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CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE.

ROSALIE'S POV.

After breakfast and clearing the table, Jacqueline leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. I could see something was on his mind, I wanted to ask him about it, but he beat me. He spoke before I could ask him.

"I'm planning to visit Carl soon," he said, his voice calm. "I need to check on him to know if he will recover."

The mention of Carl immediately filled me with guilt. I knew he had fallen ill because of what happened to me, and the thought of Jacqueline going alone didn't sit right with me.

"I'm coming with you," I said without hesitation, my tone leaving no room for argument. It was like a declaration of fact.

Though my stubborn mate still argued.

He blinked, obviously taken aback. "Rosalie, you don't have to. Carl's condition isn't your responsibility. I told you, he would have done that for anyone else."

I shook my head, meeting his gaze. "He's sick because of me, Jacqueline. I can't just sit here while you go to see him. I need to face him, too."

He was silent for a minute, his brow furrowing and he had his eyes fixed on me. "Are you sure? It might not be easy to see him like this, just in case he is worse than we're thinking."

"I'm sure," I replied. I made sure that my voice was convincing enough. "He deserves to see that I care, too."

Jacqueline didn't argue further. Instead, he nodded, and then he sighed. It was clear that he was not convinced, but he had to stop pushing it any further and let me go.

"Let's go, then." He relented.

"Thank you."

We stood and began to walk together out of the room.

"Do you have any plans after visiting Carl?" I questioned Jacqueline.

"Yes. Many others. I will be having a meeting with the elders of the pack. Then, I will be addressing my guards and maybe my people, too. They all deserve to know that their alpha is hale and healthy."

I nodded, "You'll be very busy, I see."

He grabbed my hand, "Hey, what are you thinking?"

I smiled at him with my eyes lingering on his hand which was holding unto mine. "Hey, I'm thinking about nothing, okay?"

He halted and turned fully to me, halting me too, "I know you will say that," He left my hand and took both of his to my neck. He held my neck loosely with both hands and began to caress me with his thumbs.

"If I have anywhere to go, you will be going with me, that's for sure." He spoke too calmly and with yet a beautiful smile.

I immediately stood on my tiptoe and locked my lips on his, not caring about the maids or guards seeing us.

What I knew was that if he kept on being this sweet, I would keep on losing my mind because of him, and I would keep on loving him unconditionally.

I disengaged from him when he was taking it all too far. His hands had found my butt, and he was trying to lift me with them for me to wrap my legs around his torso.

"Hmm... That's enough." I slapped his chest playfully.

"But, I'm not satisfied yet." He complained.

"Well, I am."

He began to grumble like a child, while I ignored him, keeping myself off and leaving a meaningful space between us as we walked the corridor.

The corridor leading to Carl's room was brightly lit, and I was not thinking of anything anymore. The kiss with Jacqueline had taken all the pain and guilt away from me, now, I could smile.

Jacqueline walked beside me, and I glanced at him to see he was pouting, and again, he reminded me of my children.

'I have to inform him that I would be visiting them later.' I thought, knowing it shouldn't be a big deal to him, even though he still had it that they were not his children.

I cleared my throat, creating the mood for proper talking and making him know I had a thing or two to talk about.

I faced him, "Jacqueline, there's something I need to tell you."

He glanced at me, his brow furrowing slightly. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath, there was no pressure, I just decided to spew it out. "I've decided to visit my children in the human world. I can't wait any longer. They've been without me for too long, and it's time I see them."

Jacqueline stopped walking abruptly. His expression went numb and indecipherable. "Rosalie, that's dangerous," He said, his tone was very strict and harsh. "You're putting yourself at risk. You know what the consequences could be."

His harshness caught me off guard, and I recoiled slightly with my sinking heart. "I'm aware of the risks," I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. "But they're my children. I can't just abandon them."

We resumed walking and continued talking.

He shook his head, frustration evident now dripping in his expression. "Do you think I don't understand that? But going there now, it's reckless. You're not thinking clearly, Rosalie."

His words stung, and I felt a lump forming in my throat. It wasn't just what he said but how he said it like my children didn't matter as much as the danger I might face.

I stopped walking, forcing him to do the same, and turned to face him.

"Do you even care about them?" I asked, my voice trembling with emotion. "Because sometimes it feels like you don't. What am I even saying? You wouldn't care about them because they're not yours!"

He froze, his eyes widening slightly. "What are you talking about? Of course, I care, and I don't care about the bastard who impregnated you. I care about you, then, them."

I busted into a pain-filled laugh.

I shook my head laughing, tears threatening to spill. "Do you just call their father bastard? Because if you did, you should win an accolade because he is one, he is one!"

I angrily wiped my tears and faced him with a frown, "Those children need me. They've needed me for a long time, and I kept on falling their hands, Jacqueline, and I've stayed away for too long."

"Rosalie....."

"They're your children too!"