Chapter 19: The Misunderstanding (II)
Darien:
The tension inside the study stretched so tightly that it felt like one wrong word could shatter the entire room apart.
And yet, Charlotte smiled. Not nervously or defensively. But softly... almost sadly. Then, without even glancing at the contents inside the folder, she pushed it gently back across Alastor’s desk.
I frowned slightly. This wasn’t the reaction I expected. If she were guilty, wouldn’t she at least pretend to defend herself first? Wouldn’t she panic? Cry? Deny everything immediately?
But Charlotte looked strangely calm. Composed. And suddenly, as I studied her carefully, nothing about her looked like someone capable of hurting Rosalie.
Then she spoke quietly, "The evidence is true."
All three of us stiffened instantly. My eyes narrowed sharply while Kaiser cursed under his breath beside me. Even Alastor’s expression darkened dangerously. But before any of us could question her further, Charlotte continued speaking.
"I did hire those men."
Confusion hit me almost immediately.
What?
She lowered her gaze slightly before letting out a small bitter laugh. "I was scared."
The room fell silent again. Her fingers slowly moved toward the faint swell of her stomach as she spoke softly. "I was about to stand in front of two entire packs as your fated mate... and as the mother of your child."
Something in her voice sounded fragile. Vulnerable.
"My friends kept warning me to be careful," she continued quietly. "They said not everyone would be happy about the pregnancy. They said I needed extra protection."
I blinked slowly, and the anger inside me hesitated faintly.
Charlotte looked up then, her eyes already shimmering with unshed tears. "I know your packs are strong," she said quickly. "I know your security is more than enough. But I was anxious back then... and terrified something might happen to the baby."
Her hand pressed protectively against her stomach again. And suddenly guilt twisted inside my chest. She looked genuinely shaken. Like the memory itself still affected her deeply.
"I hired those men privately for extra security that night," she admitted softly. "I’m sorry for not telling any of you earlier. I know it probably seems like I didn’t trust your protection."
Kaiser’s posture eased slightly beside me. Alastor remained silent. So I decided to ask question we all wanted the answer of. "Then why were they chasing Rosalie?"
Charlotte’s expression crumbled instantly at Rose’s name. Pain flashed across her face so naturally it made my chest tighten.
"That’s exactly what I was trying to explain," she whispered and a tear finally slipped down her cheek. "That night... I noticed Lady Rosalie leaving the celebration alone." Her voice shook slightly. "And I realized she must have misunderstood everything."
Something heavy settled inside me immediately.
Charlotte continued quietly. "I knew how much she meant to the three of you. You talked about her so often." Her lips trembled faintly. "I didn’t want her to think I was trying to replace her."
Guilt hit me harder this time. Because she was right. Even after finding Charlotte as our fated mate, Rose had still remained at the center of our thoughts. Of our lives.
Charlotte lowered her gaze again and confessed softly, "So I sent those men after her. I asked them to bring her back safely before she could get caught in the storm."
I stared at her silently, noticing how her voice cracked with emotion. "But I never imagined they would fail so badly." Another tear slid down her face. "They told me later she fell off the cliff while they were trying to stop her."
Pain flashed across her expression so vividly that even I almost believed I could feel it.
"I fired them immediately after," she whispered. "They were useless."
The study remained silent except for her shaky breathing. Then she looked toward us again, her eyes filled completely with tears now. "I’m sorry," she said brokenly. "I truly only wanted to help her."
Stars!
A heavy wave of shame slammed into me instantly. I had completely misunderstood her. All of us had.
Charlotte wasn’t some manipulative woman trying to hurt Rose. She was just... scared, pregnant, anxious. She was just trying to protect herself and the baby. And despite all of that, she still cared enough to send people after Rose when she noticed her leaving upset.
Meanwhile we sat here accusing her like some criminal.
I felt sick.
Then suddenly Charlotte gasped softly, and a cry of pain escaped her lips as she doubled slightly forward, clutching her stomach tightly.
Every instinct inside me snapped instantly into panic.
"Charlotte!"
All three of us moved at once. I reached her first and helped her to a chair while Alastor crouched beside her immediately and Kaiser grabbed water from the desk.
Charlotte’s face had gone pale. "I-I’m okay," she whispered shakily. "Just stress..."
But the pain in her voice made my chest tighten horribly. Her pain crashed through the mate bond sharply enough that I nearly cursed aloud. We hurt her. After everything, we genuinely hurt her.
Alastor looked furious at himself. Kaiser too. And honestly? I felt worse. Because Charlotte had done nothing wrong. She was simply a woman trying to protect herself and our unborn child while also trying to protect Rose from misunderstanding the situation.
Not only that, she had always accepted that Rosalie held a special place in our lives.
She never once tried to force us to cut Rose off completely when she had every right. She never once acted jealous whenever we mentioned Rose. How could we suspect someone like that?
I carefully steadied Charlotte while Kaiser handed her the water.
"I’m sorry," I said immediately. The words came out rougher than intended.
Alastor nodded shortly beside me. "We misunderstood the situation."
Charlotte looked at us with slightly reddened eyes before forcing a small smile. "It’s alright," she whispered softly. "I understand you were worried about Lady Rosalie."
The grace in her response only made the guilt worse. Even now she wasn’t blaming us. Wasn’t angry. She simply understood.
Kaiser gently brushed her hair away from her face while apologizing quietly too, and somehow Charlotte still smiled at him softly through everything. The mate bond pulsed warmly afterward. Forgiving.
My gaze drifted unconsciously downward again, toward the pendant around her neck.
Rose’s pendant.
For a second, something uncomfortable twisted inside my chest again. But then I pushed the feeling away. It was just jewelry. If Charlotte liked it, then she could keep it.
Besides, she probably didn’t even know it originally belonged to Rose.
And when Rose came back, because she would come back, I would buy her ten more pendants. More beautiful ones. More expensive ones. Anything she wanted.
I would make it up to her somehow.
Because once Rose returned home, everything would finally go back to normal.
