An hour later, a black SUV pulled up to the side of the road, right in front of Charlotte. As someone opened the back door, she saw a man dressed in a gray suit sitting in the back seat.
His dark hair was slightly messy, falling just above his eyes, but it looked effortlessly styled. His sharp jawline made his face more masculine and charming. When his gray eyes locked on Charlotte, her stomach twisted with nerves.
He was handsome, so handsome it almost felt unfair, the kind of man people couldn't help but stare at, or even kneel to if he asked.
"Get in." His voice was cold and firm, but not filled with disgust the way Charlotte feared.
He was Damon Sullivan, an alpha who had rejected her five years ago. Besides that, he was also Julian's maternal uncle.
"I didn't think you'd actually come," Charlotte said nervously as she slid into the seat beside him.
Damon's assistant waited outside the car, leaving her alone with the dominant alpha.
Damon simply said, "Anyone would come if their mate suddenly wanted to renew the bond,"
No, that wasn't true. Most Alphas would have blocked her number without a second thought.
"I'm sorry. Maybe this was a mistake." Charlotte's voice trembled. "I-I called you because I didn't know where else to go … but I shouldn't have come to you."
God, what a horrible mistake.
How could she be so shameless as to run back to the Alpha who had rejected her?
To add salt to the wound, Charlotte was the one who begged him to reject their bonds back then.
They met for the first time at Julian's grandmother's birthday party five years ago.
As Damon walked into the room, Charlotte felt the air was getting heavier and she could smell his strong pheromone across the room.
At that exact moment, both of them knew they were destined mates.
But times had changed. Werewolves no longer lived under the strict traditions of the past.
They could marry whoever they wanted now, and a rejected Luna wouldn't become a disgrace to society.
Hence, Charlotte begged him to formally reject their bonds, so she could marry Julian.
Damon didn't talk much and rejected her without having an issue.
However, before he left, he gave his number on a piece of paper and said, "But remember, a bond like ours isn't just given, it's a gift. Something like that can't be easily broken."
Well, who would have thought that he was right all along?
They could run away from the fated, but here they were, sitting side by side in the narrow car.
"Did your husband hit you?" Damon touched the corner of her lips, causing Charlotte to grimace slightly because the wound hadn't healed yet.
"He did."
Charlotte could feel his hand slightly tremble and his eyes were filled with fury. "That bastard! He has crossed the line!"
Charlotte jumped at his outburst. She never thought Damon would believe her so quickly because Julian's family always painted her as the liar because Julian acted like the perfect husband in front of them.
"For him, I'm just one of his property, so he can do whatever he wants to me." Charlotte let out a forlorn sigh and smiled. "I guess it's just his hobby to torture me."
Damon's face darkened. He accidentally released his pheromone when he got too angry, a scent of cedarwood that had been carved in Charlotte's mind for the past five years.
People said alpha's pheromone would intimidate others and make his mate become weak and lust over him.
But Charlotte felt the opposite.
Was she lusting over him? Yes, absolutely.
However, his pheromone didn't intimidate her at all. Instead of feeling weak, Charlotte felt like she could run the world as long as she stood beside Damon.
"I'm sorry," Damon said quietly.
Charlotte tilted her head, meeting his gaze. "For what?"
"For letting you marry that bastard." Damon gritted his teeth. "All this time, I didn't know he was capable of doing something terrible to you."
Damon rarely saw his older sister's family because he was busy taking care of his entertainment company. Even when he did see them, Julian didn't seem like an abusive person, so Damon had thought Charlotte would be safe.
"But you believe me, that's the important thing," Charlotte said softly, her eyes glistening. "Others usually accuse me of being a liar … you know what? Maybe I should just leave before I bother you any further."
Charlotte had begged Damon to reject her back then, so it didn't make sense that he would still want her now.
Besides, what Alpha in his right mind would want to claim someone who had already been marked by another?
Even though times had changed and werewolves now lived more freely in the modern world, their nature was still imprinted deep in their hearts.
Alphas were symbols of pride and dominance. Hence, they usually didn't want to mark someone who had been marked by others.
Charlotte tried to open the car door, but it was locked and for some reason, she couldn't unlock it.
Stupid car!
"Where are you going?" Damon asked calmly, while Charlotte fought the urge to just kick the door open.
"I'll figure that out later." She sighed, giving up to open the damn door. "Maybe I can find a cheap motel for the night."
What about tomorrow? Or the day after that?
She didn't have much money left in her wallet and all of her credit cards were inactive.
Her parents lived in another city, but Julian knew where they stayed. If she went there, he would find her in no time.
What about her friends?
No, she didn't have friends anymore because Julian had always forbidden her to socialize with others.
"You don't have to stay in a cheap motel," Damon said simply. "I have plenty of rooms in my house."
Yes, then what?
Charlotte almost laughed. Was he expecting her to beg to stay with him? Not a chance.
When her frustration almost pushed her to punch the window, Damon caught her hand and pressed a button.
Click.
The car door magically opened in front of her eyes.
Charlotte immediately wanted to bury her body alive and ran away as soon as possible.
She muttered, "Thank you," and quickly stepped out of the car. But before she could walk away, Damon's voice stopped her. "Julian can track you as long as you still have that mark."
Her heart sank because he was right. Even if she hid in a bunker, Julian would still find her.
She wanted to escape, but she had nowhere to run.
She had no safe place.
"Where are you going, Charlotte?" Damon asked again, his voice lower this time.
"I don't know!"
Her voice cracked as tears spilled. She was exhausted from pretending to be strong, exhausted from pretending she wasn't afraid. In truth, she was terrified, angry, and trapped.
She wanted out of her abusive marriage so badly, but she felt like the world didn't give her permission to do that.
"I really don't know …," she cried again. "I called you because I thought you were my only chance to escape Julian. But … how do I know you're not the same as him?"
The words slipped out before she could stop them. Comparing Damon to Julian was like a stab, and she knew it.
However, there was no guarantee Damon wouldn't hurt her the way Julian did. If that happened, it would feel like escaping a tiger's cage only to fall straight into a crocodile's jaws.
Damon seemed offended that Charlotte had likened him to Julian, but he didn't get angry.
"If words aren't enough for you," he said calmly, "then we can take a blood oath."
Charlotte widened her eyes because no one was willing to take a blood oath.
It was a sacred oath, a promise that could not be broken, not even by the Moon Goddess. If someone broke their oath, then they would die in such a painful way.
Usually, it was the Alpha who forced his Luna into a blood oath, chaining her loyalty to him forever.
But Damon … he was offering to take it himself.
"But once we renew our bond, I won't let you go again, Charlotte." Damon warned her, "You'll be mine and always be mine."