Chapter 24

Robert Montgomery

I don't think Charlotte knows how she looks right now.

There is devastation in her eyes, a terrible grief that has my wolf twisting in worry and stress.

"Engaged?" I stare at her, shocked by her words.

"Doreen Baxter," she whispers. "Your fiancée. She showed up at the cafe just after you left. She wanted to put me in my place as the dirty whore who touched her soon-to-be mate."

"Charlotte—"

"When were you going to tell me about Doreen, Robert?" Her voice is quiet. "When it was time for you to do your duty to the pack?"

"Char—"

She takes a step toward me, and now I see the rage in her eyes. "I'm so sick of people throwing me away. I don't know why I thought you were different. I don't know why I believed all that garbage you spouted every day. I should have known better. I should have trusted my own instincts. Instead, I let you move me into your home, let myself become dependent on you!" Bitter laughter spills from her mouth, and I see the glimmer of tears. "God, I'm stupid. I did the exact thing I told myself I would never do. I should never have fallen in love with you—"

"No!" I snarl, cutting her off and grabbing her. "I didn't lie to you or break your trust, Charlotte. Doreen isn't my fiancée."

"Her father showed up to confirm it an hour later!" Charlotte hisses at me. "You expect me to believe everyone is lying to me except you?"

"Yes!" I say furiously. "You have to trust me! Doreen is…" My jaw tightens. "Doreen is the top candidate for being my mate. That's all. I don't want her. My human side doesn't want her. My wolf doesn't want her. It only wants you. It's only ever wanted you, Charlotte."

"Then why did her father come—"

"Because word of my relationship with you has begun to spread," I admit. "The pack can't touch you right now because they don't want to incur my wrath. They don't know what you are, either. Gregory was trying to scare you off."

From the look on Charlotte's face, she doesn't entirely believe me. Her lack of trust in me hurts, but it's understandable.

"Do you need me to prove it to you?" I ask, calmly now. "I've told you all this before. There are candidates being pushed by my pack elders and prominent families who want their daughters and nieces to be Alpha Female. But I don't want any of those women, Charlotte. None of them look at me the way you do. None of them make me feel alive like you do."

Her eyes waver, and I grip her arms tighter.

"When we get home, I'll call Harry. You can ask him yourself. If that doesn't satisfy you, I'll make both Gregory and his daughter stand before you, and you can ask them. I'm not going to throw you away. I'm more worried about you walking away from me. You're getting your abilities back, Charlotte. Soon enough, you won't even need me anymore. And that makes me fearful. It'll be easier for you to leave me when you don't need me."

"What?" Charlotte blinks, stumbling backward. "What do you mean, I'm getting my abilities back?"

"You must have been feeling stronger lately." I watch her, my heart twisting in my chest.

From the look in her eyes, she has been, and being as clever as she is, she must have pieced things together.

"I knew—" she swallows, "I knew that something was changing, but I didn't think my abilities were returning. How can you say for sure?"

"The blood you threw up," I tell her. "Somebody fed you a poison when you were still living in the clan. That night at the coffee shop, the black blood you threw up was the poison. It had never left your system. You'll probably vomit a couple more times, but then you'll be fine. Nobody will be able to call you a defective vampire again. If you wish to return to your clan or join another one, nothing is stopping you any longer."

Charlotte's breathing is labored. "I don't want to join a clan. I don't want to go back. You know that."

"I'm saying it's an option now. You don't need me anymore, Charlotte. In the end, you'll be the one to toss me aside. Not the other way around."

It kills me to say these words, my wolf howling inside and battering itself against me, trying to come out.

She stares at me, her body trembling.

"Th—That's not true." Her voice is hoarse. "I would never…Doreen said…Her father—"

"I love you," I say, simply. "And my wolf gave you our mating mark that night, our first night. I wouldn't do that if I intended to walk away from you, Charlotte. But I can't feel our bond, and I wish I could." I point toward the waterfall, the cave. "I deeply wish right now that the fact that our ancestors were together and that they looked like us means our fates are entwined." I cover the distance between us. "I'm yours. That's it. Nobody else has a claim on me aside from you. And nobody ever will. So, don't say I'm throwing you away. I would never do that."

I can see the tears sparkling in Charlotte's eyes. I can read the fear, the self-doubt, and it kills me. She's one of the strongest women I know, and she's standing here crying because of me.

Something within me hardens. I grab her hand. "Come on. Let's go."

"Wh—Where?" She doesn't resist as I drag her along with me.

"You want the truth?" I demand. "We're going to Gregory Baxter's house, and I will ask him in front of you. Let's see if that fucker will lie in front of his Alpha."

"No!" Charlotte sounds distraught. "I don't want to make a scene! I'll believe you!"

"No, you won't!" I turn around, and she slams into my chest. I look down at her. "I don't want you to doubt me. If I can clear away—"

"I believe you." Charlotte's fingers curl into my shirt. "I do. You don't have to prove yourself to me."

"But—"

"I trust you." She sounds more confident now.

My heart is throbbing as I look down at this woman. "I may be an Alpha, Charlotte. I may have money and power, but I always feel lacking when it comes to you. I feel I don't deserve you. My family hated me. They destroyed my face. They tried to destroy my life. Even with the people I trust and call my friends, I've never truly been able to relax till I met you. You feel like a gift after a lifetime of hardships. I did everything I could to become the Alpha, but for you, Charlotte, I'll throw it all away in a heartbeat. You don't understand how precious you are to me. There's never going to be another you, and I don't want to lose you. So, if you need assurance that I'm faithful to you—"

Charlotte's arms reach up, and she wraps them around my neck. Her head buried in my chest, a small sob escapes her.

My arms encircle her waist as I hold her to me.

"I love you, too." Her words are a broken sob. "And it's really scary."

"You can say that again," I chuckle, my heart overflowing at her raw honesty. "Very fucking scary."

When Charlotte pulls back, her eyes are wet, but she's not crying. "Does it matter to you that I'm getting my abilities back?"

I shrug. "If it means you're able to protect yourself when I'm not around, then I'm all for it."

"Do you think what we just discovered in the cave means that we were meant to be?"

"I'd like to think so." I smile at her. "I really hope so. There's something about knowing that you were made just for me."

Her smile is the most beautiful thing in the world to me, and I wipe her eyes as I say, "Should we go home?"

Charlotte nods.

Stepping away from her, I shift into my animal form. I'd rather carry her than walk all the way back. Charlotte's delighted gasp has my wolf preening. With my animal in control, I sniff her before rubbing my body against her, coating her in my scent. A surprised laugh escapes from her lips as I nuzzle her.

Then, I drop down in front of her, huffing. Getting the hint, Charlotte climbs on top of me, and I hear her whisper, "So soft."

Her hands are running through my fur, and I feel pleased at my mate's approval. Bond or no bond, Charlotte is the only woman who will ever wear my mating mark.

******

Just because Charlotte didn't want to confront Doreen and her father, it doesn't mean I won't.

My father was the type of Alpha who was easily influenced by money, and the pack elders, who were usually the patriarchs and matriarchs of the prominent families within the pack, used that to their advantage. However, I'm nothing like my father, much to their irritation. I can't be bought or bribed. My business is so unique that they can't even interfere in it.

And while I have been a fair Alpha, at the end of the day, my word is law.

I decide to deal with everyone at once. Calling a pack meeting is a huge deal because when an Alpha summons the pack, everyone is supposed to drop what they're doing and show up.

I stand in the hallway, watching people pile in.

It's been two days since Charlotte and I discovered the cave in the woods, enough time for me to think about what I want to do now.

Once everybody has gathered, I speak.

"Have I been a fair Alpha to this pack?"

Loud cheers follow my question, and I gesture with my hands for them to settle down. Every pack member is in attendance today.

"Have I treated you better than my father and his predecessors? Given you more rights, stopped the stealing from your pockets, educated your children for free?"

Sounds of loud agreement.

"Then why is it, when I want something for myself, this pack thinks it has the right to interfere in my private life?"

I see Gregory Baxter flinch. His daughter is standing beside him, and her lips press into a thin line.

"We abandoned most of the old ways when I took over this pack," I declare furiously. "If the members think they have the right to choose a mate for me, then should I return the favor? Should I force mates on you? I already said this when I took over: there will be no political marriages. Whichever woman I choose will have to cut ties with her family. That means her family will not get the status they're seeking through me."

I see the outrage on quite a few faces. Sander Tillon, an older male and the head of his family, says furiously, "You cannot ask our daughters to break ties with us! That is unheard of! Traditions are meant to be followed!"

"Traditions no longer have a place in this pack," I snarl. "It is these so-called traditions that ruined the pack in the first place."

"You can't—"

"I am the Alpha, Sander," I say harshly. "I certainly can. And another thing. Let me dispel the rumors here and now. Yes, I am involved with a woman. The next time someone goes over and introduces themselves as my fiancée, throws coffee on her, and upsets her, I will remove your family from existence."

Gregory turns pale. "You wouldn't. Not over a huma—"

"My mate," I correct him coldly. "That woman has been marked by my wolf. She is mine now."

I ignore the shocked murmurs, my voice loud and cruel. "Don't forget that if you dare harm my mate, you will not only make an enemy of me but of our two allied packs. They have offered protection over this woman."

"We will not tolerate a human as our Alpha Female!" Doreen suddenly bursts out, her voice high-pitched. "We will not accept a weak—"

"Who said she was human?" I raise my brow.

"I saw her—" She shuts up almost instantly.

"So, I was right." I approach Doreen, my voice soft. "You're the one who attacked my mate. Did you really think there would be no consequences?"

Gregory immediately steps in front of his daughter, protectively. "Doreen did nothing wrong. The girl provoked her."

"Charlotte couldn't provoke a fly," I sneer. "And I have witnesses."

"You would believe those filthy humans over me?" Doreen demands hysterically.

"How about an Alpha Female?" A voice comes from behind me as Aisha walks forward. "I'm surprised you didn't recognize me, Doreen, back at the cafe. Or did you think I would also disapprove of Robert's choice and defend you?"

"She's not one of us!" Doreen doesn't seem to have an ounce of remorse. "We should have a say in the woman who becomes our Alpha Female. Everybody thinks so! I was raised to be the Alpha Female! I have the training! I have connections! My family has supported you—"

"Any female who goes up to someone she assumes to be a human and throws scalding liquid on her face to cause harm and implicate the pack does not deserve to lead this pack," I say coldly. "And what connections do you have that you think I need? Everything I've done for this pack has been through my own strength. And as for this support you talk about, your family benefited from my ascension to the Alpha position, Doreen." I can see the red creep into her face as I add, "I never promised you or your family anything. I never promised to choose any female from this pack. If you lived under this delusion, that's on you."

I swivel my head back and forth to address the rest of the crowd.

"Let me make this clear to all of you. If you don't want my mate, and yes, she is my mate—both the Moore Pack and the Wolfguard Pack confirmed this yesterday—If you don't want my mate to become Alpha Female, that's fine. I would not want to put that burden on her anyway. However, I will not take any woman from this pack to be Alpha Female by marriage, either. And whoever tries to intervene in my private business again, I have already told you what to expect."

Gregory is bristling with anger, as are a few other pack elders. I just single-handedly crushed their years of planning.

"We don't want an Alpha who is so selfish—" Gregory begins, and I shrug.

"You want me to step down?"

His eyes widen, and I see the flash of interest in his eyes.

Fool, I sneer internally.

"We should choose our Alpha." Gregory looks around for support from the other pack elders. "If we can do away with so many traditions, why not this one, as well? We can choose the Alpha we want to lead us!"

Murmurs of dissent begin; not all the pack elders seem to be on board with such a bold statement. They have uneasy looks on their faces. However, one or two chime in, greed shining in their eyes.

"Gregory is right!"

"We should be able to choose our own leader!"

I look around the pack, unbothered. I don't have any loyalty to these people. When my father tortured me, when my half-siblings tormented me, none of these people tried to protect me or raised their voice. I became the Alpha to prove a point, to rub it in my father's face. My motivation was selfish, but I did right by this pack. I gave them a higher quality of life, more freedom. But my words to Charlotte were true. I have no problem walking away to be with her. I have enough money to take her traveling around the world, to pamper her with every luxury I can think of. I don't need to be here.

"Fine," I smile, relaxed. "If that is what the pack wants—"

"No!"

I look over and see Tommy Decker, the contractor I sent to Charlotte's place, step out from the crowd. His voice is firm. "Gregory and the pack elders don't speak for me. Because of you, nobody is dipping into my retirement fund anymore. My oldest daughter was able to go to college because of the Education Fund you set up for the pack. My son is now employed because you created jobs such that no one in the pack is without one, and you established a minimum wage for us. I don't want some greedy asshole to come and fuck everything up again. I don't want you to leave. I'll accept your mate as Alpha Female. She can be a duck for all I care. If it means you stay, she has my respect."

His speech stirs the rest of the place, and a woman speaks up. "I agree with Tommy. We don't want another Alpha. We want you. You've given us the kinds of rights we only ever saw the rich enjoy. We have security for the first time. I don't have to worry about homelessness. I know you won't let that happen. I don't want to go back to how things were before you became the Alpha. I disagree with the pack elders. When your father led us, our money lined his pockets and those of the pack elders. We were forced to work for peanuts. We were taken advantage of. We had no one to protect us! The pack elders didn't care because our suffering benefited them! If anyone should leave, it should be those who want to replace you!"

"Hear! Hear!"

Shouts of approval fill the hallway, and as the elders shout at the rest of the pack, I see the loyalty in the eyes of the people I have worked so tirelessly for over these past years. They're willing to fight to keep me here. My family never fought to keep me with them. Nobody has ever fought for me, and while these people have never raised their hackles before, they're determined to hold on to me. I don't know why it matters so much; I shouldn't care, but my heart feels warm.

Wolves thrive in packs. It won't be easy to leave, but I'm willing to do so. Knowing that my pack is fighting tooth and nail to keep me here is comforting to my wolf.

"We have a right to choose!"

"Then go somewhere else and choose!" Tommy shouts back at Gregory. "Just because you live in a mansion doesn't mean you make decisions for the rest of us! I, for one, am glad our Alpha Female isn't going to be from one of your families. Robert has not made any wrong decisions so far. I'm confident the woman he's chosen will treat us like he treats us. We accept his choice!"

The rest of the members voice their agreement with Tommy, leaving the elders isolated and thoroughly humiliated. The decision has been made; without the backing of the rest of the pack, the elders are helpless. Ever since I came into power, I've been slowly chipping away at the power they wield. These days, the rest of the pack isn't dependent on these few prominent families whose businesses are their only source of livelihood, and I can see the realization dawning on them.

I smirk.

The elite of this pack should have stuck by my father if they wanted to keep reaping the benefits.

As I look around the room, I see the dissatisfaction on the faces of the elders. They're not going to let this insult pass.

I'm going to have to keep an eye on them.