The Last Pack Standing

tuned to every rustle and whisper of the wilderness. The chill of the morning air stung her skin, but she welcomed the sharpness-it grounded her. She inhaled dee

pack, she wasn't the disgraced daughter of a failed beta. Here, she wasn't the

, her heartbeat steady. Slowly, she shifted her weight, calculating the

elding. The world around her blurred into shadows and light as she closed the gap. Anticipating its veer to the left, Selene adjusted her tr

crisp air. Pride flared in her chest, though it was temper

ty emerging from the trees. Rowan, an elder wolf, was at the front, his gray fur glinting i

aid, his tone stern but devoid of malice

gaze without flinching. "The deer

t the point. Discipline matters more th

han they protected, but she held her tongue. It didn't matter what sh

Lydia, Selene's foster mother, stood near the communal den, her sharp eyes sc

oon as they were within earshot. "Charging ahead li

ng her hands on her pants. "I caught it," she said

how you're seen. You're already walking a fine line with t

ntless times. Lydia always spoke as though Selene's every action carried the weight

to help," Sele

voice lowering but losing none of its sharpness. "You need to lear

nd, a low, commanding voi

oug

g everyone. The Alpha's imposing frame seemed to radiate authori

otocol," he said, his voic

wilt under his scrutiny. "The deer would h

is platform, closing the distance between them. The air around him

, his voice carrying to the edges of the clearing. "Yo

, but she forced herse

rest of the pack. "Prepare for the next hun

ttle heavily on her shoulders. No matter how hard she tried, no m

he forest, far from the watchful eyes of the pack. The towering trees stretched e

ought, and outmaneuvered her peers, yet none of it seemed to matter. Her father's legacy cast a shad

is much, or is it a

the voice. Finn stepped out from behind a

, Finn?" she aske

"Just checking on you. Thought you might need a reminder

ebrow. "That's supp

s, but I'm serious. You're good, Selene. Better

't one to hand out compliments, especiall

oftening into something genuine. "Damon's a hardass

e, the first real one she'd

aze back to the forest. His words had given her a sliver of ho

ld control-herself. And maybe, just mayb