Rosalie:

The moment those words left my lips, I watched all three of them straighten.

It happened almost instantly.

The tension that had been hanging over the room shifted. Hope lit up their faces so quickly that it almost hurt to look at. Darien’s shoulders visibly relaxed. Kaiser’s eyes softened. Even Alastor’s expression eased by a fraction.

For a brief moment, all three of them looked as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from their shoulders. As though everything was finally about to return to normal. As though the nightmare was over.

Darien even took a step toward me. His hand lifted slightly as he reached for me, wanting to touch me again.

The movement made my chest tighten and before he could get any closer, I raised my hand. The gesture immediately stopped him and the hopeful expression on his face faltered. Confusion returned on their faces, followed by wariness.

I lowered my hand slowly. And as I spoke, my voice came out calmer than I expected, steadier and almost detached.

"Forgiveness isn’t the same thing as forgetting."

The room fell silent. And the hope in their eyes dimmed slightly.

I continued before any of them could interrupt. "I have decided to forgive you." I held their gazes one by one. "But I’m not going to forget what you did."

The confusion deepened. Kaiser frowned. Darien’s expression became uncertain. While Alastor’s jaw tightened. I could practically see them trying to understand what I meant. Trying to figure out why my words sounded so different from what they wanted to hear.

A soft breath escaped me.

Honestly, I was tired. Exhausted. And not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. It almost felt like my soul was the one feeling exhausted now because I felt exhausted in ways I didn’t even know were possible.

"I wanted to ask so many questions." The truth of those words hit harder than I expected. "I wanted answers." My gaze shifted between all three of them. "I wanted explanations."

I swallowed as I continued, "I wanted to know every detail."

Every lie, every secret, every moment, every decision, and every conversation that happened behind my back. I had wanted all of it. Once. But now? Not anymore.

I slowly shook my head and my voice softened. "But now that we are finally having this conversation... I don’t want to drag this any further."

Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. I could feel all three of them listening carefull, watching and waiting.

Unlike what they believed, I wasn’t angry anymore. Or perhaps I was. But the anger had become something else, something quieter and colder.

"This entire situation is draining me." I looked down briefly before looking up at their faces again as I continued, "Mentally, physically, and emotionally."

The room remained silent.

"I could keep blaming you." I shrugged lightly. "I could stay angry and bitter, and could spend years hating you. But at the end of the day, I would only be hurting myself."

That was the truth I had finally accepted. Because every second I spent reliving what happened was another second of pain, another second chained to people who had already broken me once.

And I couldn’t keep doing that to myself. Not anymore.

I let out a slow sigh. "You wanted me to give you a chance to explain yourselves. And I did."

All three men visibly stiffened, but no one denied my words because they knew I had. Despite everything, despite how much they hurt me, I had listened. I had stayed and heard them out.

"I understand your reasons."

That statement immediately drew their attention again. Of course it did, because understanding was what they had wanted from the beginning.

I looked at them calmly as I continued, "You are Alphas of your packs. Your first responsibility has always been your packs. Accepting Charlotte was the best decision you could have made."

Darien’s brows lifted slightly.

I continued, "She comes from an old Alpha bloodline. Her wolf is one of the strongest among female wolves. Her family has influence, power, and connections in the human world. She can provide you money, resources, and political value. And most importantly... she’s your fated mate and is carrying your child."

The three of them just listened in silence as I continued counting down all the reasons they did what they did. The reasons that made them chose Charlotte.

"She’s someone both packs would accept as Luna without hesitation. There would be no resistance, no unrest, no challenges, no questions about succession, no disputes among the elders, no weakening of alliances, and no instability."

I looked directly at them and my lips curved into a small smile, one that held absolutely no joy. "In every possible way... Charlotte was the better choice."

A heavy, painful, and absolute silence fell over the room.

And the surprising part? I meant every word I just spoke, every single one. Because I truly understood. I understood exactly why they chose her.

And not just them, any Alpha would have. Any powerful man in their position probably would have. Charlotte was everything a Luna should be - strong, influential, respected, powerful, and valuable.

And me?

I had spent years fooling myself into believing love would somehow outweigh all of that.

I inhaled deeply. Then slowly released the breath as I added softly, "But understanding doesn’t change what happened."

Their expressions shifted and the hope faded slightly.

"It doesn’t change the cheating."

A muscle jumped in Kaiser’s jaw.

"It doesn’t change the lies."

Darien looked away.

"It doesn’t change the betrayal."

Alastor’s gaze hardened.

I nodded slowly. "I’m forgiving you because I don’t want to keep carrying this." My hand moved toward my chest, toward the ache that had lived there for weeks. "Because if I don’t forgive you, then you are going to keep ruining my life."

The words were quiet. Yet they hit harder than shouting ever could.

"Not intentionally." I shook my head. "But you’ll keep living here." I tapped my chest lightly. "Inside my head, my memories, my every thought and wound. And eventually there won’t be anything left of me worth saving."

For a moment, nobody breathed. Nobody spoke or moved.

Then I lowered my hand and smiled sadly. "I’m forgiving you, but not for you. Instead, I’m doing it for myself."

Their expressions froze. And the silence that followed felt endless.

Then I looked at all three of them, one final time, and spoke the words that truly mattered.

"So I’m letting you go."

The reaction was immediate. Alastor moved. Fast. And before I could step away or could react, his hand wrapped around my arms and suddenly I was pulled forward.

My breath caught.

The world tilted slightly and then I was standing directly in front of him. Far too close. His grip wasn’t painful, but it was firm, unyielding, and possessive.

My heart skipped. Because I knew that look. I had seen it countless times before. The darkness in his blue eyes, the possessiveness, the dominance.

The Alpha.

Only this time it wasn’t comforting. It was terrifying.

"You are not leaving us ever again." His voice was low, dangerously low. And the certainty inside it sent a chill through me.

The room became still.

Darien stepped forward immediately as if sensing the tension. "Rose." His voice was softer, more careful. "We understand you are hurt."

I almost laughed.

"We understand why you are upset. But you shouldn’t make decisions this quickly."

The irony was almost unbearable. I slowly turned my head toward him. He stood beside Alastor now, close enough that all three of them seemed to form a wall around me. A cage. A prison.

My smile returned - sad, tired, and broken - as I shook my head.

"No."

The word came quietly.

None of them seemed to like it. Their expressions darkened.

It was Kaiser who spoke this time, and his voice almost sounded pleading. "Rose, we can talk this through."

Again the same thing. More talking, more explaining, more convincing, and more justifications.

I shook my head once more, the smile never leaving my lips.

"There’s no point."

"Rose-"

"No." This time I cut him off. Because somebody had to. "You don’t understand. There’s no point talking."

The room became silent again.

"Not when none of you seem to understand what you actually did wrong."

Darien frowned immediately. "We know we were wrong."

A soft chuckle escaped me and the sound stopped him instantly. I looked directly at him, then at Kaiser, and finally at Alastor. I did so one by one, slowly, and carefully. Almost mockingly.

"No." My voice remained calm as I spoke. "You don’t."

The silence became suffocating.

"Because if you did..."

I met their eyes, every single one of them.

"...then this conversation would have started with an apology."

The moment my words landed, the room became deathly still. But I wasn’t done yet. Not even close.

"And not blackmail."

My gaze shifted briefly toward Alastor.

"Not demands, explanations, and certainly not requests."