The decision to formalize our bond was not romantic.
It was strategic.
That did not make it less sacred.
In Montenegro, the Mating Run is older than council law. Older than borders. It predates written records, passed down through oral memory and scar tissue.
An Alpha does not simply claim a mate. He runs with them beneath the moon, through pack territory, in full wolf form. If the bond holds under instinct—under chase, under terrain, under hunger—it is recognized as unbreakable.
No ceremony inside stone walls can replicate that.
Europe would be watching Vienna.
But Montenegro would be watching us.
Derek announced the Run at council with calm authority. No theatrics. No indulgence. A formal declaration entered into the pack record. The date set for the next full moon.
There were
