CHAPTER 4

Charlotte quickly snapped out of her trance as she heard Teddy yelling at her. He charged towards the muscular man in the corridor to drag Charlotte out and beat her mercilessly.

However, Jack stood between Teddy and Charlotte, protecting her behind him. He demanded of his younger brother, "What's going on with you, Teddy? Is that how you welcome me on my return from abroad?"

Charlotte was shocked to realize that the man who had just kissed her was Teddy's brother, Jack Hudson. How had she not recognized him? It was because she had switched off the corridor light and controlled it with an artificial intelligence system that managed their mansion.

"Welcome, you? You dare to show up in my house unnoticed and just like that? You kissed my wife in my house and in my presence?" Teddy roared, staring at Jack with hostility in his eyes.

"Move away from Charlotte now! I'm going to deal with her today. I never knew that she was a horny bitch who sleeps around with men in my absence!" Teddy shouted as he reached Jack, ready to attack Charlotte, who was trembling at being caught kissing her husband's elder brother. It had slipped her mind that Jack Hudson was arriving that day.

"Your wife? Stop the drama, Teddy, and stay calm!" Jack commanded. But Teddy refused to listen and pushed Jack aside to angrily confront Charlotte.

Teddy was enraged at the sight of Jack and Charlotte kissing. Charlotte had never kissed him like that before, and while he hadn’t acknowledged her as his mate, he also didn’t want to consummate his marriage with her. They had kissed in public, but she had never kissed him with such passion.

As Teddy moved closer to Charlotte, intending to hit her, Jack held him back with great force and shoved Teddy aside, making him stagger backward. Teddy glared at his elder brother, who was shielding Charlotte from his reach.

"You dare to attack me in my own house, Jack? Get out of here now! You're not welcome in my home, and stay away from my wife!" Teddy shouted at Jack, pointing toward the stairs to urge him to leave.

Jack was wearing a yellow shirt and black trousers. As he wanted to speak and apologize to his younger brother for not realizing Charlotte was his chosen mate, he hesitated.

 Jack hadn’t attended the wedding of Teddy and Charlotte because he had been abroad. He had seen their wedding photos, but when he entered the mansion, the intoxicating scent in the living room had drawn him upstairs in search of that sweet, alluring aroma.

Although Jack saw the lights on the top floor corridor on when he climbed the first flight of stairs to find the source of the sweet scent that made his wolf stir within him. He never thought that the owner of the sweet lemonade scent would turn out to be his brother’s wife and chosen mate.

"I didn't know she was your wife, Teddy. I'm sorry for kissing her, but she's my real mate!" Jack said, and Teddy's eyes narrowed as he looked at his older brother, whom he hadn’t seen in ten years.

Not only had Jack changed and grown taller, but he also looked well-built with a strong, masculine body. Jack now appeared more rugged and tough than Teddy, who had thought his brother would return weak and unable to challenge him for the throne and Alpha position. 

With the small push Jack had given Teddy to protect Charlotte, Teddy felt the energy flowing through his brother's veins. Jack was an Alpha and very strong.

"Hmph... That's no excuse, whether you perceive Charlotte as your mate or not. She has to be punished for cheating on me and for kissing you in my presence," Teddy said, his anger still boiling.

Meanwhile, Anne Robert had just finished putting her clothes back on in the master bedroom. She wondered why Teddy had run out with such speed after getting dressed. He didn’t even explain where he was going, and Anne knew Charlotte was up to something again.

Several times when she and Teddy would be mating, he would usually stop midway, leaving her hanging and demanding more, only to withdraw and rush off to Charlotte’s aid.

"That witch! Why is she always stopping Teddy from finishing with me? How am I supposed to carry his pups if he keeps withdrawing like that?" Anne thought with annoyance as she quickly put on her red dress to find out what was happening in the corridor, having heard the voices of two men arguing—Teddy’s voice and another voice she didn’t recognize.

As Anne stepped out and locked eyes with Jack, who looked at her in shock, his gaze shifted to Teddy. He asked his younger brother, "What’s Anne doing here when you’re married to Charlotte?"

Charlotte remained hidden behind Jack’s back, unable to speak in the presence of the two Alphas arguing. She still felt embarrassed about how she had kissed Jack moments ago.

Charlotte knew she hadn’t kissed Teddy like that before. He wasn’t her real mate, but she loved and respected him as her husband. Yet, he had disrespected her on her birthday and their wedding anniversary by bringing Anne Robert to their home—taking Anne to their bedroom, a room he had never shared with Charlotte, and mated with Anne on their matrimonial bed.

"She's my assistant, Anne Robert," Teddy said, looking away from Jack. It was already midnight; the full moon shone brightly in the sky.

"I know Anne was your friend, and you admired her before I traveled abroad. But what is she doing here at this time and coming out of your room? Are you cheating on Charlotte with Anne?" Jack asked. It was then he remembered seeing tears in Charlotte's blue eyes. 

Turning back to Charlotte, Jack noticed that her face looked swollen like someone had hit her, and she had dark circles around her eyes.

Jack's anger boiled over, and he turned back to Teddy, charging at his younger brother with rage. He attacked Teddy and started beating him up.