The Alpha King's Slave (Book 2 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 41

Charlotte got up out of bed and walked over to the basin. She poured water into it and splashed her face before looking at her reflection in the looking glass. Her eyes were swollen from crying, but it couldn't be helped.

She dressed herself, then went down to the dining hall for lunch. 'Why am I so hungry?'

'You're a werewolf now,' Rain responded.

Caleb was late to lunch and he finally strode in and to her shock, he sat down beside her. The wolves seated near her bowed their heads to him and he smiled and nodded at them.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte hissed at him.

"Sitting with you." He flashed her a gorgeous smile.

"It's unseemly, Alpha," she lowered her lashes.

"I don't care. I'm king, I can do what I want." He raised his voice. "Let's eat!"

The entire pack had been staring at him but now they turned back to the food and chatter filled the silence.

"Why are you sitting here?" She asked quietly.

"Because you haven't decided if you want me or not, and I want to sit with you. I would like to publicly claim you as my mate, but I won't until you decide," Caleb said calmly. He wasn't calm though. He was nervous that she would reject him.

Charlotte smiled to herself as she fixed her plate. She could understand him a bit better now that they had talked.

'Don't let him off the hook yet,' Rain warned her.

Caleb chatted with her all through the meal, asking her questions about her childhood and other things, like what she liked to read.

"Anything and everything," she admitted.

"I believe you told me you have read books you shouldn't have," Caleb recalled.

Charlotte blushed. "Alpha, that is not appropriate dinner table conversation."

Most of the pack had left the dining hall by this point, leaving them pretty much alone.

"When did I say that?" Charlotte asked him shyly.

"The night you thought you were dreaming." He leaned in closer. "The night I bedded you for the first time."

She parted her lips as she looked at him, then looked down.

"Never look down," he said softly, reaching out and lifting her chin.

She smiled at him.

"What would you like to do Charlotte?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" She was confused.

"Would you like to go outside? Explore the castle? Whatever you want." He folded his hands in front of him, waiting for her answer.

"Are you taking me?" Charlotte asked him.

"Yes. Whatever you want to do."

Charlotte tipped her head sideways, studying him. "I want to do both." She half expected him to call Ragnar.

"Let's go outside first then." He stood up.

Charlotte stood as well and followed him out of the dining hall. Caleb led her outside and turned a different way than Ragnar usually took her. "Where are we going?"

"To the garden." Caleb said.

"This way?" Charlotte frowned, following him.

"Ragnar never showed you this garden?" He stopped and waited until she was next to him.

"No. He always took me to the same one," Charlotte was intrigued. She couldn't see this side of the castle grounds from her bedroom window.

Caleb stopped at the entrance of a hedged off garden and let her walk in before him.

Charlotte gasped as she looked around. The garden was beautiful and well maintained. She walked slowly along, stopping to look at different plants.

Caleb followed along behind her, just enjoying watching her. She talked to herself as she walked, mumbling different plant names. He was surprised at how well educated she was about them.

They stayed out for a few hours, Charlotte smiling up at the warmth of the sun. She probably should have worn a hat, but she realized she didn't care. This was the best day she'd had in a while.

"Caleb, what are your intentions for me?" Charlotte suddenly asked, turning to him.

Caleb bit his lip, caught off guard by her question. "If you don't reject me, I will be groveling for the rest of my life, no matter how long that might be. I want to claim you as my mate and make you my queen. I want to spend a lifetime asking you for your forgiveness. I was stupid. I was afraid of being hurt again. I was callous towards you because I was lying to myself. I couldn't admit that I was falling for you, couldn't admit that I was in love with you. I couldn't fully let go of Sofia and I just made a series of stupid mistakes and they ended up costing me, no costing us our baby and almost your life."

Charlotte watched the tears streaming down Caleb's face. He let them fall unchecked as he looked at her. "I'm so sorry. I am so so sorry." He took a deep breath. "If you choose to reject me, I will accept it. I will also make sure that you're taken care of, that you have a home and are provided for always."

"You love me?" It was the first time he'd admitted it and it sent a thrill through her.

"Yes. I love you so much. I just had a very difficult time admitting it to myself. I've loved you for a while now." Caleb held back even though he longed touch her.

Charlotte walked over to a bench and sat down. 'This is not easy for me, Rain. Watching him fall apart is breaking my heart. I can understand why he has hesitated to accept me, but it still doesn't excuse his behavior.'

'He is an arrogant and stubborn wolf, but he is our mate which makes it easy for us to forgive him. The question is, can we trust him to keep his word, to change for us? I believe almost losing you and losing our pup was a huge wake up call for him. Because as much as he tried to protect himself and us, He did the opposite,' Rain said quietly.

"I need some time, Caleb." Charlotte stood and walked over to him, resisting the urge to touch him. She couldn't help it. She wanted him to touch her and hug her. It always made her feel better.

'That's the mate bond. His touch can calm you,' Rain told her

Caleb nodded. "Take all the time you need. Are you ready to go back inside?"

"Yes. Will you take me for a tour of the castle tomorrow?" Charlotte asked him hopefully.

"I will. We can do that after breakfast if you'd like." He loved watching her face light up.

"That would be nice. I've been wanting to explore this place since I arrived," she admitted.

Caleb swallowed uncomfortably knowing he was the reason she hadn't had the chance.

He sat with her again at dinner, and told her stories of him growing up.

"Do your parents not live here?" she asked him.

"Not really. They are still members of our pack, But they're always traveling," he explained.

Once the meal was over, Charlotte excused herself and went back up to her room. She felt tired and just needed to rest. She hadn't missed the disappointment in Caleb's face when she told him she needed to be alone. She wasn't used to him paying so much attention to her. Not that she'd minded. But she was also very tired.