Six months after the trial, the snow melted from the valley. We called the place the Sanctuary. It stood on Darius’s land, hidden between two mountain ridges.
There was no Alpha hierarchy or fight for rank. The she-wolves who came here made their own choices.
Darius supplied timber, tools and transport. He never asked for possession in return. I built the shelter for she-wolves discarded or harmed by their mate bonds.
Elara left the Black Moon Pack to serve as my second-in-command. Her knowledge of healing herbs filled the stores, and her loyalty was given freely now.
Laughter carried between the cabins and the pines. Pups chased each other past the herb shed while their mothers worked, rested or argued over supper.
No one’s rank decided where she slept or whether she could stay.
One
