Page 28 of Season's Greetings
“Please see that the elders of the Silverspire Collective get this.”
With that, he turned back to his office, quietly closing the door behind him.
Daniel leaned against the door, the wood cool against his forehead.
His breath hitched—shallow, ragged. While a small knot of dread formed in his belly.
Claudia had pushed him to his limit, so now he’d pushed back and done what needed to be done.
Chapter 13
Daniel
You know that saying about poking the bear?
Well, Daniel’s great-aunt Rhona—the matriarch of the North Star Pack—had been more than prodded by Claudia’s slurs. But it was her outlandish accusation that bears used their size to control and manipulate that pushed things too far.
“Auntie, are you sure issuing a statement is a good idea?” Daniel asked, wary. “I mean… us responding to her interview makes us look like we’re guilty of what she’s accusing us of.”
Ohhh, yikes.
When Auntie did that one raised-eyebrow thing, it was time to back away—slowly.
Daniel had been on the receiving end of many flicks around the ear for arguing points of pack honor.
“It’s time to show this viper who’s really in charge.”
Rhona’s voice, usually as smooth as aged whiskey, now carried the icy crackle of a blizzard.
Daniel knew that look in her eyes—the predatory gleam that meant someone, somewhere, was about to experience a world of hurt.
“Prepare the counter-offensive, dear boy. We shall dismantle this woman’s narrative, brick by hateful brick.”
He swallowed, the weight of the coming storm settling in his stomach.
There was no stopping Rhona now.
Public Statement from Elder Rhona Sanders of the North Star Pack
Issued via Pack Council Bulletin & Archived for Generational Reference
“In response to the recent remarks made by Ms. Claudia Hamilton regarding the character of Alpha Daniel Sanders, the legitimacy of ancestral bonding rites, and the conduct of North Star bears at large, I find it necessary—though not particularly pleasant—to issue a clarification.
Claudia Hamilton is, to my understanding, a silver fox by blood, a politician by upbringing, and a tactician by preference. I grant her cleverness. I do not grant her credibility.
Her attempt to dismantle the Hollow Moon Rite using emotional theatrics and species-based prejudice is not only unbecoming—it is reckless. To imply that bear alphas are incapable of love is no different than declaring that foxes cannot speak truth. Both are lies shaped to look like insight.
Daniel Sanders is my kin by birth and my peer by oath. His strength has never required volume, and his restraint is not weakness—it is wisdom. If Claudia had ever faced a bonded bear’s fury, she would not speak so loosely. That she hasn’t is the only reason she still can.
The bond in question was made in silence. That does not make it invalid. It makes it sacred. And the law, unlike public opinion, does not bend to social tantrums.
Let me be clear: should Ms. Hamilton continue her smear campaign disguised as activism, she will find herself no longer speaking to a council, but facing a lineage. And the North Star lineage remembers.
We prefer diplomacy. But we were not born soft.”
Addendum by the Pack Scribe:
This statement has been approved by Rhona Sanders. No edits were made. No edits were requested.
