He simply declared it.
“You will not be absorbed,” he said. “You will not be diminished. You will not be corrected into likeness.”
The forest carried the sound of wind through pine needles.
“You will be allied,” he finished.
The acting alpha folded his arms loosely across his chest, considering.
“And if alliance invites encroachment from those who fear it?” he asked.
“Then it serves its purpose,” Thoren replied.
The pack grew quiet again.
“You believe public declaration will deter the northern group,” the acting alpha said.
“Yes,” Thoren answered plainly. “Ambiguity invites testing. Clarity discourages it.”
“And if they see it as expansion?”
“They will see it as unification,” Thoren corrected.
There was no arrogance in it. Only strategic awareness.
I spoke again, softer but st
