Never had Silverpine been filled with strangers.
At dawn, the compound was filled with strange smells and visiting wolves. The first session of the summit would begin at midday, and the long-unused ceremonial structure was filled with the sound of wolves from everywhere around the region. Emissaries, leaders of allied and rival packs, and various human intermediaries were already moving around as if they owned the place.
And the rumors began again.
"The omega returns."
She declined the rejection.
She follows the Alpha as if she were Luna.
She isn't. No longer.
She ignored them.
She marched down the corridor in a fitted black jacket, hair wild and tied up in an unkempt plait, eyes impassive. She no longer hid herself, apologized for taking up space. She moved on purpose, no longer apologizing. She took each step firmly, each glance calculated.
Her wolf was at her side now, peaceful and observant, no longer cringing within.
"Do you feel it?" Ember whispered to her.
She nodded. "They're afraid."
"Of you?"
"Of change"
She halted at the doorway of the grand hall, taking in the gathering of wolves. Elder Garran stood by the fire pit, bargaining with three leaders among the packs. Beta Cade oversaw security posts by the doors. On the other side of the room, Lucas stood among the Northern Delegates, attired in ceremonial armor adorned with silver fur.
He was the ultimate Alpha.
But he glanced over, and for one moment, he was again simply Lucas. The boy who had hesitated. The man who had tried too late to mend what he had broken.
She looked away first.
The initial session of the summit started with formalities. There were introductions, updates on territories, news of errant moves, and trade deals. But beneath all this, tension brewed like an impending storm.
They all viewed Silverpine.
And all eyes were upon Mia.
When Elder Garran stood up to speak to the pack, there was a pause. As was customary, the representative of the Alpha would remain beside him.
The Luna.
However, Mia stood up.
She moved down the aisle alone, all eyes on her, all air stilled within the room.
Lucas didn't stop her.
She stood beside Garran, standing tall and composed. "I am speaking on Silverpine's behalf here," she asserted, her voice resonating loudly. "Not as Alpha or as Luna. But as one wolf of this earth who has endured and struggled on its account."
Gasps echoed. Whispers rippled.
She went on.
We are not who we used to be. The world is changing, and so must our packs. Rank does not make one wise. Power does not always make one right. And fear cannot be the currency of leaders.
Silence pervaded the hall.
Mia turned her head toward Lucas, just for a moment.
And he nodded ever so slightly.
She was doing something he never managed to do by himself—pushing the pack toward a new reality.
They then had lunch and discussion breaks among smaller groups. Mia took a walk around the forest edge, taking up some space. She hadn't intended on speaking, but the words had come from deep within her—one that had been silenced too long.
She no longer feared.
Mia
She turned to observe a woman stepping out from behind the trees.
Tall and elegant. She dons dark red leather, and the Blackridge logo is emblazoned on her.
The opposing team.
She stiffened. "You're not supposed to be here alone."
She smiled tightly. "Neither are you."
They looked at one another. No bows. No formal greetings.
"I know who you are," declared the Blackridge wolf. "And I know you are transforming into something."
"And what's that?" Mia maintained an even tone.
"A threat," she said bluntly. "Not because you're powerful. But because you're demonstrating that omegas don't necessarily have to kneel. That mates can choose their fate. That terror isn't the means to gain control."
She did not move. "And what do you wish?"
She moved closer. "I want you to know you are not safe. Not here. Not even when the Alpha is watching you."
She smiled again. "Because we're watching too."
And she disappeared into the woods, as silently as a shadow.
She stood there immobile for quite some time, her heart beat rising steadily.
So it was true. Blackridge was not just hanging around—they were plotting. Waiting. Testing.
And they saw her as a challenge.
This meant she was on the right track. But it also meant that the summit… had just become much more dangerous.