Night settled over the forest like a slow exhale.
The temporary clearing where the Alphas waited had thinned out as the hours passed. Some had retreated deeper into the trees with their Seconds and druids, finding spaces to rest before sunrise. Others remained in small clusters, speaking in low voices that carried just enough to remind everyone that no one here was truly alone.
Ronan stood near the edge of the clearing, just beyond the faint groove of mountain ash in the dirt. The ash line wasn't complete enough to block anything; it was more symbolic than functional. A reminder that this place, for now, belonged to something bigger than any one state.
Colton sat on a fallen log nearby, elbows on his knees, watching a few of the other Alphas move about. Hailey leaned against a tree, arms folded loosely, eyes drifting between Ronan, the other wolves, and the dark stretch of forest that led toward the Nemeton.
The moon was only a sliver above the treetops. Enough to see by, but not enough to comfort anyone.
"Sunrise," Hailey said quietly, breaking the silence. "That's when the Council Druid will call everyone to the Nemeton."
Ronan didn't respond.
Colton turned his head slightly. "You think Crowe will wait until then to speak up?"
Ronan's eyes stayed on the clearing. "If he breaks the rules and challenges before the Gathering, the Council will deny him. Crowe may be many things, but he isn't stupid enough to throw away his only chance."
Hailey's mouth twisted. "He's proud enough to try," she muttered. "Stupidity and pride look very similar from a distance."
Colton let out a breath. "Yeah, well… this time his pride might get him killed."
"That's the idea," Hailey said.
Colton gave her a look, but she wasn't joking.
Around them, the forest hummed with quiet movements. Alphas shifting position. Seconds murmuring. Druids leaning close to speak in their Alpha's ear. No one here was relaxed. You didn't gather fifty Alphas in one place and expect peace.
"…Ronan," Hailey said after a moment, her tone changing, softer but more focused. "We need to talk about something."
Ronan finally turned his head toward her. "Speak."
Hailey pushed off the tree and stepped closer. "If you kill Elias Crowe and inherit New Mexico, you'll be the first Alpha in generations to rule two states."
Colton frowned. "Generations?"
Hailey nodded. "Longer, actually. The last Alpha to rule two states did it without a challenge."
"How?" Colton asked.
"Marriage," Hailey said.
Ronan's gaze sharpened slightly. "I've heard the story."
Colton shook his head. "I haven't."
Hailey glanced at him, then at Ronan, silently asking permission. Ronan gave a small nod.
"Tell him," he said.
Hailey shifted her satchel strap and drew in a slow breath.
"Before the Council was organized like it is now," she began, "territories were messier. Boundaries were vague. Pack structures were less centralized. States were still lines on a human map, but wolves didn't always respect those lines. One Alpha ruled a region that covered most of what is now Tennessee. Another ruled what is now Kentucky."
Colton listened, leaning forward slightly.
"They fought," Hailey continued. "Not in formal challenges, not in circles, but through small raids, stolen land, poached betas. Over and over. They wanted dominance, but neither could win cleanly. Years of conflict with no resolution."
"Sounds familiar," Colton muttered. "Alphas being stubborn."
Hailey's eyes flicked to him briefly, then back to Ronan.
"Eventually," she said, "one of them took a different path. He offered something other than surrender or death. He offered his daughter."
Colton blinked. "He married his daughter off to the other Alpha?"
"Yes," Hailey said. "Not for love. For unity. The daughter didn't become Alpha, but the marriage allowed their packs to merge without any formal challenge. One Alpha stayed. One stepped down. Together, they ruled two territories that eventually became two states."
Ronan's voice was low. "Peace through a bond."
"Exactly," Hailey said. "Their authority was joined. There was no blood spilled in final combat. No death that passed a state through force. The Council—such as it existed then—accepted it. They ruled without contest for years."
Colton frowned. "And no one's done it since?"
"Not like that," Hailey said. "Not successfully. Every attempt at joint rule since then ended with a challenge… and a death."
Colton leaned back slightly. "So if Ronan kills Crowe—"
"He'll be the first Alpha to rule two states through death," Hailey finished. "Not a marriage. Not a peaceful agreement. Not a stepping down. Through killing."
Ronan stood very still.
The words didn't surprise him. He had already done the math. But hearing it out loud changed the shape of it. Put sharper edges around something that had, until now, only been instinct and inevitability.
Colton let out a low breath. "That makes this more than just one fight."
Hailey nodded. "It makes it a precedent."
Ronan's gaze drifted back toward the direction Elias had gone earlier, into the shadows of the forest.
"Precedents," he said quietly, "only matter if others survive to remember them."
Hailey studied him. "They will. Even if everyone wants to forget, they will. The Council will record it. The druids will write it down. Alphas will tell the story of the wolf who ruled Texas and New Mexico through a death challenge."
"And if I lose," Ronan said, "the story ends with Crowe taking Texas."
Hailey's eyes hardened. "You're not going to lose."
Colton exhaled, voice flat. "I know he's not. But let's not pretend it isn't a possibility the Council has considered."
"The Council has prepared for every outcome," Hailey said. "They would be fools not to. That's why they spoke to you before the Gathering. They wanted to hear your intent, your understanding, your acceptance."
Colton shook his head. "They also wanted to see if you'd back down."
"I won't," Ronan said.
Hailey smiled faintly. "They know that now."
For a while, the three of them stood there in silence. The clearing around them shifted as more Alphas came and went, murmuring in small groups. No one approached Ronan directly. Not yet. Some watched him from a distance, their curiosity obvious. Others pretended he wasn't there at all.
A small group caught Hailey's eye: Colorado's Alpha, Dana Stormwild, speaking quietly with the New York Alpha, Soren Vayne, and California's Valeria Kade. All three glanced toward Ronan at one point or another.
"Some of them are waiting to see what happens," Hailey said.
"Some of them want to see you fall," Colton added.
"And some want to see how far you'll climb," Hailey said. "So they can decide whether to ally with you, fear you, or try to cut you down while you're still within reach."
Ronan watched the three Alphas across the clearing, then shifted his gaze away. He wasn't here for their approval.
"Do any of them care what happens to New Mexico's wolves?" Colton asked.
Hailey's lips curved slightly, but the expression wasn't amused. "Some do. Most don't. They care about the balance. Not the people under it."
"The packs matter," Colton insisted.
"They do," Hailey said. "To you. To us. To Crowe. To the wolves who live under him. But to the Council and the Chairs, individual packs are pieces on a board. Tools. Numbers."
Ronan knew that well enough already. In Texas, his wolves were his responsibility. Their lives, their safety, their strength—it all fell on him. But at this level, in this place, they were symbols more than individuals.
"Two states," Colton said softly. "It's a lot to carry."
"It won't break him," Hailey said. "It will change him. But it won't break him."
Ronan didn't respond. But he knew she was right about one thing:
It would change everything.
Not just his life.
Not just Texas.
Not just New Mexico.
All fifty states.
Footsteps approached from the side. Not cautious, not timid—measured. Ronan turned his head slightly and saw Colorado's Alpha, Dana Stormwild, approaching with her Second and druid trailing a respectful distance behind.
"Alpha Vael," she said.
"Alpha Stormwild," Ronan replied.
She stopped a few feet away. Not close enough for challenge, not far enough for disengagement.
"May I speak freely?" she asked.
"You may," Ronan said.
Dana studied him for a long moment, weighing words before she used them. "There are Alphas here who want you dead," she said. "Some because they fear what you survived. Some because they resent what it means. Some because they simply don't like the idea of someone stronger than them."
"That isn't new," Ronan said.
"No," Dana agreed. "But this is the first time in years they've all had the chance to gather and see you with their own eyes."
Colton's jaw flexed, but he stayed quiet.
"And what about you?" Hailey asked. "What do you want?"
Dana looked at her. "For the Council's order to hold."
"Meaning?" Hailey pressed.
"Meaning," Dana said, "I don't want one death to become an excuse for ten more. If Crowe challenges and dies, that should be the end of it. Not the start of a chain of challenges."
"Some might see it differently," Ronan said.
"They will," Dana replied. "Which is why you need to kill him cleanly if it comes to that. No tricks. No ritual interference. No ambiguity."
Hailey lifted her chin slightly. "No one intends to blur the lines."
"Intent isn't the problem," Dana said. "Perception is."
She shifted her attention fully to Ronan.
"You've already changed things, whether you meant to or not. Surviving that ritual, ruling Texas as strongly as you have—it's made you a symbol. Symbols draw focus. Focus draws fear."
Ronan's voice was calm. "Fear isn't my concern."
"It will be if it pushes desperate Alphas into stupid decisions," Dana said. "Crowe won't be the only one thinking about testing you. He'll just be the first."
Colton's shoulders tightened. "If anyone else wants to try, they can stand in line."
Dana's lips tilted in the faintest hint of a smile. "For what it's worth, I don't plan on challenging you. I prefer to keep my state in one piece."
Hailey's gaze softened. "Practical. I like her."
Dana inclined her head slightly to Hailey, then to Ronan. "I didn't come here to warn you. You don't need warnings. I came here so it's clear not everyone is hoping you fall."
Colton blinked. "You're saying some of the Alphas would back him?"
Dana looked him in the eyes. "I'm saying some of us recognize the value in a wolf who can do what others can't."
She stepped back.
"Prepare for sunrise, Alpha Vael," she said. "After that, nothing goes back to the way it was."
She turned and walked away, her Second and druid following. Ronan watched her go, then returned his attention to the darkening sky.
Hailey spoke first. "That was a conversation she didn't need to have."
"She had a reason," Ronan said.
Colton frowned. "You trust her?"
"No," Ronan said. "I acknowledge her."
Darkness deepened around them, the last traces of daylight fading out of the sky. Someone lit a small, controlled fire at the far side of the clearing. Another Alpha stamped it out minutes later, reminding them all that this wasn't a camp, and this wasn't safety.
It was a holding pattern before judgment.
Hailey shifted her satchel again. "We should rest," she said. "You won't be weaker tomorrow if you don't sleep, but you also won't be sharper."
Colton looked at Ronan. "I'll take first watch."
Ronan nodded. "Wake me before sunrise."
Hailey arched a brow. "You're assuming you'll actually sleep."
"I've done harder things," Ronan said.
He moved toward the shadows at the edge of the clearing, finding a place where a fallen tree and thick brush provided a crude but sufficient barrier. Hailey followed, lowering herself to sit on the log, leaving space for him.
Colton stayed closer to the open ground, eyes moving, senses open, watching other Alphas gather in clumps of influence.
Ronan sat, arms resting on his legs.
Hailey waited until they were alone enough to speak without being overheard.
"You know what tomorrow can make you," she said quietly.
"Yes," Ronan said.
"The first Alpha to rule two states through death," Hailey said. "They'll talk about it for as long as these laws exist."
"And if I fail," Ronan said, "they'll talk about how I died trying."
Hailey shook her head. "You're not going to fail."
Ronan didn't answer.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting sounds filter through his awareness. Breathing. Footsteps. The quiet murmur of hushed conversations. The faint, constant heartbeat of the forest.
Underneath it all, deeper than hearing and beyond words, the Reaver Form stirred. Not in rebellion. Not in hunger. Just in readiness.
It waited inside him like a blade still in its sheath.
Tomorrow, it would cut.
"Sleep," Hailey said gently.
Ronan opened his eyes, looked once more at the barely visible line of trees in the distance where the Nemeton waited, then let his head rest back against the rough bark behind him.
He did not fall into deep sleep. Alphas rarely did in places like this. But he allowed his body to slip into the edge of rest, where his muscles relaxed but his instincts stayed awake.
Somewhere, an owl called.
Somewhere, an Alpha laughed too loudly and was shushed by his Second.
Somewhere, Elias Crowe stared at the sharp black line of the horizon, promising himself that tomorrow would be the day he tore Ronan Vael down.
Tomorrow, death would decide who ruled.
And for the first time in a very, very long time, one wolf would stand over two states.
Whether the others liked it or not.