Lucas
"You're wrong, Cedric," I said, my voice calm but firm. "Compassion is not weakness. Loyalty is not weakness. Love is not weakness. These are the things that make us strong, that bind a pack together."
I turned to the pack members gathered in the room. "As your Alpha, I could pass judgment now. But that is not the kind of leader I want to be. Cedric's fate will be decided by pack law, with a fair trial."
I saw the approval in their eyes, the respect. This, I realized, was what being an Alpha truly meant. Not ruling through fear or force, but through justice and compassion.
As Cedric was led away, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. We had done it. We had changed the future.
---
I blinked, coming back to the present. Shirley was watching me intently, her hand squeezing mine
