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 fell just above his eyes, a bit messy but perfectly styled. His sharp jawline made his face more masculine and charming. A pair of gray eyes locked their gaze on Charlotte, making her nervous.
He was handsome, the kind of handsomeness that made people want to kneel in front of him.
"Come in." His voice was firm and cold, but he didn't look like he despised Charlotte.
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 expect you to come." Charlotte sat beside him nervously.
Damon's assistant waited outside the car, leaving her alone with the dominant alpha.
Damon simply said, "Anyone will come if their mates suddenly want to renew their bond."
No. Other alpha would definitely block her number if his rejected mate called him.
"I'm sorry. Maybe this is a mistake." Charlotte stammered, "I-I just called you because I didn't know where else to go, but now I realize I shouldn't have come to you."
No shit.
This was truly a despicable mistake.
How could she be so shameless to contact an alpha who 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 werewolves were not as strict as centuries ago.
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!"
She jolted in surprise when Damon shouted in anger. Honestly, Charlotte didn't expect Damon to believe in her words because all of Julian's family had accused her of being a liar.
It was because Julian was always acting so sweet and affectionate to her when they met his family. Hence, no one believed her.
"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," said Damon.
Charlotte raised her chin, looking right at his eyes. "For what?"
"For letting you marry that bastard." Damon gritted his teeth. "All this time, I don't know he is 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 thought his former mate would be in good hands.
"But you believe me, that's the important thing." Charlotte said, "Others usually accuse me of being a liar … you know what? Maybe I should go now and not bother you further."
Charlotte had begged him to reject her back then, so it didn't make sense if Damon still wanted her back.
Besides, what kind of Alpha would want to claim someone who was marked by someone else?
Even though their lifestyle had adjusted to the modern world, their nature was still imprinted deep in their hearts.
The Alpha was a symbol 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 had the urge to kick the door open immediately.
"I'll figure that out later." She sighed, giving up to open the damn door. "Maybe I can find a cheap motel for a night."
What about tomorrow? Or tomorrow after?
She didn't have much money left in her wallet and all of her credit cards were inactive.
Her parents lived in another city and Julian knew their house, so if Charlotte went to her parents, Julian would definitely find her.
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. I have plenty of room in my house," said Damon.
Yes, then what?
Was he wanting Charlotte to beg him to stay at his house?
Not a chance.
When Charlotte almost punched the window, Damon held her hand and then clicked the button on the door.
Click.
The car door magically opened in front of her eyes.
Charlotte felt like she wanted to bury her body alive and ran away as soon as possible.
"Thank you," murmured Charlotte.
She got out of the car, but before she walked away, she heard Damon's voice behind her. "Julian can track you down as long as you have that mark."
Even if Charlotte was hiding in the bunker, Julian would find her eventually.
She wanted to escape, but she had nowhere to run.
She had no safe place.
Damon asked her once again, "Where are you going, Charlotte?"
"I don't know!"
Charlotte broke down in tears. She was tired of pretending to be strong, to be brave when the truth was far from that.
She was scared and angry because of her vulnerable state.
She really wanted to go out of the abusive relationship, but she felt like the world didn't give her permission to do that.
"I really don't know ... I called you because I thought you're my chance of getting away from Julian." Charlotte said hesitantly, "But, how can I be sure that you're not the same as Julian?"
There was no guarantee that Damon would not abuse her like Julian. In the end, Charlotte was like getting out of the tiger's cage and getting into the crocodile's mouth.
Damon seemed offended that Charlotte had likened him to Julian, but he didn't get angry.
Damon's voice suddenly echoed in the car. "If words aren't enough for you, 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.
An Alpha usually forced their Luna to take a blood oath, so they would stay loyal to them, but Damon was the opposite.
He was willing to take a blood oath, unlike other Alpha.
"But once we renew our bonds, I can't let you get away again, Charlotte." Damon warned her, "You'll be mine and always be mine."