The next full moon emerged over Silverpine like a pearl over the trees, illuminating and casting silver light on the newly rebuilt courtyard. All ranks of the pack had assembled—warriors, scouts, the elder ones, pups—each in quiet anticipation.
Each wondering about their thoughts and minds.
Not in a fight.
Not for battle.
Not in a mating ceremony.
But something new in its entirety.
Mia stood on the stone platform with Lucas. Her boots were dusty and scuffed from training, and her braid was slightly undone/loose, but her eyes gleamed and were bright with determination. Her wolf settled, stirred inside of her, quiet but ready, ready for anything, coming or looking out through her eyes.
She did not wear a title.
She didn't need a title to admire for the things she did.
She didn't require one.
Lucas emerged and stepped forward first, speaking in a firm and steady, resonating, reverberating through the forest.
"Tonight, we acknowledge the start of a new era in Silverpine. We've faced betrayal. We've defended our homeland. And we create something better.
Not by title.
Not by label.
Not by name.
But by unity."
The wolves murmured in approval. And agreed to the terms and conditions.
Next, much to everyone's surprise, Lucas stepped aside.
Mia moved forward.
And the clearing was silent. Not a single voice of anyone!
The environment she created was lean, calm intense.
She didn't yell.
She didn't shout.
She never postured.
She simply spoke.
"For years, I was instructed along with other wolves to be quiet. That our value was measured by our rank and hierarchy in the pack. That if we were low-born, we should be thankful to even live and grateful to live this long."
Her voice remained firm, didn't waver.
"But when the enemy attacked, it was not rank that had kept this pack safe. It was bravery. Devotion, courage, Loyalty and Love."
Her gaze swept the crowd. "Omegas fought. Betas led. Alphas listened. That's not weakness. That's balance."
One ripple of energy passed or moved through the pack.
"So from this night forward," she continued, "we begin something new. A council where all ranks have a voice. Where decisions reflect the strength of every wolf. Because Silverpine does not belong to the strongest. It belongs to all of us."
Silence. Then___
Cry out.
A howl.
And another.
And another.
Up to the point the night was filled with sound—raw, proud, united.
Mia gazed and looked up at Lucas. He returned her gaze, his smile soft and generous.
"You've changed everything," he whispered.
She smiled. "Good. It was long overdue."
Following the gathering, Mia sat on the lodge steps, gazing and watching up at the stars reclaiming their rightful places in the sky. The howls had ceased and were replaced with soft laughter, crackling fires and the sound of a pack reunited. Ember sat down with her, plopping heavily beside her.
"Well, you did it," she said. "You created a movement. You made history.
No pressure."
"I didn't do it alone," Mia laughed.
"No," Ember responded. "But no other person could've done it first."
They sat in comfortable silence until Ember leaned in. "Do you think the elders will go along with the new council?"
"They already do," Mia replied. "They simply don't realize it yet."
He found her later that evening in their communally held den—a small and modest cabin on the outskirts, edge of the woods, built half by pack hands and half by themselves.
He stood with one arm braced against a doorframe, observing her sorting scrolls and meeting notes.
"You are becoming quite the politician," he chuckled.
"I like revolutionary better," she answered, raising an eyebrow.
Lucas pulled her inside and drew her gently into his embrace. "Do revolutionaries get to take days off?"
She relaxed and melted into him, her head against the rise of his chest. "We can negotiate that into the new charter."
He kissed her temple."Deal."
They remained there in the silence, their wolves curled under the stars outside, their future no longer an unknown but the road they were walking together—voice by voice, step by step.