The drums start rolling again, silence among the crowd as we await Jaxon’s judgement.
My teeth clatter, my chest aching from all the relentless banging of my heart.
I hold my breath when the leader of the elders rises, his slanted eyes fixed on Jaxon. The drumming stops.
“Jaxon Lockwood, son of Aredian and the Luna, Margaret Lockwood,” his voice echoes through the silence, steady and sure. “you’ve stood before the elders and undergone the trial of ascension or exile.” A long pause follows. “By the power vested in me by the pack and fellow elders, you are hereby…”
Oh God. Oh God, I bite my fingers, my chest going tighter and tighter.
“Proclaimed Alpha, leader and protector of the Oakwood pack, commander of the betas and gammas, lord of the omegas, the King Wolf.”
“The King Wolf!” The
