Alpha japhet pov
The weight of the Alpha mantle bore down on me like a boulder strapped to my back. Standing at the head of the courtyard, I faced the pack—my pack. Dozens of eyes bore into me, expectant, searching, as if I could conjure up the answers to everything wrong in their lives.
The sun was ruthless, pouring down on us like molten steel, making the air shimmer with heat. Sweat beaded on the back of my neck, but the chill I felt had nothing to do with the weather. Inside, it was nothing but ice—sharp, unforgiving, and cold.
I let my gaze wander over the crowd, scanning their faces. Some looked up at me with reverence, others with thinly veiled doubt, but none of them held what I was really searching for. My eyes drifted to the edges of the gathering, the places where the timid
