Free Web NovelChapter 288: Chapter 288 Never Did, Never Will
Christina’s POV
"You’ve really changed," Lea said, turning to look at me. "When you said you wanted to go on a cruise, I thought you were joking."
"Yet here we are." I stood at the railing, watching the Mediterranean sunset. The September evening painted the sea in deep violets and golds, the horizon glowing as the sun descended.
Not everyone had joined the ball. On deck, groups of passengers mingled and laughed. Some captured selfies against the pink sky; others pointed excitedly as dolphins leaped from the water. Music drifted faintly from the ballroom, but out here, the dominant sounds were laughter, crashing waves, and camera clicks.
Lea inhaled deeply. "It’s beautiful. Thanks for bringing me out here."
I remained silent, my mind elsewhere.
"We should have stayed and said hello to Christina," she added, clearly testing my reaction.
"I will," I replied flatly. "Just not now." I would speak to Christina once I had finished with Lea.
The thought of Christina’s face propelled me away from the railing. "You need to get changed."
She was still wearing my jacket.
"Step inside for a moment," I said when we reached my suite.
Lea raised an eyebrow but followed me in. "A nightcap?" she asked lightly. "I’d prefer a glass of—" Her words halted as I flicked on the light. "What’s this?"
We weren’t alone.
Two chairs sat in the center of the living area. In one, an older man with thinning grey hair stared at the floor, resignation etched across his face. In the other, a man in his early thirties with golden hair looked shifty and ashamed.
"Don’t you recognize your own husband?" I asked. "Say hello to Pierre."
Lea stumbled backward, but I blocked the door.
"Hudson, what is this? Why is Pierre here?"
Lycaon growled inside me, responding to her confusion with contempt. "She still thinks she can lie her way out of this."
"My team spent weeks getting the truth out of him," I said. "So there’s no point lying anymore."
"I don’t understand."
"I’m sorry, Lea," Pierre rasped, his voice hoarse. "I had to tell them. They’d have cut me off."
Her chest heaved rapidly.
I continued before she could spin another lie, her greatest talent. "I found the drug you used to control him. My men turned the same method back on him—comply or suffer a cold withdrawal. It took three days before he cracked."
"Hudson, I can explain—"
"Pierre’s a wastrel, yes. A playboy, useless with money. But he’s not violent. His parents swear it, his friends swear it, even his mistresses do. Only you claim otherwise. He says he never laid a hand on you. One of you has to be lying."
Her face drained of color. "Hudson, please."
"I couldn’t understand why you’d lie about something like that, why you’d claim a man who follows you like a puppy had abused you. If you wanted to divorce him, you could have filed the papers. You didn’t need a story. I would have helped you regardless. That’s why I hesitated after hearing Pierre’s confession. I didn’t want to believe the woman I’d known half my life, fought beside, trusted with my life, would manipulate me like that."
"Hudson—"
"Until I found him." I gestured to the old man in the other chair, barely awake. "Recognize him?"
She looked away, refusing to meet my eyes.
"He’s the one who paid Dr. Aliénor Dubois to sabotage Christina at the Aureate Awards. Yet he has no connection to her. He doesn’t even know Christina. So why spend six figures bribing someone to destroy her work? Then I discovered he used to work for you."
"No, Hudson, it’s not—"
"Let me finish." I raised a hand, and Lycaon’s dominance flared through my gesture, making her wolf instinctively cower. "That first attempt failed. Did you really think I’d leave her over a scandal? I know how much her designs mean to her, and I knew she’d never cheat. Maybe that’s what inspired your second plan. You were the one who helped Fabrizio Marchetti escape Paris. You knew Christina couldn’t resist taking over his struggling brand. You dangled it in front of her like bait."
Lea regained her composure quickly, slipping back into her calm, calculated self. "That may be true, but no one forced her to take the bait. No one forced her to stay in Paris. No one forced her to break up with you."
The jab landed, sharp and painful. Lycaon snarled inside me, wanting to bare teeth at her, but I maintained my composure and continued. "You tried to ruin her. You destroyed your own husband with lies. Put those two together, it’s clear you were aiming for me all along."
She didn’t even flinch. She nodded, steady and shameless. "I wanted you. You taught me to do whatever it takes. Remember?"
"I remember. But I also remember telling you never to use those tactics against one of our own."
"If I’d asked you directly, would you have said yes?" Her eyes challenged me.
"But you never asked."
Her gaze locked on mine, brimming with everything but regret. I had taught her too well when we worked together protecting our interests.
"I couldn’t," she said. "I was mated to Pierre. He’s decent enough, but not what I wanted. I couldn’t tell you while I was still his mate. I needed time. Then I heard about you and Christina." She clenched her fists. "I just needed a few more months." She reached for my hand. "But it’s not too late now. I’m single. You’re single. We can finally—" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
I pulled my hand away. "No."
"Why not?" frёewebnoѵēl.com
"I don’t feel that way about you. Never did. Never will."
Lycaon growled in agreement. "She’s not our mate. Not even close."
"I don’t believe that. We’ve known each other for years. I know you better than she ever could." Her eyes flashed with desperation.
"I don’t care what you believe." I opened the door wide. "Leave. When this cruise is over, I expect you gone from my life and my pack’s territory."
