Kalen cries until there's nothing left.
Then he gets up.
That's the thing about alphas—they don't stay down. It's not strength, not exactly. It's more like they can't afford to be. The pack is always watching, always waiting to see if the man at the top is about to fall.
He washes his face in the cold stream at the cave's edge. Presses both hands flat against the rock and breathes for a long moment.
Then he opens the mind link.
Lilith. Come to the north ridge overlook. We need to talk.
Her reply comes back immediately. Kalen! Finally. Is this about Ella? The Elders have been sending messages—
Just come.
He closes the link.
---
She arrives twelve minutes later, slightly breathless, wearing a cloak that looks deliberately chosen to make her look fragile in the moonlight. She's good
