“Hi,” Charlotte said, uncomfortable that everyone stared at her.
“This is the new mate?” the lady with the short bob asked, seeking verification.
“I’m sorry, what?” Charlotte asked.
Alessandra pleaded with her gaze for something, but Charlotte had no clue what.
“Hello, darling. My name is Kallyah,” said the lady with the long hair and a friendly warm smile. “This is my sister, Lakyah. We are elders of the pack.”
“Nice to meet you,” Charlotte smiled, offering a hand to shake. “I’m Charlotte.”
Eros moved to stand by Charlotte’s side. For the first time since she met him, he appeared to be worried.
“Hello, Charlotte,” Lakyah said. “You’ve made this pack very happy.”
She raised her brows, confused. “Why’s that?”
“By becoming the mate and fulfilling the Alpha Triad, we are not forced to seek a mate for the Alpha Brecc and Omega Eros. Now we can move on with other matters that require our attention,” Kallyah replied, her voice soft and melodic.
Shock froze her system for a nano-second, but she controlled herself and smiled. “This is such a beautiful planet. I’m sure you have better things to do than search for mates.” She gave the women a smile. “Gerri Wilder is very good at finding mates.”
The women nodded, moving back out toward the entrance. “If we ever have this issue again, we will definitely request her services,” Lakyah said. “It has been a pleasure to meet our new Alpha mate.”
“It’s been nice meeting you too,” Charlotte said, waving goodbye to the women.
She waited until Alessandra shut the door before heading up to her room to pack. She’d strewn clothes all over in her earlier agitation. Now she picked up each piece and put it in her overnight bag.
A knock sounded at her door. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Come in.”
Eros walked in. Concern filled his gaze. “Don’t go.”
She shook her head. “Don’t do that. You lied to me. Both of you.”
He approached her slowly. “It wasn’t a lie. We both want you to be our third, but we weren’t expecting for them to show up before we got a chance to talk to you.”
She shoved clothes harder in her bag and glanced at him. His loving gaze did nothing to sway her. She had been duped. “You two brought me here with an ulterior motive.” Her heart hurt from the deception. “I trusted you,” she mumbled, pushing back the anger.
“I’m sorry.”
She gave a bitter smile. “Sorry didn’t do it. You and Brecc did. How did those women even know I was your supposed mate?”
He glanced away from her. “When you were marked, Kallyah got a vision of you. It is always that way.”
She zipped her bag closed and frowned. “Marked?”
“Brecc bit you. When we were in the Crystal Cave.”
“That son of a bitch! He did that on purpose,” she growled, her anger rising the more she thought about it. “Take me back to Gerri at the castle. I don’t want to be here anymore.”
“Charlotte, let me explain,” Eros said. “You mean so much more than you realize.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to hear it. First you people deceive me. Then Brecc puts my ass back in its place by reminding me your business isn’t my business. Now you’re going to tell me you care about me.” She met his gaze, raw pain filling her heart. “Then why lie? I thought there was no room for lies with shifters?”
“There aren’t.” He took another step toward her. “You know I feel what you do. I know everything about you. From the loneliness you’ve experienced all your life, to the attraction you have for me and Brecc. To the other emotions you refuse to acknowledge. I know.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “It’s tearing me apart to know how much you’re hurting right now. Let me explain.”
“None of that matters. I won’t be in another relationship where I’m made a fool of. I’m not a joke.” She pushed past him. “I’m sure Alessandra has a transporter or a way to get me to the castle. I’ll talk to her.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Charlotte picked up the tea Gerri had brought into the sitting room back at the lion king’s castle. She sipped the tea and sighed. “I don’t understand why you want to rehash this, Gerri. I already told you that I can’t be in a relationship of any kind with liars.”
Gerri nodded. “I understand, but what if it was a genuine misunderstanding?”
“The bite?”
Gerri’s brows flew up. “You can’t tell me you don’t lose your control when you’re having great sex. If you do then something is wrong with that picture.”