Mia had never felt as if the old council chamber belonged to her.
Stone walls. Ironwood chairs. The same long, weighty table where voices once argued over whether she was fit enough to stand at the side of the Alpha. Where her name had been mentioned in chilly words and silence infinitely sharper than claws.
But today—it was different.
For today, she had voluntarily sat at that table
The recently established Unified Council had met for the first time.
No longer merely elders. No longer tied by line or rank.
Now, gathered at the table were wolves of all ranks: there was the beta warrior, the scout captain, the healer, the recently schooled omega defender, the pack mother, and indeed—two elders who had remained to see the transformation they once fought so hard against.
Mia sat at Lucas's right.
And no one questioned it.
Lucas rose to his feet. "We are not here for a Council of Control, but for a Council of Balance. We don't come here to enforce tradition, but to serve as the voice for the future."
He nodded at Mia.
She rose.
"When I was younger," Mia started, "I thought that power originated at birth. That my position would be predetermined. That my voice would never resound in a place such as this."
She glanced about the room
"But then, it broke apart. And in the breaking, we discovered truth: the pack is strongest when each wolf is together. Not through fear. But through choice."
She hesitated.
"This council is not a token. It is a vow. That no one will be silenced. That no one will be forgotten. And that no wolf—regardless of their rank—will be out there without company."
There was no tension in the subsequent silence, but rather deep respect.
The pack observed itself transform.
It was just the beginning.
Mia emerged into the spring breeze after the meeting, the wind rushing through the trees as if it were full of a thousand whispered endorsals of the past. Her wolf came beside her, silent and serene, as if it were pleased with the path they had made together.
Cade came forward with Ember beside him.
"Ah, yeah, you just made history again!" he grinned. "You think you're going to get bored with this sometime?" "I don't wish to create history," Mia replied. "I wish to create space for others to write their own."
Ember playfully elbowed her. "Poetic and practical as it is, you're going to be an intimidating leader someday."
Mia smirked. "I already am."
That evening, he surprised her with a peaceful dinner in the outdoors—a table for one under a canopy of gentle lights and wildflowers. A bottle of cider. Her dinner was prepared by his own hands.
No fanfare, no speeches
Only them
She quirked an eyebrow as he pulled out her chair for her. "Since when do Alphas do dinner?"
He grinned. "After they realized their omega can defeat them with a butter knife if they don't."
She laughed, allowing herself to unwind in the moment.
"You know, it still doesn't feel real sometimes," she mentioned between bites.
Lucas moved forward in his seat. "Then let's bring it to life. Daily. Until there is no space for doubt."
Their palms touched across the table.
The moon came up slowly behind them, shining silver on their entwined fingers.
And Mia knew—regardless of what came their way, they would come at it together, side by side.
Not as Alpha and omega
But as equals