Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Tender Heart

“Charlie… please. Let me fix this.”

Luther's plea for her mercy tugged at Charlie's heart, pulling her out of the haze of hurt and betrayal that had been swirling inside her. She slowly lifted her face away from Liam’s chest, where she had buried herself in search of comfort, and turned her eyes toward Luther, who was kneeling beside them, his expression raw with emotion.

Her anger and confusion still lingered, but something shifted the moment her gaze landed on him. Her eyes widened when she noticed the blood coating his hands—deep red streaks staining his skin. Concern instantly replaced the hurt that had been clouding her mind.

Without thinking, her hand moved on its own, reaching out toward him, grabbing hold of his bloodied hands. “You’re hurt,” she whispered, her voice soft with worry as her fingers brushed against the sticky warmth of the blood.

Luther’s eyes, usually filled with their usual confidence and strength, softened as he looked at her, and Charlie saw something she hadn’t expected—Rex, his wolf, staring back at her from behind Luther’s eyes. There was no rage there, no anger or guilt. Only love. A deep, intense love that made her breath hitch in her throat. It was so different from the storm of emotions she had expected to find.

Liam shifted behind her, pulling her into his lap and keeping her turned toward Luther as they sat on the bed. The warmth of his embrace grounded her, but her focus remained locked on Luther. The concern in her eyes deepened as she took in his bloodstained hands, her fingers still gently gripping his.

“It’s not my blood,” Luther said, his voice calm, brushing off her worry as if it was of no importance. He squeezed her hand lightly, his touch reassuring even though the sight of blood still rattled her.

“Whose—” Charlie started, but she didn’t need to finish the question. She already knew. Her stomach twisted slightly, but before the feeling could settle, Luther continued.

“I went to see Leah,” he explained, his voice steady but edged with something darker. “But not for what you were thinking.”

Charlie's heart pounded in her chest, her mind flashing back to the earlier moments of doubt. Leah’s words had poisoned her, made her question everything about Luther’s loyalty. But now, looking into his eyes, hearing the sincerity in his voice, she knew that whatever he had done with Leah this time, it wasn’t what Leah had hinted at before.

Luther’s voice was low, filled with the weight of the decisions he had made. “I banished her from the pack.”

Charlie’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening as she processed his words. Banishment—a fate worse than death for many wolves. The life of a rogue was brutal, lonely, and dangerous. No pack, no protection. Just endless wandering with no purpose. Leah might have been cruel, but Charlie would never wish that kind of life on anyone.

Guilt flooded through her, tightening her chest as the weight of Luther’s decision pressed down on her. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want Leah’s fate to rest on her shoulders, no matter what Leah had done. “Leah is… gone?” she asked, her voice small, barely a whisper.

Luther’s eyes softened at the guilt and worry he saw etched on Charlie’s face. He could sense her turmoil, the way her heart ached at the thought of anyone being left alone in the wilderness to fend for themselves. It was so like her, so full of compassion, even for those who had wronged her.

He reached out, cupping her cheek gently with his other hand, his touch warm and tender. “She deserved it,” he said quietly but firmly. “Leah made her choice when she hurt you, when she tried to break the bond between us. This was her doing, Charlie. Not yours.”

Charlie’s heart clenched at his words, her emotions swirling in a chaotic mix of relief and guilt. She had wanted Leah gone, wanted her influence out of their lives, but now that it was done, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible had happened because of her.

Luther, sensing her inner conflict, leaned closer, his thumb brushing softly across her cheek. “Your tender heart is what sets you apart from the rest, Charlie. It’s what makes you the perfect Luna. But you don’t need to feel guilty for Leah’s banishment. She brought this upon herself.”

His words resonated deep within her, settling in her heart in a way that made her feel lighter. The doubts she had about her place in the pack, about whether she could ever truly belong, began to fade. Luther’s words weren’t just reassurances—they were a reminder of her strength, of the unique qualities that made her who she was.

Liam tightened his grip on her waist, his voice soft as he added, “He’s right. You’ve always had the heart of a Luna, even before you knew it.”

Charlie blinked, her throat tightening with emotion as she looked between the two of them. The love she saw in their eyes—Luther’s gentle but fierce, Liam’s steady and protective—was overwhelming. It washed over her, soothing the deep-rooted fears she had carried for so long.

“I’m… the perfect Luna?” she whispered, her voice thick with disbelief. She had never thought of herself in such a way. Not after everything she had been through. Not after being the pack’s slave, their punching bag.

But now, sitting here between the two men who had become her entire world, the doubt began to fade. Maybe they saw something in her that she hadn’t been able to see in herself. Maybe, despite everything, she truly did have a place here.

Luther smiled softly, his hand still cradling her cheek as he spoke. “Yes, Charlie. You are. And no one can take that from you—not Leah, not anyone.”

His words settled in her heart, warm and steady like the bond they shared. For the first time since Leah had planted those cruel seeds of doubt in her mind, Charlie began to feel something she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in a long time: hope. Hope that she could embrace her future, hope that she could be more than the girl the pack had once used and discarded.

Liam leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, and the warmth of his touch only reinforced the sense of belonging that was starting to take root. She was theirs, and they were hers. The bond between them was strong, unbreakable, no matter what Leah had tried to do.

For now, the past didn’t matter. What mattered was what came next.