Page 80 of Crimson Heart

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Byron was still reeling from the news that Danielle had killed a man. Jude had told them behind closed doors what had actually happened. Even though it was self-defense and the killing was justified, he would have never expected Danielle to be capable of such an act. He’d always thought she was shy and weak, only to realize now that she’d hidden her strength from all of them for the sake of a quiet, peaceful existence.

He understood so much more now. Danielle didn’t seek out conflict and danger. She only reacted to it when she or the ones she loved were in danger. In this moment, he realized that she was the perfect mate for an alpha: a woman with quiet strength and absolute loyalty who put the well-being of her family above all else. He wished he’d known that about her when she’d first joined their pack. Their relationship would have been different. She could have been his confidant more than Eve ever was.

After Jude had left the living room to check in on Danielle and Charlotte, Byron was left with Parker, Mason, Austin, and Francisco. They spoke freely in front of him, not concerned that he wasn’t a member of their team. He felt included, and he liked that feeling.

He caught Austin’s look on him and approached.

“Did you know before today?” Byron asked.

Austin shook his head. “Jude doesn’t share private things like that.” He shrugged. “Unless he’s forced to.”

“I get it.”

“You do know that what you heard today has to remain between Jude’s team and you. You can’t tell anyone in your family.”

“I know that. And I have no intention of divulging this to them.”

It would only give those in his family who still didn’t approve of Jude mating with Danielle more fodder to undermine his leadership.

“What Danielle did was justified,” Byron added.

“Agreed,” Austin said. “Unfortunately, it has given the Leons a bargaining chip.”

“It feels more like blackmail than a negotiation.”

“’Cause it is,” Mason interjected. “And they’re not giving us much time to come up with a solution.”

“At least they gave us some time, rather than demanding we hand over Charlotte immediately,” Austin replied.

A soft chime came from Mason’s pocket. He pulled out his cell phone and looked at the display.

“Wendell is back with Uncle James.” He typed a short message. “Oh, and I texted Ransom already; he’s on his way back too.” He shoved his cell phone back into his pocket.

“Dad’s gonna be pissed about what happened,” Austin guessed. “I’m not looking forward to filling him in.”

“Don’t,” Mason suggested. “Jude wants to do that himself anyway. We’ll just send him upstairs.”

“Do you think your father will still insist on Charlotte joining the Leons?” Byron asked. “I mean, he must see now that they can’t be trusted.”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Austin said.

He didn’t get a chance to reply because the door opened, and Wendell entered with James Beaumont. The conversations stopped in an instant.

James looked at the assembled, suspicion spreading over his face. “What’s going on?”

“Jude is gonna fill you in,” Austin said. “He’s upstairs in the master suite.”

With another skeptical look, he turned on his heel and left the room. Wendell shut the door behind him, then looked around.

“That bad, huh?” Wendell asked.

When Austin started filling Wendell in on the events of this morning, Byron felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and stepped away before answering it.

“Hey, Byron, I’ve got something,” Tim, the bounty hunter who was digging into Steve Leon’s background, said.

“Shoot!”