Emma's Pov

　　"Running to feel better?" Accalia suggests, and I gladly accept. I allow Accalia to take control and transform.

　　Accalia's animal instinct becomes more heightened when she takes control and surfaces. My wolf's fur is a grayish-brown, with white patches, and her eyes are yellow. Accalia's exceptional ability is her sense of smell; I'm impressed by how she can sense all the scents that my human nose wouldn't even pick up if it were right in front of me.

　　To distract and calm myself, Accalia runs through fields of lavender and among the flowery gardens in the Night Howlers territory. Before relinquishing control back to me, Accalia leads me to a stream and plays in the water. With the heat of the day, it was a good sensation through my wolf, staying in the water for a few hours.

　　"Thank you, Accalia. I love you," I declare as the evening draws to a close, while we both watch the sunset from the top of a hill.

　　"You didn't read me any stories yesterday, what happened?" Charlotte asks, a pout forming on her lips.

　　"I'm so sorry, Charlotte. It was completely my fault," I respond sincerely. "Today I'll read two stories, how does that sound?"

　　Charlotte jumps with joy before running over to hug me. "Yay! Yay! Two bedtime stories!" Charlotte celebrates enthusiastically.

　　"But first, go brush your teeth, young lady..." Matthew declares behind me, causing me to jump slightly. I turn around to face him, and he nods in my direction.

　　Charlotte heads to the bathroom to brush her teeth, leaving me and Matthew alone in her room.

　　"Are you going to join in the bedtime stories again?" I ask with curiosity. Matthew walks around his sister's room and picks up a stuffed animal that is resting on one of the shelves.

　　"Yeah, I think I will... after all, tonight is going to be a special night. Two stories!" he comments with feigned childlike excitement, making me laugh.

　　"Did you find out anything new about Ava?" I ask with genuine interest. "I know you said it could take up to two days, but I'm just... nervous," I explain a bit embarrassed.

　　"I managed to decrypt a file. Milena Golden's address," Matthew responds seriously, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

　　"I'd like to ask you one more thing," I inform Matthew in a lower voice, leaning closer to him so Charlotte doesn't overhear. Matthew furrows his brows, leaning forward to allow me to whisper in his ear, "I wanted to talk to Charlotte about Ava. She's the one who told me to go into the forest yesterday, she knew I would find someone resembling Ava, maybe even knew I would find the necklace."

　　"You didn't tell me that, Emma!" Matthew responds, irritated, and I look at him surprised. "Why didn't you tell me that it was Charlotte who made you go into the forest alone yesterday?!"

　　"Well, you might have forgotten what happened yesterday, Moonshadow coming, me being taken, you injured and then..." I interrupt my own sentence, "What I mean is, it hasn't been a very calm day. I'm sorry I didn't talk about it yesterday, but I'm talking about it now!"

　　There's a minute of silence, Matthew softens his expression, and when Charlotte returns to the room, he nods his head in agreement with my request, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I help Charlotte settle into bed, Matthew sits on a small chair in his younger sister's room, and I sit back on the edge of the bed.

　　"Charlotte, before we start the stories, I'd like to ask you a few things, okay?" I ask gently and lovingly. Charlotte sits up in bed and looks at me with her beautiful curious eyes.

　　"Yes, I thought you weren't going to talk about Ava anymore," Charlotte comments, and I'm surprised by that.

　　"What do you mean?" Matthew asks on my behalf.

　　"Emma found her best friend yesterday. In the forest, like in the story she made up yesterday about the wolf making friends in the forest," Charlotte explains. "How is Ava, will she come to visit us soon?"

　　I raise my eyebrow before responding, "So the girl I saw yesterday, in the forest, was really Ava?" I ask, my voice trembling.

　　"Yes, of course it was her. Who else could it be?" Charlotte asks, confused.

　　"Lotte, it's just that Emma's friend, well... Emma believes her friend may have become a star, like Mom and Dad, you understand?" Matthew explains to his younger sister.

　　The little wolf adjusts the blanket on her lap and shakes her head, "No, no, Ava didn't become a star like Mom and Dad, she's just lost, in the forest," Charlotte explains very subtly.

　　My heart races with the news, and my eyes fill with tears. Ava is alive! My goddess, I can't believe Ava is alive!

　　I wipe the tears from my face before Charlotte notices my state. Matthew opens a comforting smile in my direction.

　　"But the other one, the other one became a star. But it wasn't your fault, Emma... you know that, don't you? It wasn't your fault," Charlotte declares, and I look at her confused.

　　"The other one? Which other one, Charlotte?" Matthew asks, concerned.

　　"Now for the stories, otherwise it'll get too late and I won't get both bedtime stories," Charlotte changes the subject.

　　I'm still processing her response to insist on getting more information. "Of course, let's go for more stories, you're absolutely right," I declare as I pick up one of the children's books. "How about the story of Sleeping Beauty?"

　　Charlotte lies back down in bed and snuggles closer to me.