*Elias* I was surprised to be called upon by the Alpha of Shimmer Stone. I entered the throne room with my head held high, trying to appear as if I had nothing to hide. It was thankfully a skill that I developed at a young age. If I hadn’t learned to do so, I would likely be dead by now. Alpha Roarke was a stern leader. I gathered quickly that while his people feared him, they respected him more. He had the air of a shifter who one didn’t want to mess with but also of one who could be approached with problems to find a solution. He walked that line well and I envied him for it. Not that I didn’t believe my people respected me. They definitely did but I was under the impression that they feared me more, which worked well in most cases but perhaps that is what I was lacking in my own

