Chapter 44 In Honour Of My Pack

• Blake's POV
• The fields were quiet again, basked in the warm light of late afternoon. Clover wasn’t with us this time—just Lyra and me. Earlier, we’d had a small party inside the house. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but it was real. It mattered. I’d gotten the chance to meet Lyra’s friends. They were reserved, warm, and kind. They made me laugh. That alone was something new.
• I’d always thought being an Alpha meant strength, discipline, solitude. And it does—but it also means giving up pieces of yourself. Friends were a rare luxury, nearly impossible to maintain under the weight of leadership. Protecting the pack, sustaining the land, keeping the peace—it left little room for connection.