Charlotte woke up the next morning with soreness spread through every inch of her body. She couldn't even sit up straight in the car seat.
Damon had been like a mad dog last night. Their mating session didn't stop until past midnight, and Charlotte was sure she passed out as soon as she reached her last orgasm.
She had the greatest sex ever that night, but at what cost?
Fortunately, at least Damon had been decent enough not to let her fall asleep covered in his sperm.
"I'm sorry for waking you so early," Damon said, his voice calm but firm. "I have to attend the Pack's monthly meeting this morning, and I thought it would be safer if you came with me."
Julian wouldn't be able to track her anymore, but leaving her alone in some random hotel wasn't exactly safe either.
The meeting was being held at Crimson Moon Manor, which also happened to be Damon's home.
Charlotte had never been there, but she heard the manor was so grand and luxurious that other werewolves packs were jealous of them.
She would be delighted to live there, if only she didn't remember she was in a complicated situation.
Even if they hadn't officially registered their bond with the supernatural council yet, Damon's mark on her neck made her his Luna in every way that mattered.
Hence, she knew he would want to introduce her to the Crimson Moon Pack.
But, that was the problem.
She was still his nephew's wife or soon to be ex-wife. Their relationship wasn't against the law, but it was the kind of scandal people found a little disgusting.
Not a little, maybe really, really disgusting.
Not to mention humans, even werewolves would think Charlotte was a bitch who could climb from one man's bed into another man's.
Furthermore, Charlotte didn't even know if Damon's pack knew she had once begged him to reject her.
Her bastard ex-husband had destroyed her life so thoroughly that the mess still followed her, even after they were no longer together.
"You don't have to meet my pack just yet," Damon said, almost like he could hear the storm of thoughts in her head.
Charlotte let out a short, bitter laugh. "Then what am I supposed to do? Hide in your bedroom until the meeting's over?"
Honestly, that sounded even worse than letting everyone know Damon had claimed her as his mate.
She dropped her gaze, unable to meet his eyes. "But if you're ashamed of me, I can stay somewhere else for a while."
The mark on her neck was more than enough for her. As long as Julian couldn't find her, then Charlotte was able to hide in another place.
"That's not what I mean, Charlotte." Damon's hand came up, tilting her chin so her ocean-blue eyes met his. His voice softened. "You're tired and sleepy. I just want you to rest today."
More than that, Charlotte wasn't in her best shape right now. Her hair was a tangled mess from the night before, dark circles had settled under her eyes, and her clothes were wrinkled from rushing out of the hotel.
No. She would rather die than have to meet other people with this kind of appearance!
Worse, with her messy appearance, others might think Damon had kidnapped his nephew's wife and forced himself on her.
Charlotte would honestly cough up blood if people painted Damon as the "big bad wolf" while Julian played the innocent lamb.
"Okay … how about we stop at a public restroom, and I'll fix myself up a little?" Charlotte opened her bag, only to find a compact powder and a broken red lipstick.
She pressed her lips together in disappointment. Back then, she had her own makeup studio and used to love glamming herself up every day.
But Julian had crushed that. He'd said he preferred her natural face, and then forbade her from buying makeup ever again.
"What kind of clothes do you like?" Damon asked, glancing at his watch. "We still have two hours before the meeting."
• • •
Her "quick touch-up" in a restroom turned into a full makeover at a boutique. Damon didn't even blink when he told her to choose whatever she wanted, no matter the price.
He even asked the boutique's assistant to help Charlotte put some makeup on her face.
When Charlotte finally stepped out, she was wearing a new dress, new shoes, and jewelry that shimmered under the light.
The dress she had chosen was a soft pink with thin straps that left her shoulders bare, highlighting the graceful curve of her collarbone.
"Do you need anything else?" asked Damon. He moved his eyes to observe Charlotte's appearance from head to toe.
"No, this is already more than enough." Charlotte's fingers brushed her arms nervously. She felt embarrassed for using Damon's money to buy all those. "I'll pay you back once I find a job."
Damon reached out, his fingers sliding into her brunette hair and twirling it gently. "No need. You've already repaid me just by being beautiful."
Charlotte's cheeks flushed a deep pink, and a small, shy smile tugged at her lips. "You don't have to say things like that," she whispered, barely daring to meet his eyes.
Damon didn't answer, but the way he stroked her cheek softly before leading her back to the car said enough.
• •
Once they arrived at the Crimson Moon Manor, Charlotte stopped breathing for a moment, amazed by the grand manor.
The estate was massive, consisting of four separate buildings: the main residence where Damon and his family lived, a training ground, a greenhouse, and the housekeepers' quarters.
Every single building looked grand, so large that Charlotte was sure her feet would ache if she tried walking from one end of the estate to the other.
While she was still admiring the beautiful place, Charlotte suddenly heard someone call her name.
"Charlotte? What are you doing here?" She turned to see a dark-haired man approaching, his face so similar to Damon's that it made her blink twice.
Oh, he was Louis Sullivan, Damon's younger brother.
"You didn't come here with your husband?" Louis asked, his gaze flicking back and forth between Charlotte and Damon.
Before she could answer, Louis stepped closer, leaning in until his nose brushed the air around her. He sniffed lightly.
"Strange … why does my brother's scent cling to you like you just had a mating session?"
Charlotte's face turned pale, her body stiffening in shock.
Louis laughed, raising his hands as if to calm her. "Relax, I'm just teasing—"
He paused for a second when he couldn't trace Julian's scent in Charlotte's body at all. Louis widened his eyes and looked at Damon in disbelief, "Fuck! Damon, you marked her!"