Alpha Orion’s POV
The moon rode high and cold in the velvet sky as I mounted my steed outside the packhouse gates. Night had descended fully, wrapping our territory in silver light and deep shadows. A chill wind rustled the pines, carrying with it the earthy scent of pine needles and distant moss. Beneath my cloak, I felt the weight of my mantle: not just leather and steel, but the life of our pack entrusted to me.
I had heard rumors of Leila’s restlessness, her desperate longing to flee the safety my sons had built. I worried, as any guardian would, that the magic still tangled in her mind would push her toward danger. Tonight, I resolved to find her before she crossed the border. Under my leadership, no wolf of ours would walk alone into peril.
I rode to the eastern boundary, where th
