Charlotte covered Louis' mouth in panic. There were no other people around, but she was afraid his voice would make others come.
"This is not as bad as it looks like," said Charlotte.
Louis pushed her hands away and stepped back. He held his head, trying to figure out whether he was hallucinating or not.
"You're not hallucinating, Louis." Damon eventually spoke. "I'll talk about this in the meeting, so don't make a fuss now."
Louis couldn't believe his brother's words. "How can I not make a fuss about this?" He groaned. "I thought our father's scandal of marrying two mates was big enough, but you ... you'd be damned, Damon!"
"She is my fated mate." Damon explained, "I just claimed what was mine."
"But she's married!" Louis didn't mention his nephew because he couldn't bear to say it. "We have a new moral code, right? We wouldn't claim a mate who had been marked by another werewolf."
They had left behind a time when they behaved like beats, and decided to live like modern humans.
Damon had maintained that integrity for the rest of his life, so why would he suddenly violate their moral code?
Louis snarled. "This is infidelity, Damon."
Charlotte gritted her teeth when that disgusting word came out of his mouth. He was judging them, accusing their fucked up morals without asking the reason why.
She would accept it if someone called her a bitch or even a shameless woman.
But a cheater? No, not a chance.
The only one who had the right to earn that title was Julian, not her.
"I divorced him." Charlotte could feel her chest getting heavier as she talked about Julian. "I don't know if he already signed our divorce papers or not, but the only thing that matters is that I don't have a relationship with Julian anymore."
"So, I'm not cheating on my husband and Damon didn't break any moral code." Charlotte said, "I know you have so many questions right now, but let me explain it in the meeting."
Charlotte didn't want to explain her misery twice or thrice to different people, so it was better to explain it once in front of everyone.
Louis gradually calmed down when he realized something was wrong, so he decided not to judge too early. "In your case, is Julian innocent?"
Charlotte was taken aback because she thought Louis would never accuse his own nephew. She responded in a low voice. "He's not."
Louis nodded. "Alright." he continued, "I'll hear your explanation first."
As the sun was almost above their heads, Damon brought Charlotte to the community building. She didn't know all of the members of the Crimson Moon Pack, but they recognized her as Julian's wife or the infamous former actress Charlotte Dawson.
Even though no one had said something, Charlotte knew they had the same question in their minds.
"What is she doing here?"
The Crimson Moon monthly meeting was an exclusive event that only the pack could attend.
Werewolves from other packs, or even family members who had left the Crimson Moon Pack, were not allowed to enter their community building.
Hence, many eyes lingered on Charlotte as she stepped into the building. Before she could walk further, a werewolf stood before her.
He looked young, but his presence was strong and admirable. Charlotte guessed that he was one of the Betas who had helped Damon organize the pack.
"Ms. Dawson," Theodore Harmon—a Beta in charge of the northern faction—didn't seem pleased to see Charlotte entering the Crimson Moon territory. "You cannot enter this building, even though you are the leader's family."
Charlotte corrected him, "I'm more than family to him."
Theodore didn't understand her meaning, but before he could say something Damon had stepped up. "She's coming with me."
Theodore opposed him, "Leader, we have rules. I can't let an outsider walk into our territory."
Damon sharpened his gaze. He exceeded the aura of the dominant Alpha, making Theodore unable to move. "Should I repeat my words?"
Theodore's hands trembled. He didn't dare to oppose Damon anymore and let Charlotte walk into the community building. "Welcome to the Crimson Moon, Ms. Dawson."
Everyone who witnessed the sight began to wonder what was going on and why they could smell Damon's pheromone scent on Charlotte's body.
As soon as Charlotte entered the meeting room, she saw a familiar face there. Carmen Sullivan—Julian's maternal grandmother—stood up from her chair, looking confused as to why her grandson's wife was suddenly in the Crimson Moon territory.
"Charlotte, where have you been?" Carmen approached her, making sure she wasn't hurt. "My daughter said you're running away from your house."
Carmen was Damon's stepmother, or his father's first mate. Charlotte rarely saw her because she lived at Crimson Moon Manor with the rest of the Sullivan family, while Julian's mother moved to Silverfang Pack after she married Julian's father.
So far, Carmen had been kind to her and hadn't pushed her to have a child. However, she didn't know how Carmen would react if she knew she had become Damon's mate.
Charlotte spoke, "Julian and I are getting divorce."
Carmen froze and stared at her with wide eyes. "What happened? Weren't you and Julian fine all this time?"
If Julian's mother who lives nearby doesn't know her son's true behavior, let alone Carmen who rarely sees her grandson.
"We are not fine at all," Charlotte said, "You'll know."
Carmen wanted to ask more, but Damon had told them to sit down. He sat at the head of the long, polished table and Charlotte sat next to him.
The Crimson Moon was such a large pack that had more than 50 werewolves. Therefore, the pack was divided into two factions; the Northern Faction and the Southern Faction.
Since meetings with more than 10 people weren't effective, only certain people attend the monthly meetings.
"Before we start the meeting, I have an announcement." Damon began, his deep voice echoed in the room. "From now on, Charlotte Dawson is to be recognized as my mate and your Luna."
A ripple of shock and murmurs swept through the room. Carmen gasped and immediately stood up, "What kind of jokes is this?!"
Her sweet temperament eventually turned into rage. "How can you steal my grandson's mate?" Carmen's gaze landed on Charlotte. "This is disgusting!"
Mona Sullivan, Damon's birth mother, also looked as shocked as Carmen. "Damon, can you explain what's going on here?"
When the chaos got out of hand, Damon raised a hand, silencing the whispers instantly.
Damon, "Charlotte was indeed Julian's mate, but I, naturally, am her fate mate, and all of you must know that this kind of bond is impossible to break."
Carmen slammed the table. Her hazel eyes burned with fury. "Ridiculous! You are no different than your father! Always rambling about fate mate and eventually ruining other people's lives!"
******
Note:
To know Damon's family better, you can see the Sullivan's family tree (The picture is in the comment).