You believe you should be in charge of this pack? Damon's voice cut over the training field, harsh and tinged with contempt. Curious about the approaching conflict, a throng had assembled.
Luca stood in the middle of the yard, his back stiff but controlled. His grey eyes focused to fix Damon. Luca responded sharply, "I don't need your approval."
"No, but you need the pack's," Damon said, coming forward. And right now, most of them doubt you. They perceive weakness—and I have no guilt about it.
" Enough! "I snapped, getting between them before things could get out of hand. Not one person is benefiting from this.
Damon turned his eyes to mine, disdain filling them. Stay out of this, Aria. This comes between him and me.
"No, it's not," I responded decisively. "This concerns the pack, all of us. And you would stop attempting to split it apart from the inside if you were worried about its future.
Damon's jaw tightened as he pointed at me, clearly tense. You believe you know what this bundle needs most? He slicked. "You are just a daughter of a Beta with a mark you did not earn."
At his words, my chest contracted, but I would not let him know how much they hurt. Keeping my voice calm, I answered, "You're right." "I did not meet the criteria. But it's mine, hence I will do whatever necessary to keep this bundle safe. Are you able to say the same?""
The audience mumbled, their focus moving between us. Damon's hands tightened at his sides, and for a split second I feared he could flare out.
He turned instead back to Luca. He responded sharply, "You're going to get us all killed." "And then avoid saying I didn't warn you."
He hurried out without further remark, leaving the yard in tense quiet.
Still pounding, I looked to Luca. "Are you good? „
With a clipped tone, he added, "I don't need you fighting my battles for me."
I fired back, not battling for you. I was struggling for the pack. someone has to do.
Luca stiffened his jaw but did not react. Rather, he turned and left, leaving me in the centre of the yard bearing Damon's weight down on me.
That nightfall, I came into Kieran close to the edge of the woodland, his countenance strangely austere.
Kieran remarked, bypassing the politeness, "He's not going to stop."
Damon? Though I knew the answer previously, I asked.
Kieran nodded. Aria, he's furious. And he is not unique either. Others in the pack believe Luca is unfit for leadership and are beginning to see you as the cause.
I bit hard, the truth of the circumstances settling in. "What is your opinion?'''
Kieran's look softened just a little. "You are going to have a heck of a struggle ahead of you. But I also believe you are more powerful than most of them would have guessed.
"Thanks," I said softly.
"Don't thank me yet," he urged. "Damon has plans. You have to be ready; I'm not sure what.
Tensions erupted the next day at a flash. During a strategy discussion with the elders, Damon confronted Luca; his charges loud enough to catch the pack's attention.
Damon shouted, slapping his fist on the table, "This is ridiculous." "You are depending all of our trust on a link none of us grasp. According to the prophecy, you are ready to risk everything for something that could wipe us out. {
Luca's calm broke and he sprang to his feet, his voice cutting. Damon, what would you have me do? Get rid of the pack? Allow the competing wolves to come in and take everything from us?''
At least I would act, Damon spat. "All you have done is hunt shadows in the forest and hope the rest of us would follow mindlessly."
"enough! "One of the seniors yelled, thereby quieting the room.
But Damon still had to complete. Rising his voice, he turned to face the assembly assembled outside the conference chamber. Is the leader you want for this? Someone who gives a cursed mark more thought than the pack itself. {{{
The throng mumbled; their confusion obvious.
No more could I remain quiet. Stepping forward, I remarked, "This isn't about the mark." It concerns survival. The competing pack knows more than they should; if we fail to decipher the prophecy, we will not be able to fight them.
And why ought we to believe you? Damon demanded, his eyes blazing into me.
"Because I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect this pack," I stated decisively. Even if it means confronting the prophecy head-on.
The audience became quiet, staring between Damon and myself.
"This isn't over," Damon whispered in a low, menacing voice. Not quite by a long stretch.
Luca and I met in the woodland that evening; the strain between us was evident.
Breaking the quiet, I remarked, "Damon's not going to stop."
Luca responded, his voice worn, "I know." "But I will be ready if he wants to challenge me."
"It's not just about you," I remarked gently. "It concerns the pack. We cannot let his resentment split us.
Luca's eyes softened, and for a minute his responsibility appeared to weigh less. He nodded and said, "You're right." "But it's difficult to think clearly when everyone's challenging my every action.."
That's what leadership is, I added softly. "It has nothing to do with perfection." It's about demonstrating to them your determination to fight for them—even if they lack faith in you.
We stood still for a minute, the thin crescent mark on my wrist softly lighting the space between us.
"We'll work this out," I replied. Luca nodded with a fierce look. "Together"
The symbol on my wrist blazed with fierce fire as we turned to go, and the woodland rang with a terrible cry.
Luca's hand flew out to seize my arm. His voice low, he replied, "That's not one of ours."
The shadows moved about us, and I had a frigid terror in my chest. Someone—or something—was observing.