Chapter 19 #2
I pull Rowan gently into my side. “How do you feel about sharing the rest of this evening with your father,” I murmur, low enough for only her to hear, “and making you both official members of Solara?”
Her breath catches, but her smile is immediate. “It would be more than okay with me.”
She looks back at Marius, and the emotion that pulses through our bond nearly knocks the wind from me.
Gratitude. Belonging. Relief.
All of it wrapped up in something fierce and permanent.
“Looks like I’ve shown up at the perfect time,” Bram says, a little too satisfied with himself.
Still, he’s right.
Through the pack link, I reach for every wolf present. The connection whirs to life instantly.
Thank you for joining us tonight, I project, letting my voice carry steady and strong through every thread.
There will be many more runs like this. Many more nights where we stand united.
Soon, you’ll feel your luna fully within the pack.
Rowan will be made an official part of Solara within the hour.
I expect approval. What I don’t expect is the roar that follows.
Cheers ripple through the clearing. Howls rise into the night. Wolves pound their paws against the earth in celebration.
Not a polite response. An enthusiastic acceptance.
“It seems we have their blessing,” I murmur to Rowan.
She blushes, which does something hot and dangerous to my chest.
Iris, Liz, and Archie join us, taking in the extra noise and our new guest.
“Approval for what?” Liz asks first, narrowing her eyes at Bram as if he might be up to something suspicious.
“Making Rowan and Marius official members of Solara,” I answer.
Iris exhales sharply, scandalized. “A little notice would have been nice. This deserves a dinner or cupcakes at minimum.”
“I don’t need anything,” Rowan assures her, but it doesn’t seem to soften the bitter old woman.
Iris whirls on her. “But you deserve it.”
The firmness in her voice stills the teasing tone.
And I find myself agreeing.
“We’ll celebrate properly tomorrow,” I say, tightening my hold on Rowan.
The pack quiets again, instinctively sensing the shift from celebration to ceremony as they begin to disperse. I could ask them to remain. They would. But this has always been a private moment—one reserved for the alpha, the beta, and the family chosen to witness it.
While Rowan’s family may be unconventional… They are no less worthy of standing here.
And I won’t bend tradition simply because it looks different than it once did.
Without telling the rest of them, I know exactly where we’re going to go and lead them back toward the trees.
It’s not far, and certainly not needed, but I know Rowan will appreciate it.
There was a section of wildflowers near a river that her wolf ran past several times tonight, and I lead our group there.
The forest thins as we move, giving way to a small clearing tucked between old cedar trunks. A narrow river cuts along one edge, its water silver beneath the moonlight, flowing steady and unbothered by wolf politics or supernatural wars.
Wildflowers bloom in uneven clusters along the bank—white, violet, and soft blue—their scent faint but clean in the cool night air. The breeze lifts their petals just enough to make the field feel alive.
Elias walks at my side, steady and silent, his presence grounding as always.
Rowan remains close enough that I can feel the warmth of her skin without touching her. I don’t need to look at her to know she’s watching the clearing, but I do anyway.
As we step fully into the moonlight, her gaze lifts and brightens—the brilliance of her eyes catching silver and gold at once.
She doesn’t say a word. She doesn’t have to.
Bram stops across from me without hesitation, instinctively understanding this is the place. He motions for Marius to stand between us.
Rowan steps back, moving beside her mother. Jocelyn slips an arm through her daughter’s, pride and emotion shining openly across her face. Liz stands just behind them, protective even in stillness, while Archie stays perched on her shoulder, tail curling around her collarbone.
Iris folds her arms like she’s unimpressed, though her eyes miss nothing.
It’s a moment I’m certain none of them has been witness to before.
The moon hangs directly overhead now—full and bright—silver light spilling across the grass like a blessing. There are no formal altars or elaborate rituals.
Just us, the earth beneath our feet, and the magic that binds one wolf to another.
Bram inhales once, deep and measured.
“Marius Landry of Stoneclaw,” he begins, voice low but carrying, “you were born into our pack. You have bled for Stoneclaw. Fought alongside your brothers and sisters. Protected our borders and our people.”
Marius stands straight, hands relaxed at his sides, but I see the weight of memory in his eyes.
“But your path has shifted,” Bram continues. “And an alpha does not chain a wolf to a life that is no longer his.” He clasps Marius’s forearms. “I, Alpha of Stoneclaw, release you from your born pack.”
The words aren’t shouted. They don’t need to be.