Chapter 7 - The Day I Took My Father's Place
Blackwater called me home the following spring.
My father's territory had remained legally mine.
But I'd never claimed the title.
Now the council requested a formal succession ceremony.
I almost refused.
Then I remembered my father's words.
You were born one.
I accepted.
Hundreds of wolves gathered beneath the pines.
The Vain Guard stood behind me.
Sloan stood beside me.
Elise rested in my arms.
The elders came forward.
The oldest asked:
"Do you accept the burden of Alpha?"
I looked at my daughter.
Then at the pack.
"I accept the responsibility."
He smiled.
"What is the difference?"
"The burden is power."
"The responsibility is people."
The pack began to howl.
Not for me.
For what the title represented.
I became Alpha of Blackwater.
And Iron Ridge recognized me as its protector.
I did not become what Cassian had been.
I became what my father had wanted to be.
A guardian.
Years later, Cassian was released under strict conditions.
I saw him once.
He looked older.
Smaller.
He had lost everything.
His title.
His fortune.
His influence.
But he still had a chance to become something else.
He stood before me.
"I don't expect forgiveness."
"I know."
"I wanted to say thank you."
"For what?"
"You could have destroyed me."
"I chose not to."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want my daughter growing up thinking cruelty is justice."
He looked at Elise.
She was five then.
She was holding my hand.
Cassian smiled sadly.
"She's beautiful."
"She is."
"Did you ever love me?"
I thought about it.
"Once."
He looked down.
"I wish I had understood that."
"So do I."
He nodded.
Then he left.
I never saw him again.
Life became quieter.
I married no one.
Not because I hated love.
Because I had learned that I could love without needing someone to complete me.
Then, three years later, someone new came into my life.
His name was Rowan Hale.
He was a wolf from the northern territory.
He worked with livestock rescue.
He had no interest in my inheritance.
He didn't care that I was Alpha.
The first time we met, he was covered in mud.
He held a frightened foal.
"You've got a good hand," I said.
"So do you."
"You've been here before?"
"No."
"Then why aren't you scared?"
He laughed.
"Should I be?"
I smiled.
"I suppose not."
He looked at me.
"You're the Alpha."
"Yes."
"Then why are you carrying that feed bucket?"
"Because the horse doesn't care about my title."
He laughed.
I liked him immediately.
Not because of a bond.
Not because of destiny.
Because he respected the work.
The relationship developed slowly.
No promises.
No ownership.
No urgency.
He met Elise.
She adored him.
Years later, he asked me to marry him.
Not in front of the pack.
Not on a stage.
Not with political promises.
Just beneath the old oak tree.
"Do you want this?"
I asked.
He smiled.
"Only if you do."
May you like
That was enough.
I said yes.
