"Good morning, Mom," Alie began with a warm greeting, adjusting the phone against her ear.
Ashna quietly left, realizing Alie needed privacy.
"Good morning, dear. We arrived last night," Samyra inford her.
"I see. How’s Flora doing?" Alie inquired, her tone softening with concern for her sister.
"Much better than before," Samyra answered, but the response ca with a heavy pause.
Alie noticed a distinct hesitation in her mother’s voice, a lingering silence as if she were weighing her words carefully. It felt as though Samyra wanted to say sothing more, perhaps sothing difficult, but was unable to find the right opening.
"What is it that you have to say, Mom?" asked Alie.
"Nothing. I only wanted to ask about your well-being," Samyra replied.
"Then, I’ll hang up since you already know," Alie replied. "Take care." She lowered the phone and looked at the screen.
A deep frown was still etched on her forehead. Her mother’s sudden call felt strange, like a cover for sothing deeper, but she pushed the thought aside as the lively sounds of the morning took over from the bedroom.
"Alie, I’ll wash up Noah. You should get his clothes ready," Gabriel said as he balanced their son against his hip the mont Alie walked in.
"Zilia is pregnant. You should congratulate your brother first," Alie revealed, a bright smile returning to her face as she reached out to take Noah.
Gabriel’s eyes widened, a look of pure joy crossing his face. "Wow! That’s incredible news. I’ll call him right after bathing," he promised. He didn’t hand over the toddler, though; instead, he adjusted his grip. "And don’t trouble yourself. Noah wants his father to wash him up today," he stated with a wink, Noah giggling in agreent. "By the way, we are playing in the snow later!"
With that, he disappeared into the washroom. Monts later, the sound of Noah’s happy splashing started. Alie laughed softly to herself and moved toward the wardrobe to pick out the warst tiny sweater, along with the other clothes.
"Noah will be a big boy soon," she murmured to herself. She checked the calendar for Noah’s upcoming vaccination date. "It’s tomorrow," she murmured.
As she set the calendar down on the nightstand, she checked the card they had received during their last visit to the doctor. "Oh, Noah will start eating his food soon. But the doctor didn’t ntion exactly when. Maybe next month. I need to look for healthy baby food options."
She heard a knock on the door and asked the person to co in.
"My Lady, shall the servants start cleaning the room?"
"Yes," Alie replied. She closed the cupboard and watched the servants begin their work. In the anti, she used a hairdryer to dry her hair. Brushing through the strands, she gathered them into a neat bun.
By the ti the servants finished cleaning and bowed their way out, Gabriel stepped out of the washroom. He held Noah, who was wrapped snugly in a soft baby towel, his hair damp and his eyes sparkling with that rare, brilliant blue.
"He enjoyed the bath today," Gabriel said, kissing the top of Noah’s wet head.
Alie smiled, reaching for the warm clothes she had laid out. "You should wash up too," she whispered to Gabriel, gently laying Noah on the bed. She finished drying his soft skin with the towel while Noah, full of post-bath energy, threw his tiny legs in the air.
Alie rubbed a bit of baby moisturizer between her palms to warm it before applying it over Noah’s body. She massaged his tiny legs and arms, the soothing touch making him giggle and squirm. As she layered him in his warm clothes, Noah reached out, his little voice chirping, "Mama... Mi... mi..."
"Oh, you’re hungry!" Alie said softly. She scooped Noah up into her arms, settling him comfortably on her lap to breastfeed him. "Noah, you’ll have to beco a good boy. A kind man with a big heart. That’s what I want for you. Make and your father proud, okay? I know you’ll never disappoint us." She lowered her eyes and looked at his face, silently thinking about Alex’s words.
~~~~~~
"The current administration is no longer sufficient for the growth of our territories," Dominick declared, his voice echoing with authority as he addressed the gathered Alphas and high-ranking officials. "I have drafted a comprehensive proposal for structural reform. This is at the express command of the Alpha King; I am rely the architect of his vision."
With a sharp gesture, he signaled the attendants. "You will find the core modifications outlined in the docunts before you. I suggest you study them closely."
All the Alphas and the officials present scanned the files.
"It says here that every Pack Alpha must submit a detailed status report directly to the Alpha King every quarter," one Alpha Leader noted, his brow furrowed in disapproval. He looked up, eting Dominick’s gaze. "I fail to see the necessity of this, Prince Dominick. To my knowledge, no pack outside of Gridlock is subject to such rigorous oversight. Why are we being singled out?"
"I think your knowledge is outdated, Alpha Jude," Dominick replied. "These reforms were implented across the central territories just last month. And in San Ravendale, this level of oversight has been the standard for over six years. The Alpha King requires a direct lens into the internal workings of every pack to ensure the kingdom’s integrity and security."
Dominick leaned in, his gaze hardening as he scanned the room. "Furthermore, the statistics don’t lie. The highest concentration of reports regarding missing ogas and rogue sightings originates from Gridlock. This region has been neglected for far too long, allowed to operate in the shadows. That era of negligence ends today."
He scanned his eyes over each face before speaking further, "From here onward, I want to make one thing clear. The implentation will begin from tomorrow onward. All of you have fifteen ddaysto submit the reports to the Alpha King of the ntioned aspects in these files."
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