him being possessive, that my wolf understood that he understood the need to be patient when it came to something like this, when it came to a situation like this one.

She needed air. She needed space. And maybe… a place to fall apart. A place for her to feel safe one way or the other.

When she followed me into Blackridge territory, I didn’t look back, but my wolf settled. Satisfied.

She came.

This was a start. I was not going to need to roam around the forest searching for her the next morning.

As the pack house came into view, massive, stone-walled, covered in ivy and shadow, I watched her slow, her steps faltering.

Surprise flickered in her tired eyes.

“You expected caves and fire pits, didn’t you?” I asked, half amused. “I genuinely am curious about what you're thinking right now.”

Charlotte didn’t answer, but her silence said enough. She looked down at her feet, wrapping her arm around herself. My eyes softened, but I did not press on the subject.

“This way,” I said, pushing open the heavy door. The warmth of the interior rolled out into the night like a welcome embrace. The pack house was alive, dim light from chandeliers, the scent of food, distant laughter echoing from the hearth room. Everyone was busy with something, each one knew their duties, but right now it was time for them to rest. It was time for them to enjoy their evening. It was a long day anyway.

She stepped inside cautiously, like she was waiting for someone to throw her back out.

Not here. Not again.

“Emilia,” I called. One of the house maids appeared within seconds. “Prepare a room for our guest. Full service. I want it spotless. If she needs anything, be sure to provide it. No need to come to me first, just provide it then inform me and I want to hear of it personally.”

She nodded and vanished.

“Get her something warm to eat,” I added. “And send some of the women to give her new clothes.”

Charlotte looked at me sharply. “That’s not necessary…”

“It is,” I said simply. “There’s a shower in the room. Clean towels. Fresh sheets. If you need anything, just ask. You're going to need to rest, and I doubt that you would want to do that in muddied and torn clothes, would you?”

She crossed her arms, guarded. “Why are you doing this?”

I looked at her for a long moment. The bruises beneath her surface weren’t physical, but I could still see them. In the way she stood. In the way she spoke. And the way that you wrapped her arm around herself, The way that she studied my expression.

“You look like someone who’s been carrying the weight of the world with no one to help, I don't know what brought you in my territory, nor do I know why you've been walking around for a while. And judging by the way that you look, it seems to me that you've been alone for a while. At least a few hours.” I said. “I’m not asking questions tonight. You’re safe here. No one's going to harm you, nor are they going to ask you any questions. You got to rest.”

Her jaw tightened. “I’m not weak. And I don't need your sympathy.”

“I didn’t say you were.” I said, nodding at her. “Nor did I offer you any sympathy.”

She took a step back, clearly ready to argue, to hold her ground. Even now, she didn’t know how to let her guard down.

I stepped closer. Not enough to overwhelm, just enough for her to feel that I wasn’t going to budge.

“Rest, Charlotte,” I said. “Whatever you want to say… it can wait until morning.”

For a second, I saw the fire in her eyes. I waited for what she was going to throw at me. I waited for an argument. This was something that intrigued me, a woman that knew what she wanted.

But just as she opened her mouth to speak, it was as if her exhaustion overtook her. It was as if her own body begged to rest.

She looked away and nodded once.

I watched her follow the maids upstairs without another word. My wolf stirred again, watching our mate disappear into the hall of our home. A small smirk formed on my lips before I turned to my beta, Alessandro, who raised an amused eyebrow. I looked away from him and turned my attention to her. At least where she had been.

She didn’t know yet.

But she was never leaving this place.

Not unless I was walking beside her.