spanng="EN"Ana’s POV

    spanng="EN"Thank God for Charlie. He always knows how to calm me down. Lunch was nice. We had lunch with his grandparents and mother at their restaurant. I had found out that Charlie had asked them not toe. He knew that this trial was humiliating for me, and he didn’t want to make a hard situation even harder. He knew

    spanng="EN"I would worry about their opinion of me, so he exined why he hadn’t wanted them there.

    spanng="EN"It was another reason I loved his family. They already loved me and had weed me with open arms from the first time we met. Charlie hadn’t wanted to add to my stress over the situation. They assured me that their love for me would never waver. All three of them had assured me that no matter what, I would never need to doubt how they felt about me. They also pointed out that I hadn’t done anything wrong. Charlie had given them the gist of things.

    “Of course Princess.”

    I handed him Callen and went to our bathroom while he went to the other bathroom to bathe him.

    I turned the shower on and stripped out of my nasty pajamas. I felt like a milk cow that was failing at her job. I was struggling to nurse him and am not sure why.

    “Lex, you are doing an amazing job. Our pup is doing amazing. Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Jade linked me.

    “I know. I just didn’t know how hard being a mom is,” I linked back.

    “Well, you are the best mom ever,” Storm linked to me.

    They sure knew how to make me feel better. I cut my link and stepped under the hot water and it felt amazing but I didn’t have a lot of time. I washed quickly and got out. I rushed to get dressed and ran a brush through my hair. I walked out into the pur living room and found Colt singing to our son and it was really the sweetest thing.

    “Are you boys ready?” I asked.

    “Yes, Princess we are.”

    We headed down to his office. We were meeting with my dad and Melissa and Mac and Liam. We were going to discuss what we all thought was the right way to approach the council.

    As soon as my dad walked in he came over and took Callen from me. He took any chance he could get to hold him. He was the best grandpa ever.

    We all sat down and Melissa pulled out a bunch of papers and some books.

    “Ok we need toe up with a n to approach the council,” Colter said.

    “This could be hard. We are going to need more on our side than just us,” My dad said.

    “Ya but how are we going to do that, most people don’t even know you exist,” I said.

    “Then we tell them. We teach them about the history they never learned,” Melissa said.

    “Again how do we teach them that?” I asked.

    “Well we need to get them all in one location,” Melissa said.

    “That’s easier said than done,” Colt said sounding frustrated.

    “Do we know how many packs were talking about?” I asked.

    “A couple hundred if not more and that’s just the states,” Colted said.

    “What if we held an Alphas meeting and invited them for a meeting and a ball and have the council show up the day after the meeting and anyone who is with us can attend the meeting with the council and the third day we can hold a ball,” I suggested.

    “That’s a great idea but where do we hold this? We can’t house that many people,” Colt said.

    “The hotel in town can,” Mac said.

    “This may work,” My dad said.

    “We have to see how many the hotel can amodate and we need to see how big of meeting rooms they have. We will also have to provide daycare for those with young pups.” Colt said.

    “We can do all of that,” I said and just as I finished Callen started to fuss. I am sure he is hungry.

    I walked over to my dad and took him. I walked over to the couch and sat down to feed him. I covered myself and hetched on and it had tears in my eyes. It was like this every time and I had yet to figure out why. Colt looked over at me and I could see the sympathy in his eyes.

    “Why don’t break for a bit ande back in an hour,” He said.

    Sloane looked back at me and saw me crying and was at my side.

    “Lex, what’s wrong?” She asked me.

    “How did you get past the pain of nursing?”

    “It shouldn’t hurt. If it hurts that bad something is wrong. You need to see the doctor she can help.”

    “Thank you, I thought I was just being a baby about it.”

    “Come on Princess. We’re going to the doctor’s. I just mind-linked her,” Colt said.

    “How did you know?” I asked him confused.

    “I could hear your conversation.”

    I just smiled at him and pulled Callen off me and it was like instant relief. I put myself back together as Colt took Callen from me.

    We walked to the hospital and Colt took me to a room and we waited a few minutes for the doctor toe in.

    “Hello Luna Alpha, I hear you are having problems nursing. What to exin what is going on?” The doctor asked as she came in.

    “It hurts. Like brings me to tears every time and he seems to want to eat all the time.”

    “Can I see how hetches on?” She asked.

    Colt handed me Callen and I let my boob flop out. You could see Colt was a little ufortable but wasn’t saying a word. I brought Callen up and hetched right on and I wanted to cry. She moved his head around some and my boob.

    “Ok let me take a look at him now.”

    I pulled him off and was filled with instant relief but he cried. He wasn’t done. She did a quick exam on him and got his weight.

    “Ok, guys I think there’s a few things going on. He istching correctly but I think it’s just a very strongtch which can be painful. I also don’t know that he is getting enough to eat and that’s why he is eating so much. He is gaining weight but not where I would like. I want you to supplement with form for a while.”

    “What would happen if I stopped nursing and went to form?” I asked her.

    “Nothing. He would be just as happy and healthy as he is now.”

    “I can’t do it anymore. It just hurts and his strongtch isn’t going to just get weaker.”

    “No, but you could adjust or it may continue to hurt. There’s no way to know.”

    “Thank you, doctor,” Colt said and the doctor left.

    As soon as the door shut I broke down crying. Nursing was important to me but I just can’t do this pain anymore.

    “Princess, why are you crying?”

    “Because I wanted to nurse so badly but I can’t anymore and I don’t want to fail him.”

    “You heard the doctor. He will be just as happy and healthy as he is now. You are not failing him but helping him by making this choice. He will get more to eat and not be as hungry. You need to do what’s best for you and him.”

    “Are you sure I’m not a bad mother if I don’t nurse him?” I asked between sobs.

    “No, he is the luckiest pup ever to have you. I promise.”

    I was feeling better after my little meltdown. These hormones were still a little out of control and made me a crybaby but they were getting better.

    We headed back to the pack house. The nurse came in and gave us some bottles and form for a few days. We would need to order some.

    We walked into the dining hall and found everyone eating lunch. I went and grabbed a te and then took Callen from Colter and he went and got a te.

    “Everything ok?” Sloane asked.

    “Yes, I will tell youter.”

    I got a few questioning looks but ignored them and tried to eat my lunch one-handed

    After everyone finished we headed back to Colter’s office to continue the meeting.

    “Ok, I had someone reach out to the hotel at the time frame we talked about they have 250 rooms avable. Their conference room can hold over 500.” Colt said.

    spanng="EN"“So we should be able to do it there?” Liam asked.

    The forest burned with howls of pain.

    Elena’s lungs ached as she stumbled through the thick undergrowth, the cries of her pack echoing behind her. Every snap of a hunter’s trap, every scream of her kin, carved deeper into her chest. She wanted to block her ears, to shut it out, but the truth was louder than the chaos—this was her doing.

    She had led them here.

    The hunters had promised her freedom, had spoken sweetly of a cure, of a life without the curse of shifting beneath the moon. Foolishly, desperately, she had believed them. And now the night was painted with blood.

    “Elena!” a familiar voice roared through the trees.

    Her heart lurched. It was Alpha Dorian, his massive wolf form thrashing against a steelced with silver. The hunters circled him, their crossbows glinting in the moonlight. Elena froze, her breath catching. She had grown under hismand, had been raised like his own daughter after her parents died.

    And now, she was watching him fall.

    Dorian’s golden eyes locked with hers through the chaos. In that brief moment, Elena saw the truth reflected back at her—not anger, not confusion, but betrayal so deep it seared her soul.

    “Elena… why?”

    The words were broken, half growled through his muzzle, but she heard them clear as the night sky.

    Her lips parted, desperate to answer, but the hunters’ silver bolts struck. Dorian’s howl cut through the night before silence swallowed him whole.

    Elena’s knees gave way. She pressed her fist to her mouth, stifling the scream wing its way up her throat.

    This was the cost of her freedom.

    A rustle behind her snapped her head around. A pair of eyes gleamed in the shadows—deep, dangerous, burning with rage.

    Lucian.