Chapter 269

• Kade
• The pack's celebration lasted well into the night, bonfires lit across the grounds, the particular loud, relieved joy of people who'd spent thirty days quietly wondering whether their Alpha's leadership was truly secure. I let them have it, moving through the crowd long enough to accept the congratulations and reassurances the moment demanded, before finally slipping away to find the one person who mattered more than the entire celebration combined.
• Elysia stood near the edge of the grounds, away from the noise, watching the bonfires with an expression I'd learned to recognize as her version of deep thought.