Chapter 3
1912 Words
Chapter 3
After Carter talked with Allie and found out that it wasn’t Jasper rejecting Sarah’s baby but accepting it as his own, Carter felt more comfortable meeting Sarah. Allie promised to introduce him in a few days, but she was caught up in some unforeseen yet exciting circumstances that needed her attention first. Carter used the chance to get used to seeing Sarah in the front lobby, but he was too nervous to introduce himself. He didn’t want to come off as a stalker, so he patiently waited for Allie. Once she was ready, she kept her promise.
The day had finally arrived, and it was agonizing for Carter. Allie met him at the employee elevator from the parking garage, and they walked into the building together. Carter was a nervous wreck, and Allie could feel his anxiety from a mile away.
“Buddy, you need to relax. I can feel nerves as if they’re my own,” Allie commented as they walked toward the front lobby.
“Luna, I’m about to meet my mate for the first time—My pregnant mate at that. What if she doesn’t want anything to do with me?”
“She won’t. Not at first, anyway,” Allie bluntly stated. Carter furrowed his brows in confusion and hurt. “Carter, you have to keep in mind what my cousin has recently been through. I told you what you need to know to be empathetic toward her circumstances, but not all of the details. You’ll need to be patient and let her open up to you naturally.”
“I understand that, Luna. I do. But what if she rejects me entirely?" Carter asked, his confidence gradually fading.
“She won’t. She’s human. She doesn’t understand rejection. There will be some apprehension, but don’t worry about it. Okay? She has a good soul. She’s just broken and trying to get back on her feet. And whatever you do, don’t tell her you have millions in the bank.”
“Why not? I thought women wanted a man who was financially stable and could provide for them.”
“They do. But my cousin is different. She’s lived her whole life with a silver spoon in her mouth and doesn’t know the first thing about taking care of herself. If she finds out that you’re filthy rich, she’ll ignore any life lessons I try to teach her, and your ability to provide will only become a crutch for her. I don’t want that for her. I want her to see what an incredible young woman she is—that she’s strong, capable, and able to stand on her own two feet. I need to learn that she doesn’t have to rely on a man to take care of her. Though I doubt you would ever do what her ex-husband did to her, she doesn’t know, so her guard will be up for the time being.”
“What do I tell her if she asks what I do for the company?” Carter asked.
“Tell her you’re an independent contractor who was hired as an FTE. That’s the truth.”
“What if she asks about the logistical part of my job?”
“Tell her you’re a K&R specialist,” Allie shrugged.
“K&R? Kidnap and ransom?
“Yeah. Don’t bounty hunters work K&R cases?”
“Well, yeah, we do, but that’s not what I specialize in,” Carter emphasized.
“Carter, if you tell her you’re a bounty hunter and trained assassin, she’s going to run for the hills. She’s a very fragile person right now, and she needs a friend she can fully trust and warm up to,” Allie replied. Carter hung his head and sighed in defeat.
“I can’t believe I have to do this the human way,” he mumbled. Allie smacked his arm. “Ow!”
Carter, this is my little cousin. I might not have the closest relationship with her, but I’m working on it. I have to do this the long way, too. I’ve got over twenty years of bullshit to unravel with her because of our family and their lies. You have almost a decade’s worth of betrayal and trauma to overcome.
“Yes, Luna, I hear you. I will do my best to be patient and win her heart,” Carter answered and bowed his head with respect.
“Good. And whatever you do, do not tell her what we are. I’ll explain that to her when the time is right.”
“I understand, Luna. Mum’s the word.”
“Cool. Are you ready?”
“Nope. But no time like the present.”
“Seriously, why are you so worked up? You’re acting like you’ve never—Ohhh ... Oh, sh*t, you’ve never had to woo a woman before, have you!?” Allie teased.
“No, I haven’t. Luna, I don’t think you understand how easily I was able to obtain women.”
“Alright, hold up one second there, mister.” Allie stopped him and pointed her finger at his chest, which looked funny to anyone walking by because she was at least a foot shorter than he was. “Don’t ever use the word obtain in the same sentence with women. We are not a thing; we are people. Women are living beings. Yes, as handsome as you are, you could easily lure women with your werewolf charm; however, that’s not the case anymore.”
Carter didn’t have a retort, and even if he did, it wouldn’t have mattered because the elevator dinged, signaling that they had arrived at the lobby floor. Carter was filled with excitement and dread at the same time; unfortunately, the moment of meeting Sarah didn’t go as planned because her ex-husband and maternal grandmother showed up, causing chaos in the lobby.
Allie had to do damage control and went medieval on Sarah’s ex-husband and their grandmother. Carter noticed that Alexander, Sarah’s ex, had her by the wrist and was holding onto her tightly. Carter, not liking what he was seeing, and his wolf Jasper, about to make an entrance that wouldn’t have been good. Carter, needing to protect Sarah, inserted himself between her and Alexander.
“How about you let the girl go?” Carter said, stepping forward and invading Alexander’s personal space. Anyone watching the scene would have laughed if it were not so serious. Alexander was at least a good eight inches shorter than Carter, and his build made him look like a mere child next to Carter’s physique.
“Who the f*ck are you? This doesn’t concern you!” Alexander spat.
“I couldn't care less about your family drama, dude. What I am concerned with is how you’re treating this woman. So, I’ll repeat myself, unhand her.” Alexander refused to see reason, so Allie demanded that he release Sarah, but it was of no use. Alexander was being stubborn, so Carter did what needed to be done and grabbed the wrist of the hand that was holding onto Sarah, and cracked several bones. Enough to injure, but not completely shatter. Due to immense pain, Alexander let go of Sarah, and Carter stepped between them to shield her.
Sarah, lost and confused as to why a random man would come to her rescue, couldn’t help but look up at Carter from behind him. His muscular back and broad shoulders immediately caught her attention, and she wondered why she hadn’t ever seen him before.
Carter could sense that Sarah was looking at him, and her sweet floral scent was so intoxicating, he was getting aroused by it, but had to keep his mind out of the gutter to prevent himself from having a hard-on. Pitching a tent was the last thing he needed to happen at that moment.
Eventually, Allie managed to get Sarah’s ex and grandmother to leave the premises. She called security to ensure they were banned from re-entering the facility. While she was doing that, Carter turned around to face Sarah for the first time. Her innocent beauty momentarily caught him off guard.
“Are you okay?” He asked her.
“Yes. Thank you. You didn’t have to do that,” Sarah meekly answered.
“Yeah, I did. A man should never put his hands on a woman that way.” Sarah smiled at his response and was about to ask for his name, but was interrupted by Allie checking on her.
“Nari-ya, are you okay?”
“Eung, I’m okay,” Sarah replied.
“Let me see,” Allie said as she grabbed Sarah’s wrist gently.
“It’s fine,” but as she was saying that, Allie and Carter could see a bruise already forming in the shape of Alexander’s hand.
“Carter, take her to the infirmary to get checked out by the nurse.”
“Unnie, I’m okay,” Sarah tried to decline.
“Don’t argue with me. The stress couldn’t have been good for the baby.” Hearing those words put Carter and his wolf on high alert.
“Well, I guess if you put it that way,” Sarah mumbled and dropped her head.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Shaw, I’ll escort your cousin right away. Sarah, is it?” Carter asked, trying to hide his knowledge about her. Sarah nodded. “Come with me.” She nodded shyly and followed Carter to the company’s infirmary, while Allie went to see Dorian to explain the drama that had just happened in the lobby.
When Sarah and Carter arrived at the infirmary, Carter explained to the nurse, who happened to be a pack member, what had happened, and also informed them that Sarah was Allie’s cousin. When the nurse heard who Sarah was to their Luna, she gave her the utmost care and attention, hoping Sarah would speak highly of her to Allie.
As the nurse applied a cold pack to Sarah’s wrist and prepared some ointment to help with the bruising, she double-checked to ensure nothing was sprained or broken. Thankfully, Sarah's wrist sustained no lasting damage, and all she needed to do was wear a brace for a few days.
While the nurse was prepping the brace for Sarah, Carter stood by and kept watch. He wanted to ask her questions and get to know her, but he knew that it wasn’t the right time. As if the universe agreed with him, Sarah’s phone pinged. She saw that she was tagged in a s*cial m*dia post. When she opened the link, she was stunned to see that someone had already uploaded what had happened earlier to the internet.
“Oh, sh*t,” she grumbled and rolled her eyes.
“What is it?” Carter asked. Sarah turned her phone around and showed it to him. “Oh, sh*t.”
“I need to go see, Allie.”
“You need to get treated first.
“I need to show her this. This could damage Dorian’s company's reputation. Since our family caused the mess, it might also impact Allie. I can’t let that happen.” Carter was torn between listening to Allie and doing what his mate asked of him. “Please?” Sarah pleaded. When he heard the magic word, Carter immediately faltered and took Sarah to Dorian’s office. He knew he would receive an earful from Allie, but he had no regrets doing what his mate asked of him.
- Writer
