Charlotte's POV

I hung up on my father and wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes. I didn't want to show any sign of weakness.

I disembarked from the yacht early and took a car back to the castle by myself. I packed my papers and wanted to head out right away to arrange my entry documents for Silvermoon City.

"Charlotte, who told you to come back alone? What if you had run into a pack of rogue werewolves? Do you have any idea how long I searched for you? You're getting more disobedient by the day!"

Layson pushed open the door and confronted me. His tall figure towered over me, and the string of love bites on his neck stood out so glaringly.

He still carried Grace's scent on him, which drifted into my nostrils.

Even though I already knew they had been intimate, I still couldn't stop the sorrow from welling up inside me. I avoided meeting his gaze. I pretended not to react, but he knew me too well. Besides, my eyes were a little red.

He instinctively helped me fasten the coat I hadn't put on properly.

Then, he said in a calm tone, "Charlotte, Grace and I are together now. She'll soon be my wife and the queen of this pack. Since you're living here, you need to respect her. So, stop talking nonsense about marrying me, and don't get any foolish ideas."

I lowered my eyes and said calmly, "I understand, Your Majesty."

The air seemed to freeze in an instant.

Layson paused, frowning, his intense gaze locked on my face. He hadn't heard me address him like that in a long time.

When I was a kid and first brought to his castle, I used to sweetly call him "Your Majesty". Later, once I understood the feelings I had for him, I refused to use that title anymore.

Sometimes, I called him "my Alpha Daddy" or "Daddy", and sometimes, I was bold enough to call him directly by name, "Layson".

Those were all ways I used to act spoiled with him. We were closer than most lovers, but everything felt different now.

Layson noticed my unusual attitude. Just as he seemed about to say something, a soft voice sounded from behind him.

"My dear Majesty, I've brought my luggage over. Which room should I stay in"

I looked up and saw Grace walking over. She smiled brightly at Layson.

When he saw her, he pulled her into his arms and said softly, "You like sunlight, and Charlotte's room faces south. It has the best light and is closest to my room as well, so I'll have her move to a guest room on the second floor. You can stay there from now on."

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Grace's eyes, but she spoke with a pretense of hesitation. "How can I accept that? After all, Charlotte has been staying in the castle for several years. Maybe I should stay in the guest room on the second floor instead."

She made it as if she wanted to go downstairs at once, but in the next second, Layson scooped her up in his arms.

"You're going to be the queen of this pack from now on. This is your home. There's no way I'd let you stay in a guest room."

Grace leaned against him, giving me a smug look. "But Charlotte has lived in that room since childhood. Forcing her to move all of a sudden might be unsettling for her."

"Why would it be unsettling? She's only spoiled because of me. She needs to get used to the fact that I'm getting married and that there's a lady in this home now. She has to understand that she's just an outsider."

Yes, he was right. I really was an outsider.

"I understand. I'll pack my things and move out right away."

Before long, I would be leaving this place for good, and I was never coming back.

This castle was Layson and Grace's home now, not mine.

Charlotte's POV

Over the next few days, I went through all the formalities to leave the pack and head for Silvermoon City.

I left early and came back late every day just to avoid running into Layson. No matter how hard I tried, I still witnessed his clear fondness for Grace.

She loved swimming, so he had all the cherry blossom trees we planted together removed to build a private pool for her. When Grace felt unwell, he canceled an important meeting and stayed with her throughout the night. If she casually mentioned liking a piece of jewelry, it would appear on her dressing table the very next day.

All the gentleness, care, and appreciation he once showed me, he now devoted to Grace without holding back.

I no longer clung to him or threw tantrums the way I used to. I quietly watched it all, like an outsider.

While waiting for the paperwork to go through, I began packing my belongings.

First, I organized my luggage. Then, I gathered the sketches I had drawn of Layson, the love letters I had written him, and the albums I had made to confess my feelings. I tore them up and placed them into a large cardboard box, planning to throw them all away.

When I walked out the door with the rubbish in my arms, I happened to run into Layson, who had just returned to the castle. He was carrying a small box of pastries, probably something he had bought for Grace.

I lowered my gaze, pretending I hadn't seen him, and prepared to pass by without looking.

But then, Layson suddenly grabbed hold of my wrist.

He gripped me tightly, his voice low and dangerous. "Charlotte, have you been hiding from me these past few days? Is this your new trick?"

"I have not."

He leaned in closer, studying my evasive expression.

"You're not hiding from me? Then why do you leave early and come back late every day? Why do you turn away the moment you see me and refuse to speak? Aren't you avoiding me?" His voice sounded deep as he stared me down with a powerful sense of oppression. "Why? Just because I'm with Grace now?"

"No, that's not it. Your Majesty, you're with your fated mate. I should be happy for you. I truly wish you both happiness and may the Moon Goddess bless your love forever. And don't worry. I don't like you anymore. I won't call you anything inappropriate ever again."

I spoke in a calm, even cool tone, as if stating a perfectly reasonable fact.

Yet Layson's expression darkened in an instant. "You don't like me? Charlotte, are you trying to get my attention in another way?"

He watched my face as though scrutinizing me. When I tensed up slightly, he sounded even more sure of himself.

"You confessed to me once, and I turned you down. You hovered around me every day, and I ignored you. Now, you've changed tactics and are trying to play hard to get?"

He moved step by step toward me. Then, he spotted the box in my arms and let out a cold laugh.

"You wrote so many letters to me and secretly drew countless portraits of me, and you followed me around for five long years. Now, you say you suddenly don't like me anymore? Charlotte, don't you think that's ridiculous?"

I lifted my head and silently watched the man before me. Yes, it sounded absurd. I had truly loved him, so nobody would believe I no longer cared.

But it was the truth.

"Your Majesty, I loved you for a long time, but you never felt the same. In fact, you even hate me. So, I've already let go."

After I spoke, I moved around him and dumped all the items related to him into the bin.

When I looked up, I saw that Layson's expression had grown colder, his gaze deep and unreadable. While I stood there uncertain, his cold voice suddenly fell on my ears.

"Keep pretending. Charlotte, I watched you grow up. I know exactly what you're thinking. I do spoil you, but we'll never be together!"

I never understood why he couldn't love me. Was it because he was my father's friend? Because he was 20 years older than me? Or were those just flimsy excuses so he could have both of us at once?

Charlotte's POV

After that day, I never spoke to Layson again. I had nothing left to say, but he probably thought I was just playing hard to get.

Things remained tense between us all the way to the Full Moon Celebration hosted by the Black Forest pack.

I still remembered the Full Moon Celebration when I was 18 years old, the night I awakened my wolf for the very first time. Layson had been standing right beside me. When violent power surged through my blood, pushing my sanity to its breaking point, he used his Alpha power to keep me firmly under control.

Layson became my guide. From that time on, he taught me how to control my wolf, how to find the balance between hunting and restraint, and how to become a true warrior. He taught me everything except how to make him love me.

I used to believe that we were a perfect match.

Before I turned 18, he doted on me and indulged me. After I turned 18, he made me endure his wolfish desires under him every night. I thought that was the intimacy between mates, that he needed me, longed for me, and wanted to meld me into his body night after night.

Yet as it turned out, he behaved the same way with Grace.

At tonight's celebration, everything I once had was given to Grace instead.

The nobles of the Black Forest bowed to her, and the elders gathered around her with whispered blessings.

Layson's mother, Margaret Carter, even placed the family's heirloom necklace around Grace's neck.

That necklace had been passed down for generations, worn by each queen before her coronation. In my previous life, I had never even set eyes on it.

At the celebration, I watched Layson and Grace dance together. I slipped away to hide in a quiet room.

"Charlotte, you should leave."

Margaret followed me in, her tone calm but carrying no effort to hide her dislike.

"You know Layson stayed unmarried for so long because of you. But now, he's engaged to Grace, and their wedding is next month. So, tell me, is there any reason for you to stay here besides making trouble and embarrassing yourself?"

She had once treated me kindly, but that warmth disappeared the instant I confessed my feelings to Layson. Everyone regarded me as ridiculous and berated me for having no shame.

I drove my nails into my palms, forcing my emotions down, and spoke slowly.

"Don't worry. I'll be leaving."

I pulled a stack of papers from my bag and handed them to her.

"A few days ago, I called my father and told him I'm willing to study abroad. He has already arranged for me to attend an academy in Silvermoon City and has also set up a marriage with Carlson from the Blazing Sun pack.

"Once my permit is approved, I'll leave immediately. After that, I'll have nothing more to do with His Majesty."

Margaret glanced through the papers. After a moment, a satisfied expression crossed her face. "You'd better do exactly as you said."

"Don't worry. I'll stay far away from him."

She turned and left, and only then did I slowly unclench my fist.

Just as I was putting the papers away and getting ready to go, a tall figure stood silently in the doorway. It was Layson.

"Who are you trying to stay away from?"

"No one. You misheard."

I didn't want him to know I was leaving. As I turned around, his voice reached my ears.

"If you don't want to go abroad, then don't. After I marry Grace, you don't have to move out. I'm your father's good friend, and I've watched you grow up all these years. I can take care of you for the rest of your life."