"Not helping, Keal," I said, glaring him.
Luca waved a hand, muffling the whispers among the assembled wolves. "This is not a trap," he said firmly. "It is a trial." The competitor Alpha has challenged us; if we back down now, we will demonstrate weakness. But standing together shows us that this pack is indestructible.
The murmurs of the herd became quieter, Luca's relentless determination calming their discomfort. As it linked us all, I felt the relationship throbbing softly, its energy consistent yet slightly charged with tension.
What would happen should we fail? One of the younger wolves inquired gingerly.
"We won't," Luca answered, his grey eyes ablaze with will. "Because we cannot afford it. Everything we have battled for, the connection, the pack, rests on us.
The march to the territory of the opposing Alpha was tense; the forest alive with distant howling and leaf rustling. The group moved deliberately and in unison, silent at first.
