Page 123 of Wolf's Reckoning
I shouldn’t have been surprised by the predictability of both packs. Blueridge Hollow shifters on one side, Stonefang on the other. There was tension, of course there was. But they were here and that’s all that mattered.
I didn’t stand above them. I walked among them.
Listened.
An older hunter from the Hollow was leaning forward, arms braced on his knees, talking to Brand. “That southern trail’s too exposed. No decent coverage past the ridge—if they’re coming through there, we won’t see it until they’re on us.”
Brand nodded. “We can fix that. We’ll triple patrols, rotate in the younger ones as part of their training, and use elevation to our advantage.”
“How long before the younger ones are ready?” I asked.
Brand looked up at me, then dipped his head. “By the next full moon.”
“Then do it,” I said, looking back to the Blueridge pack male. “Work on the rotation with him, help select the names on the duty schedule.”
“Really?” the old man grunted. “Didn’t think you’d ask us. Figured you’d just replace us.”
“I’m not here to replace anyone,” I said simply. “If I was, I wouldn’t be asking.”
That settled something.
A female from the Hollow’s outer sector stepped next to me. She looked exhausted, but her eyes were sharp. “I lostmy husband late last year. I’ve got three under ten, and I haven’t slept in days.”
I didn’t offer sympathy; she wasn’t looking for that.
“There are rooms in the pack hall you can use. I’m making space for anyone who doesn’t want to be separated from the pack right now. There will be guards that will rotate shifts there until further notice; there will be plenty on hand to ensure you get some sleep.” She bowed her head, and I wasn’t sure if it was because she was grateful or just too exhausted to keep standing straight. She went to move away, but I caught her elbow and lowered my voice. “And if any of your young need tutors or food, speak to Axel.” I gestured over to him. “I’ve assigned him to logistics along with Lewis; they’ve got resources,” I said. “Please don’t be afraid to ask.”
She looked up at me, blinked, and looked a little stunned. “It’s that easy?” she asked dubiously.
“This is a pack,” I said. “Pack help each other.”
I watched her as she walked away and wondered what had changed in the Hollow that a widowed shifter would find it hard to ask for help. Why hadn’t she gone to Rowen? I’d need to make sure my pack was asking the right questions. I saw several of the elders watching me, faces grim, saying nothing.
I watched them back. This was not how trust was built—it wasn’t by orders, but by outcomes. Solutions.
I felt Killian watching from the edge of the clearing, arms crossed, a ghost of a smirk on his face. He knew what this was. This wasn’t domination. This was integration.
It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t flashy. But itwasworking.
And as more voices spoke up—Blueridge, then Stonefang—something rare happened. They started speaking toeach other, not just to me.
Shifters from two sides, bonded by circumstance, slowly stitching together what years of pack politics had kept apart. And I let it happen. Stepped back. Watched. Intervened only when needed. Guided when it mattered.
Because being alpha didn’t mean I had to own every moment. It meant I had to shepherd them.
My gaze drifted toward the tree line where I knew Rowen lingered. She hadn’t joined us. Not yet. But her presence pulsed like a thread just out of reach.
Let her watch. Let her see. This wasn’t her pack or mine anymore.
It was theirs, and I was going to build it right.
By the timeI pushed open the heavy door to the house, dusk had settled deep into the Hollow. The kind of dark that crept between trees like it had a vendetta. I welcomed it.
Silence greeted me as I walked through the door. The living room was empty. No clatter of her in the kitchen. Just the steady hum of a house that hadn’t decided who it belonged to yet.
I closed the door behind me and took off my boots. The shirt I was wearing wasn’t mine and was stained from the day’s work. I pulled it off and left it near the door as a reminder to return it to the pack hall tomorrow. I rolled my shoulders once, then twice—the weight of command had settled on me like a second skin, and I was eager to shed it in the privacy of my home.
I looked up and saw her leaning against the doorway between the hall and the sitting room, arms crossed, hair loose over one shoulder, as if she hadn’t realized how lethal she looked like that.
