The drive back to Texas was quiet. Not tense—just quiet in the way things are when the world has shifted too far for words to catch up. Hailey sat in the front passenger seat, her silhouette sharp against the passing headlights. She hadn't stopped studying Ronan since they left the Nemeton. Colton drove. Ronan sat in the back seat, staring out the window as forests thinned into fields, and fields into the familiar edges of his territory. The borders felt different now—wider, heavier, humming with the pull of two states instead of one.
He could feel the bond. It wasn't a normal Alpha spark. He never inherited one. But whatever he had now—whatever lived in his blood after the Trials—stretched across Texas and into New Mexico with the silent certainty of ownership.
Hailey finally broke the silence. "They're going to talk about you," she said. "Every Alpha in every state. Conversations will start tonight."
Colton snorted. "Conversations? They'll panic."
Hailey glanced back at Ronan. "Do you care?"
"No."
When they reached Dominion territory, the reaction was immediate. Wolves gathered outside the compound before the SUV even rolled to a stop. They could feel him—his aura, his dominance, the echo of the Challenge. Even without seeing him, they knew something massive had shifted.
By the time Ronan stepped out, a crowd lined the clearing. Betas, enforcers, scouts, young wolves still learning their claws. All of them watching. Not with fear. With anticipation.
Hailey stepped out and folded her arms. "Look alive—your Alpha's back."
Colton rounded the vehicle. "He's… uh… he's got news."
Whispers rippled through the pack.
Ronan stepped forward. "I claimed New Mexico."
Gasps. Shock. A few wolves stared at him like he'd said he pulled down the moon.
"And," Hailey added, "the Council offered him the Sixth Chair. He accepted."
That one landed like a strike. Wolves dropped to one knee almost involuntarily—not submission, but instinct. Recognition. The kind that came from knowing the rules of the supernatural world had just changed.
Ronan looked over them. "You will not follow New Mexico's traditions. They will follow ours." A ripple of approval passed through the pack.
"Our borders double. Responsibilities double. Work doubles."
No one complained. Several wolves straightened, pride hardening their posture.
"There will be challenges to this shift," Ronan continued. "Some Alphas will test our strength. Some will send emissaries. Some will watch."
Colton muttered, "Some will piss themselves," earning a smack from Hailey.
Ronan ignored them. "If any pack seeks conflict, you tell them to bring it to me."
Excitement stirred beneath the pack's skin. Their Alpha wasn't just strong—he was unprecedented.
As the pack dispersed, Hailey approached him quietly. "You handled that better than most Alphas handle coronations."
"It wasn't one."
"No," she said. "It was bigger."
Colton flopped onto a bench nearby. "Do you think the Council understands what they actually did today?"
"No," Hailey answered. "But they will."
Ronan didn't speak. He felt the weight of two states settle onto his shoulders—not crushing, not overwhelming, just present. A constant hum in the back of his mind. He felt his father's absence sharply, as if the man should have been standing beside him for this.
Hailey seemed to sense it. "You're not alone in this."
Ronan nodded once.
Later that night, the moon hung bright and cold above the quiet landscape. Ronan stood on the watchtower, the wind tugging at his shirt as he looked out over his land. Texas. New Mexico. And now… a seat on the Council.
Hailey joined him without asking. "Something's coming," she said.
"Always."
"No," she said. "Something specific. Power doesn't move like this without drawing attention."
Ronan looked toward the horizon. "Let them come."
Hailey smiled. "Alpha of two states… I doubt anyone's ready for you."
Ronan didn't smile back. But a faint pulse of red flickered behind his eyes as the night settled around him.
The world was changing.
And Ronan Vael stood at the center of it.