Lily could only delay the children until dinner. They were insistent on seeing their father, Delilah especially. Her expression showed she wasn't sure how to tell them, struggling with it herself. Missy and Maddox's arrival temporarily distracted the children. The kids were thrilled to see them, and Leo insisted on sitting on Missy's lap during dinner.

Despite her attempts to hide it, I saw a fresh mark on Lily's neck. Liam saw it too; his conflicting emotions were evident. He was happy his daughter had found a good mate but unhappy about her having sex. I patted his leg and smiled, acknowledging our daughter's transition to adulthood.

Knowing Lily needed support, I offered to go with her. She agreed, though her eyes were misty as she contemplated telling the children. After dinner, Liam took the children to play video games while Azly napped. Missy and Maddox joined them after telling me they wanted to move out of the packhouse and into Missy's house soon. I told them we could discuss it tomorrow and that they should stay tonight.

When I caught up with Lily, she was trying to explain their father's situation to Delilah and Lucas. "So, you know how Daddy is big and strong and one of the best fighters in the whole pack?" she began. Lucas nodded enthusiastically; Delilah simply stared.

"Well, sometimes, Daddy can still get hurt," Lily continued.

"No, he can't!" Delilah protested. "Only Uncle Liam can hurt Daddy!"

"I know, sweetie," Lily said, struggling. "But sometimes, Daddy and Uncle Liam meet someone a little stronger."

"Is Daddy hurt?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, Daddy got hurt. Doctor Ron has been working very hard to make Daddy better," she replied.

"No!" Delilah cried, starting to cry. "You're lying!" Lily looked hurt by her daughter's distrust.

"Hey, hey, hey," I intervened, gaining their attention. "Your Daddy is an amazing fighter, one of the best. But sometimes, people don't play fair. Someone pulled a mean trick on your Daddy, and he got hurt because of it."

Lily nodded. "Yes, just like Aunt Lea says. Someone tricked him."

"Right now, he's sleeping while his body gets better," I said. "But soon, he'll wake up, and you'll have your same old Daddy back."

"When will he wake up?" Lucas asked.

"We don't know yet, bud," I said, rubbing his arm. "But I'm sure it will be soon."

"I want to see him," Delilah sniffled.

"Okay," Lily said. "We can go see him." She looked to me for confirmation; I nodded.

"Should we get a car? Azeron and I can wait with the kids," I suggested. Lily nodded and left. "He's resting at Doctor Ron's clinic so Doctor Ron can make sure he's all fixed up," I explained to the children. Lucas nodded; Delilah held back tears.

I linked Liam: "We're going to the clinic so the kids can see Damien."

"Be careful," he replied.

"Alright, let's wait for Mom to bring the car," I said. We headed outside to wait.

At the clinic, the children followed Lily closely to Damien's room. Outside his door, she stopped them. "Daddy's sleeping, so we can hug him, but we need to be gentle, okay?" Both kids nodded.

She opened the door; they rushed to Damien's side. I stood beside Lily, taking her hand. "We'll wake him up. They won't lose their dad."

"Oh Goddess, I hope so," she whispered, her voice shaky. We watched as the children went to either side of Damien's bed. Lucas observed his father; Delilah was still for a moment before throwing herself onto him and sobbing.

"It's not fair," she cried, as Lily comforted her. "I would have stopped the bad people. Why would they hurt my Daddy?"

"I know, sweetie," Lily whispered. Azeron and I remained outside, giving them their moment.

Over the next few days, RSVPs arrived for Liam's Summit. Initially, he insisted on handling the arrangements alone, but when over twenty packs confirmed attendance in a short time, he was overwhelmed.

He finally accepted my help. Unfortunately, Lily spent much of her time with Damien. Felix and Lacey took forty-eight hours to fully recover, but no one blamed them. Afterward, Felix seemed more relaxed, and Lacey was vibrant. They began watching the children during the day, except for Azly, who stayed with me.

Maddox spent most of his time training or assisting Austin with pack matters, while Missy helped me with Summit arrangements. Maddox was quickly mastering pack management responsibilities. I appreciated Missy's help in Lily's absence but missed my best friend. She remained quiet about moving out of the packhouse, but I knew we needed to discuss it soon.

Langston returned to his pack and had Emma help arrange accommodations for visitors. We hoped both neighboring packs could house everyone.

Once Missy and I tackled lodging and food, Liam focused on pack security and his presentation. He planned to quadruple border patrol, assigning one wolf per forty yards. This was a significant undertaking, requiring Langston's pack's support. He established access points, verifying identities before entry. Each pack provided names, photos, and a password for their members.

Within days, Missy and I secured lodging for most RSVPs, using packhouse rooms. Lily and the children temporarily joined us on our floor. Missy and Maddox stayed at Missy's house for a few days, agreeing to discuss a permanent move after the Summit.

I worked with Lemon to clear rooms at the Inn, rescheduling reservations with discounts. The group home construction was complete, providing additional guest rooms.

Langston and Emma could accommodate some guests, but we still fell short. Then, Missy offered a solution:

"School's postponed for a couple of weeks. Why not use the classrooms?" she suggested.

"That might work!" I exclaimed. "We can move desks and chairs to the basement or gymnasium."

"And fit beds in each classroom, plus there are locker rooms," she added.

"That's my smart girl," I said proudly. With housing secured, we addressed feeding the attendees. Miss Marci researched various cuisines. We created menus offering variety and dietary options. Abigail agreed to help with cooking, and Missy enlisted Sol and her friends.

The Summit became a massive undertaking. By the end of the week, we had RSVPs from sixty-eight packs. We expected a few more.

Liam was stressed. As packs accepted his invitation, he researched them thoroughly, aided by Jacob and Gentry. One evening, I brought Azly and food to his office when he skipped dinner. Folders covered his desk. He was identifying potential leaders for his combined werewolf force.

I removed the folders, replacing them with his daughter, to convince him to rest. Azeron collected the files while I took Liam and Azly to our room.

"This has to work," he muttered, playing with Azly. He tickled her feet, making her giggle.

"It will," I said, rubbing his back. "You're an amazing Alpha, and no one else could do this."

"Only because I have help," he admitted.

"Why wouldn't your pack help you?" I asked. He was quiet, his smile only for his daughter.

"I don't want to think about Warwick attacking before we're ready," he said.

"We'll be ready, My Alpha."

Maddox was showering when I reached the bedroom, exhausted from Summit preparations. I couldn't imagine Lea's effortless problem-solving. I'm grateful I'm not mated to an Alpha.

I slumped onto the bed as Maddox emerged, shorts low on his hips, a towel on his hair. He leaned over me, his arms around me.

"Hi," he said, smiling mischievously.

"Uhhh…" I groaned.

"You look tired, darling," he said softly. I nodded. "I know what might help."

He climbed onto the bed, flipping me over. His fingers massaged my shoulders; I melted into the mattress.

"Mmmm," I hummed.

Maddox laughed. "Feel good?" When I didn't answer, he stopped.

"No, come back!" I said quickly. He chuckled and resumed.

"Did you talk to your mom?" he asked.

I sighed. "She wants to talk to Liam but thinks if we promise to focus on school afterward, we can attend the summit."

"What do you think Alpha will say?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I can't tell where his head is lately," I lamented. "If Damien woke up, everything would be different."

"I think we all want him to wake up," Maddox said.

"Lea still goes every day," I said. "She sits by his bed, trying to wake him up amidst the preparations."

"Do you think she can do it?"

"Goddess, I hope so."