Page 39 of New Blood (Werewolf Alliance #1)

J ude locked the door from the inside and turned back toward the bed. He was naked again after having shifted back into his human form. He approached the bed.

Danielle was sitting there, clutching her bathrobe in the front to cover her torn negligee. He could see the tension in her body.

A foot away from the bed, he stopped.

“I need you to tell me the truth. And no matter what the truth is, it won’t change how I feel about you. But you have to tell me the truth.”

She nodded.

“Did you have an affair with William Gallagher?”

He held his breath.

“No. Eve was lying.”

Relieved, he sat down on the bed and pulled her onto his lap.

“Thank you.” He kissed her, then released her lips.

“Do you know anything about the letters Eve was mentioning?”

“No. I have no idea what she was talking about.”

“So you didn’t know William before you came to the pack?”

“That’s right. It was my mother who told me if I ever needed help, to find William Gallagher.”

“So she knew him.”

“She must have.”

“Did she ever talk about him to you?”

“No. All she did was give me a letter that I should give to William should I ever need help.”

“Did you read what was in the letter?”

“Mom told me not to. I respected her wish.”

“So it’s possible that there’s something in that letter that made Eve believe that you slept with her father.”

Danielle let out an exasperated huff. “I don’t know. But that was just one letter. Eve spoke about letters, plural. Love letters. That can’t be my mother’s letter. She would have simply asked William to help me. Maybe he owed her a favor.”

“That’s possible.” Jude contemplated her words. “Eve mentioned her mother committing suicide. Violet mentioned it too yesterday. What do you know about it?”

“Not much. I could hear her and William argue a lot, but that doesn’t mean much.”

“How was she treating you?”

“Hot and cold.”

“What do you mean?”

“At the beginning, she was very nice to me. But then suddenly, from one day to the next, she couldn’t find a single nice word to say to me. She ordered me around—much worse than Flora. As if I’d done something that she wanted to punish me for.”

“Do you think she thought you had an affair with William?”

“But I didn’t,” Danielle protested.

He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “I know that. And believe me, I didn’t believe Eve when she accused you.”

She took his hand and pressed it to her cheek. “I know.”

He kissed her gently. “Do you think it’s possible that William had an affair around the same time that you came to the pack. And Clarice suspected it was you?”

She shrugged. “It’s possible. But she never said anything to me.”

“Mmm… Maybe we should try to find the letters so we can clear this up.”

“You mean you need proof that I didn’t sleep with William?”

He recognized the glint of hurt in her eyes and shook his head instantly. “No, I don’t, baby. I believe you. But Eve made these accusations in front of everybody. I want everybody to know that she lied. Or at least that she was wrong. She owes you an apology.”

She forced a smile. “I get it.”

He shelved her chin on his fingers and tipped her face up. “I love you. Nothing can change that. You’re mine. And I protect what’s mine.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

“I love you too,” Danielle said. “But there’s something I don’t understand about Eve…”

“What about her?”

“I overheard her and Byron talking the other day. And from that talk it was pretty clear that Eve had no intention whatsoever of mating with you. And Byron said she had to do it, otherwise Violet would become the alpha female, and he hated that idea. So what changed? Why did Eve even show up here tonight if she didn’t want you? ”

“You’ve known her longer than I have. I’m not sure what goes on in her mind.” He shrugged. “I have the feeling that even if I’d decided to mate with her, I would never really know her.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s the kind of woman who would keep secrets… even from her mate. And there should never be any secrets between a mated pair.”

“Oh.”

Danielle lowered her eyes, shifting her gaze away from him, because she, too, was keeping a secret. A secret that she’d thought she’d take to her grave, just like her mother had done.

“Something wrong?” He caressed her cheek. “Baby, am I upsetting you by talking about Eve?”

She shook her head, lifting her eyes to look at him. Would he understand if she told him what she’d done? Would he be able to still look at her with love in his eyes?

“There’s something I haven’t told you about me. About my past…”

“I’m sure there are plenty of things you don’t know about me, either. Every day we’ll get to know each other better… and get closer…”

“This is something that might make you feel differently about me…”

“There’s nothing that can change my feelings for you,” he assured her.

She swallowed hard, collecting all her courage, then parted her lips. “I lied to you.” Or rather, she’d only told him half the truth.

Disbelief washed over his face as he stared at her.

She scooted off his lap, nervous about how he would react.

“When I told you about my mother leaving her husband…” she said, while tears welled up in her eyes. “I didn’t tell you the whole truth. She didn’t leave him.”

“What are you saying?”

She couldn’t even look at him for fear of breaking down, of being unable to force the whole truth over her lips.

“My stepfather, he hurt her so badly that night. She was unconscious on the floor when I came home. He was drunk, worse than normal. He must have knocked her unconscious before she even knew what was happening; otherwise, she would have shifted to defend herself.”

A sob tried to work its way up from her throat, but she forced it down.

“I knew he would kill her. I was blind with rage. I had no control over myself and my wolf. I couldn’t stop… I only realized what I’d done when he lay there… bloodied, lifeless, unrecognizable. I tore him to shreds.”

She felt Jude’s hands on her shoulders, pulling her closer, but she resisted.

“That’s not all.” She sniffled. “My mother and I left that night. She became the main suspect in his murder, and they suspected that I was an accessory. When she died in a car crash a few months later, the police were notified. They finally had a lead on where she’d been hiding all this time, and even though she was dead, they didn’t give up their search for me.

I found out through the news that my mother’s DNA wasn’t a hundred percent match to the DNA they’d found in Carl’s wounds.

It was only fifty percent. That’s when they realized that I’d killed him, not my mother. ”

“You had to,” Jude said. He put his fingers under her chin to force her to look at him. “You saved your mother. It was self-defense.”

His words were a soft balm for her wounds, but Jude wasn’t aware of the consequences of her actions.

“Jude, I’m a murder suspect. They’re still looking for me. It’s only a matter of time until they’ll find me and arrest me.”

Jude pulled her into his arms.

“I won’t let that happen. Nobody is gonna take you away from me. You’re mine. And I protect what’s mine.”

She appreciated his words, but she was a realist. One day, they would find her.

“Where did all this happen?”

“Carl and Mom and I lived in Washington State, in Tacoma. The pack we joined after that was in California. Mom died in Riverside, which means the police in California probably know by now that I’m a fugitive.

I haven’t even dared to get my driver’s license renewed in fear of giving away where I am.

” She shook her head. “I should have never dragged you into this mess. I’m so sorry. ”

“I’ll handle it.”

She shook her head. “Oh, Jude, there’s nothing you can do.”

“There is.”

His voice sounded different now: confident and determined.

“The Werewolf Alliance has the means to create a completely new identity for you. We’ve done it before for other werewolves in situations where law enforcement has gotten too close to our secrets.

The Alliance has specialists for that. It’s essentially what the government does with people who have to go into witness protection.

We’ll do the same for you. You’ll be safe. ”

He could barely believe her ears. But there was still one other thing she needed to know.

“What about you and me? Can you still trust me after this?”

A smile spread on his face, and he brushed his knuckles over her cheek.

“Oh, Danielle, nothing has changed between us. What you did only shows me that you’re willing to risk everything for the ones you love.

You’re a fighter. Your compassion and loyalty make me love you even more.

I know you’ll fight to protect our children, our family, and our pack.

You’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of. You’re strong, you’re fierce, and you’re mine. ”

“I don’t deserve you.”

He wiped away a tear that was rolling down her cheek.

“My love, you deserve so much more. And I’ll do my best to give you everything you ever wanted to make up for the pain you went through in the past. I’ll protect you with my life, and I know you’ll do the same. I know what’s in your heart. I can feel it.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he murmured and captured her lips, kissing her softly.