Chapter 43
Sam
Sam snatched the phone from Leo’s hand the second he heard Charlotte hang up. He immediately googled the address she had texted him and grabbed a set of keys off the counter. He ran out of the conference room and towards the elevator. While he waited for it to open, he turned to look at the Twins.
Leo was standing frozen in front of the conference table almost completely doubled over, like he had been punched in the gut. Alex was hot on Sam’s heels with a frantic and crazed look in his eyes.
“Leo! Get your butt in gear,” Sam roared as they raced to the big black SUV. Sam jumped into the driver’s seat and started the car. He had already put it in reverse and was backing out of the garage, before Leo even got his car door closed.
The car was eerily silent as Sam drove from the high-rise to one of the newest up and coming areas of the city. Charlotte’s address was smack dab in the middle of yuppie central, but to Sam it made complete sense. “Ten Minutes,” he announced.
Charlotte was a force to be reckoned with. She wasn’t just gorgeous, she was also highly creative and very charismatic. She has an energy about her that just drew people in. Charlotte was highly motivated. She knew exactly what she wanted and was willing to put in the work to get it. Sam was absolutely fascinated by her.
As much as he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about the first time he saw her. As Beta, Sam didn’t normally work the line for the club. That was a job reserved for warriors in training. It let them flex their skills while simultaneously teaching them to blend in with humans. But last Friday, the scheduled kid had gotten injured in a sparring match. It wasn't serious but it was bad enough he was laid up for the night. So of course, good ole reliable Sam ended up on baby-sitting duty.
At the time, he had no idea it was going lead up to this mess. That night he had been standing there, bored watching unattractive people do stupid things. He saw Charlotte and her friends coming out of the parking complex and he was instantly drawn to them. He was a bit perplexed at first. The minute he saw Charlotte he was attracted to her. He already knew she wasn’t his mate. She has died years ago but there was still something about her.
When she smiled at him for the first time, he did the one thing he had never done before. He let her in. Not just in to the club, but into his life. After he made her a VIP, he had been hovering, around the dance floor waiting for a chance to ask for her number. Of course, as fate would have it, before he got the chance, his Alphas found their mate and he ended up on Charlotte’s arm.
He had really been looking forward to escorting her to her graduation field day. He had been texting her night and day. He would have sent flowers except he didn’t have an address. Everything was perfect, until it wasn’t.
“Three minutes” Sam said as he drove several miles above the speed limit. He understood the agony that the Twins must be feeling. He remembered what it felt like to lose a fated mate. Ada had been his whole world. Losing her in an automobile accident three years ago had almost killed him. He has been so hollow on the inside for so long. Charlotte was the first bit of joy he had found since the day that Ada’s car and his whole life had been flipped upside down.
Sam slammed on the breaks and slid the SUV into the parking spot on two wheels. He took a deep breath and jumped out of the car following behind Alex and Leo, who were racing towards the stairs that led up to Charlotte’s apartment above a small bit trendy boutique.
Leo made it to her door first and began beating on it wildly. Charlotte barely got the door cracked before Leo and Alex were pushing their way past her. Sam got to the door just in time to prevent her from being knocked over.
He placed his hand on Charlotte’s cheek and before he could stop himself, he kissed her. She wrapped herself around him and her hands went into his light brown hair. She kissed him back for a what felt like an eternity in heaven.
Suddenly Charlotte shoved him back like she had just remembered she was angry at his. She reared back and punched him in the jaw. Sam stumbled backward and rubbed his jaw.
“Oww, That hurt!” Sam grumbled. But before he could say anything else Charlotte put one hand on each side of his collar and kissed him hungrily.
When she let him go, she turned on her heels and rushed into the living room. Sam stood in the entry and collected himself. He rubbed his aching jaw. He never realized a tiny human could hit that hard. Then he ran his finger across his kiss swollen lips. He shrugged and followed her into the apartment.
When he got inside, he found Leo already seated on the couch with Wendi in his lap. Someone had wrapped her in a blanket. She was deathly pale and shaking. Her eyes looked vacant. Leo was speaking to her softly but she didn’t seem to be able to hear him. Alex was on his knees at her feet. He touched her legs and begged her to look at him.
Charlotte hovered behind them. She paced the length of the couch with her arms folded over her chest. She looked like she didn’t know if she should cry or kill someone. Sam went to her and put his arm around her silently. She turned and buried her face into his chest without uncrossing her arms. “I don’t understand what’s happening.” She whispered.
“I think she is trying to reject the mate bond, and it’s killing her.” Leo said as he began to unwrap Wendi from the blanket. Alex crawled closer to her and began to rub her arms and legs like she was a hypothermia patient.
“Why would she do that. Clearly she loves you?” Sam asked her with a confused expression.
Charlotte pulled away and glared at him. “Probably because he's engaged someone else.” She looked like she was going to really hurt Sam for a minute. “I can’t believe you didn’t warn me, you ass!”
Sam stood there stunned. “What are you talking about? Alex and Leo are ‘engaged’ to Wendi.” He made air quotes as he spoke. “ But not really, because by our law, they’re technically married.”