Rejected: The Alpha's Fatal Mistake
Ezra said, and something in his formal use of her full name landed heavier than she expected, "do you accept this pack — thin as it is, hard-won as it is — as yours to lead, to protect, and to grow?"
"I do." Her voice came out steadier than she felt, which she suspected was its own small victory, one more thing to add to a list that had been growing longer every week for months now.
"Then by the old words, and the Goddess who's apparently decided to take an interest in this bloodline again after three generations of not bothering" — a ripple of quiet laughter through the small gathering, breaking the ceremony's weight just enough — "Nightshade names you Alpha. Not because the blood demands i