Chapter 208 208
His eyes darkened the moment they landed on her.
Slowly, deliberately, his gaze traveled from the top of her head down to her feet, taking in every detail of the black dress. Jacqueline felt the intensity of that look like a physical touch.
Before she could react, she noticed someone approaching behind him. Damien noticed it too.
Without a word, he shrugged off his coat. Crossing the short distance between them, he draped it around her shoulders, covering the exposed skin of her back before stepping to her side, his hands sliding casually into his pockets.
A second later, Alexandre entered the room with a sly smirk stretched across his face. Charlotte and Cécile followed behind him.
They greeted Jacqueline warmly. She fist-bumped Alexandre with an easy smile before pulling Charlotte into a hug. When it came to Cécile, Jacqueline hesitated slightly, unsure if the older woman would welcome such familiarity.
Cécile solved the dilemma by pulling her into a firm embrace herself.
Jacqueline smiled, though Charlotte immediately began waggling her brows teasingly, which made Jacqueline blush.
Damien’s hand settled firmly on her waist.
Alexandre’s smirk widened even more.
“Please look after Mathieu,” Damien said, his gaze directed particularly toward Cécile.
Cécile nodded calmly.
For a moment, her eyes lingered thoughtfully on Jacqueline. Then, very slowly, her gaze dropped toward Jacqueline’s stomach. A small, knowing smile touched her lips before she looked away again.
“No worries. We’ll take care of everything here,” Charlotte assured them.
Damien gave a brief nod.
Jacqueline waved goodbye to them as Damien guided her out of the apartment.
He opened the car door for her, helping her inside before starting the engine and pulling onto the road.
—
Back in the apartment, Cécile stepped out of Mathieu’s room and found the nurse sitting nearby.
Quietly, she murmured a soft incantation under her breath.
The spell took hold instantly.
The nurse’s eyes glazed over, her body going perfectly still as if frozen in place.
Cécile guided her gently to the couch and made her sit down.
Then she returned to Mathieu’s room.
The boy looked up at her quietly as she approached.
Cécile sat beside him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. With another whisper of magic, sleep claimed him almost instantly.
Mathieu’s breathing deepened as he drifted off.
Cécile turned toward the doorway where Alexandre and Charlotte stood watching.
They understood immediately.
Without a word, they stepped out, leaving her alone with the child so she could work her healing magic.
—
As Alexandre walked into the living room, he noticed the nurse sitting stiffly on the couch like a statue.
He chuckled softly.
“Don’t you find Cécile’s magic a little terrifying?” he asked, glancing at Charlotte.
Charlotte simply shook her head.
She was nervously fidgeting with her fingers. After a moment, she quietly slipped away toward Jacqueline’s bedroom.
She stepped inside and was just about to close the door when she realized someone was standing right behind her.
Charlotte gasped, startled.
She hadn’t heard him follow her at all.
“I want to talk to you,” Alexandre said directly.
She looked at him for a moment before quickly glancing away. Her heart began beating faster.
What could he possibly want to talk about?
Charlotte gave a small nod, silently telling him to go on.
Truthfully, she had always struggled being around intimidating men. Her father and brothers were the only exceptions they loved her too much for their intimidating sides to truly affect her.
Alexandre stepped into the room.
Charlotte instinctively stepped backward.
He closed the door behind him, though he didn’t lock it. Still, the motion made her retreat another step.
“You can sit down if you want,” he offered calmly.
Her eyes darted briefly toward the couch before she shook her head.
“No… I’m fine,” she replied, relieved that she managed to speak without stuttering.
Talking normally to men outside her family had never been easy for her. Alexandre had always been close to the family, but he wasn’t her brother.
“Charlotte, I want to talk to you seriously,” he said.
The more serious his tone became, the more tense she felt.
“In three months, you’ll turn eighteen,” he continued. “You’ll find your mate.”
She blinked in confusion, unsure why he had brought that up.
She simply nodded.
Deep down, Charlotte had always suspected that Alexandre might like her. It showed in the way he sometimes stole glances at her.
But she had never allowed herself to return those feelings not unless fate confirmed he was her mate.
“I hope that mate is me.”
The words came out suddenly.
Charlotte’s wide blue eyes flew open in shock.
Alexandre knew he probably shouldn’t have said it like this… not now.
But he couldn’t hold back his feelings any longer.
A quiet fear had been growing inside him, what if she wasn’t his destined mate?
The thought alone was enough to drive him mad.
Charlotte stood there frozen, too stunned to speak.
All she knew was that this situation felt wrong.
Being alone in a room with her brother’s Beta… talking about something like this…
Until a mate bond was confirmed, it felt forbidden.
“I… I think Cécile might need me,” she stammered nervously.
She tried to move past him, but Alexandre stepped slightly to the side, blocking her path.
Charlotte gasped and stumbled back a step, her eyes widening again.
“I just want to know if you feel the same way,” he said calmly.
He knew chances like this were rare. With her brothers around, he would never normally get a moment alone with her.
He needed to know.
If she felt even a fraction of what he did, then the mate bond wouldn’t matter. He would claim her as his chosen mate if she wanted him too.
Somewhere deep inside, Charlotte had sensed this moment would eventually come.
And yet… part of her wondered if he might truly be her mate.
“I… I need to go,” she whispered.
Again, he moved slightly, blocking her escape.
“I like you, Charlotte,” he said quietly. “Just tell me how you feel about me.”
She knew she couldn’t lie.
“Y-you’re a g-good man,” she whispered, forcing herself to speak. “But right now… you’re my brother’s best friend… and his Beta.”
Before he could step in front of her again, she hurried past him and rushed out of the room.
Alexandre didn’t stop her.
He let her go.
He respected her too much to push further.
Truthfully, he had liked her since they were children. All he could do now was hope that the Moon Goddess would make her his destined mate.
—
Charlotte hurried into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, taking deep breaths to steady herself.
Her cheeks were flushed pink as she bit her lip.
He liked her.
And if he turned out to be her mate… that would be incredible.
Right now, her feelings for him weren’t very strong.
But if fate revealed that they truly belonged together…
Who knew how her heart might change with time.