#Chapter 39 Challenges Within

Grace The days since Charles returned to the Palace were a blur of activity and challenges. The pack was abuzz with preparations for the festivities, but there was an undercurrent of tension and unease that I couldn’t ignore. The news of the break-in, combined with the ongoing financial struggles of the pack, had ignited a storm of resistance and skepticism among some of our members. The journalist who had interviewed me hadn’t painted me as an idiot, but she didn’t have to. Everyone else did. As I navigated through the city on public transit, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of their doubts pressing down on me. I wished I hadn’t been so dumb to let Devin talk me out of learning how to drive when Cecil was born. Whispers followed me wherever I went, the hushed conversations leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable. I missed Charles’s calming presence more than ever. His steadiness and strength would have been a source of comfort amidst the chaos. The hate mail and negative mes