Meanwhile back at Alaric’s Pack…
Alaric’s POV:
Valerie’s words had haunted me for days.
*”If you need more of me, you know what you have to do.”*
She was right. The coronation couldn’t be delayed any longer. The elders were growing restless, the pack needed stability, and Valerie… she deserved an answer.
But was I doing this for the right reasons?
I had told myself I needed time—time to be sure this wasn’t just about appeasing the elders or proving something to Thalia. But the truth was, my choices had narrowed to a single path. Valerie was the only viable option. The only *respectable* one.
Thalia might have been my fated mate, but fate had a cruel sense of humor. A slave as Luna? The pack would never accept it. The elders would revolt. And after what she did—trying to t
