Rosalie:

The moment that last question left my lips, the atmosphere inside the room changed.

All three of them visibly stiffened, and for the first time since this conversation began, genuine confusion crossed their faces. It wasn’t guilt, or surprise, or defensiveness like it should be. But confusion, which didn’t add with the situation.

My own certainty faltered for the briefest second. Because that wasn’t the reaction I expected. Not even close.

Kaiser’s brows furrowed deeply as he stared at me. Darien looked equally stunned. Even Alastor seemed caught off guard for a moment.

A tiny seed of hesitation formed inside me.

Had I misunderstood something?

Had I-

The thought barely had time to exist before Alastor destroyed it.

Kaiser opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but Alastor spoke first. And just like that, whatever hesitation I felt disappeared.

His expression hardened as the confusion vanished and cold irritation took its place. "Stop dragging things out of context, Rosalie."

The words hit me harder than they should have. For a second, I simply stared at him. Then disbelief settled in.

Out of context?

Out of context?

I almost laughed. So now I was the one dragging things out of context because I dared to ask questions? Because I dared to speak aloud what happened? Because I dared to demand answers after being lied to, cheated on, and discarded?

It was almost impressive.

How had I never seen this side of them before? How had I spent years loving these men and never noticed this version of them? The version that genuinely seemed incapable of understanding why I was hurt.

Darien and Kaiser both turned toward Alastor. Their expressions clearly telling him to slow down. To be careful and to stop making things worse. But Alastor had already committed to his course. And once Alastor Blackthorn decided something, very few people could stop him.

"You seem to have forgotten something," he said coldly.

I folded my arms tighter across my chest.

"Oh?"

His eyes narrowed.

"You once told us yourself that if we ever found our fated mates, we should accept them."

There it was. The argument they had been waiting to use. The justification. The shield. The reason they believed everything should somehow make sense to me.

A soft chuckle escaped my lips but there wasn’t even an ounce of humor in it. The sound itself seemed to surprise them.

I slowly lifted my gaze and met Alastor’s eyes. "I haven’t forgotten. On the other hand, I remember that conversation very well. But can you say the same?"

I noticed smething flickering across his face, but I continued before he could answer.

"Because you seem to have forgotten another conversation."

Now all three were watching me closely. So I looked at each of them in turn - Darien, Kaiser, and finally Alastor - as I spoke. "The conversation where all three of you told me that you were content with me as your chosen mate."

None of them spoke.

"The conversation where you assured me repeatedly that you didn’t need a fated mate anymore. And that I was enough, actually more than you could have asked for."

Still silence.

"The conversation where you promised to never let me down."

A muscle jumped in Alastor’s jaw. Darien looked away. And Kaiser’s shoulders visibly tensed.

Interesting. At least they remembered.

I nodded slowly as I continued, "Yes. I remember telling you to accept your fated mates if you ever found them." Then my voice hardened. "What I don’t remember is telling you to cheat on me and play me like a fool."

The words landed exactly the way I intended them to. Like a slap, and a brutal one.

Kaiser’s face tightened. Darien exhaled heavily. And Alastor’s eyes darkened. But none of them denied it, because they couldn’t.

I took a step forward. "You keep acting as though I’m here demanding answers because you accepted Charlotte. But that’s not the case here."

I could feel days of suppressed emotions building inside me. But instead of exploding or breaking free directly, they simply settled into words, turning them cold, sharp, and controlled.

"I’m not asking questions because you chose to accept your fated mate." I continued. "I’m asking questions because you cheated on me."

The room became still.

"Because you lied to me."

A shadow crossed Darien’s face.

"Because you betrayed me."

Kaiser clenched his fists.

"And because after doing all of that, you have the audacity to stand here and tell me it was for a good reason."

No one spoke. And I didn’t give them the chance either because for the first time since entering this room, I was finally saying everything I needed to say.

"You want to know the funny part?" I laughed softly, but again there was no humor in it. "I understand your reasons."

That got their attention. Immediately. All three straightened slightly as hope flickered somewhere in their eyes.

The sight almost made me feel sorry for them. Almost.

I slowly nodded as I spoke, "Of course I understand your reasons." My gaze remained steady. "A fated mate is important to every wolf, but it becomes even more serious and important in case of alphas."

Kaiser’s shoulders relaxed slightly as I continued

"A rejection would have hurt Charlotte. But it would have also weakened your wolves. Even though temporarily, it would have been enough for your enemies to take advantage of."

Alastor’s expression softened by a fraction.

"The packs would have questioned your decisions." I went on, noticing how each of them was starting to look more and more relaxed and expectant as though they finally thought we were reaching an understanding.

"As leaders, rejecting your fated mate for someone like me would have caused unrest. The elders would have objected." I counted calmly. "The warriors would have questioned your judgment. The neighboring packs would have viewed it as weakness. The alliance between the two packs could have suffered. And the Moon Goddess herself might have punished the rejection."

I wasn’t done yet.

"Charlotte was already carrying a child, the future Alpha. Rejecting her would have affected the status of that child and could have caused succession disputes later."

My gaze shifted between three of them before coming to stop on Alastor.

"The packs need stability. They need strong leadership. They need heirs, and unity. And accepting Charlotte gave you all of those things."

A heavy silence followed.

I had just listed nearly every reason they had likely used to justify their decisions. And with every reason I spoke aloud, the hope inside them grew. I could see it. It was as though they thought this conversation was finally heading where they wanted it to go.

They seemed to think understanding automatically meant acceptance, and that logic could somehow erase betrayal.

The realization almost made me laugh.

I looked at them. Really looked at them. Three powerful Alphas. Three intelligent men. Three men who somehow still didn’t understand.

Slowly, I shook my head and then closed my eyes just for a moment, but long enough to gather myself and to bury the last remnants of pain threatening to surface.

When I opened my eyes again, all three of them were watching me. They were waiting for me to say what they wanted so badly to hear at this point.

So I decided to do just that. I fixed my gaze on them and announced. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"I have decided to forgive you."