At home, Abby rushed out to welcome her. She had missed Charlotte so much and couldn't wait to share everything that happened at school.
"I'm sure you had a great day at school, Rose," Charlotte said, ruffling her hair as they walked in.
"Yeah, I did! My teachers are nice. My classmates are also nice," Abby said excitedly.
"Have you made any friends yet?" Charlotte asked.
"Just one."
"Oh? A boy or a girl?"
"A boy."
"What's his name?"
"His name is Jack."
"Jack?" Charlotte raised a brow. "That name sounds familiar… "
"Sounds familiar?."
"Yeah a new friend of mine at school told me he had a younger brother named Jack."
"You also have new friends?" Abby asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes. There are two of them—Adora and Michael. You'll speak to them later."
"Okayyy!" Abby said, her eyes lighting up.
"Yeah. But before that, I'll ask your nanny to bring your Fruity Flakes so you don't get hungry while waiting for the food to get ready."
"Okay, thanks!" Abby hugged Charlotte tightly, then hopped into bed with her little Barbie doll in hand.
Charlotte smiled and called the nanny, asking her to bring Abby's cereal. A few minutes later, the nanny returned with the bowl of Fruity Flakes, placing it gently on the bedside table.
"Here you go, sweetie," the nanny said before leaving.
Charlotte sat beside Abby, picked up her phone, and started the video call.
"Alright, it's time to say hi to my friends," she said with a grin.
The screen lit up as the call connected with everyone's faces popping up on the screen.
"Hi Adora! Hi Michael!" Charlotte greeted. "Guess who wants to say hello!"
Abby shyly scooted closer, holding her Barbie doll up a little.
"Hi!" she said, waving at the screen.
Michael smiled at the screen, waving back.
"Hey, Charlotte. Adora's here at my place. She's in the kitchen with my mum. Hold on, I'll call her."
He turned slightly and called out, "Dora!"
"Just a minute!" Adora replied from the kitchen, quickly excusing herself. She untied her apron and hurried to join Michael, with little Jack following right behind her, curiosity written all over his face.
"Hello!" Adora said brightly as she appeared on the screen.
"Hello!" Charlotte and Abby replied in unison, both waving excitedly at their phone screen.
Abby's eyes lit up when she saw Jack, who was peeping shyly from behind Adora every few seconds.
"That's Jack," Abby whispered to Charlotte, pointing.
"Yep, that's him," Charlotte whispered back with a smile.
Jack tilted his head slightly and gave a small wave when he noticed Abby looking at him.
Abby giggled and waved back.
"Aww, she's so cute," Adora said with a soft smile, tilting her head as she admired Abby on the screen. Abby blushed slightly.
"Thanks. I didn't know you'd be at Michael's place this afternoon."
"Yeah, Mike's mom needed help around the house," Adora replied, adjusting her seat. "You know how impossible it is to get anything done with a bunch of lazy boys lying around." She tossed a teasing glare in Michael's direction.
Charlotte burst into laughter. "Yeah right!?!"
"Uh-uh! I'm literally right here," Michael raised his hand like he was surrendering to the court, then leaned forward and gently nudged Adora aside so only his face filled the screen. "Let's not drag my name in the mud while I'm still breathing."
"Oops!" Charlotte feigned surprise, placing a dramatic hand over her chest. "Sorry, Charles! Didn't see you there," she added, biting back another laugh.
Abby sat quietly, but the corners of her lips lifted. She enjoyed watching them. It felt good to just… be there.
After about ten minutes of laughter and playful bickering, the call came to an end.
"Your friends are so much fun," Abby said, still smiling.
"They really are," Charlotte agreed.
"I wonder why Jack kept hiding," Abby added, glancing at the screen as if half-expecting him to pop in.
"Maybe he's just shy," Charlotte said, stretching her arms above her head. ". Some people are like that."
Abby tilted her head. "I see."
Abby opened her mouth to ask another question, but Charlotte's eyelids were already getting heavy. She didn't want to sleep on her, even though she felt sleep tugging at her.
"You should go rest for a bit," Charlotte said softly. "Take your nap. When you wake up, we'll finish your homework and talk more. Cool?"
"Okay. Thanks, sis," Abby said with a sleepy smile. She stood up from the edge of the bed and walked to the door, pausing for a second before slipping out quietly.
Charlotte exhaled, letting her head sink into the pillow as the room grew quiet again, sunlight spilling gently through the curtains.
At school the next day, everything felt dull for the three friends. The sun was hot, the ceiling fan barely worked, and students sat lazily on wooden chairs that creaked every time someone shifted. But Adora was the most restless.
She let out a groan, dropping her pen on her desk. "I really don't like how the lecturers keep telling us to read the novel ourselves without even explaining anything."
Charlotte leaned in, already guessing where this was going.
"Heaven knows how much I hate reading Shakespeare," Adora went on, frowning. "Especially when nobody gives a proper rundown first. All those old English words—'thee', 'thy', 'thine'—like, seriously?"
She scrunched her nose, pretending to act like one of Shakespeare's characters.
"Wait, so you only enjoy the books when the lecturer summarizes them?" Charlotte asked.
Michael blinked, amused. "Who doesn't love Shakespeare?" he mumbled under his breath, his fingers still flipping through his notes. Deep down, he knew not everyone shared his obsession with the Bard.
Adora shrugged. "Yeah, it's better when someone breaks it down. Otherwise, it's just confusing."
"Well then," Charlotte said, turning to face her, "how many have you read—apart from this one?"
Adora began counting on her fingers. "Three. Othello, Taming of the Shrew, and The Tempest."
"Oh, I see," Charlotte nodded thoughtfully. "Don't worry, I'll recommend a few others. Maybe you'll find one you'll actually like."
Later that day, at THE LORD's ORPHANAGE…
The orphanage looked older than Charles remembered. The walls were faded, the once-bright paint peeling off in patches. Children's laughter echoed faintly from somewhere inside. As he stepped through the front gate, the dusty scent of old wood and warm food filled the air.
He spotted her almost immediately—Sister Tina—seated behind her old desk, sorting through papers and adjusting her glasses. She looked up when she heard his voice.
"Good morning, Sister."
She paused, eyes narrowing slightly, trying to place the deep voice.
"Good afternoon, dear," she said slowly, still unsure.
Charles smiled gently. "You might not recognize me… it's Charles. Charlotte's twin."
Her eyes lit up in surprise. The papers dropped from her hands as she rose to her feet.
"Oh my goodness—Charles, my boy!" she gasped, opening her arms wide. "Longest time! Come here."
He stepped into her warm embrace, the scent of old perfume and disinfectant clinging to her clothes.
"How have you been?" she asked, holding his shoulders and studying his face.
"I've been okay."
"That's good to hear. Diego visited last time and said you were abroad. Did you just return?"
"Yes, Sister. I wanted him to check on Charlotte, because we heard she never got adopted"
Sister Tina nodded with a sigh. "Oh yes… Nobody wanted to adopt her at first. She changed into a depressed kid after you left. Closed off. Quiet all the time."
Charles felt a knot in his chest.
"But eventually, not too long ago," she added with a smile, "A rich couple from Mehin adopted her. She's living well now, thank God. Do you want me to give your contact to her through her adoptive parents, so you can reach her?"
Charles let out a breath of relief. "No, no it's alright sister Tina. I'm just happy to hear that she's in a good place now."
Sister Tina wasn't done. Her stories began to flow like a river. She updated him on everything—the new children, the broken swing that got replaced, the classroom they turned into a library. She kept glancing at his watch, his clean shoes, the crisp scent of cologne that followed him. It was clear she expected something.
He didn't wait too long. As they walked through the orphanage grounds, he handed her a cheque.
Her eyes widened. "Oh Charles… Thank you so, so much. You don't know how much this means."
He smiled, nodding. "Don't mention."
After a little more talk and a quick look around, Charles hugged her one more time, promised to visit again, and walked out the gate, the sounds of children playing fading behind him.
CHARLES.
"I knew it," Charles said, grinning like a fool. "I just knew it. She's the one—Reana Mavurian is Charlotte."
He gave Diego a playful shove on the shoulder as he spoke, barely able to keep still.
"Yeah, yeah, bro… calm down," Diego said, smirking. "I can see how happy you are."
"Of course I'm happy!" he said, pacing the room. "But why doesn't she remember me?"
Diego paused his game and looked up. "It's been ten years, man. You really think she'd recognize you just like that? You too weren't even sure it was her at first."
Diego didn't attend royals college with Charles. Infact they were both done with college abroad but their adoptive parents asked Charles to do a masters course in Royals college. That was how he returned to the school and found Charlotte. When he told Diego, he didn't believe it because he had just met Charlotte at the orphanage about a week earlier.
"I need to talk to her tomorrow," Charles said, sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing.
Diego raised a brow. "So… are you going to tell her she's your Luna?"
"I have to."
"But what if she hasn't shifted yet?" he asked, folding his arms. "You drop all this mate talk on her, and she might think you've lost it."
"And what if she has shifted? What if she already knows? Who knows?"
"What if she doesn't want to be your mate?" Diego said quietly. "Maybe she likes someone else."
Charles looked at him, eyes narrowing.
He leaned back into his pillow. "She might still see you as just an old friend… maybe even like a brother."
Charles stared at him. "Why are you saying all this? You're supposed to be a supportive Beta—my best friend."
"I am your Beta," Diego said with a shrug. "That's exactly why I'm being honest with you. I'm just trying to keep your head straight."
Charles didn't answer right away. Truth was, he might be right. Maybe Charlotte didn't remember him, maybe she didn't feel anything for him. Maybe she'd never even want to be his Luna, no matter what the Moon Goddess had written in the stars.
He laid back on the bed and pulled the blanket up to my chest. "Good night, bro. Turn off the game sound. I need to sleep."
"Yeah, yeah," Diego said with a lazy grin. "Good night. Try not to dream too hard about your Luna."
Charles threw his pillow at him. He dodged it and laughed.
CHARLOTTE.
Charlotte had just finished studying and decided to take a short nap. But as she laid down, her mind wandered back to what happened earlier at school.
That guy…
Why did he keep staring at me like that? Like he knew me from somewhere? The way his eyes followed me in the hallway—it wasn't normal. It felt… familiar. Strange.
Knock knock.
"Come in,"
The door opened and Jenny stepped in, peeking her head around the doorframe.
"Excuse me—hope I'm not disturbing you?"
"Of course not,"
She stepped in fully. "Your parents want to see you. They're . They're in living room, downstairs."
"Oh, okay. Give me a second." Charlotte stood up, stretching. "Hope there's no problem?"
"No, nothing's wrong," Jenny smiled.
She followed Jenny out of the room and down the stairs. The faint smell of air freshener lingered in the hallway. Mr. Mavurian stood by the dining table, talking to two of the house staff, giving them instructions.
On the couch nearby, Mrs. Mavurian was seated, gently brushing Abby's hair into a neat ponytail.
"Hey, Dad. Mom, I'm here," Charlotte said, stepping into the room.
"Oh, Reana, how are you?" Mrs. Mavurian looked up and smiled warmly.
"I'm fine, Jenny said you called for me."
"Yes, we did," Mr. Mavurian said, turning to face her. "Your mom, Rose, and I are traveling early tomorrow morning for a weekend business trip. Something urgent came up."
I blinked. "Wait… So I'll be here alone? But the party is this Friday…"
"I know, sweetheart," he said gently. "We're really sorry. But you'll be fine. Jenny will stay with you, and the staff will be around if you need anything."
"You can call us anytime," Mrs. Mavurian added, standing up and walking over to give Charlotte a quick hug. "We won't be gone long."
"Okay, Mom," Charlotte murmured, hugging her tightly. "I'll be fine."
She gave Mr. Mavurian a nod, smiled at Abby, then went back to her room upstairs. She grabbed the TV remote, flopped onto the bed, and before she could watch the second episode… sleep pulled her in.