Chapter 430 Husband Nobody Expected

Chapter 430 Husband Nobody Expected
This was the first time Ansley had ever treated Valduz like a real person.

She hugged him.

A real hug.

He simply rubbed her back and let her cry.

It was probably the first time she had ever cried in front of someone.

When she pulled away, she quickly wiped her face with the tissues before heading to the jet's bathroom to clean up.

Ever since meeting Hope Elara, Valduz had been filled with regret.

Maybe Violetta was right.

Hope Elara was making all of them softer.

He had never thought he was capable of forgiveness until she came into his life.

He picked up a couple of compact concealed handguns and sat down.

When Ansley returned, her head was held high.

The redness in her eyes was gone.

Her makeup looked perfect again.

Only someone who saw her every day would notice the slight puffiness.

“I'm sorry,” she said quietly. “I don't know what's happening to me.”

“It's Hope Elara,” Valduz said with a laugh. “It's the mark. She makes all of our emotions stronger. Especially the ones we've buried.

“Why do you think I can tolerate Dad now? She actually loves our father. So do the pups.

“She doesn't have a hateful bone in her body. Spiteful sometimes, sure. But never hateful.

“She says hate drains you. Holding on to things that don't matter anymore only hurts you.”

“Do you really think she means that?”

“I do. She'll joke about something a minute after it happens. I've never seen anyone like her. She only takes things personally after she's already warned me she doesn't like something.”

Ansley narrowed her eyes.

“What the hell was going through your head when you brought Amy in to shadow Hope Elara? She could have been hurt.”

“Amy meant nothing to me.”

“That isn't the point, Nate. Women don't have two brains. We have one mind and one heart. Sometimes it's hard to tell which one we're listening to.

“If Hope Elara had been human, Amy could have seriously hurt her... or worse.

“Any woman you've slept with is off-limits from anything involving your mate. Otherwise, you'll be responsible for getting a lot of women killed.”

“You don't have to kill them,” Valduz said, frowning.

“Yes, I do,” she shot back. “No one is going to make my mate feel like she's less than she is.

“And like I said, it would be your fault.

“I should have their heads mounted and sent to you. Maybe then you'd finally stop bringing your groupies around Hope Elara and the pups.

“Disrespectful little idiot.”

The pilot announced they were about to land.

Both of them buckled their seat belts.

Valduz decided it was smarter to end the argument.

He checked that he had everything he needed while Ansley quietly prepared herself.

Everything seemed in order.

He wondered when the last time she had gone into the field herself had been.

Their father always assigned guards to stay close whenever she appeared in public.

“Refuel the jet,” Ansley ordered the pilot. “I don't want to wait when I come back.”

The pilot bowed and opened the door for them.

She walked past without acknowledging him.

“Thank you,” Valduz said.

“Rogue King,” the pilot replied with another respectful bow.

“You should be nicer to them,” Valduz said as they walked toward the waiting car.

“You should shut up,” Ansley answered without missing a beat. “I'm running a pack the size of two states, not a fancy little town with ten thousand wolves.”

“You're going to turn it into a resort, aren't you?”

“I'm going to make it the second-richest pack in the United States,” Ansley said with a shrug as she handed him a phone.

“Fashion Week there will become one of the biggest events of the year.

“She'll love it.”

Valduz entered the location of Ansley's husband into the GPS.

“Why did you agree to marry him?” he asked.

“Diamonds.”

“Diamonds?”

“Caves full of diamonds. If I had killed the Alphas and taken the pack by force, Derek would have stepped in and claimed it.”

She said Derek's name with open mockery.

“I would have done all the work and only received a small share of the profits.

“This way, everything belongs to us.”

“Diamonds,” Valduz repeated with a shake of his head.

“Have you picked one for her yet?”

“One what?”

“A diamond, idiot. She was raised as a human. Humans get married. That's how they promise to stay together for life.”

“Marriage is a business deal. It's not the same as a mate bond.”

He couldn't understand why it should matter to them.

He could think of a hundred better ways to prove his love.

“That's exactly what marriage means to humans,” Ansley said. “You're the worst mate ever.”

“Says the one who's in the doghouse.”

“She'll forgive me after I give her a diamond the size of her head.”

“You're hopeless.” Valduz laughed.

Then his smile faded.

“Would you have done it?”

“What?”

“Had a child with this man?”

Ansley's expression turned serious.

“If you had died, I wouldn't have had a choice. The pack would have needed a true heir. Otherwise, the other packs would have picked apart the company.”

“Who is he?”

“Tee Jay Clove.”

Valduz laughed.

There was no way she had just said she was married to Tee Jay Clove.

“What?”

“You know him?” she asked with a grin.

“Tee Jay Clove?”

“Yeah. Big guy. Side-parted hair. Quiet. I don't think I said more than ten words to him.”

“Yes, I know exactly who he is.” Valduz stared at her.

“He's the man everyone buys their premium cocaine from.

“He owns a huge number of farms in Colombia.”

“You're lying.”

Ansley laughed and shook her head.

“No way.”

“Pull over, you idiot,” Valduz groaned.

“You're incredibly lucky Roman and Violetta are close by.

“We need a real plan before we go after this man.

“You really are an idiot.”

“How was I supposed to know?” Ansley asked as she pulled the car over.

“He's your husband, Ansley,” Valduz growled as he made a call.

“Your husband for almost five years.”

“What's up?” Roman answered on the second ring.

Valduz could hear a video game playing in the background.

“Get Violetta. I need your help.”

“How much firepower are we talking about?” Roman asked.

“We're going after Clove.”

“Dude, this is why we're best friends. I love you,” Roman laughed.

“Send me the details. We'll be there as soon as possible.

“Vy, grab your new rocket launcher!”

“Why?” Violetta called out.

“We're going after Clove.”

“Can I come?” Baby asked.

“Can Ramona come too?”

“Yeah, I guess. I don't see why not.”

“I love you, Valduz!” Baby shouted.

Ansley looked at him.

“These are your friends?

“Weren't you just lecturing me about killing your girlfriends?”

“There's a difference,” Valduz replied. “We're talking about taking down a dangerous drug dealer.

“That's not the same as some woman I slept with while I was high on the drugs he was selling.”

“A dead body is still a dead body,” Ansley said calmly.

“You can justify it however you want, brother.

“We all have to sleep at night.”