Page 69 of Crimson Heart

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Charlotte’s heart was still beating like a jackhammer. She’d been in her mother’s room, trying to reason with her, when she’d heard loud noises coming from the master suite, which was right next door to the room her parents had been given. Wondering whether someone had slipped and hurt themselves, she and her mother had gone to help.

Seeing Byron pull Steve Leon off Danielle, whom he’d pinned to the wall, had paralyzed her for a moment. The situation could only be read in one way: Steve had tried to sexually assault Danielle, and Byron had come to her aid.

While Byron beat Steve to a pulp, her mother had gasped, clearly shocked at what was happening. Now her mother had seen with her own eyes what kind of man Steve Leon was. She felt vindicated, even though her heart hurt for Danielle and what she was going through. She could only imagine the fear that her sister-in-law had felt when Steve had cornered her. That same fear still shone from her eyes as she clung to Jude. Jude’s fierce expression drove home that he would do anything to protect his mate.

“The whole family to the living room,” Jude ordered, then pointed at Byron. “Including you.”

Before they all piled into the living room, Mason came running toward Jude, looking apologetic.

“I’m sorry, bro. I tried finding Danielle. Flora said she’d seen her go outside,” Mason said. “What happened?”

“Come in,” Jude replied.

Austin closed the door behind them, then walked to the pocket doors that connected this room to the dining room, assured himself that the dining room was empty, and closed the doors. Now, they were alone: all members of the Beaumont family, as well as Byron. Charlotte cast him a quick glance, proud that he’d reacted so quickly and saved Danielle from that psychopath.

Jude took a seat on one of the large sofas, keeping Danielle by his side, one arm around her shoulders, touching her hand with his free hand, while she leaned in seeking her mate’s protection.

“Tell me what happened, baby. How did he find you?” Jude asked Danielle. “Mason was supposed to warn you that the Leons were here.”

“I’m sorry,” Mason interrupted.

Jude lifted his hand. “You did what you thought was best. We didn’t know that the Leon brothers brought Steve with them and made him snoop around.”

He glared at James, who was pacing in front of the fireplace, while Maggie was sitting on an armchair, clearly shaken from what she’d witnessed.

“Are you still of the belief that Steve Leon is a suitable match for Charlotte?” Jude asked.

From the tone in Jude’s voice, she knew that this was an open challenge that her brother wouldn’t back down from.

“Well, uhm⁠—”

“He assaulted her,” Byron interrupted, equally glaring at James. “He assaulted my sister, and if I hadn’t interrupted when I did, he would have raped her.”

His last words felt like a shockwave that made everybody in the room hold their collective breaths. Byron wasn’t mincing words. She appreciated that, because her father needed harsh words to jolt him out of his determination that a union with the Leon pack was a desirable one.

“And Bruno and Hector knew what Steve was doing,” Charlotte added. “Why else would they hide him so he could sneak around? They had an agenda. The way they behaved wasn’t honorable. You must see that, Dad.”

However, she didn’t know whether Steve had been looking for her or for Danielle. What had happened to Danielle could have just as easily happened to her.

“He knew I was here,” Danielle finally said, looking at James. “He told me so when he attacked me. Somebody must have told him about me. How else would he have known? He couldn’t have seen me anywhere. I was in the master suite putting away clothes when he stormed in and slammed me against the wall.”

Danielle’s chest heaved, and her jaw clenched visibly at the recollection of the attack. Jude pressed a kiss to her temple before looking at Byron.

“If you hadn’t acted…” A visible shudder ran through Jude.

“Danielle is my family too,” Byron said, appearing almost embarrassed at the praise Jude bestowed on him.

Danielle cast him a grateful smile. “I haven’t even thanked you yet, Byron. Without you…” Her voice trailed off, her eyes tearing up again.

Byron simply nodded. “Now, what are we gonna do about the Leons? We can’t just let them walk all over us. They wronged us, not the other way around.”

“We can’t retaliate,” James suddenly said. “The Werewolf Alliance needs to be consulted first.”

“Fuck the Werewolf Alliance,” Byron said, stopping in front of James.

Jude jumped up, joining Byron. “I’m with Byron. Steve stepped over a line. Not only did the alpha and his brother deceive us by smuggling Steve in here, but Steve also attacked my mate. What else do you need as proof that the Leons are bad news?”