Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 385

Karl

“What should I do with this, Sir?”

I look up to see one of the servants standing over me, holding a box of books. Upon looking through the books, I can see that they’re titles I’ll never read again, so I shrug and wave my hand.

“You can add it to the donation pile,” I say, indicating a pile of things in the living room; the employees get first dibs on whatever they want, and whatever they don’t want is taken to the donation center in town.

It’s mostly clothes, books, and trinkets that I won’t need when I move to Reginald’s palace.

As the servant walks away carrying the box of books, I return to my work. I’ve been poring over documents upon documents today, signing things last-minute over to my brother. Although we’ve been preparing for this for a couple of weeks now, the to-do list just seems endless.

I’m not working for long, though, when there’s another knock on my door. This time, I look up to see none other than Marcus standing in the doorway. He’s in his plainclothes with a set of car keys in his hand.

“Well, that’s the last of it,” he says with a sigh. “We just packed up the last box to go to your new home. The truck is waiting for you to take everything to the delivery center whenever you’re ready.”

“Marcus,” I say, snapping the folder shut and standing. “Just the man I wanted to see, actually.”

“What’s up, Karl?” Marcus cocks his head, no longer using the honorific that he’s used with me for years. Not that I mind, of course; I’m no longer the Alpha. And besides, Marcus and I have been friends for a long time now, not just Alpha and Beta.

“Here.” I pick up another file on my desk and hold it out to him. He narrows his eyes as he takes it from me and begins flipping through it.

“What’s this?”

“Just keep reading.”

Marcus does as I say. Finally, after a few intense moments of waiting, I see the confusion in his eyes shift into pure and unadulterated shock. He slowly lifts his gaze to meet mine, his eyes wide and disbelieving.

“You’re serious…?” he murmurs.

I nod. “The estate is all yours, if you want it,” I say, gesturing around. “I know you and your wife are expecting another kid, and this place has lots of space.”

Marcus blinks at me, clearly at a loss for words. “Karl, I… I don’t know what to say,” he says. “You really mean it? You’re just… giving it to me? Just like that?”

“Just like that.” I circle around the desk and clap my hand on his shoulder. “No mortgage, and I’ll cover the taxes for the next five years. I’m leaving all of the furniture behind so you can use it if you want.”

“Karl…” Marcus drops the folder on the desk and sticks his hand out for me. “I accept. That’s so kind of you.”

Grinning, I bypass his hand entirely and pull him into a tight hug. We stand there like that for a few moments, just hugging and patting each other on the back, before we pull away.

“You’ve been the best Beta anyone could ever ask for,” I say. “And an even better friend. You deserve this.”

“Thank you, Karl. Really, thank you. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”

I wave my hand dismissively. “There’s no need,” I say, then flash him a grin. “Just don’t forget to come to the wedding.”

Marcus’ face splits into a smile. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

As we’re standing here, discussing the last of our duties, there’s another knock on the door. We both look up to see Ethan standing there—and behind him is Gianna.

“Brother,” Ethan says, walking into the room. “I’m glad to have caught you before you left.”

I nod my head and clasp forearms with my brother. “Ethan,” I say, then nod politely, albeit stiffly, at Gianna. “Gianna.”

Much to my surprise, Gianna politely dips her head. She’s clasping her arms across her chest, but more in a self-protective way than her usual haughty way.

“Hello, Karl,” she says in a surprisingly meek tone of voice.

There’s a brief silence before Ethan makes a gesture to Marcus, and then they both step back, leaving me and Gianna standing in the center of the room. “Karl,” Ethan says, “Gianna had something she wished to say to you. Come speak with me after, will you?”

Before I can respond, Ethan and Marcus slip out of the room. Gianna and I are left alone, staring at each other.

“Gianna,” I say a bit warily, “what did you want to talk about?”

“Hopefully not a last-ditch effort to make me leave Abby again,” I think to my wolf, who rumbles out a low chuckle in response.

Gianna pauses, then draws in a deep, shuddering breath. Her eyes meet mine, and maybe for the first time ever, I actually see… sincerity?

“I wanted to apologize, Karl.”

My eyes widen. All I can do for several moments is just blink at her incredulously. Have I ever even heard Gianna utter an apology before since I met her?

“You… You do?” I ask.

She nods. “I was a real piece of shit,” she says. “And I don’t expect you or Abby to forgive me. But… I’ve been working on a lot of things, and going to therapy, and… I really, truly, am sorry.”

As I look at Gianna now, I feel rather like Marcus just a few minutes ago—completely dumbfounded. Part of me wants to believe that this is just another one of Gianna’s ploys, that she hasn’t actually changed and that she’s just trying to get on my good side.

And yet, as I look into her eyes, I can’t see a single spark of malevolence there in the slightest.

“Gianna,” I say softly, “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.” She drops her arms to her sides and pulls her shoulders back, looking up at me squarely. “I just wanted to apologize. That’s all.”

For a moment, the old Karl wants to peek through—the Karl who would have told her off, who would have kicked her out and probably even cursed her out.

But that Karl is gone now. That Karl has been drowned out by the image of Abby that night at the press conference when, despite everything, she offered Gianna nothing but forgiveness. And right now, in the back of my mind, it’s as if I can still see her clearly.

“I accept your apology. Thank you, Gianna.”

Gianna’s eyes widen. It’s clear that she wasn’t expecting me to actually accept the apology. “You… What?” she blurts out.

I don’t say anything else as something else comes over me: the overwhelming urge to hug her. And I do just that. I wrap my arms around her, pull her in, and hug her tightly. She seems to stiffen against me at first before relaxing ever so slightly.

“I forgive you, Gianna,” I say, pulling away now. “And thank you for apologizing. It means a lot.”

Gianna seems to deflate a bit as she lets out a sigh of relief. For the first time since I’ve met her, I see something tug at the corners of her lips: a smile. Not a malevolent one, but a genuine one. A pretty smile, fit for my brother’s fated mate.

“Thank you,” she says softly. “Really, Karl. Thank you.”

I offer her a warm grin. “See you at the wedding?”

“See you at the wedding.”