Free Web NovelChapter 34: Chapter 34 Marry Me
Christina’s POV
I couldn’t believe Beatrice’s delusion.
She crossed her arms, her posture defensive and accusing. "All just your tricks. You say you want out, but you’re clinging to him every chance you get. Now that he’s finally interested in me, you’re pulling stunts to drag him back."
Akira already weakened from Niall’s rejection, bristled inside me. It was like talking to a stone wall with selective hearing.
"Beatrice," I said, gritting my teeth, "Niall isn’t refusing to end it because he’s still obsessed with me. He’s doing it because he’s terrified of what the pack gossip will say. He’s doing it because he’s too much of a coward to tell his mother no. The same goes for you. You’re coming at me because you’re too scared to pick a fight with Niall or Louisa. You two really are a perfect match, both avoiding responsibility at all costs."
"It’s not like that!" she protested. "Niall is just worried about his mother’s health. That’s why he won’t end things yet."
I felt my patience wearing thin."Right. And you, standing here hissing at me to tell Louisa about your little love story with Niall, means you’re obviously not worried about her health at all, right? Or are you secretly hoping I piss her off so badly she ends up back in hospital, or better yet, passes away, so I’ll be too busy being the villain to hang onto Niall, and you can swoop in without her giving you side-eye?"
"I... no, it’s not... I don’t—" she stammered.
I shook my head. "You really should take up chess. You’ve got the scheming down cold."
I leaned in closer, entering her personal space in a dominance display that made her shrink back. "If you’ve got that much energy, maybe aim it at Niall instead of me. Whisper sweet nothings to him, play your cards right.Hell, if you can get him to officially cancel our mating ceremony in front of the pack elders, I’ll owe you a drink.But even if he dumps me, don’t get your hopes up. Niall Granger might be a lot of things, but straightforward isn’t one of them."
I didn’t wait for her comeback. I brushed past her and left.
Outside the hospital, I pulled my borrowed coat tighter against the morning chill and tried to flag a taxi.
A sleek black Cayenne rolled up to the curb.
Window down. Hudson’s face appeared. "Get in. I’ll drive you home."
For a second, I just blinked at him. Akira perked up immediately, sensing something in him that made it feel safer. I thought he’d left ages ago.
I shook my head, fighting the strange pull I felt toward him. "It’s fine. I’ll grab a cab."
"It’s too early. You won’t get a cab here. I’m headed back to our apartments anyway. Might as well give you a lift."
I hesitated a beat, then nodded. "Thanks."
I slid into the front seat, immediately enveloped in his pine scent.
The bag in my lap felt ridiculously heavy. Inside were my heels and a blanket, reminders of what he’d done for me without me even asking.
Reminders of the fact that Hudson was being too nice. Way too nice.
Nicer than our little contract arrangement called for.
And I had no bloody clue why.Akira seemed to know something I didn’t, but the rejection from Niall had muted our connection.
We drove in silence for a few minutes before he broke it. "Louisa was doing alright?"
I nodded, fighting off a yawn. "Yeah. The doctor says she can be discharged in a few days."
"So... Louisa still won’t let you call off the engagement?"
My eyes snapped open. "You’ve been eavesdropping?"
"The door to her room was open. I was just passing by," he replied matter-of-factly.
"For such a busy Alpha, you sure spend a lot of time passing by places."
He shrugged, his powerful shoulders moving under his tailored shirt. "You don’t want to upset Louisa. What’s your plan now?"
I flicked my eyes up and caught his face in the rear-view mirror.Sharp jaw, unreadable expression.He wasn’t even looking at me, but somehow I still felt cornered—like prey, but not in a threatening way.
Plan? The engagement was already off as far as I was concerned. Niall just wouldn’t let go, and Louisa was clinging to the fantasy.
It was my turn to shrug. "No idea. I’m winging it."
"Don’t you find it troublesome to have to keep dealing with this? Especially after a formal rejection?" His voice deepened at the mention of rejection, anger flashing across his face.
I sighed. "Yeah. It is."
We hit a red light. The silence stretched. Then he turned to look at me, full-on.
"I’ve got a way to fix it."
"What kind of way?"
The light turned green.
He hit the accelerator and said, "Marry me. Like I said before."
Silence. Dead, awkward, what-the-hell silence.
He said it again, like he was offering me a lift and not flipping my life upside down. "Marry me. It’s your best option."
"Um..." was the best reply I could come up with. Akira, however, was suddenly very awake and attentive, as if considering his proposal with far more seriousness than I was.
When I’d roped Hudson into fake-mate duty, it was pure survival mode. I’d figured he was doing it to get his parents off his back,just like I was.
But now he looked deadly serious. Like he’d always meant to turn our make-believe into a binding mate bond. frёeωebɳovel.com
"Why?" I finally managed. Because honestly, what else do you even say to that?
"Louisa doesn’t actually care if you marry Niall. What bothers her is the idea of you being alone, with no pack truly protecting you. She thinks your family’s useless."
"She’s not wrong," I muttered, thinking about how my family had all but pushed me toward Niall despite knowing he didn’t truly want me.
He kept going, like he’d been rehearsing.
"If you had someone solid, an Alpha she could trust to have your back, she’d let it go.The Niall matchmaking, the passive-aggressive guilt trips, all of it. And if you married me... that would tick every box."
I stared at him. Anyone else saying ’marry me, I’m your best option’ would’ve sounded like a narcissist with a God complex.
But Hudson just made it sound like he was stating facts. He radiated confidence and certainty.
"Niall Granger seem the type to hold a grudge. Even if you manage to officially end the engagement, no one in Highrise’s going to want to risk pack tensions by marrying you. No one but me. I don’t care what the Grangers think. They wouldn’t dare cross The Sabreridge pack. If I’m the one standing next to you, Louisa can finally give up."
He paused, then answered my unspoken objection as if he’d already anticipated it.
"If she’s not stupid, she’ll know I’m ten times the Alpha her son will ever be."
