Page 115 of The Reaper's Vow
A low rumble moves through the crowd.
“Blackwood hoarded resources,” I continue. “Food, medicine, information. Those will be distributed immediately. Tonight, we will celebrate this new beginning. Not as the Blackwood pack, but as the Rosemark pack.”
A pause settles over the clearing as they process the name.
“The Rosemark pack,” I repeat, letting the words settle. “We honor both our histories while building something new together.”
We hadn't discussed this beforehand, but the rightness of it resonates between us. Not the Marek pack extending its reach, not the Blackwood pack under new management, but something entirely fresh.
“Return to your homes. Tend to your families. Tonight, we gather here again to break bread together as a unified pack.”
The wolves disperse slowly, many still casting uncertain glances in our direction. Change doesn't come easily after years of oppression. Trust will take time to build, but we've taken the first step.
“Rosemark,” Karina murmurs beside me. “You didn't tell me.”
I turn to her, drinking in the sight of her proud stance. “It came to me in the moment. Do you like it?”
“I love it.” Her fingers find mine, squeezing gently. “A new beginning for all of us.”
“For all of us,” I echo, bringing her hand to my lips.
Karina leans into me, her warmth grounding the enormity of the moment. Around us, the clearing grows quiet, the last steps fading into the forest until only the quiet rustle of leaves remain.
For the first time in years, I can see leadership not as a burden, but as a promise. The name Rosemark doesn’t just bind our lines together—it binds every wolf who calls this pack home.It is carved from the past but aimed toward a future we will shape with our own hands and fangs.
A breeze sweeps through, carrying with it the mingled scents of pine and hope. Life, fragile and enduring. My chest tightens with the fierce need to protect it, to prove that this change was not born of ambition but of love—for Karina, for our wolves, for the generations yet to come.
Karina tilts her head. “Tomorrow will be hard.”
“Yes,” I admit. “But tonight, we begin again. Together.”
She smiles, and it’s like the sun breaking through storm clouds. “Then let’s make sure they believe it.”
Karina - Six Months Later
Six months ago, I was a woman who hid from what she was. Now I'm the Luna of the Rosemark territory, and I've learned that power isn't something you're given. It's something you take.
I stand at the window of our study, watching snow gather on the pines that surround our home. The mountains look different in winter.
“The eastern border patrol just reported in,” Damien says from his desk, not looking up from the maps spread before him. “No sign of trespassers since we installed the new security system.”
I nod, my fingers tracing patterns on the cold glass. “That's the third quiet week in a row. Maybe they're finally getting the message.”
“Or they're planning something bigger.” His voice carries that edge it always does when we discuss potential threats. Six months as Alpha hasn't softened my Damien’s paranoia—if anything, it's sharpened it.
As Damien predicted, the inner circle of Lockhart's pack fought us at every turn during those first brutal weeks. Three challenges for leadership in the first month alone. I still remember the sound of bones breaking as Damien put down the last one—a hulking enforcer named Vance who thought I'd be the weaker target. He learned quickly that being Elena Rosewood's daughter meant I inherited more than just her looks.
The rest of the pack fell into place more easily than we expected.
While Damien and I had agreed for me to assume the role of Luna for this pack to keep the peace with the more outspoken, traditional wolves under our care, I have been training, growing stronger and faster every day. Preparing for the fight ahead for my own pack lands. The lands I would rule as alpha with Damien by my side. We’ve been workshopping names for a male Luna, but he hasn’t liked any of my suggestions. Though Luman is still my favorite. Maybe it will grow on him.
“I'll be ready when they come,” I say, turning from the window to face him. The firelight catches on Damien's face, highlighting the new scar that runs along his jawline—a souvenir from the second challenge. I've memorized every inch of that face, every expression, every micro-movement that betrays his thoughts before he speaks to them.
“I know you will. Your combat training with Gabriel is going well. He says you're a natural.”
I can't help but smile at that. Gabriel has become one of our most loyal allies. After recovering from Saloma's bullet, he took it upon himself to train me personally. Repayment, he says, for failing to protect me that night at Crimson Howl.
“I'm still not as fast as you,” I admit, crossing the room to stand behind him. My hands find his shoulders, feeling the tension coiled there like springs. “But I'm getting stronger every day.”
