All Chapters of Claimed By My Childhood Alpha : Chapter 21 - Chapter 29

Emma woke up Monday morning feeling different. Not just because of yesterday's successful pack meeting, but because something had shifted in her connection to the pack itself. She could sense them, their general emotional state, their locations, their wellbeing, like a low hum in the back of her mind.“Is this what full Luna bonding feels like?” Emma wondered, stretching in the silk sheets of the penthouse bedroom.Adrian was already up, standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows in dark slacks and a white dress shirt, talking quietly on his phone. Even without supernatural hearing, Emma could tell the conversation was serious from his posture.“Business crisis?” Emma thought. “Or pack issue?”"I understand the urgency," Adrian was saying. "But we need to approach this strategically... Yes, I'll have Luna review the territorial agreements before we respond."“Luna review the territorial agreements.” Emma felt a thri

Emma stood in front of the bathroom mirror Thursday evening, practicing her opening statement for what felt like the hundredth time. Tomorrow's hearing was less than twelve hours away, and despite three days of intensive preparation, her stomach was still churning with nerves."The Cross Pack's Eastside development projects represent regional cooperation, not territorial overreach," Emma said to her reflection, trying to project confidence she didn't entirely feel.Regional cooperation. The phrase felt more natural now than it had three days ago, but Emma still worried she'd freeze up when facing five pack leaders and Sarah Blackwood's decades of experience.A knock on the bathroom door interrupted her practice."Emma?" Adrian's voice was gentle. "Patricia's here with the final briefing materials."Final briefing materials. Emma took a deep breath and opened the door to find Adrian waiting with an expression of pr

Emma sat in the Regional Council building's waiting area, staring at her hands and replaying every moment of her freeze-up during the hearing. The hour-long recess felt like the longest sixty minutes of her life.I choked, Emma thought miserably. When Luna Wells asked the most important question of the entire hearing, I completely blanked out in front of everyone."Emma," Adrian said gently from the chair beside her, "stop beating yourself up. You recovered and gave a strong answer.""After freezing like a deer in headlights," Emma replied quietly. "Sarah was right, I proved I can't handle pressure when it matters most."Can't handle pressure. Emma felt the sting of Sarah's words all over again.Patricia leaned forward from her chair across from them. "Emma, every Luna has moments like that. What matters is how you handle them, and you handled it with grace."Handled it with grace. Emma wanted to bel

Emma stood at the front of Adrian's downtown apartment Saturday evening, looking out at forty-three pack members who had gathered to hear about the Regional Council hearing results. The energy in the room was different from her first pack meeting as Luna, there was curiosity mixed with concern, support tinged with questions she wasn't sure she wanted to answer.They all know about the conditions, Emma thought, touching the Luna pendant beneath her blouse for confidence. They know the Council didn't trust me to handle regional matters alone."Thank you all for coming on short notice," Emma began, her voice carrying clearly through the packed living room. "I know there's been a lot of speculation about yesterday's hearing, so I want to give you the complete picture, both the victories and the challenges."Both victories and challenges. Emma had decided that honesty was the only approach that would maintain pack trust."First, the

Emma walked into the Cross Industries conference room Thursday morning carrying a stack of progress reports from all five partnership project sites. Two weeks into implementation, she was managing everything from shift scheduling disputes to equipment sharing protocols, and for the first time since becoming Luna, she felt completely in her element.This is what I was meant to do, Emma thought, spreading the reports across the conference table. Not formal hearings or legal arguments, but practical problem-solving that makes things work for everyone.Adrian entered with his morning coffee and a smile that had become familiar over the past weeks, pride mixed with slight amazement at Emma's transformation."How are the partnership metrics looking?" he asked, settling into the chair beside her."Better than projected in most areas," Emma said, opening the first report. "The Eastside site has achieved full integration of mixed crews. The Northside devel