Chapter 66

Eleanor was speechless. Had he really just said what she thought she heard?

In the midst of his yelling and fit of anger, Lorenzo told her he loved her...Was it true?

Ever since Lorenzo made his way back into Eleanor’s life, she’d been in an ongoing battle with herself when it came to her feelings toward him. He’d proven himself to her time and time again—protecting her, defending her, and always keeping her best interests in mind. Everything Lorenzo did for her spoke volumes of love and devotion.

But he never actually said it...Not until now.

She tried to glance over her shoulder. “Y-You love me?” she gasped.

Lorenzo’s guarded features softened. Yet his brows were still pinched together with a discernible look of question. Suddenly, his harsh hold on her began to loosen up. The feral, alpha frenzy that sent him into a spiraling rage was gradually passing.

“Of course I love you, I’ve never stopped loving you,” he told her earnestly.

Lorenzo gently pulled himself out of her and turned her back to face him. Her eyes were glossed over with tears, but not a single one of them was filled with sadness or fear.

He cupped her cheek. “Eleanor...”

She stole the moment and covered his hand with her own. “I love you too,” she confessed.

Lorenzo’s eyes lit up with wonder as if he didn’t think such a thing could be possible. He felt his wolf jump and howl with pure delight and elation. Every nerve in his body was buzzing, once from anger and now with irrefutable joy.

His heart quicked in his chest, he closed the space between them and took her lips in another chaste kiss.

“I know we haven’t had the easiest past—Christ, even now things are still bordering insanity at times—but none of that matters now. I told you this before, and I meant it with every fiber of my being, you’re the one I’m meant to be with. The only future I want is one that involves us being together.”

Eleanor’s tears began training down her cheeks as her lips pulled into a hopeful smile.

“I want to bond with you completely,” she said earnestly. “I want to plan a mating ceremony and have you and I belong to each other, forever.”

This time, it was Lorenzo who found his eyes becoming speckled with tears. The woman in front of him would truly never stop surprising him. He didn’t think it was possible to ever feel such happiness.

“I’ve been trying to ask you about that for ages,” he professed with a chuckle.

Lorenzo practically crushed the two of them back against the cold tile wall of the shower, taking her lips in a soul-searing kiss until neither one of them could breathe. Eleanor wrapped her arms around his shoulders, letting herself melt into his warm, loving embrace.

The kiss started to turn rough as Eleanor felt the hardening of his length press into her thigh once more. It renewed the ache between her legs and insisted on being satiated.

“Lorenzo,” she moaned into his mouth, grinding her hips back into him. “I need you...”

He let out a muffled groan and snaked his hands down to lift her up by the back of her thighs. In one swift thrust, he buried himself back inside of her, desperate to finish what they originally started. The hot, glorious pressure began to build and soon the two of them were falling over the edge from their shared release.

[Lorenzo’s POV]

After they both finished up in the shower, Lorenzo and Eleanor switched into a fresh set of clothes.

“Alright, now that I’m in a better frame of mind,” he said. “How about you tell me exactly what was said between you and Sterling?”

Eleanor snorted under her breath but nodded her head. The two laid back against the bed frame as she began to delve into her story about how Cruz surprised her by showing up at the cafe.

“Honestly, I still have no idea why he was there in the first place,” she said. “He mentioned the case and acted all smug when he brought up the tragedy of those girls.”

Lorenzo pulled her in close to his side. Perhaps it was a good thing that he hadn’t been around to witness that meeting, otherwise he would have likely attacked Cruz for his insolence.

“The whole situation was just strange,” she told him. “One moment he was arrogant as all hell, but the second I mentioned that we’d been gathering evidence, he looked panicked and highly alert.”

He furrowed his brows at the thought while the corner of his mouth turned upward. “Really? And you just kept on pushing him?”

Eleanor giggled. “Yes. I remembered back when you spoke to the prince earlier—you were goading him into potentially giving out information. And, well, I tried to do the same with Cruz,” she admitted sheepishly.

Lorenzo was shocked. He hadn’t realized how close his Luna was paying attention to his actions. Nonetheless, it filled him with an overwhelming sense of pride. Now, he wished he could have been there to see Eleanor in action.

“And did he actually give anything away?” he asked.

She let out a long breath, “Unfortunately no. Much like the prince, his lips were tightly sealed.”

“Ah, but you said he looked nervous. That in itself speaks volumes on the issue.”

She nodded her head. “Lorenzo, I’m now fully convinced that he has a personal hand in all that’s been going on. And I’m worried that he’s going to continue doing horrible things to these girls.”

“I know,” he said solemnly.

It was, indeed, a very delicate situation to be involved in. Lorenzo wanted to take down Cruz and everything that Blue Moon stood for, but not when it ran the risk of causing further bloodshed.

It was then he made the private decision to himself. He needed to reach out to Sterling and have a much-needed, lengthy conversation.

‘I think it’s time we figure out exactly what this asshole is hoping to gain out of wanting to strike a deal with us,’ his wolf snarled in disdain.