Bound By Moonlight to My Mates (by Sofange Daye) novel Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Charlotte

88

Sevouchers

The Southpaw gates swing open as Damon’s SUV crunches up the gravel drive. I called ahead to letan know we were coming. The grim sound of his voice still rings in my head as we pull up to the pack house. My arms are around Leah’s shoulders, steadying her limp body while Damon drives like a man possessed. Her skin is clammy, and her eyes flutter with each bump we hit.

We screech to a stop in front of the steps. Lucian is already waiting at the top. His jaw locked tight, and his eyes narrowed. Jake is at his side, but he refuses to look at me. His mark aches on my neck, begging me to move closer to him.

“What the hell happened?” Lucian growls as he storms down the stairs to meet us.

Damon throws open his door, slams it shut, and rounds to my side. “She’s bleeding out. She needs Theo.”

Two Southpaw pack members sprint forward to lift Leah from me and carry her inside. I watch them disappear through the door, then force myself to meet Lucian’s glare. Guilt fills my stomach, and I fight back the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. His sister is hurt because of me.

Lucian’s eyes flick to Damon and then to me. “We’ll talk about this later,” he snaps. “Both of you. Right now, my sister needs

me.”

I swallow the instinct to argue. Lucian’s anger is rolling off of him in thick waves, and I know better than to prod an Alpha already running on grief and rage.

Jake stands off to the side, arms crossed over his chest. He looks different. His usual happy smile and dimples have been replaced with shadowed eyes and slumped shoulders. He finally meets my gaze, and guilt contorts his face. “Lotte,” he says quietly. “I…”

Damon moves fast, putting himself between Jake and me in a heartbeat. He shoves Jake back, snarling under his breath. “Don’t even say it.”

Jake steadies himself. His jaw ticks with anger. “I was trying to stop the sickness. I didn’t mean to…”

“You didn’t mean to what? Mark her? Take one more fucking thing from me?” Damon’s voice is low and dangerous. His fists are trembling at his sides.

Jake flinches at his brother’s words but stands tall. “I didn’t take her from you, Damon. She’s not property.”

Damon shoves Jake back again. “You’ve already taken everything else from me. Father’s approval. This pack. Now her. It’s always you.”

Jake’s eyes flash angrily. “Don’t drag him into this.”

“Why not?” Damon snarls. “He’s the reason you’re Beta–born, and I’m the bastard from an affair. He’s the reason I had to claw for every scrap while you were handed the world.”

Silently, I watch the exchange. The pain in Damon’s voice is palpable. I had mistaken him for arrogant and cruel, but I think I had it all wrong. Now I can see what lies beneath the walls he has built around him. He’s scared he will lose one more thing to his brother.

Lucian steps from the pack house door, his eye falling on the scene in front of him. “Enough. If you two want to tear each other apart, do it somewhere else. Not here. Not now.”

But Damon’s fists are already curling. He is ready to strike. “You marked her. Did you even ask, or did you just sink your teeth into something else you wanted?” His voice shakes, but I don’t think it is from anger. “You don’t get to apologize. Not this time.”

Jake meets his eyes. “I do when I mean it.”

Damon’s fists flex at his side. “Does she know? Does she know about the monster you keep inside your head? How fucking dangerous your wolf is?”

Jake snarls. “Do you need a reminder?”

Damon chuckles loudly and sarcastically. “I have been training my whole life to put Storm in his fucking place. Give me a

reason.”

Jake rolls his shoulders. His muscles ripple beneath his shirt, and fur sprouts from the tops of his hands. I stare at him with wide eyes, wondering if he still has control over his wolf or if Storm has taken over. Damon doesn’t back down from the challenge, but neither is willing to strike first.

The tension coils so tightly I can hardly breathe. A crowd has gathered. No doubt they are Southpaw warriors, waiting to break up the fight that will surely take place. Damon’s chest rises and falls, and Jake’s wolf flickers in his eyes, ready to show Damon just how dangerous he can be.

No longer able to handle the tension, I step between them with my palms out. “Stop. Please.”

Neither of them moves. They’re locked on each other, not realizing I am standing between them. I press my hands against their chests, trying to gain their attention, but they look through me.

Finally, Lucian’s voice cuts through. “Theo is here to work on Leah,” he says with a clipped tone. “Charlotte, you stay here with her. Damon and Jake separate. Now. Or I’ll throw you both into the holding cells myself.”

For a long second, no one moves. Then Damon jerks his chin away and stalks off toward the far wing of the house. Jake watches him go, then turns his gaze on me. His eyes are full of regret, but he can’t seem to find the words to apologize, even though there is nothing to apologize for. He spins and walks the other way.

The front yard empties, leaving me standing alone. My hands tremble at my sides, and the mark on my neck throbs painfully.

Inside, I can hear Leah’s screams as Theo works on her. I gulp as I step toward the front door, not knowing what I will do when I see her, or when I see Theo. Tala shivers under my skin, and I push her away. She’s the reason I am in this mess, and she refuses to help me solve it.