CHAPTER 2
*Chase’s POV*
“It’s for you Charlotte.” My mom says and then walks back out of the living room.
She looks just as confused as I feel. Who would come to my house looking for her?
She stands slowly and I follow her to the door. She opens it and then a shocked expression comes onto her face.
“Brian?” She asks, appalled.
“Did you really think you could run away from me? There is a thing called GPS honey.” He says cockily.
I don’t like this guy.
Neither do I.
Charlotte starts falling backwards and I catch her in my arms before she touches the ground.
This idiot just made my Charlotte faint. I really want to rip his head clean off his shoulders right now, but I’m going to hold myself together for my mate, even if she can’t see.
“Who are you?” I growl.
“Brian, her boyfriend, now give her to me.” He roughly reaches out trying to grab her arm but I pull her into my chest so he can’t get to her.
“SAM!” I yell in my mind. I hear him get up and run to the front door.
“Take Charlotte.” I growl, still trying not to change. I know my eyes are more than likely pure black right now.
I step towards Brian and he takes an equal step backwards.
“Let’s take this talk outside.” I say, closing the door behind me.
I walk cautiously into my front yard, straining every muscle in my body to keep me from tearing this guy to shreds.
“If you are Charlotte’s boyfriend then why did she faint when she saw you?” I ask, holding onto my last string of sanity.
“Eh, well we’ve been dating for a while and she just faints with joy from seeing me.” He lies, not very well.
I take two swift steps towards him and grab him by the neck. “Don’t lie.” I spat at him.
“As much as I want him to die, I don’t want you to go to jail for killing him.” Charlotte’s fruity scent hits my nose, calming me down a smidge.
I move my gaze to her and then let the foolish guy go. As much as I want to kill him, I don’t want to hurt her.
“Leave and if you ever come back, I swear I will tear you to pieces.” I growl as he runs back to his car.
“Can I please explain that?” Charlotte asks, clutching onto the railing for support.
I scramble over to her and pull her into my arms. “Yeah, but not here.” I say into her hair. I reluctantly unwrap my arms from around her waist and then turn around. “Hop on.”
She climbs onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. Little sparks fly between our bodies. Wow, it feels so right for her to be here, in my arms.
I walk about five minutes into the woods until I spot the clearing that I wanted to go to. I walk into the low grass and set Charlotte down somewhere in the middle of it.
I sit down on the soft grass and wait patiently for Charlotte to explain, even though my wolf is demanding to know who that guy was and what he was doing here.
Charlotte sits next to me and leans her head against my shoulder. I wrap my arm around her waist and she sighs.
“Promise you won’t freak out when I tell you this.” She whispers.
“Charlotte, I promise, just tell me. You are killing me over here.” I say, pulling her into my lap and wrapping both arms around her.
“Chase, he was my boyfriend, but he um.”
“Charlotte, I promise I won’t get mad at you, just please tell me.” I plead.
“He sometimes hurt me.” She says so quietly that if I wasn’t a wolf I wouldn’t have been able to hear it.
God, I knew I should have killed that guy.
“I’m not mad at you. All that matters now is that you are okay. Wait, you are okay, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve been fine for about a month because I didn’t really have anywhere to go because I didn’t have a job.” Tears threaten to spill out of her eye.
“Please don’t cry. I won’t let him hurt you anymore.” I wipe the tears away that are trailing down her cheeks.
“Why are you and your family so nice to me?” She looks up at me, waiting for me to answer.
“We are a generally nice family to anyone, except to people that hurt us or people that we are close to.” I try to explain.
“Okay, so like giving someone a chance unless you can tell that they don’t deserve it?” She rephrases.
“Exactly like that.” Thank God that she understood that because I don’t know how to explain it.
“So, tell me some stuff about you.” She says, looking out at the sunset.
“Well, what do you want to know?” I ask, shifting her so she is sitting in between my legs and leaning back on my chest.
“Do you have a job?”
“Well, sorta, it’s hard to explain.”
“That’s fine. What do you do for fun?”
“I like to read a little and I like to work out.”
“There’s the cocky person that I know you are.” I can tell she is blushing even though I can’t see her.
“What? Is it because I work out? Because these muscles don’t form on their own.” I say, tightening my grip a little around her.
“Oh, you hush up.” She laughs, putting her hand on top of mine.
“So what’s you favorite animal?” I ask.
“Um, I would have to say that it would be have to be a coyote or a wolf. There fur just so pretty.” She leans back further and sighs when I put my head on her shoulder.
“Me too. I love wolves.” Good thing that she’s not afraid of them, or well, me.
After we watch the beautiful sun set, it starts to get colder.
“Do you want to go back to the house?” I ask, feeling her cold skin against mine.
“Sure.” She says, making a move to stand up.
I release my arms from around her and then she fully stands up. I stand up and wrap my arms around her waist again. I can’t stand for her to be anywhere else but in my arms.
“Do you want me to carry you?” I whisper in her ear.
“No, I’ll be fine. Well that is if I can see.” She says, looking around the dark forest.
“Then I better carry you because it’s pretty hard to see out here.” Well that’s if you are a human and not a wolf.
“How are you going to see then?”
“I’m used to it out here at night.” I answer, hoping that she will buy it.
“That’s cool.” She mutters, walking behind me. She climbs up on my back again and it just feels so right. There is no other explanation of how good it feels for her just to be touching me.
I walk slowly back to the house because I want to spend more time with Charlotte, even if we both are silent.
She buries her head into the crook of my neck, and I smile at the thought of us hugging and her doing the same thing.
I see the lights of the house through the trees and slow down even more.
“Charlotte?” I say.
“Huh?” She asks, her breath tickling the side of my neck.
“Do you want me to drive you home or do you want to stay a little longer?” I ask, mentally pleading that she will stay.
“What time is it?”
“Around nine.”
“I think I can stay for a little bit longer.”
I pull open the back door and walk into the dining room slash kitchen area. I see my mom, joined by my dad and then an unfamiliar man and woman.
“Oh, here we go.” Charlotte whispers.
“Charlotte get off that stranger’s back right now.” The lady orders.
“You better let me down before she gets mad.” She whispers, but I don’t let her go. She really shouldn’t talk to my mate like that.
“Chase, she’s going to start yelling at me.” She warns, scared. No one will scare my Charlotte and get away with it.
“Then let her and see what happens.” I whisper back angrily.
“CHARLOTTE ANGELA CARSON, GET DOWN RIGHT NOW!!” The lady yells, and holy crap does she have a loud voice. Charlotte flinches and buries her head farther into my neck. At least Charlotte knows me well enough that I would always protect her.
“Chase, no.” My dad growls.
“But-”
“No buts. Now let’s all sit down and calmly talk about this.”
I walk cautiously over to the table and lean backwards, gently dropping Charlotte into one of the chairs. I sit beside her after pushing my chair closer to hers.
“Charlotte, you are not going to even come here again. Now let’s go.” The man scolds.
“Hold on. Why can’t I ever do what I want? What is so wrong with this place? I actually like being here. It’s fun and I don’t have to work my butt off and constantly fight with everyone.” Charlotte finally speaks up.
“We are your parents and you will do as we say.”
“No.” She defiantly says, crossing her arms over her chest.
“No?” Her mother asks, appalled. That’s right. My mate is finally sticking up for herself.
“No, I am 23 years old and I will do whatever I want to.”
“You live under our house, so it is our rules.”
“Then I will move out! I never wanted to come back in the first place.”
“Where are you going to live? You did get fired.” Her mom says, rubbing it in a little more. Charlotte was right, her and her mother did not get along at all.
I see the look of fear come across her tired face and I know that I have to say something.
“She will live here, with me and my family.” I say, settling the issue.
“Where will she sleep?” Her mom shoots at me.
“Guest room.” I say, plainly, as if it isn’t obvious.
“How do we know she can trust you?” What is this? Twenty questions?
“Let’s just say that even though I have only known her for a couple hours, I feel like I have known her for a lifetime.” I answer, truthfully.
“What do you think about this Charlotte?” She says, snapping her attention to my mate’s face.
“I would rather live anywhere than live with you. Plus, I would trust Chase with my life.” She says, glaring fiercely at them. That’s a girl, fight for yourself.
“If that’s what you want then come and get your crap and your idiotic dog. I hate that thing so much.” Her mother says coldly.
“Fine.” She says, leaning back in her chair and relaxing.
Her mother and father stand up and then walk outside, to their car.
“Are you sure you are okay with staying here?” I ask, wanting to make sure she is comfortable with it.
“Yeah, I just really don’t like fighting.” She lets her head fall back and her long hair falls even lower over the back of the chair.
“What was all that screaming about?” Ben asks, walking into the room.
“My stupid parents, who I am about to go and kill right now.” She answers in a monotone voice.
“As much as I would love for you to do that, I don’t want you to go to jail for killing them.” I say, using her words against her.
“Who says anyone would find the bodies?” She says, smiling sickly sweet.
“Remind me never to get on your bad side, it’s scary.” Ben mutters, walking past us and to the kitchen part.
“Sam, Mitchell and Allan, come down here.” I yell.
As they all make their way to the dining room my parents make their way out.
“What do you need bro?” Allan asks.
“We are going over to Charlotte’s house to get her stuff and bring it here.” I answer, even though I know that they were all eavesdropping.
We all pile into my truck with me driving, than Charlotte and Sam in the front seat with me and then Mitchell, Ben and Allan in the back.
Charlotte gives me directions to her house. Her old house isn’t that far from mine; only about a ten minute drive.
I pull in the driveway of a fairly large house and the only thing that I can think of is; how could she clean this whole house by herself?
“Okay, let’s do this.” I say, hopping out of the truck. I turn back around to help Charlotte out. She slides over into the driver’s seat and then I reach up and grab her waist. I lift her out of the truck and then set her softly onto the paved driveway. I put my hand on the small of her back while walking towards the house.
She leads up past many rooms that look huge, but then turns into one that isn’t even a fourth the size of the others.
“This is your room?” Ben asks, appalled.
I smack him upside the head after I see the look of embarrassment on her face.
“Sorry.” He mutters, rubbing the back of his head.
“Let’s just get these boxes down to the truck.” I order.
“Hold on.” Charlotte says, stopping us. “Benny, come here boy!” She claps her hands and then a small Yorkshire terrier runs out from behind a stack of boxes.
He runs over to her and starts barking happily. She squats down to pick up Benny. “Okay, now you’re good.” She says, placing the dog in a carrying case on a small bed.
We all go over and haul the boxes out of her room and to the truck.
Charlotte hands me the last box and I almost drop it because it’s so heavy. How can she carry this?!
I jump down from the bed of my truck and close the tailgate.
*Charlotte’s POV*
During the car ride back to Chase’s house, I can’t help but think about how nice this whole family is for allowing me to stay.
Chase is extremely nice to me and the way he casually flirts with me makes me blush. For the first time in life I actually feel important. It’s so different but I think that I like this change. It could be really good for me.
“Charlotte, are you okay?” Sam asks, carrying a box.
“Oh, yeah, sorry.” I slide over and just as I am about to get out, Chase comes over and stops me.
“Come on, I’ll give you a piggy back ride.” He says, turning around. I climb onto his back again, wrapping my arms and legs around him.
How does he know that I love when people carry me places?
He sets me down on a soft bed and then walks over to the other side, so he can lie down next to me. I curl up into his side, getting comfortable.
“Why don’t you change before you go to sleep?”
“Ugh, too much work.” I groan, already half asleep.
“Okay, well, I’m going to my own room.”
“No, don’t go. Stay with me.” I grab his shirt and wrap my legs around one of his so he can’t move.
“Are you sure?” He sounds so concerned for me and my well being.
“I am positive.”
“I will be right back. I’m going to change into some shorts.” He hurries out of the room and is back in literally thirty seconds with just a pair of shorts on.
Wow, someone has a NICE six pack. I stare at his upper body as he continues to walk towards me.
“Do you like what you see?” He asks, smiling cockily at me.
I turn away from him and bury my head into a pillow. “Maybe.” I say into it.
“Well, let me tell you, I like what I see, a lot.” He says, laying down on the bed and pulling me into him.
“And what are you looking at? Yourself?” I joke, still not looking at him.
“No, I am looking at a beautiful girl.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister! And you think she is beautiful! That is just adorable.” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I am looking at you, dummy.” He chuckles.
“Well, you can’t be.”
“And why not?” His arms tighten around me, making me feel safe.
“Because I am not beautiful in any way.” I explain.
“You are beautiful in every way possible and there is no use auguring with me because I know I am right about this.”
“Fine.” I turn around in his arms, so that I am facing him and cuddle into his chest.
Cuddling with an actual guy is so much better than cuddling with Benny.
*Chase’s POV*
How does she not think she is beautiful?! Okay, so she might not be the thinnest person but she is beautiful in her own way. She is smart, strong, and she is so shy that it is just adorable.
Her breathing slows as she falls asleep. Her one arm is hooked around me and the other is resting on my abdomen. Her head is tucked safely under my chin and her legs are tangled with one of mine.
Man, thisgirl is going to be the death of me if she keeps being this cute.
Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading, it means a lot. The picture is of Chase!!! Hot right?! I love you guys so much!
~A.S.Hall