Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 605: Finally Home

"Brothers and sisters of the West," Elder Kent began, his voice thundering across the crowd. "We gather here tonight before heaven and earth, wolves and men alike, to crown the next Alpha of the West Pack, one chosen not by chance, but by blood, by strength, and by the will of the goddess herself!"

Everyone lifted their heads, watching attentively. Not making a sound.

The elder continued.

"Alpha Asher, do you accept the mantle of leadership over the West Pack? Do you swear to protect your people from all threats, within and without? To uphold the values of the pack, to honor the goddess, to guide with strength and fairness, and to never turn your back on the call of your people?"

Asher answered with a steady voice. "I do."

It was the turn of the priestess, one of the moon mothers who served in Selene’s temple. She was a tall elegant woman draped in a white flowing dress.

"Under the watchful eyes of the goddess," she said, "speak now your vow to your people."

Asher turned not to the sub-alphas, nor elders, nor even the high-ranking wolves in the front rows. No, his gaze rested on the mothers, the children, and the old—the ones who had endured the most and asked for the least.

His gaze particularly lingered on a woman near the edge of the gathering. She carried a small child on her hip, the boy’s tiny fingers clinging to her shoulder as if his life depended on it. Her wide eyes met Asher’s.

Hope. Fear. Faith. It was all there in that single look.

And when Asher spoke, it was as if he spoke directly to her.

"I stand before you not as my father’s son, but as your Alpha," he began, his voice rough yet commanding. "From this night onward, no woman of this pack will live in fear under my rule. No child will grow hungry or cold while I draw breath. The strong will protect the weak, not prey on them. Every voice—male or female, highborn or lowborn, human or wolf—will have a place in this pack."

His words rolled through the silence, stirring the crowd like a storm wind.

with cruelty, nor will I turn away from the cries of those in pain. The West Pack will no longer be known for

was utterly still. Some even held

"You have my word," he promised

single voice

"Alpha Asher!"

looked at. Her voice

Then another joined her.

"Alpha Asher!"

And another.

Then fifty. And

Their voices filled the air, breaking centuries of silence and submission. It was a sound both beautiful and terrifying—like a dam bursting, centuries of

Asher stood tall and unyielding, pride swelling in his chest. This was exactly the change

priestess stepped forward, carrying a small earthen calabash filled with a strange mixture. The scent of herbs wafted through his nostrils

sank to

her fingers into the calabash and smeared the mixture across

be opened to the

his heart be filled with compassion, his

hands never tremble when he

a normal ritual

like wind roaring through his skull, while his heartbeat

he heard it. The voices

The mindlink had opened.

through their mate, Asher’s had been unlocked by the goddess herself. The goddess had