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Crowned by Fate
Chapter 35
Leon’s POV
The morning sunlight beat down on the training grounds as I surveyed my domain, heat already rising from the earth despite the early hour
Last year’s Hunt Festival had marked my formal ascension when my father, James, officially stepped down and named me Alpha of Frostshadow Pack
In the months since taking the Alpha position, my days had stretched even longer. Beyond the physical training I’d always maintained, I now spent countles hours studying pack management, politics, and diplomacy.
Each quarter, I traveled to the North American Werewolf Council chambers, observing their meetings, building relationships with influential members who would eventually vote in the Alpha King election.
All my efforts focused on a single goal: winning the Alpha King election next November.
The council members seemed pleased with my progress, and Frostshadow enjoyed an excellent reputation among the fifty–plus packs across the continent. 1 couldn’t help the surge of confidence that rose in my chest whenever I contemplated my chances.
My father’s words echoed in my mind, tempering that pride.
“Don’t rush, don’t become arrogant,” he’d cautioned just yesterday. “Your greatest flaw has always been impatience. A worthy leader needs more than courage -he needs steadiness of character.”
I rolled my shoulders, feeling the pleasant burn of muscles already worked hard despite the early hour. The dry grass crunched beneath my boots as I paced the training grounds, checking equipment and reviewing today’s schedule in my mind.
Ethan was late–unusual for my Beta, but understandable. He’d found his mate recently and completed the marking ceremony just last week. They were still in that phase where newly mated pairs could hardly bear to leave their beds.
The thought brought an unexpected twinge. I pushed it away.
“Alpha Leon!”
I turned to see a courier jogging toward me, sweat beading on his forehead in the summer heat. He bowed slightly, then extended a white envelope.
“This letter arrived for Beta Ethan, but I couldn’t locate his new residence.” The courier looked apologetic. “Would you mind delivering it to him? I know he moved after the marking ceremony…”
“Of course,” I replied, taking the envelope. Ethan had indeed moved out of his parents‘ home after mating, settling into a cabin at the eastern edge of our territory. The courier couldn’t be faulted for not knowing his new address.
I nodded dismissal to the courier, who hurried away to complete his other deliveries. I was about to slip the letter into my jacket pocket when the sender’s name caught my eye, and my heart stuttered to a halt.
Skye.
A flood of emotions rushed through me. I gripped the envelope tighter, crumpling its edge.
Three years ago, after she’d disappeared, I’d searched for her relentlessly for two months. My father and Skye’s parents had berated me daily for those same two months.
They blamed me entirely for her departure–criticizing my public rejection, my failure to consult them beforehand, my callous handling of the mate bond.
George Anderson, Skye’s father and our pack Beta, had nearly resigned his position, threatening to leave Frostshadow Pack to search for his daughter.
Only when they began receiving New Moon Festival gifts from her, mailed from anonymous locations, did the furor finally subside.
Even now,
the memory fueled a simmering anger.
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Chapter 35
How could she have been so selfish? (1)
How could she have abandoned her family, her pack, het responsibilities without a backward glance?
Just because she hadn’t shifted, just because I’d rejected her as my Luna?
She had no idea how many wolves would sacrifice everything for the family bonds she’d so carelessly discarded.
I stared at the envelope, curiosity burning through me. What had she written to her brother? Where was she now?
My finger slid under the seal, beginning to tear it open before I caught myself. This wasn’t my letter to read. As Alphia, I needed to respect my Beta’s privacy.
With considerable effort, I tucked the letter into my pocket, resolving to hand it over intact when Ethan arrived.
I resumed my training, pushing myself harder than usual, as if physical exertion could drive away the questions circling in my mind. By the time Ethan finally appeared at the edge of the training grounds, I’d worked up a sweat.
He was exactly as I’d imagined–hair wild, clothes barely slung on, his skin still burning with the raw glow of fresh, sweaty sex.
“Sorry I’m late, Alpha,” he offered, not looking particularly sorry at all.
I couldn’t help the smirk that formed. “You might want to consider some restraint at night, Ethan. How do you expect to train properly if you arrive exhausted every morning?”
He ran a hand through his rumpled hair, looking sheepish. “Lily’s still adjusting to the bond. It’s… intense.”
The mention of the bond triggered another unwelcome pang. I pushed it aside and reached into my pocket.
A letter came for you,” I said, extending the envelope. “From your sister. And before you ask–no, I didn’t read it.”
Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise. He practically snatched the letter from my hand, tearing it open with none of the restraint I’d forced upon myself.
His expression shifted as he read.
“She’s shifted,” he murmured, eyes still scanning the page. After all this time. And she’s-” His gaze shot up to meet mine. “She’s joined another pack. Oasisborn, in the western territories.”
“What? I rejected her as Luna, not as a pack member. Why would she join another pack?”
Has she found another mate? The question burned in my throat, but I couldn’t bring myself to voice it.
Ethan shook his head, returning to the letter. “She doesn’t mention a Second Chance mate. Just says she’s finally shifted–her wolf is silver, like her hair- and that she’s been welcomed by Oasisborn despite her ‘unusual history.“”
“Oasisborn?” The name was vaguely familiar. “That new pack in Texas? The desert wasteland?”
The absurdity struck me suddenly. She had left Frostshadow—the most respected, resource–rich pack in Alaska–for some upstart group in the middle of
nowhere?
She had abandoned pristine forests, abundant game, and the protection of her powerful birth pack for… what? Scorpions and cacti?
“Your sister’s choices continue to baffle me,” I said, unable to keep the disdain from my voice. A harsh snort escaped me. “First she runs away like a child throwing a tantrum, and now she pledges loyalty to a pack no one’s even heard of.”
Anger coiled within me, unexpected in its intensity.
I had assumed that eventually, she would tire of running, would come to her senses and return home where she belonged. I had never intended to punish her permanently—had always known that when she finally returned, properly contrite, I would welcome her back into the pack’s protection.
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Chapter 35
Yet now she had formally aligned herself with strangers. Had given her loyally to another Alpha.
I clenched my fists, struggling to maintain the steady composure my father had so recently advised. Find out everything you can about this Datisborn Pack, I ordered, my voice harder than I’d intended.
“I want to know exactly what kind of operation they’re running. Their Alpha, their strength, their resources. Everything.”
Chapter Comments
Jamie DeWitt
that’s calling the kettle black there buddy..
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