Chapter 3

“If we don’t show strength, we’ll be seen as weak. And weakness invites attack.”

The Alpha had intervened then, his tone as cold as the winter wind.

“Enough, Dante. This isn’t a challenge for dominance. We make decisions as a pack, not through force.”

The sting of his words lingered long after the meeting. I had thought I was fighting for the pack’s future, but to them, I was challenging the very foundation of our unity.

Through it all, Elara had been my anchor. Where the council saw recklessness, she saw potential. Where others doubted me, she believed. Her unwavering trust had been a lifeline, but it had also made leaving all the harder.

I remembered one night vividly—long before the council’s final decision—when we had walked together under the light of the full moon. The tension in the pack had already begun to weigh on me, but Elara’s presence was a balm.

“You’re not reckless,” she had said, her voice steady.