Page 4 of Moon Fated

Not yet. It was always not yet. Duty called with an iron voice, and as alpha, I couldn't afford to ignore it. I had to rebuild. I had to protect.

I wasn’t like Nathan, ruling with an iron fist in his pack from the horror stories I’d heard. I had control in some circumstances, but in most, my pack members were free to live their lives. We took care of each other, and I hoped they could look to me in their time of need.

Now, there was talk of an all-pack meeting to deal with these mysterious disappearances, and I didn’t know what the right move was. It’s not that I didn’t want to stand with the other rightful alpha’s, but could I stand with him? Was it right to ask my pack to do so?

Yet I was still alpha of the Black Lake Pack. If anyone could restore what had been shattered, it was me. The thought was almost laughable. I’d been trying like hell, and where had it gotten me?

The door opened behind me with a soft click, and I found myself facing the narrowed eyes of my second. Jasper walked in and leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his broad chest. Beside him stood Lana, my third, her posture rigid as the redwoods guarding our territory, while Finn, the pack's healer, fiddled restlessly with the hem of his shirt. Their expressions were a mix of resolve and unease, mirroring the storm brewing within me.

"Let's skip the bullshit," Jasper’s voice was rough. "You want to discuss the Kitimat Pack?"

Right to it, then.

"You want to help?" Lana’s tone was sharp as flint. "After everything that's happened, you seriously think they deserve our aid?"

I walked past them, my boots thudding against the floorboards, and stopped at the window overlooking the dusky forest. The weight of leadership pressed on my shoulders, heavier than the mountains framing the horizon. "It's not about what they deserve," I started, but Finn cut in, his nostrils flaring.

"Rowan, they've never lifted a finger for us when we needed it. Why should we extend our protection now?”

I trusted Finn. His skepticism clawed at my resolve. They all had good reason for their doubts—trust was a luxury we could ill afford these days. But as alpha, it fell on me to see beyond our personal grievances.

"Jasper," I turned to face him squarely, holding his gaze. "Lana, Finn—we are not them." My words sliced through the room. "We are the Black Lake Pack. Our strength lies in unity, in the respect we hold for each other and for those outside our borders, no matter our history." It was the right thing to say. I knew it by the way their expressions shifted. I only wished I felt it in my heart.

Their faces softened as they wrestled with their loyalty and their frustration. It was a dance we knew all too well—one step forward, two steps back, always circling the fires of our shared purpose and individual fears.

"Helping the Kitimat Pack isn't only about them," I continued. "It's about us, who we are as a pack, as guardians of these lands.”

Jasper’s hands clenched into fists. When he spoke, his voice was a low rumble."Rowan, "Nathan Black?—"

"Is not the whole of the Kitimat Pack," I cut in sharply, silencing the echoes of betrayal that his name conjured within the walls of our conclave. "They were once our brothers and sisters."

“Who sided with him,” Lana muttered. Her intuition was as sharp as her fangs during a hunt, and her sense of justice sharper.

Finn, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke. "And if this is a trap? If helping them only leads to more danger?"

I clenched my jaw. “I don’t think even he would make something like this up. You know the reports. It’s not just Kitimat that’s missing shifters.”

Their eyes met mine, and in those piercing depths, I saw the reflection of my own determination. Gradually, the tension eased out of their broad shoulders. It was the subtle shift of pack mentality aligning behind their alpha—a silent affirmation of trust in my leadership.

I hoped it wasn’t misplaced.

"So what, we agree to this pack meeting?” Jasper grimaced.

I nodded. "If it’s called, we’ll be there.”

“I think they may come to us.” Lana leaned against the back wall.

It made sense. The weather was already beginning to shift up north, and we still had a few months of passable roads ahead of us.

I ran a hand over my face. “I’ll keep you informed.”

Jasper clapped a hand on my shoulder. “You want to come out with us tonight? It’s been a long week.”

I thought about it. Just like I’d thought about it the last three times he’d asked. “I’ve got some loose ends I need to wrap up.”

He paused, then nodded once. “Eat something. You look like shit.”

I went to the bar.

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