Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 98: Genuine Confession

"Isolde is fine," Damon finally said, his voice carrying the kind of news that felt like cool water to Charlotte’s heart, which had been drowning in worry. "After she was shot, the chauffeur dumped her by the side of the road, and our werewolves brought her to the hospital right away."

If a werewolf were shot with a silver bullet, the wound takes much longer to heal than an ordinary one. They might still recover eventually, but if the silver pierced the heart, the chance of survival would drop to zero.

"The bullet didn’t hit her heart," Damon continued, gently. "It missed by a little. That’s why she made it. But ... she’s still unconscious for now."

"At least she’s alive," Charlotte whispered, pressing her hand over her chest. Her eyes filled with tears, not from grief this time, but from pure, aching relief.

Isolde hadn’t died protecting her.

"You can go see her once you’re stronger," Damon said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Charlotte nodded slowly. She didn’t say much after that. The mix of emotions had worn her out, and the pull of sleep was growing stronger.

She let her eyes flutter halfway shut. "Will you stay with me for a while?"

Damon nodded without hesitation. "I’ll be here for as long as you need me."

The hospital bed was large enough for two. Charlotte shifted slightly, making space beside her, then patted the spot with a tired smile.

"Lie down next to me," she murmured, biting her lower lip. "I just... I just want to hold you while I sleep."

Damon didn’t say a word, he simply climbed in beside her and wrapped her in his arms like she was something fragile and precious.

Charlotte buried her face against his chest, letting him gently stroke her back in slow, comforting motions.

"Damon," she whispered, "I know it might sound stupid to say this now ... but I still want to have a baby."

Charlotte still wanted to have a baby.

But this time ... she wanted to do it right.

No more surprises. No more what-ifs.

She wanted it to be planned to give herself time to prepare, both physically and emotionally. She didn’t want to face another loss unprepared.

"I don’t want it to just ... happen like before," she murmured, her voice muffled against his chest. "Next time, I want us to plan for it. I want to be ready. I want us both to be ready."

Damon tightened his arms around her, resting his chin gently on the top of her head.

"We will be," he said softly. "When the time is right, we’ll do it together. Carefully. With love. And no rush."

Charlotte nodded slowly, comforted by his words.

Maybe the reason she lost the baby this time... was because she wasn’t ready for any of it.

Everything had happened so suddenly—her pregnancy, the chaos with Julian, and she hadn’t even had the chance to truly understand her feelings for Damon.

She still had so many things to work through before she could bring a child into the world.

"Damon," she called softly, her voice even gentler than before.

Damon looked down at her, his eyes looking at hers with quiet patience, like he sensed there was more she wanted to say.

Charlotte took a deep breath, her fingers gently curling into the fabric of his shirt.

"I’ve made sense of my feelings," she said softly. "And I know now ... I love you, Damon."

Her heart pounded in her chest as the words left her lips, but at the same time, it felt like a weight had lifted. "I really do," she added, her eyes meeting his. "I’m sure of it."

"It’s not because you saved me, or because of some rush of emotion after being abused by my ex-husband," Charlotte said. "But when I was on the brink of death... the only person I could think about was you—"

She paused, her voice trembling. "—and how sorry I was for not saying this sooner."

Charlotte bit her lower lip, looking like she was struggling to find the right words in her head. She wanted to tell him that she loved him properly, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was nonsense.

"Like I said—" Charlotte said.

But before she could finish, Damon leaned in and kissed her.

The kiss wasn’t rushed or filled with lust. It was gentle, warm, and full of all the things he didn’t need to say out loud like relief, love, and the promise of everything they still had ahead of them.

When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, his voice a gentle murmur. "You don’t have to say anything else. I already know." Damon kissed her lips once more. "I love you too, Charlotte. More than anything."

Charlotte’s eyes gleamed with emotion as she held her breath. Her fingers curled gently into the fabric of his shirt, holding onto him like he was the only solid thing in her world and in that moment, he was.

She gave a soft, shaky laugh, tears threatening to fall again, but this time they weren’t from sadness. "I really meant it," she whispered. "Every word."

"I know," Damon said softly, his thumb brushing her cheek. "And I meant mine too."

She leaned into his touch, her heart finally feeling a little calmer, a little less broken.

For the first time in what felt like forever, the future didn’t look so dark anymore.

The wounds in her heart hadn’t fully healed, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t begin to close. Damon had been trying to stitch them together with his love.

He didn’t try to rush her pain away or pretend it didn’t exist.

Instead, he stayed. He held her through the silence, listened when she spoke, and reminded her again and again that she didn’t have to go through it alone.

Every gentle touch, every soft word, was like thread pulling her broken pieces back together.

No, her heart wasn’t whole yet.

But with Damon by her side, it was slowly, steadily finding the strength to heal.

And maybe, just maybe, love was the kind of medicine that didn’t erase scars, but made them easier to live with.

None of them said anything after that. They simply lay together, side by side, and Charlotte finally managed to fall asleep in his arms.

• •

Two days later, Carmen and Mona finally discovered a possible location where Priscilla might be held.

She was believed to be in one of the old houses left behind by Julian’s paternal grandfather—a remote, crumbling estate perched near a cliff that overlooked the ocean.

The house had been abandoned for decades. No one had lived there in years, and most people had forgotten it even existed.

It wasn’t even listed among the assets of Julian’s father, but Carmen had her own ways of tracking things down.

"With the information you gave us, that Julian planned to dump his mother into the ocean, this is the only place that fits," Mona said, showing everyone pictures of the old house on her tablet. They were all gathered in the living room, eyes fixed on the screen.

"Our informant couldn’t confirm that Priscilla is definitely there," she continued, "but he did notice that the area around the house is heavily guarded by werewolves."

Charlotte had been discharged from the hospital just the day before, but she still looked a little pale and tired. Even so, she insisted on being updated about Priscilla’s case.

Since most of the people involved in the meeting were family, Damon decided to hold it in the living room instead of the official meeting room.

However, everyone knew the real reason, he simply wanted to make sure Charlotte was comfortable.

Damon had quietly adjusted the pillows behind her back and kept her favorite blanket nearby, just in case she felt cold. Even as he discussed strategy and next steps, his eyes flicked to her every so often, checking for any sign of discomfort.

No one said anything about it, but they all noticed.

Charlotte, despite her exhaustion, sat upright and focused. Her fingers were laced tightly in her lap, her expression calm but tense.

"This place is isolated," Mona continued, tapping the image of the cliffside house on her tablet. "If Priscilla is there, we have one shot to get in and out before Julian realizes we’ve found her."

Damon said, "That means we can’t go there with too many people, or they’ll notice we’re coming."

Julian was cunning. If he found out that Damon and the Crimson Moon Pack were coming to rescue Priscilla, he might pull another dirty trick, like releasing poison gas, or worse, injecting them with Nightshade.

The room fell silent at Damon’s words. Everyone knew he wasn’t exaggerating. Julian had already proven he was willing to cross every line.

"He’s desperate now," Diana said, her arms folded tightly across her chest. "And that makes him even more dangerous."

Louis nodded. "We need a small team. The best trackers, the fastest fighters. In and out before anyone knows what’s happening."

"I’ll go," Damon said without hesitation.