35. My Brave Charlotte

My dear brave Charlotte,

When you open this music box, it means you are almost sixteen and your powers are appearing. By now you should know who you are, as I made sure to instruct our friend Lorenzo to tell you right before your birthday, just in case.

Against all odds and fears, you arrived in this world safely. I'm so sorry I can't see you grow up and watch how you turn into the amazing young woman you are destined to be. Holding you in my arms was the biggest gift I could have received, and I don't regret my decisions even for one second.

I cannot predict the future, but I hope when you find this letter, you will be surrounded by people you love. I hope my family will have found you and saved you and brought you home.

I just had you for a few days, my brave Charlotte, but I love you so much. You were my little miracle.

I'm sure you have many questions, and I will try to answer some of them. I was on the run from my cruel alpha back then. Your grandpa tried everything to help me get away. He did the same for my little sister, Ella. If his plan worked, she should still be alive. If you haven't already found her, make sure you do. Her name is Ella Hargrove, and I am sure just like you, she is a bright and brave star, shining brightly in the sky. Lorenzo will help you find her if you haven't already.

When your grandpa smuggled me out of the pack, I was on the run for a while, always hiding, always trying to make sure not to leave any traces. That's when I met the vampire lord, Aloysius. He was charming and intelligent, and I'm ashamed to admit I fell for him. He helped me get away and hid me in his castle.

But I soon realized he wasn't the man I thought he'd be. He was cunning, dangerous, narcissistic. He lacked empathy, unlike his brother, who was so much kinder and more understanding. I spent a year with the vampires… because it was during these days, I met my mate. He was a young vampire lieutenant named Ambrosius, and he was everything. We always met secretly and made sure not to alert his master and lord.

It was then that you were created. I loved your father very much. He was fun, brave, and a bit reckless at times. But he made sure to protect you and me. He was the one who built the music box and who put the spell on it. Your blood is made out of mine and his DNA; only you can open the lid. He made sure to get me out of the country and to the safety of Italy. He gave me potions to hide my scent and erased all traces I left.

He told me to make sure to tell you how much he loved the both of us, and how proud and happy he was when he heard he'd become a dad. He loved you so much, my brave Charlotte.

Always know that you were made out of love and born with love. You are loved.

I know my fate is going to be a dark one, but you made it worth it. Thanks to you, your father and I were able to see the light. We wanted to make sure you are going to live in a bright future. I'm so sorry I had to leave you, but I needed to make sure that no one could find you, that your life would be safe and protected.

Always know my brave Charlotte…

… you are a miracle.

… you are the future.

… you are loved.

Even if your father and I should pass away, our love for you never will. If I have one wish for you, it would be for you to live your life to the fullest. Find people you trust. Take risks, make mistakes, have fun, and fall in love.

I love you,

Your mom.

PS: The necklace was mine. It's what I inherited from your great-grandmother. My sister, your aunt Ella, has the same. I want it to be yours now. Fill it with new memories.

It feels like I can see my mom's letter in front of me all the time. It's as if she is talking to me, like I can hear her voice. When Dante handed me the letter, I read it and then did the only mature thing… copied it for him to take to the alpha to help ensure that Ella can save herself… and me.

On the other side of the letter are a few photos attached. One with mom and a young man who I assume was dad. There is one with mom and a middle-aged man—I recognize him as Grandpa. The last one with Ella as a baby.

I finally have a few more memorabilia of my parents. I place the photos safely in my room, waiting for Dante to leave, then I go for a walk.

I just want Ella to return so badly. I feel like I need her so much now. I want to hug her and talk to her about what Mom wrote and how we both had parents who left us because they wanted to save us.

She was all alone too. She knows how it feels. She knows I feel lonely sometimes, and it's not because I have no friends or family. She knows I'm sad although there might not be a reason. She just understands, and I wish she would be here now to hold me and tell me it's going to be alright.

I try not to cry, but tears are still brimming in my eyes.

She did save me, Mom. Ella found me and brought me home. I have friends here and family. I'm not alone, but I feel lonely without you. I wish I could have met you and Dad. I wish you weren't ripped from me and killed. I will try to let the memories of you live on together with Ella and Dante. And I will try to find someone who knew Dad and can tell me more about him.

I'm aimlessly strolling around the forest in the pack area when I can feel the hairs on my arms standing up. Weird, maybe it's getting colder, and I didn't notice because I'm so heated up by my emotions.

I rub over my arms but the sensation doesn't go away. An additional shiver goes down my back. It's like a switch gets flipped in my head, and suddenly my eyesight becomes sharper again. I turn around to check my surroundings.

There… in the far distance, very close to the pack's border, is movement. I can see the shadow of a man walking, and he is holding something in his hands. Is it a gun?

Fucking vampire senses for the win! Someone is attacking the pack. Fuck, I can't link anyone yet. I decide to make a run for it. My eyesight as a vampire is sharper, so maybe he hasn't spotted me yet… but he will soon see me!

Damn it, which direction did I come from?

Well, doesn't matter, away from the borders!

I pick up my pace and run in the opposite direction of the man I just spotted. My heart beats so fast it makes it hard for me to breathe and think properly. I bump right into something soft.

"Charlie?"

I blink up, looking right into Felix's blue eyes. Dario is there too. My luck! I found someone.

"Hey, Charlie," Felix says. "We have training in half an hour, but if you want—" He pauses when Dario elbows him.

"What's going on?" Dario asks, sounding worried. He seems to be on alert now, his shy presence making space for a more serious one.

"Someone," I pant, pointing in the direction the man has been coming from. "There."

Before I notice what's happening, Felix pulls me aside as something silent brushes past us. "Arrows," Dario mutters. "Probably either filled with silver or wolfsbane… or…"

"Fuck the details," Felix huffs, grabbing my hand. "Let's make a run for it."

"Where to?" Dario asks. "We can't link anyone."

Again, my senses seem to take over as I scan our surroundings. I see two more men trying to circle us. "They are coming from three sides," I point ahead of us. "No one is there."

"Leads away from pack grounds," Dario mutters.

"Fuck it, come." Felix grabs my hand tighter and tugs me along. He starts running, forcing me to follow him. Boy, he's fast. He makes sure not to run in a straight line, though, probably to distract our attackers. Dario soon moves ahead of us, leading us out of the pack grounds. I have no idea what we are going to do. None of us can shift yet, and a blow from a bullet could be fatal to all of us.

We are so fucked.

I feel uncomfortable leaving Charlie alone. This letter had to have shaken her. It's literally her mom's goodbye to her, but she reassured me she was alright and that she wanted me to take this to the alpha so we can have Ella return fast.

The way she looked at me made my chest churn. She misses Ella. It's obvious she wants her here with her now to be able to talk to her.

Fortunately, Liam manages to gather everyone fast. Silas and Jun soon join us to discuss the content of the letter.

"Did you talk to Richard?" Liam asks me before we can start. "How are things with him and Livia?"

"I saw him last night after our interrogation," I say. "Livia was with him. They were playing a card game. He is eager to help."

"Good." Liam nods. "He probably wants to prove himself to her. Subconsciously so. It's still not ideal, but I'll take what I can get." He pauses before swiftly filling the other two men in on what Charlie and I discovered. Then he hands Silas the letter, allowing him to read it.

It's silent while he reads it, the minutes dripping by and making my anxiety grow. I don't know what I'm nervous about, maybe because I fear that Silas has something terrible to say about Ambrosius… that maybe he lied to Candy.

"Ambrosius," Silas says quietly, disrupting the silence.

"You know him?" Liam asks.

"He is… no, was my cousin," Silas says, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "A smart and good person."

I'm instantly relieved to hear that. At least that's one hope I don't need to crush for Charlie. She can live with the knowledge that her father was a good man and not a sociopath who wanted to get rid of her.

"I personally have no doubts in this letter," Liam says. "But can you back it up? Will your brother believe it?"

Silas sighs. "Aloysius will believe whatever he wants to believe. But to answer your question: the contents of the letter add up with what I encountered. Ambrosius was sneaking around a lot during that time. I had a feeling he had fallen in love and chosen his beloved, so I didn't inquire. Vampires are very private when it's about their beloved."

"And then?" I ask.

"Well, you know that Aloysius took a liking to Candance, which is why he offered her shelter in the first place. She eventually disappeared, which was nothing unusual for the women he was after, so I didn't question it. I hope you don't hold it against me, but Aloysius had a lot of affairs, frequently, so I didn't want to get involved too much in his personal matters."

"We understand," Liam reassures him.

"Knowing now what truly happened, I'd say he and Candace shared a night very early on, and he expected a repeat of it… She probably didn't let him because she met Ambrosius, and she instinctively knew that Aloysius wasn't a good person to be with." He sighs. "I wish I had known," he says bitterly.

"Would you have helped Ambrosius?" I ask. "If he came to ask for help."

"That's a hypothetical question, and I can only give a hypothetical answer because back then, I didn't know the amount of evil my brother would commit." He pauses. "But I want to believe that I would have at least heard Ambrosius out."

"Do you know what happened to him?" I ask.

Silas looks sad. "It was maybe many years after Candance left. Aloysius set out for the human woman he got pregnant and killed her and her child. As you know, I was furious and we had our fallout back then. Shortly after I left, I heard that Aloysius accused him of having stolen his prey… and killed him." His voice carries a bitter tone in it when he describes what happened to Ambrosius.

I shake my head. Silas's brother truly ruined so many people. Who knows what would have happened if Ambrosius and Candance could have left together. "Ambrosius knew your brother would have followed them, had he left with Candy," I say.

Silas nods. "Aloysius always claimed that the women he had an affair with were his."

"But from what I understand." Jun finally speaks up. "He never wanted a future with them. Why did he care?"

"He sees them as his property," Silas says shortly.

"Forgive me the question," I say. "But when you decided to leave, why didn't you try to bring him down? I know you can't kill him due to the oath between you… but—"

"But why didn't I destroy his standing in our community?" Silas asks. "Well, I wanted to bring him down."

"What happened?" Liam asks.

"I was betrayed," Silas says, and this time he doesn't even try to hide the bitterness and venom in his voice. "By the person who I thought could be my beloved." He pauses. "Now you know it. Love brought me down."

At his words curiosity gnaws on me. Ella told me about Marcellus and that it seems these two men are a thing. Well, it's not my place to inquire about his private relationships. I'm sure being betrayed by someone you deemed your soulmate had to hurt and probably destroy all the trust he had.

Before any of us can ask anything else, there is a knock at the door.

"Come in," Liam says.

"Excuse me," Levi says while he steps inside, his eyes widening when he sees us. "I apologize for interrupting the meeting!"

"It's alright. It seems you have something urgent to talk about," Liam says.

"Well, I'm not sure, just—" He hesitates. "But I was supposed to meet with your twin brothers for training. They didn't come."

Liam furrows his brows. "Are you certain they aren't just late?"

"I waited for fifteen minutes," Levi tells him.

"Did you call them?"

"Yes."

"Maybe they forgot about it or skipped it?" Jun asks.

"Impossible. Dario is incredibly diligent," Liam says. "Felix might have forgotten it, but definitely not with Dario tugging him along." He stands up, worry gracing his face now. "Send two of our trackers to search for them."

"Yes, Alpha," Levi says.

When he turns to leave, Livia appears behind him. "I apologize for interrupting something, Alpha," she blurts out. "But I was about to meet with Charlie. She didn't appear, so I went looking for her but couldn't find her. I wanted to see if she is here with Beta Dante."

Liam and I exchange a gaze. His expression changes from worry to something darker while dread fills me. Of course, the teenagers could have just messed around and forgotten their appointments, but my gut feeling tells me something is off.

Oh please, Goddess, let her be safe!