Page 59 of Crimson Heart

For a moment, Byron thought that James would refuse, but it appeared that his wife had considerable influence on him.

“Alright then, we’re staying for one night.”

From behind Byron, Flora suddenly inserted herself into the conversation.

“But we don’t have any empty rooms left!”

Fuck! He couldn’t let Flora mess this up and make them leave today. He needed time so that his bounty hunter could get him proof that the Leon heir was an unsuitable match for Charlotte.

“That’s not a problem,” he quickly said, turning to Flora. “Thaddeus told me he needed to stay in San Francisco for a couple of days anyway, so Jude’s parents can take his room.”

It was a total lie, but he knew his brother would go along with it. He could easily stay in Cameron’s old condo in the city. He wasn’t one for family drama anyway, and would appreciate having a reason not to hang around the mansion when everybody was in a bad mood.

“Oh,” Flora said, forcing something akin to a smile. “Then, of course, I’ll tell Priscilla to make up Thaddeus’s room.”

One fire was put out.

Now onto the next.

Byron picked up Charlotte’s scent in the mud room. Her shoes and clothes were on the bench, which indicated that she’d undressed and transformed into her wolf form. He knew instinctively why she’d gone for a run as a wolf. Being in animal form was liberating. It helped to clear one’s mind and see things for what they really were. Whenever he’d fought with his father when he was still the alpha, he’d needed to run in the woods to get rid of the tension in his body and mind. Every werewolf was like that. They all understood that remaining in their human form for too long without regularly shifting into their wolf form made handling conflict and tension difficult, leading to outbursts and an imbalance in life.

Byron exited the house and followed Charlotte’s scent. It was stronger now that she was a wolf. He simply let himself be guided by his sense of smell and ran after her. She had a few minutes’ headstart, but it didn’t matter. Her scent didn’t dissipate quickly because it was stronger to begin with, since she was still in heat.

When he heard the sounds of twigs being crushed by big paws, he knew he was close. She wasn’t far from the little tree house that he and his siblings had built when they’d been kids. As he approached Charlotte’s location, he knew that she’d already heard him coming. She stopped running, waiting for him. When he reached her, she just stood there, head held high, eyes pinning him.

Her fur was of a shining black color that looked almost unreal. As if she were a painting, not a wolf in flesh and blood. Her eyes looked like sparkling emeralds. She was beautiful. He couldn’t decide in which form she was more breathtaking: in her wolf or her human form. He walked toward her while she stood still. When he reached her, he put his hands into her fur, caressing her soft mane. It felt like silk.

“I’m here, babe,” he murmured, locking eyes with her. “I love you. And I’ll always protect you.”

A soft whimper came up from her throat, and he crouched down and pressed his face into the side of her neck, understanding her even without words. She was scared and hurt. Whatever her father had said to her had done that.

“He can’t make you do anything against your will,” he promised. “I’ll make sure of that.”

She leaned into him, and he put his arms around her neck, holding her, giving her the time she needed until she was ready to leave the protective shell of her wolf. Slowly, she shifted back into her human form until she lay naked on the leaves and moss on the ground.

“Come,” he said and helped her up.

He took off his own shirt and helped her put it on. It reached just past the juncture of her thighs.

“I don’t want to go back to the house.”

“I know. There’s a place where we can talk.”

She nodded and allowed him to lead her away. The treehouse was only a few minutes’ walk from where she’d shifted. A ladder of ropes and wooden steps hung down from the treehouse. They climbed up and entered the small but sturdily built shelter. Inside, it was cozy, with an old carpet lining the wooden floor and two rolled-up sleeping bags in their protective covers, which kept them from getting wet and moldy. He opened the covers, pulled out the sleeping bags, spread one on the carpet, directed Charlotte to sit down on it, then joined her and placed the second one over them so they would be warm. He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her, and felt her body mold to his. He pressed a kiss to her temple.

“What happened with your parents? Did Jude call them and tell them that you’re hiding out here?”

To his surprise, she shook her head. “No. They found out that I returned the rental car at SFO, and from that, they figured I would go to seek help from Jude and Austin.”

He was pleased to hear that Jude hadn’t sold her out; however, her parents’ arrival complicated things.

“Your father accused me of concocting some elaborate story about the Leon pack. Not sure what he meant by that,” Byron said.

“It’s about what Danielle knows about the Leon pack.”

“Danielle? Why would she know anything about them?”

“She lived with them before she came to your pack.”