Pursuing My Rejected Luna by Cara Anderson novel Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Nicolai

I tear off my blood-stained shirt as I walk through the door, tossing it in the bin. It cost more than most men make in a week but to me, it’s replaceable. All that matters to me is that the man who attacked Skye bled for what he did for her. And now he’ll never hurt her again.

Stripping out of the rest of my clothes, I head straight for the shower. It’s not often I get my hands dirty anymore, having plenty of people to do that kind of thing for me. But I made an exception in this case. There was no way that man died by anyone’s hand but my own. Skye is mine to protect!

Once I’ve scrubbed every trace of blood, brains, and guts from my skin, I head straight to my office to read the final report on the rest of Skye’s attackers. It’s twelve pages long and I’ve read it three times, just to be sure I haven’t missed anything. Because if I have, if there is still some loose end to be taken care of, then Skye would still need to stay here where she’s safe. And I want her to stay.

But all the loose ends have been tied up, the investigation is complete. The men who attacked Skye have been identified, tracked, and dealt with. Every connection, every thread, every person who knew about the operation has been neutralized.

The rage that filled me when I first heard about the attack-when my informant called at 2 AM and I was in my car before he finished speaking-has burned down to something cold and controlled. Justice, Woolf-style. Permanent.

Dimitri closes the office door behind him and drops into the chair across my desk.

“It’s done,” he says. “The threat against Skye and her family has been dealt with.”

“All of them?” I ask one more time, just to be sure.

“Every single one. The trafficking ring’s connections, the hired thugs, the people who paid them.” Dimitri’s voice is matter-of-fact. “The message is clear-anyone who comes after someone under Woolf protection answers to us. And the answer is final.”

I set the report down with a sigh. I should feel satisfied. Mission accomplished, problem solved. Skye is safe. But mostly I just feel tired.

And aware-uncomfortably, immediately aware that the reason Skye came here has been eliminated.

“You don’t want to tell her, do you?” Dimitri probes.

I look up to find him watching me with that expression I’ve known since we were twelve. The one that means he sees through every wall I’ve built.

“Tell her what?” I try playing dumb, though I should know better.

“That the threat is gone. That she can leave if she wants.” He rolls his eyes at my attempt.

“Of course I’m going to tell her.” The words come out flat, emotionless.

“When?” He presses further.

“Today. This evening.” Never, if I had my way, but I don’t add that part.

Dimitri’s expression doesn’t change. “Because you don’t want her to leave.” It’s not a question.

I don’t bother denying it. “No. I don’t want her to leave.”

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“But you’re going to tell her anyway.” He reminds me like he’s schooling a wayward child.

She deserves honesty and choice.” I stand, needing to move. “I won’t keep her here under false pretenses. I won’t be the kind of man who withholds information to control the outcome.”

The words taste sharp in my mouth. I won’t be Vale.

“She might stay on her own,” Dimitri says.

“She might.”

There’s always the possibility. I tried to make her feel at home here, like she belongs. I’ve given her a space of her own, involved her in pack matters, sought her opinions on business decisions. She might choose to stay.

“Or she might leave.” He says, unhelpfully.

“Then she leaves. And I respect that.”

Even if it kills me.

I’m in the hallway, heading toward Skye’s wing to deliver the news, when I hear Tatiana’s voice. She’s in the main sitting room, and she’s not alone.

She’s positioned herself near the doorway-deliberately, I realize. Waiting for me despite the fact I asked her nicely to leave.

“Nic.” Tatiana immediately rises when she sees me. “Can we talk?”

Skye saw Tatiana arrive. Saw her familiarity with me, her hands on me, the easy intimacy of our history. And I’ let it happen. Let Tatiana touch me, stand close, lean in-because I was trying to be polite, to handle her with care for her father’s sake.

But care for Dmitry Volkov is no excuse for making Skye feel like she’s watching Cassandra walk through the door. That reminder is all it takes for my control to snap.

“Skye is worth ten of anyone else I’ve ever met.” The words come out with a certainty that surprises even me. She’s strong and intelligent and brave and she’s been genuinely kind to everyone in this house despite everything she’s survived. She walked out of a marriage that was destroying her, protected her child, and rebuilt her dignity from scratch.” I meet Tatiana’s eyes. “And if she’ll have me-if she ever chooses me-I’d consider myself the luckiest bastard alive.”

Tatiana’s expression hardens slowly as the truth sinks in. “You’re serious about her.”

“Completely.” I leave no room for doubt.

“Even knowing she’ll never fully be yours? That she’ll always be tied to Vale through that child?” She asks incredulously.

“Benji is part of Skye. Which means I’d love him as my own.” My voice doesn’t waver. “And yes, I’m serious. So whatever you came here hoping for, Tatiana-it’s not going to happen. Find someone else.”

The silence that follows is long. Then Tatiana straightens, smoothing her expression into something cool and controlled.

“Your father would be disappointed.” She lashes out but misses her mark entirely.

“My father is dead. And he always told me to choose the person worth choosing, not the convenient one.” I move to the door. “I’ll have Mikhail arrange a car. Thank you for visiting.”

She leaves within the hour and I know I may have damaged the Volkov alliance with my dismissal of her. I find, to my complete lack of surprise, that I don’t care.

Cara Anderson

Author

Thank you for reading!

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