Chapter 22 #2
"He did. And the pack needed new blood, someone with outside perspective and specialized skills." I watch Ethan animatedly discussing research with Ava. "Plus, having another scientist around might help normalize Ava's presence for some of the more traditional members."
"Speaking of traditional members—" Gregory glances toward where Garrett stands at the edge of the clearing, looking uncertain. "Have you talked to the boy?"
"Not yet. I wanted to give him time to process Marcus's decision." I cross my arms. "But I should probably do that tonight, before he makes any rash choices."
"Go. I'll wrap things up here." Gregory claps me on the shoulder. "And Hunter? You're handling all of this well. The challenge, Marcus leaving, integrating Ethan, managing the EnvironTech situation. Curtis would be proud."
The words hit deeper than he probably intended. "Thank you. That means a lot."
I make my way to where Garrett is standing, trying to look anywhere but at me. When I stop beside him, he visibly tenses.
"Garrett. Walk with me."
It's not a request, and he knows it. We move away from the clearing, following a familiar path deeper into the woods.
"I'm not leaving," Garrett says before I can speak. "I know you probably expect me to follow Marcus, but I'm not."
"Why not?"
He's quiet for a moment, clearly struggling with how to explain.
"Because Marcus is my uncle and I love him, but he's wrong.
About you, about Ava, about the direction the pack needs to go.
" He kicks at a fallen branch. "I didn't see it before the challenge.
I was so caught up in Marcus's arguments, in his resentment, that I couldn't see what was actually happening. "
"And what's actually happening?"
"You're making the pack stronger. The tourism brings in money, the alliance with Parkerville gives us political protection, working with Ava stopped EnvironTech from poisoning our land.
" He meets my eyes, direct for the first time.
"Marcus couldn't see past tradition to understand that adaptation isn't betrayal. But I can."
I study him, this young wolf who was ready to support a challenge against me just weeks ago. He looks different now, less arrogant, more thoughtful.
"If you stay, I need your complete loyalty. No more undermining my decisions, no more questioning my authority in public, no more supporting challenges to my leadership."
"I understand. And I can give you that." He straightens his shoulders. "I want to be part of this pack's future, not stuck in its past. I want to learn from what happened, do better."
"Good. Because I could use wolves like you. Someone young, adaptable, willing to think beyond tradition." I turn to head back toward the clearing. "But if you betray that trust, if you give me any reason to doubt your loyalty, I won't be as merciful as I was with Marcus. Understood?"
"Understood, Alpha."
As we walk back, I feel cautiously optimistic. Marcus leaving removes a source of constant opposition. Having Garrett stay, fully committed to supporting my leadership, gives me a chance to mentor the next generation, to shape the pack's future in a more intentional way.
The celebration continues for another hour, pack members mingling, sharing food that Caleb somehow produced despite short notice. Ava stays close to me, clearly more comfortable with pack gatherings now but still not entirely at ease.
"You're doing great," I murmur to her between conversations.
"I'm trying. It's just a lot of people, a lot of expectations." She leans into me slightly. "And I keep feeling like I should be doing something, fulfilling some Luna duty I don't know about."
"You're here. That's enough for now." I kiss her temple. "The rest you'll learn as we go."
Caleb approaches, Rachel on his arm. "Great ceremony. Ethan looked like he was going to cry."
"He might have, a little," Rachel says. "It was sweet. And Hunter, speaking of ceremonies—we need to talk about ours."
"The formal mate bond recognition?" I'd been expecting this.
"That, and our wedding." Caleb grins. "We've been engaged for a year and a half. It's time to actually do this thing."
"Finally!" Ava exclaims. "When?"
"Three weeks from now. Small ceremony, just the pack and close friends. We were hoping you two would stand up with us?" Rachel looks between us hopefully.
"Of course," I say immediately. "We'd be honored."
"Excellent. Because I already told everyone we were doing it, so you couldn't really say no anyway." Rachel pulls out her phone, which apparently has detailed wedding plans already loaded. "Now, we need to talk about location, catering, decorations?—"
"Rachel, we have three weeks," Caleb protests. "This is supposed to be simple."
"It will be simple. Simple but perfect." She starts listing tasks, and I see Caleb's eyes glaze over slightly.
Ava catches my eye and grins. "Should we rescue him?"
"Absolutely not. He proposed, he can deal with the consequences."
We stay at the gathering clearing until the moon is high, pack members gradually drifting home until it's just the core group—Caleb and Rachel, Ethan looking dazed but happy, Gregory sharing stories with Curtis, and a handful of other close pack members.
"This is good," Gregory says, watching the easy camaraderie. "This is what pack is supposed to feel like. Not everyone agreeing on everything, but everyone committed to each other despite disagreements."
"Marcus would call it weakness," I observe.
"Marcus was afraid of change. But change is coming whether we want it or not. The question is whether we adapt or get left behind." Gregory stands, joints creaking. "You're doing good work, Hunter. Keep it up."
After he leaves, Caleb pulls me aside. "I heard about Marcus. You okay with how that went down?"
"Yeah. It was the right outcome for everyone." I watch Ava talking with Rachel and Ethan, animated and engaged. "And honestly, with everything else happening—the EnvironTech case, Ava's manuscript, the security concerns—I don't have the energy to manage Marcus's resentment on top of it all."
"Fair. And speaking of security, Wade said there haven't been any more threatening messages since that first one. EnvironTech might be backing off now that the legal proceedings are moving forward."
"Maybe. Or they're regrouping, planning their next move." I shake my head. "Either way, we keep the security detail until this is completely resolved."
"Agreed." Caleb glances at Rachel and Ava. "So, three weeks until the wedding. Think you can keep Ava safe and help her finish her manuscript and not let the pack fall apart in that time?"
"Piece of cake," I say, and we both laugh because it's absolutely not going to be easy.
But as I watch Ava laugh at something Ethan said, as I feel the pack bond humming with contentment and belonging, as I see the future stretching out ahead of us full of challenges but also possibilities, I know we'll make it work.
Because that's what family does.
The next morning, I meet with Sheriff Matthews and the mayor of Parkerville at the diner halfway between our territories. It's time to formalize some of the informal alliances we've been building.
The mayor is older, sharp-eyed and practical.
"Hunter, good to see you. I hear congratulations are in order. The EPA shut down EnvironTech completely."