The Passing of Power
Jayce
Sienna’s hand remains locked around mine as we walk beneath the warm glow of the fairy lights, her burgundy train gliding over the grass behind her whilst the music fades completely. Every face turns towards us, watching silently for the moment the pack itself changes.
These are my people. People I’ve grown up with, trained beside and fought for. Families who trusted Dad to protect them, warriors who followed him into battles without hesitation, and children who have never known another Alpha.
Soon, all of that responsibility will belong to me. The thought should feel heavier than it does, but with Sienna beside me, it settles differently.
Dad steps onto the dais before turning towards those gathered around. Grandad and Grandma stand a short distance behind him; the pride in their eyes is impossible to miss.
Sienna gives my hand a gentle squeeze before stepping towards them.
You got this, Handsome.
Our eyes meet before I turn to Dad and step up beside him. The entire garden is silent, and even the children seem to realise something important is about to happen.
Dad looks out across the garden; for a few moments, he says nothing. His gaze travels over the pack, lingering on familiar faces as if he’s remembering every year he has stood before them as their Alpha, every victory, every loss and every person who should have been here tonight but isn’t.
Like Mom.
The thought strikes hard, and judging by the brief flicker in Dad’s eyes, I know he’s thinking about her, too.
“We are gathered tonight to witness one of the most important moments in the history of the Blood Moon Pack,” he begins, his voice carrying clearly through the garden.
“A change in leadership is not simply the passing of a title. It is the passing of every life, every promise, and every responsibility that comes with this pack.”
The silence deepens as everyone listens. My brothers and sister stand in the front row. Ares is listening intently, Carter has a smirk of approval, Renji is smiling, and Katara’s smile is soft, too, like she’s set aside all her anger. I just wish Theo was here as well…
“For many years, I have had the honour of standing before you as your Alpha. I have watched this pack grow, endured losses with you, and witnessed the strength that exists within every family gathered here tonight.” His eyes move across the crowd once more before settling on me.
“But no Alpha is meant to hold his position forever.”
My jaw tightens slightly. Neither Dad nor I are that vocal about our emotions, but I can see the emotions in his eyes.
“Tonight, I pass that responsibility to my son.”
A pressure builds in my chest, and I swallow. There was a time I didn’t think I’d take this position, but no matter what the war expects of me, this is my duty and honour first and foremost.
“Jayce has never followed the easy path,” Dad continues. “He has faced trials that would have broken many others, and although there were times he doubted the man he was becoming, I never doubted the leader within him.”
Fuck.
My eyes flick towards Sienna.
She’s watching me with a softness that makes the pressure inside my chest grow worse, her red eyes shining beneath the lights as she gives me the faintest smile.
Dad steps closer.
“He has made difficult decisions, carried consequences that were never easy to bear, and stood between those he loves and dangers most could not begin to understand. He has already fought for this pack, protected this family and proven that being a leader is not about never making mistakes. It is about having the strength to face them, learn from them, and continue standing when others need you.”
His voice remains steady, but I hear the slight roughness beneath it.
“I wish your mother were here tonight.” The words almost fucking undo me.
Around us, the silence becomes absolute.
Dad’s eyes glisten, but he doesn’t look away.
“She believed in you long before you learned to believe in yourself. She knew the kind of man you would become, and I know that if she were standing here, she would be prouder than anyone else.”
I swallow, forcing air into lungs that suddenly don’t seem to work properly. Reaching up, I brush my thumb along the chain I always wear, the one that reminds me of her.
Dad places his hand on my shoulder.
“I am proud to call you my son,” he says quietly, no longer speaking only to the pack. “And I am proud to place the Blood Moon Pack in your hands.”
Emotion tightens my throat, leaving me with none of the arrogant comments I usually use when something hits too close.
“Thanks, Dad,” I manage quietly.
His hand tightens briefly before he steps back, and there’s an understanding between us that doesn’t need anything more.
Grandad approaches, carrying the ceremonial dagger that has been used by the Westwood Alphas for generations. Its dark handle bears the crest of the Blood Moon Pack, the silver blade catching the light as Dad accepts it from him.
“This blade has drawn the blood of every Alpha who has led our pack,” Dad says, holding it between us. “Blood freely given binds the Alpha to his people, and the people to their Alpha. The title grants authority, but the oath demands service.”
“Jayce Westwood, do you stand before your pack willingly, knowing that their lives, their safety, and their futures will become your responsibility?”
“I do.”
“Do you vow to place the pack before pride, to lead without fear, and to protect every member beneath your command?”
“I do.”
“And do you accept that power is not given for your benefit, but entrusted to you for theirs?”
My gaze moves across the people gathered before me.
Dad.
My brothers and sister.
Grandad.
Grandma.
The warriors I trained with.
The children who will one day look to me the way I once looked to Dad.
Then my eyes settle on Sienna.
My mate stands a few feet away, with one hand resting lightly over our child, her gaze fixed on mine with absolute faith.
“I do,” I answer, stronger this time.
Dad draws the blade across his palm.
Blood spills from the cut before he raises his hand between us.
“I, Liam Westwood, Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, relinquish my title and the authority bound to it. By blood, oath, and the will of the pack, I name my son, Jayce Westwood, as my successor. May he serve, protect, and lead the Blood Moon Pack from this night until the title passes from him.”
He holds the dagger out to me, and I take it. The weight of it is nothing compared to the words he has just spoken. I draw the blade across my palm, barely feeling the sting as blood rises to the surface.
“I, Jayce Westwood, accept the title of Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. By my blood and my will, I vow to serve this pack, protect its people and lead without placing myself above those who place their trust in me. Their lives will be my responsibility, their enemies mine, and their futures, their legacies, I will defend.”
I take Dad’s hand. The moment our blood meets, power surges through me.
It doesn’t strike like lightning or tear through me the way divine power does.
It spreads deeper, flowing into my bones as thousands of connections awaken at once.
I feel every member of the Blood Moon Pack like distant heartbeats surrounding my own, countless threads pulling taut as the authority Dad carried for years passes from him and settles into me.
My wolf surges forward with a roar of approval. My aura rolls through the pack grounds. Every wolf present feels the force of it. Heads bow, and a wave of acceptance seeps through the link as clear as spoken words.
Dad releases my hand, and although the strength of his Alpha aura has faded, he looks lighter rather than diminished, as if a burden he has carried for far too long has finally been placed where it belongs.
“Your pack,” he says quietly.
I look out at them.
“My pack,” I repeat.
Then I turn towards Sienna.
She is already watching me, and everything else seems to fall away again. The pack, the power, and the title all matter, but none of it feels complete without her standing beside me. I hold out my bloodied hand.
“Come here, Darling.”
Her heart thuds as she steps forward, gathering part of her skirt in one hand as she walks towards the platform. When she reaches me, I take her hand and help her up, my gaze moving over her face before settling on the mark at her neck.
“You ready?” I murmur.
She smiles, emotion bright in her eyes. “With you by my side? Always.”
I smile faintly before turning us towards the pack, keeping her hand in mine.
“Tradition asks a luna to promise obedience to her alpha,” I begin, and several elders glance towards me, already realising I’m not going to repeat the old vow exactly as it was written.
“But I have no interest in a Luna who walks behind me.” Sienna’s fingers tighten around mine.
“My mate has stood beside me against enemies, gods, and monsters. She has challenged me when I was wrong, protected those I could not reach and proven that her strength belongs to no one but herself.”
Pride moves through me as I look at her.
“So tonight, I do not ask her to follow me. I ask her to lead with me.”
Something flickers across her face, soft and powerful all at once.
“Sienna Elektra Kendall Rossi,” I say, my voice carrying through the garden. “Do you accept the Blood Moon Pack as your home and its people as your own?”
“I do.”
“Do you vow to protect them, guide them and stand beside me as their Luna, not beneath my authority, but equal in the responsibility we carry?”
Her eyes don’t leave mine.
“I do.”
“And do you choose this pack and this future freely, knowing you will never be expected to surrender the family, education or path that made you who you are?”
A smile touches her lips.
“I choose it freely.”
I pass the dagger lightly across my palm again, reopening the wound, before looking down at her gloved hand as she removes her glove and holds her hand out to me. The idea of cutting her, even for this, makes every protective instinct inside me push back.
Sienna notices. “It’s alright,” she whispers.
I meet her gaze before making the smallest cut possible.
A thin line of blood appears, and I immediately press my palm to hers. The effect is instantaneous.
The mate bond bursts open between us as the power of the pack flows through our joined hands.
My lightning rises instinctively, white-blue energy sparking around our wrists as her shadows answer, curling through it without smothering the light.
For a moment, both powers twist together, neither commanding the other, before spreading out across the pack-link.
Sienna gasps. Her red eyes brighten as thousands of connections settle around her, each one recognising her place beside me.
I feel her wonder through the bond, the shock of so many lives touching hers.
Their loyalty.
Their hope.
Their acceptance.
Her gaze sweeps across the garden, and her lips part slightly. “I feel it…” she murmurs.
I place my hand on her back and pull her closer. Dad steps forward again, his gaze moving between us before he turns to the pack.
“For generations, the Blood Moon Pack has survived because its people stood together through every darkness placed before them. Tonight, a new era begins.” His expression softens as he looks at us. “I give you Jayce Westwood, Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, and Sienna Rossi, his Luna.”
Applause, howls and cheers rise into the night as the pack members’ emotions surge through the link with enough force to shake something deep within me.
Wolves bow their heads, allied alphas raise their glasses, and our families stand together at the front, pride clear across every face.
Her mother is crying, and her dad is smiling as he looks at both of us with pride.
I turn to Sienna and smile softly.
My Luna.
My mate.
The mother of my child.
She turns towards me, her smile wide and unguarded as emotion shines in her eyes. I slide one arm around her waist and pull her close, not giving a fuck that the entire pack is watching as I lower my forehead to hers.
Everything we have survived presses around us. Every argument. Every wound. Every night spent apart. Every moment I thought I had lost her. Every time she chose me when I didn’t deserve it.
I lower my head to her neck, kissing her on top of her mate mark.
“I love you,” I whisper against her neck, the words rough, wrecked, and more honest than anything I’ve ever said. “I fucking love you so much it scares me.”
Her arms tighten around me. “I love you, too,” she whispers back, her voice breaking.
I pull back enough to look at her, cupping her face with both hands before claiming her lips in a deep, passionate kiss, and there’s nothing gentle about the emotion behind it.
The kiss is deep, consuming, filled with everything I can’t say without breaking apart completely.
She kisses me back just as fiercely, her hands gripping my shirt, pulling me closer until there isn’t any space left between us.
Not between our bodies.
Not between our hearts.
Not between the future waiting for us and the choice we’re making right now.
When I finally pull back, both of us are breathing harder, our foreheads pressed together, her tears damp against my thumbs.
She is the one I will cross realms for, defeat gods for, fight every destiny for.
Her smile.
Our future.
This.
I press another kiss to her lips, softer this time, slower, before pulling her against my chest again and holding her there. For the first time in a long time, the future doesn’t feel like something waiting to destroy us.
It feels like something I can have, and this time, I won’t let go.
“Welcome home, Luna,” I murmur.
Her hands settle against my chest, right over the heart that has belonged to her for longer than I ever wanted to admit.
“Beside you…” Sienna says softly.
“Always,” I smirk before I lift her by the waist, and she locks her arms around my neck. Our eyes meet for a moment, and then I kiss her again, beneath the glittering lights as the howls of our pack rise around us, not celebrating the ending of my father’s legacy, but the beginning of ours.
And with her in my arms, I finally understand what waits for us beyond shattered trust.
The future we fought for.
The future we chose.
Ours.