Page 226 of Wolf Roulette

Calm floated through me. “While I will always remain with the Ni Tiaki in spirit and as an active contributor to our community, my time as head steward has drawn to a close.”

An alarmed outcry rose from my tribe.

“As you know, I found myself the heir of this mantle unexpectedly, but ruling is never something I aspired to. I hope to remain on with the tribe in whatever capacity the next head steward agrees to.” I paused. “As towhoour next head steward will be, I believe that decision should belong to the tribe as a whole. Nominations for the role open tonight and will close in a week, after which a vote will be held. To be clear, you can nominateanysteward for the job. I will remain on for one month to ensure the smooth transfer of all tasks to our new leader.”

The tribe was shocked, but their immediate alarm had subsided somewhat with my assurances I’d still be around.

I belonged with theNi Tiaki. They had a claim on my heart and always would.

But my soul belonged with my mate.

The rest of my heart was split between the pack and this land.

Though it was traditionally a head steward mantel, I would remain mayor of Deception Valley to ensure public power was better balanced between the pack and tribe—alongside officially becoming top female in the pack and working with the next head steward to set a tone for the future of our peoples.

I smiled. “I’d like to take this moment to nominate Pascal Anders for the role of head steward.”

I inhaled the stewards’ reactions.

Approval.

Good.

Pascal was an ideal choice for many reasons, and a discussion with Rhona had confirmed her adverse to leading again.

“That’s all,” I said, winking. “Now, go have some fun.”

Pascal gaped at me when I sat again.

I glanced at her. “I hope you were serious when you said you wanted something to focus on.”

“I was, but—”

“You should have been head steward a long time ago, in my opinion,” I said quietly. If not for the tradition of passing leadership down through the Thana family, she would have been.

Sascha grabbed me as the band started playing.

We hit the dance floor and mingled with others until the light began to fade.

“Hey.” I jerked my head. “Who’s that with Wade?”

Sascha looked over my head. “A Vissimo called Gina. We spoke briefly.”

She and Wade were hitting it off. Big time. Both of their hands were drifting.Yikes.

I noticed we were dancing closer to the edges of the marquee.

“Are we going somewhere?” I grinned.

“Yes.”

Ducking beneath a lantern, Sascha tugged me after him. We ran through the field. He stopped and swung me into his arms.

“I had this idea when I first saw you today,” he said casually.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. It involved you in a bed of hay. Naked except for that sunflower crown and those sexy chains on your feet.”

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