Page 137 of Unforgivable

Inuit's mouth twists into a grimace. "Strongest? We died. My father, my uncles, my cousins. All the strongest Adlartok warriors are gone."

Alpha Macon nods. "And as you grow older, I will teach you all I know about it, young wolf. I will show you where they went wrong, how they misstepped. But you are still here. And this pack..." he takes a deep breath, "this pack is Lyri's pack. She is the mother wolf to the RustClaw, even if it goes unrecognized for now. Will you abandon her and your brothers to-"

"I will never abandon my family!" Inuit snarls. His left fist pounds on his young, thin chest, forefinger pointed to the sky. The sign of a pledge in his birth pack. "I am no coward."

"Stop," Lyri interrupts, "he's only a pup. What are you trying to accomplish here?"

"A replacement, young Lyri. A new alphason, to be raised by the current Luna and her males." Alpha Macon looks at my female, "you have to understand, Lyri. If you and your males fight against my son, then war will come, and not from you or him. Other packs will sense the weakness and destroy all of RustClaw. But... with a more peaceful transfer, a strong heir, a powerful Luna with her powerful males, allies," he glances at Carmichael, "RustClaw can live on."

"Daan will die," Thjis says with a dark edge to his voice. "He can't live, and neither can his bitch."

I shake my head. Goddess, this plan will be nearly impossible to carry out... the pieces will have to fall flawlessly.

"What's the plan, Rhet?" Carmichael defers to me, for once.

"Daan must die," I agree with Thjis. He sits back, satisfaction on his face. "Cloe can die, too," I throw in for my Lyri. She deserves to watch her rival bleed out. "She hardly matters in this. She's a weak wolf and can't mount a defense against a pup, let alone us."

I pause. "What will your son do when he knows the truth?" I ask Alpha Macon. I'm more concerned with Alpha Jax's reaction. If he sides with his son, then a battle between most of the pack and us is inevitable.

"That's the question our future hinges on, young wolf."

I nod, feeling the weight on my shoulders. "Then we will plan for every inevitability. Just know that Lyri is our female, our luna. And your grandson will die."

Alpha Macon nods. He looks like he's aged another decade in the last couple of hours.

"There's a very nice young wolf in the closet." Elder Bea comes toddling into the room.

---

Lyri

For all that she looks like a sweet and unassuming grandmother, Elder Bea is sharp as a tack and as vicious as the warrior female she once was. So her hazy, confused demeanor may fool the males, but I know it's all an act. She knows exactly what she's doing. 'There's a nice young wolf in the closet,' pfft. What, precisely, is she even doing in Thjis' bedroom? Elders.

Thjis stands up and leaves the room, presumably to check on Devel. Dad and Alpha Macon look as confused as Bea does. Their confusion must be genuine. Her announcement comes across as either an extremely odd reveal or the insane mutterings of a she-wolf descending into dementia.

Bea does not have dementia.

I stand up and wrap my arm around Inuit's shoulders. "Let's go see what Penny and Sarj are doing," I tell him. I won't let Alpha Macon bully him into accepting the role of replacement alphason when he's only a twelve-year-old pup.

"Lyri," he says softly. A rare smile crosses his face. "Are you staying here in the pack?"

I nod firmly. No more thoughts of running away. If Alpha Macon is honest, and I think he is, then I'll stay and fight for the pack, for my males' home. "Yes, In."

"OK," he says softly. We all stand in silence as Bea bustles around the kitchen, making her tea.

"Then, you are the Luna. And I will be the alphason," he says. His voice is quiet and calm but holds a deep sorrow. His wolf... not even emerged. It will be at least another year, maybe more, before Inuit shifts for the first time. If what Alpha Macon says is true, and I have no reason to believe that Inuit isn't this male, Tarkik, then In's wolf will seek out a pack to rule. It is the nature of alphas.

All of a sudden, my thoughts of a free life, a life of solitude with my males here on the ranch, have been dashed. The unspoken truth is that Inuit would have left us one day. His wolf would have driven him to Challenge an alpha, somewhere. If he chains himself to the RustClaw because of me, then I can't do anything other than fully support his bid for alpha. Which means I need to give up on hiding, on escaping, and focus on the battle ahead.

Daan and Cloe are genuinely the enemies now. Alpha Jax and Luna Jessi and anyone who sides with my mate and his choice is, too. There is no other option but to make sure, with whatever means necessary, to put Inuit in charge.

"Angel, you're squeezing the life out of the pup," Rhet nuzzles my hair lightly with his nose.

I look at Inuit. My arms are wrapped around him like a vise. "Oh," I let go. Inuit just blushes a little.

I hug him again, just for a little while. If he's an alpha, then soon he'll be too big to fit in my arms.

When he heaves a sigh of annoyance, I let go again. "Alright," I sigh, too. "I want to check on Devel."

---