spanng="EN"Charlie’s POV

    spanng="EN"“Are you sure that you want to do that, Ms. Vaughn? Attorney Stevens is one of the best attorneys in the city.

    spanng="EN"I doubt that you will be able to rece him with someone better,” the judge asked.

    spanng="EN"“He hasn’t taken this trial seriously,” Tiffany replied angrily.

    spanng="EN"I could see her attorney’s expression as he looked straight ahead. No one wanted to go up against Rodney, he was the best trial attorney that money could buy. The other issue was that Ana was a Caldwell. No one wanted to go against the Caldwell family by helping Tiffany out. She really hadn’t thought this out. Her attorney was pissed, shamed by her ming him for what happened. If she really fired him, she wasn’t going to be getting him back on her side again. no matter what she said.

    spanng="EN"The worst part? Her attorney had believed in her. That was why he had been caught unaware. He should have looked at the evidence against her and discussed it with her. They both bore some of the me, but Tiffany bore the brunt of it.

    The Shadow Wolf.

    Thest surviving heir of the Alpha bloodline, feared even among their kind. He stepped forward, his dark fur bristling, lips curled in a snarl. Unlike Dorian, Lucian wasn’t caught in the traps. He had survived, watching, waiting. And now his gaze was fixed on her.

    “You,” he growled, voice deep, raw with fury. “You led them.”

    Elena shook her head, tears streaking her face. “No—I… I didn’t mean for this. I just wanted—”

    “Wanted?” Hisugh was cruel, hollow. “You wanted freedom? You sold your family for scraps of silver.”

    The hunters turned then, spotting Lucian. Their crossbows raised as one. But Lucian was no ordinary wolf. He moved like a shadow, faster than their eyes could track. In a blur of ws and teeth, he ripped through them, their screams splintering the air. Blood stained the ground, but his rage was unquenched.

    When thest hunter fell, silence returned to the forest, broken only by Elena’s sobs.

    Lucian stood over the bodies, his chest heaving. He turned to her slowly, his eyes glowing like coals. “You’ll carry this blood on your hands until yourst breath, traitor.”

    Elena’s throat closed. She tried to reach for him, to beg, to exin, but he stepped closer, towering over her trembling form.

    “I curse you, Elena,” he snarled, the wordsced with ancient power, older than the forest itself. “You will never know peace. The bond of wolf and pack is severed, and yet you will feel it—every howl, every death, every drop of blood you caused. It will haunt you.”

    The blood moon above pulsed red as if answering his oath. Shadows curled around him, his power darkening the air.

    “You will see me again,” Lucian whispered, his voice low, deadly. “And when you do… it will be thest face you see.”

    Then he vanished into the forest, leaving her alone with the corpses of her kin and the curse burning in her veins.

    Elena copsed to the ground, clutching the earth as if it could swallow her whole. Her chest heaved with broken sobs. She had thought she was escaping the curse. Instead, she had forged one far worse.

    For the rest of her life, she would carry the weight of this night.

    And already, she knew the truth she could never escape:

    It was toote to regret.

    We walked upstairs to our room where Iid Callen down and took my pants off and crawled under the covers.

    “Princess, are you tired?”

    “Exhausted, want to join me for a nap?”

    “Yes!”

    He took his pants off and his shirt and quickly crawled into bed and pulled me to him. It didn’t take long for both of us to be sound asleep. I don’t know how long we had slept, not nearly long enough when Callen started crying. I groaned and started to get up.

    “Sleep princess, I know you are still recovering. I will take care of him,” he said and got out of bed.

    This man was literally a godsend to me. He really took care of me and Callen and did it withoutints.

    “Thank you, love,” I told him rolling back over and going right back to sleep.

    When I woke up from my nap I got out of bed and walked out to the living room and found that he had fallen back asleep holding Callen on the couch who was awake but seemed content right now. Since he was not fussing right now I was going to take this chance and get in the bath. I quietly slipped into the bathroom shutting the door as softly as I could. I turned the water on and filled the bathtub.

    “How are you girls holding up?” I linked my wolves. They have been quiet since having Callen.

    “We are good. We just wanted to give you time with your mate and our beautiful pup,” Jade linked back.

    “He is beautiful isn’t he,” Storm said.

    “I sure think he is,” I told them both.

    “We could go for a run, however. It’s been a long time since we’ve been out and we can now,” Jade said.

    “Yes, I will see if maybe my dad and Melissa want to watch him for an hour or two so you girls can get out,” I told them.

    “Oh yes please we need it,” Storm said.

    “Hey, dad would you and Melissa be willing to watch Callen for like two hours so my wolves can run? It’s been a while since they were able to get out.” I mind-linked him.

    “I would love to watch my grandson. You never have to ask we will always watch him,” he linked back.

    “Thank you, it will be after dinner.”

    “We will see you then.”

    I cut my link with him and just enjoyed the hot water. I had added some bubble bath and I had bubbles going over the edge but I didn’t care. I would deal with the messter. Iid back and just closed my eyes. I didn’t hear Colt open the door.

    “What are you doing in here?” He asked and tried to refrain fromughing.

    “Taking the most amazing bath of my life,” I told him without even opening my eyes.

    “Looks like it, do you want somepany?” he asked.

    “Where is Callen?” I asked him and opened my eyes.

    If I would have opened my eyes sooner I could see that he had him in his bouncer all buckled up. He sat him by the door so we could see him and still have our bath. He stripped down and got in with me. He got behind me and started to rub my shoulders.

    “Princess, you did the most amazing job ever bringing him into this world and I can never repay you for making me a dad.”

    “There is nothing to repay. I would do it again if it meant that we got him.”

    “So you are ready for another one?”

    “You’ll be lucky if you get any more.”

    “I would like a little girl, but let’s wait until this one is out of diapers.”

    This man thought he was funny but I wasn’t kidding. I don’t know if I want any more kids, but that is an argument for another day.

    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.

    The Shadow Wolf.

    Thest surviving heir of the Alpha bloodline, feared even among their kind. He stepped forward, his dark fur bristling, lips curled in a snarl. Unlike Dorian, Lucian wasn’t caught in the traps. He had survived, watching, waiting. And now his gaze was fixed on her.

    “You,” he growled, voice deep, raw with fury. “You led them.”

    Elena shook her head, tears streaking her face. “No—I… I didn’t mean for this. I just wanted—”

    “Wanted?” Hisugh was cruel, hollow. “You wanted freedom? You sold your family for scraps of silver.”

    The hunters turned then, spotting Lucian. Their crossbows raised as one. But Lucian was no ordinary wolf. He moved like a shadow, faster than their eyes could track. In a blur of ws and teeth, he ripped through them, their screams splintering the air. Blood stained the ground, but his rage was unquenched.

    When thest hunter fell, silence returned to the forest, broken only by Elena’s sobs.

    Lucian stood over the bodies, his chest heaving. He turned to her slowly, his eyes glowing like coals. “You’ll carry this blood on your hands until yourst breath, traitor.”

    Elena’s throat closed. She tried to reach for him, to beg, to exin, but he stepped closer, towering over her trembling form.

    “I curse you, Elena,” he snarled, the wordsced with ancient power, older than the forest itself. “You will never know peace. The bond of wolf and pack is severed, and yet you will feel it—every howl, every death, every drop of blood you caused. It will haunt you.”

    The blood moon above pulsed red as if answering his oath. Shadows curled around him, his power darkening the air.

    “You will see me again,” Lucian whispered, his voice low, deadly. “And when you do… it will be thest face you see.”

    Then he vanished into the forest, leaving her alone with the corpses of her kin and the curse burning in her veins.

    Elena copsed to the ground, clutching the earth as if it could swallow her whole. Her chest heaved with broken sobs. She had thought she was escaping the curse. Instead, she had forged one far worse.

    For the rest of her life, she would carry the weight of this night.

    And already, she knew the truth she could never escape: