CHAPTER 120: THE HOT NEWS (1)

"A bit?" Mona raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Oh, Diana, you’ve been walking around like a ticking time bomb."

With a groan, Diana dropped herself onto the couch and rubbed her face with both hands. "I’m just sleep-deprived, that’s all." She turned her head toward Charlotte and added, "I’m sorry for being harsh with you earlier."

Honestly, even Diana didn’t understand why she couldn’t stay mad at Charlotte for long.

Her body and mind had suddenly calmed down on their own, almost without warning.

It wasn’t that she was afraid of Charlotte, if anything, it was the opposite. Being around her made Diana feel oddly relaxed, to the point where she didn’t want to disrupt that sense of calm.

On the other side of the room, Hattie let out a quiet sigh of relief. Her daughter had managed to calm the situation quicker than she expected.

Just a little while ago, she had seriously considered stepping in, maybe even confronting Diana, if she dared lay a hand on Charlotte. But thankfully, it hadn’t come to that.

"Charlotte," Hattie called gently, her voice warm with affection. She smiled as her daughter looked her way. "I’ve spent so much time worrying about you that I forgot ... you’re the Luna of this pack."

Charlotte stayed quiet, giving her the space to continue.

"Your presence is even more calming than I imagined," Hattie said gently.

Charlotte blinked, a little confused. "What do you mean, Mom?"

Before Hattie could answer, Mona leaned in with a smile on her face. "She means you’re secretly a walking sedative, Charlotte. People just stop fighting when you’re in the room."

She meant it in the most respectful way, saying that, as the Luna of the Crimson Moon Pack, Charlotte had managed to handle the crisis with nothing but her presence, without needing to raise her voice or resort to any kind of force.

"That’s a rare gift for a Luna," Mona added, her tone sincere. "Even Carmen and I don’t have that kind of presence."

Besides, how could Mona and Carmen have awakened that kind of talent when neither of them could even calm their own hearts back when they were still serving as the Luna of this pack?

Charlotte, on the other hand, was different. Even though her past wasn’t exactly bright, filled with pain and misery, she had found something she never expected in this pack.

Peace.

She had been brought to this pack by Damon with peace, and even when some werewolves didn’t like her presence, he did everything he could to protect that sense of calm and comfort for her.

Because he gave her a sense of safety she’d never known before, her heart was finally able to rest. And when her heart calmed, something inside her quietly awakened.

It wasn’t loud or dramatic. There was no sudden flash of power, no grand realization. It was calm, like the soft opening of a window after a long winter.

The more time she spent in the pack, the more she noticed how people seemed to breathe easier around her.

Arguments would fade when she entered a room.

Even when the werewolves were in the middle of a heated debate in the meeting room, they would suddenly find it easier to calm down once she walked in.

At first, she thought it was just a coincidence.

Maybe people were just being polite. But after calming Diana without even trying, she realized it was something more.

She didn’t want to sound overly confident by calling it a gift, but since both Hattie and Mona had pointed it out, she no longer had a reason to deny the idea.

Although rare, there were indeed a few Lunas who awakened their talents after being marked by their Alpha.

And unexpectedly, Charlotte was one of them.

Diana, who had been silently listening to their conversation, finally let out a short sigh and leaned back against the couch.

"Wait a second," she murmured. "So you’re telling me I was the test subject for Charlotte’s awakening gift?"

Even though it sounded like a joke, she was actually serious, especially since she still wasn’t in the mood to play around.

Charlotte chuckled softly. "Well ... maybe."

"I mean, you did stop yelling in record time," Mona teased. "That’s definitely not normal."

Diana rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the small smile that formed now that her heart had settled. "Great. I lose my temper once, and now I’m part of a Luna awakening story. Damon’s probably so proud of me."

Charlotte tilted her head, looking thoughtful. "I wouldn’t call it an awakening. It’s more like ... something I didn’t realize was there until I had to use it."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "And lucky me, I was the trigger?"

Charlotte laughed, a sound that seemed to lighten the whole room. "You’re welcome?"

Everyone chuckled at that, the tension that had filled the room before now completely gone.

"Honestly," Diana added, her voice softer this time. "I’m lucky I managed to calm down that fast. If I hadn’t ..."

Damon probably would’ve stormed out of his office and thrown her out of the house.

"Let’s not think about that now," Charlotte said gently. "You’re stressed, and that’s understandable. I just need your help with something."

Diana looked at her with curiosity.

"Please keep an eye on Carmen for a while," Charlotte said. "Make sure she doesn’t see the news on her phone."

Ever since losing Priscilla, Carmen had been in a really bad state, and since she had locked herself in her room most of the time, Charlotte hadn’t had the chance to talk to her, let alone calm her down.

So, for now, the best thing they could do was make sure Carmen didn’t see the article or the spreading news.

That night, the article Aveline had posted began to spread like wildfire.

It didn’t stay confined to just her news portal, it was everywhere now. Social media exploded with posts, comments, and furious reactions.

People all across the country, especially those living in Suncreast City, couldn’t stop talking about Ronan.

Some had even started digging into his past, uncovering everything he had tried so hard to bury.