Alina’s pov

"Do not get nervous, Alina. Don’t let these people intimidate you. This is about our son, Leo. Stand your ground."

A quiet strength washed over me. I looked directly at the glaring elder and offered a calm, steady smile. "Leo is my son. I am the one responsible for the values he learns, so you don’t have to worry about that at all."

The Council member’s expression darkened, his fist slamming onto the wood. "That doesn’t answer my question! What possible values do you think he will learn from an environment like that?"

"Good values," I replied instantly, my voice echoing clearly through the chamber. "Because the people he is surrounded by over there are not bad people."

A harsh, jagged laugh tore from one of the older men at the end of the table. "We are talking about rogues, Alina! Do you have any earthly idea the amount of damage they can cause you?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"I know exactly the amount of damage I received while being this pack’s Luna," I countered, my voice dripping with raw irritation. I leaned forward, looking them all dead in the eye. "At least over there, I wasn’t used and completely tossed aside the second people got what they wanted from me."

An uncomfortable, angry murmur rippled through the Council at my accusation. Before they could speak, I pressed on, my jaw tight. "You people are forgetting one crucial thing. I am no longer a part of this pack. So, technically, you can consider me one of the rogues too."

"Alina!" Aiden yelled from his seat, his chair scraping loudly against the floor as he stood up.

"You don’t need to yell at me, Aiden," I said, turning a cold gaze toward him. "You are only doing all of this because of your son, right? You desperately want an heir for your bloodline. But you have Emily now. She is pregnant. She can easily give you the heir you want."

"What insolence!" another elder roared, his face flushing red with anger. "You will not disrespect this Council!"

"With all due respect, elders, I am not trying to disrespect you," I said, my voice cutting through his shouts. "But you are disrespecting me by trying to question a mother’s values and her love for her child."

Pushing my chair back, I abruptly stood up, gripping my purse. "You know what? Coming here in the first place was my absolute biggest mistake."

"You will sit right back down!" the angry elder commanded.

"No, I won’t," I snapped, refusing to back down. "I came here today thinking I could actually negotiate with you, to find a way for Aiden to see his son safely. But now that I am standing here, seeing how you operate, I am officially asking for full, undisputed custody of my son."

Aiden’s eyes flashed with dangerous alpha authority. "I will never, ever allow that to happen."

"And I will never give my son up to you," I threw back.

"That is enough! We should not be aggressively arguing over this," a calm voice suddenly interrupted.

The angry elder whipped his head around. "No! Alina is being completely disrespectful to our traditions—"

"It is about her son," the calmer elder cut him off sharply, raising a hand to silence the room. "A mother is naturally going to act this way when it comes to protecting her own child."

I blinked, surprised to find at least one member of this Council who actually understood.

The elder turned his focused gaze back to me, his tone softer but still firm. "Alina, I understand completely that you are no longer a part of this pack. But you cannot legally keep a son away from his father. The boy needs his father present in his life. Aiden is the Alpha here. He is strong, and your son will learn a lot from him."

"Whatever Aiden can teach Leo, I am more than capable of teaching him myself," I stated flatly.

The elder gave a slow nod. "I know that you are his mother. But I will not allow a father to be completely denied access to his own son. Therefore, on my request, let Aiden spend time with Leo—strictly under your direct supervision. You won’t have to leave the child alone with him, and I believe this arrangement is truly the best compromise for the both of you."

"What on earth are you saying?!" the hostile elder exploded, gesturing wildly toward me. "She is just a woman! An Omega, for that matter! She has absolutely no legal right whatsoever to dictate terms here. Alpha Aiden should have the final say!"

The eldest Council member shot the shouting man a look that instantly dismissed him. He turned his ancient, heavy gaze back over to me, holding my eyes to read my reaction.

"As the eldest of this Council, this is my final judgment," he stated powerfully. He paused, letting the silence hang. "Alina... do you accept this?"

"I don’t accept this."

Aiden’s booming voice shattered the room, drawing every single ounce of attention directly onto him. He stood tall, his chest heaving with dominant alpha authority as the Council elders turned to look at him in shock.

Aiden’s sharp, piercing gaze locked onto me, his jaw ticking violently. "Leo is my son. My blood. And I will not tolerate any distractions when it comes to raising him. I absolutely hate the fact that my son is being kept in the exact same place where that pathetic rogue resides." He took a heavy step forward, his voice dripping with an unyielding, intense demand. "I want my son to have a bright, successful future. And the only way that is going to happen... is if Alina comes back to the mansion and lives with me."

A cold, mocking sensation washed over me at his utter delusion. My eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, and I stood up straighter, refusing to let his booming aura crush me.

"That is never going to happen, Alpha," I spat out, my voice laced with pure, unfiltered poison.