The Alpha and His Equal
The valley had never held so much light.
Rows of flickering lanterns swung from tree limbs like glowing firefruit. Wolf pups darted between legs, laughing and howling, while elders draped in ceremonial pelts watched with quiet wonder. Banners woven from every former pack’s insignia hung side by side—sun, storm, ash, bone. Old symbols stitched into new meanings.
And at the heart of it all stood the half-built stone dais where Rowan would soon rise—not alone, but beside Caleb.
Tonight was the Alpha Ceremony.
But it would be like none that had come before.
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Earlier That Morning – The Dressing Tent
Rowan stood before the mirror, his reflection a stranger in ceremonial armor. The dark leather gleamed with silver threading and ancient knotwork. A mantle of fore
