***Austin***
Climbing up onto the same stone bench where my father once stood brings a bittersweet feeling with it. My time as alpha is clearly drawing to a close, far sooner than I ever meant it to, yet I am filled with a quiet joy regardless.
I look out across the crowd gathering below. Mostly pack seniors, as they live only a short walk away, many of whom had been here the day I revealed Atlas’ golden transformation.
But tonight, in a true reflection of what our pack has grown into over the last twenty-five years, word has spread, and wolves of every rank now stand shoulder to shoulder. As I take them in, that hollow space where my power once sat still feels raw. The steadfast assuredness I once carried has thinned, no longer a constant force but something that lingers at the edges o
