Book 1: Chapter 83

I’d seen mansions before. Mostly in magazines or on TV and I considered the pack house pretty large. After the giant iron gate opened up and a security guard waved us up the driveway, I realized I didn’t actually know what a mansion was. We pulled up to a monstrosity of a house. There must have been four floors with the front columns reaching all the way up to the roof. It was decked out in plants that were in pots that were bigger than I was. One thing it lacked was any semblance of feeling like it was a home.

“Welcome to my childhood home and my parents house.”

My eyes widened and I shook my head. “Charles…I can’t meet your parents. That’s…I…I’m definitely not dressed for it.”

Looking down, I was wearing some jeans and a button up shirt that I had cuffed when I walked into the bar earlier. Charles shook his head and gave me a quick smile but you could tell he was uncomfortable. It made me want to reach out and hold him, to fix it and to turn the car around. He looked determined though as he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened up the door.

“I’m in jeans and a t-shirt, Sam. You’re far more dressed than I am. Don’t worry. This isn’t going to be a social visit. You don’t want to meet or know or understand who my parents are.” His bitterness was apparent.

I quickly unbuckled and followed him up the grand staircase that lead to two doors that had to be at least eight feet tall. My head looked up and around that the incredible architecture. Nate probably would tear this place apart. If he ever saw something this large, he would go into how ridiculous it was if there was only going to be one family living in it. Not unless they planned on having eighteen kids.

The door opened and my head dropped back down to see a younger looking Charles. He had longer hair but it was tied back with not a hair out of place. It was also apparent that the both of us were completely underdressed. With black slacks, a white button-up with cufflinks that I didn’t want to know if they were real gold, I wanted to march my jean covered ass right back to the car.

“Hey Michael.”

“Charlie? What the hell are you doing here?”

I bit my bottom lip.

*‘Charlie? Really?’* Renji was snickering.

“Is Dad here?”

Michael, who I assumed was Charles’ younger brother, nodded as his eyes glanced over at me. He seemed slightly surprised but didn’t say anything about me. “He’s in the study with the Moreau’s. They are here for dinner. I’m assuming you aren’t here for that…”

Charles shook his head. “No. I need to speak with him.”

Michael moved to the side and Charles strode in. It was like a switch. His shoulders pulled back as he straightened his posture and his face was whipped clean of any emotion he had been feeling. Even the slight happiness at seeing his brother was gone. There was no slump or even his hands making fists. Swallowing, I followed him in as Michael shut the door behind us.

“I’m Michael, Charlie’s younger brother.” He smiled and held out his hand to me.

“Samuel but my friends call me Sam.” I put my hand in his and shook it.

He nodded and looked at the back of Charles who was still walking down the hall. “What are you doing with my brother here, Samuel? Usually he knows better than to bring outsiders here.”

Just in the simple act of calling me by my first name made me realize that his brother had drawn a line in the sand between him and I. Without even knowing me, he already deemed me not only beneath but not worth getting to know either.

“Michael, please tell Dad that I’m here waiting in the office for him. Sam, let’s go.”

I gave Michael a quick smile and walked after Charles who didn’t stop for even a moment. He walked past a multitude of rooms, hallways, and up another grand staircase. He slowed down a bit after he walked up the stairs until he opened up a random door in the sea of doors that looked like every hallway I had seen jutting off as we walked by. Moving to the side, he nodded for me to go in and I did. Charles took a deep breath as he shut the door behind him.

The room was a lot like Silas’ office but much more old fashioned and darker tones. There also were way more books lining the walls. It was probably double the size since it had room for two large leather couches plus the old dark wood desk. Everything looked foreboding and depressing.

“Take a seat. It might take a minute if he’s entertaining guests.”

I cocked my head to the side as Charles flopped onto one of the couches. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, like he has just done the most strenuous activity going from the front door to here.

“I don’t know how you were able to tell the hallways apart. Everything looked the same. I would get lost in a place like this.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. Sometimes people end up in random sections of the house if they aren’t careful. If you’ve grown up here, everything is easy to navigate. This house was built as a maze for a reason. If guests can get lost, then the entirety of the house should look splendorous and like we have money to just toss around.”

“Do you?”

His eyes opened and met mine as I walked behind the couch. “Do I what?”

“Have money to just toss around?”

Charles snorted and shook his head. “My parents certainly do. I’ve done well for myself over the years. Invested in companies on the side outside the influence of my parents. I wouldn’t do this though.” He waved at the room but I knew he probably meant the house in general. “This is just too much. Three people live here, Sam. Three.”

“It doesn’t even feel like a home.” I pursued the bookshelves, finding a lot of law, business, and politic topics.

“No, no it doesn’t. It never did. Not in all the time my parents moved in.”

Glancing back at Charles, he looked upset. Turning back to him, I walked behind the couch and placed my hands on either side of his head. Looking down, I pinned him down with my gaze. His entire view was taken up by me and he smiled. His hands came up and held the sides of my face before pulling me down and kissing me.

My heart leapt into my throat as I felt his lips move against mine and my nerves go into overdrive. He tasted so sweet and I wanted nothing more than devour all of him. Deepening the kiss, I opened my mouth to let our tongues mingle together as my eyes fluttered closed. After a minute, his hands slipped from my jaw and I broke from him, breathing heavy. Licking his lips, Charles’ smile turned into a giddy grin.

“You taste floral.”

I blushed and pushed off the back of the couch, turning away. Renji was making a ton of noise in my head of wanting to just slip our canines into his shoulder and mark him but I kicked him back. Before I even could settle myself, the door opened to the office and an older man came through the door. Turning quickly, I stood straight up as I watched the man stride through the room without even a glance around until he was sitting behind the large desk.

You could tell that there were some features Charles got from his father. The jaw line and the shape of his eyes and nose were all the same. However, this man was hard and almost mean looking. If you weren’t looking for specific features, you would think this man wasn’t related to Charles at all.

“Dad.”

“I am in the middle of a meeting with Mr. Monreau. This better be good, son. Or so help me, I’ll make you stay for dinner and marry his daughter.”

It took everything in me to school my features. Alpha said that they were continuously trying to set up Charles with women they deemed were a good match but for him to say that with a straight face seemed a little much. Charles didn’t seem to be perturbed by the threat. He got up and walked over to his fathers desk. He put his hands on the edge of the desk and with how he was standing, it looked like he was lording over his father. It must have seemed that way to his father as well because he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“I’m ready.”

Suddenly, the mean-look that his father was sporting lighted into pure delight. “You’re ready? Ready to take your place as my first born? Did the last girl really suit your fancy?”

Charles barked out a single laugh. “No, Dad. I’m ready to sign my inheritance away.”

The look of delight fell so quickly and was replaced by pure anger that it almost made me take a step back. His father roared and slammed his palms into the desk, shaking everything.

“You have dragged this out too long. I will not allow you to do this! What? You going to be a cop the rest of your fucking life? Poor and alone? I will not allow one of my sons to turn his back on his birthright and this family!”

“What family? We haven’t ever been a fucking family. You don’t give a shit about what I wanted or what Michael wanted. You had a perfect candidate to take over the business right under your nose but you refused to acknowledge him just because he wasn’t the first sperm? Please, don’t give me your speech about your bullshit family values. I don’t want your stupid business. I want a real family. One that comes out of love, not resentment and always trying to screw the other over.”

His father stood and looked at Charles in the eye. It didn’t last long though because Charles stood up from his lean and he was a good five inches taller than him.

“So you’re throwing away millions of dollars for what? A family? You’re going to struggle and have to work and never be able to provide for her like you want. She probably comes from a poor family just like the other one.”

“Her name was Marlene. She wasn’t poor and she made me happy, not that you ever gave a fucking shit.”

His father reached into the desk and slammed some paperwork down on the desk. “You should think about this. If a single woman is ever truly worth giving all this up. Your place at the company, your inherence, your land. Is it really worth losing everything? You could be just as happy with one of the woman we set you up with.”

Charles laughed and shook his head. “No…no woman ever was worth giving this stupid noose up. You’re right.”

I tried not to smile as I watched Charles scrawl his name multiple times on a piece of paper.

“Then why the hell are you doing this?”

Slamming the pen down on the desk, he flipped through every page to confirm before he tossed it at his father. It fell onto top of the rest of the paperwork.

“For someone who I love and I will never let you hurt or attack. I will make my own way and I will be happy and you will not interfere anymore in my life. That, legally confirms it.” He held his hand out and I knew it was for me to take. 

Stepping up, his father seemed to see me for the first time. My hand slipped into Charles’ and he held it tight. I could feel the slight shake and the sweat but it was strong and firm.

“This is Samuel Guess. I realized that yeah, no woman was worth throwing my backup plan away but he is. He always will be and no matter what the hell we have to go through, we will do it together. Without you or anyone in this god forsaken family.”

His father looked like his face was going to explode but Charles didn’t let him. He turned and pulled me out of the room. As he were going down the stairs, his father’s roar could be hear echoing in the house. A couple people poked their head out of the larger room.

“Charles, what did you say to your father?”

Charles laughed, kissing who I figured was his mother on her cheek. “That I’m done with this fucking family. I sighed it all over. It’s all done.” He clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Good fucking luck. It’s all yours now, Michael. Don’t fuck it up.”

“I…but…wait…what? You actually signed them?” His brother stammered but Charles was already heading towards the door with me in tow.

“I did! And I’m going to celebrate not having to have to deal with any of you with my boyfriend as we plan our future together!” Charles yelled over his shoulder and I went completely red.

Opening the door, Charles continued to pull me down the front steps to where he had originally parked the car. However, he stopped and pulled me forward, twirling me around so my back slammed into the passenger door. His hands came up to my neck and locked under jaw so that I couldn’t move. Before I could even make a sound, his lips crashed against mine in such passion that I nearly melted against the car. He held me up, his knee locking me against the car as it jammed between my legs.

When I lost all sense of where I was or the fact that we were still in view of his entire family, my arms came up and grabbed the back of his shirt. Pulling him even closer, I savored the taste of him as we nipped and kissed. His hands went into my hair and fisted it as he continued to completely dominate and control me. We broke and he was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling against mine.

“You, Sam, are worth it. To me, you mean more and are worth more than anything anyone could throw at me. It will be you and me. We will be mates because I fucking love you and this is only the beginning of our life together.”

His words were low and sensual, making my entire body erupt in goosebumps. I held him tighter, bringing my lips up against his again. This time much softer and brief but I looked directly in his eyes.

“You and me. Starting today and going forward, my mate.”