Chapter 567

Olivia

I looped my arm through Nathan’s as we stepped down from the podium, the applause from the crowd and the flashing of cameras having finally subsided after what felt like an eternity.

“It’s over,” Nathan beamed, giving my arm a squeeze. “That wasn’t so bad.”

I couldn’t help but grin back at him. “No, it wasn’t. You were great up there.”

And he really had been great; the press conference had been an overwhelming success—any lingering doubts or trepidation we had harbored before had been utterly blown away by the sheer force of the crowd’s enthusiastic response.

For so long, it had felt like we were fighting this battle alone, like the victims who had suffered under Dan’s horrific operation were little more than nameless, faceless casualties. But today, we had finally given them a voice. Their stories had reached the masses, had resonated and struck a chord with everyone who watched.

Nathan had handled all of the questions that were thrown his way with poise and ease, as though he had done this a million times before. For the first time ever, absolutely nothing had gone wrong. We were in the clear, at least for the foreseeable future.

There would be no more silence, no more sweeping injustices under the rug. And now, we would focus on rebuilding.

As the crowd murmured amongst themselves in wait of what was to come next, my team began to assemble to prepare the next stage of today’s event: the unveiling of the Shelter Project, as we were calling it.

I just needed to give a statement on our intentions, and then pamphlets would be passed out. Hopefully, we would be able to raise enough funds today to get the project off of the ground, although it would certainly take at least a few more fundraisers and investments before the project was finished.

And of course, I would have to answer some questions of my own, but I wasn’t too worried. After all, since the press conference portion had been such a success, how could I be worried?

For now, though, we had a brief intermission. But it seemed as though our intermission would be far from relaxing, however, as we looked up to see the Elders—led by Mingan at the front—approaching through the mingling crowd.

Mingan came to a stop directly in front of us, her piercing gaze unwavering. For a handful of heartbeats, no one spoke.

Then, almost painfully slowly, the Elder woman dipped her chin in a solemn, but utterly respectful, nod. “Alpha. Luna.”

Nathan swallowed hard, straightening his shoulders as he met her gaze. My eyes flickered over to Freya, but her mental voice remained silent, waiting.

“Elders,” Nathan greeted. “I’m glad you came. I was worried you wouldn’t make it.”

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Mingan said, glancing around. “It seems you’ve put together quite the festival.”

I nodded. “We’re about to make a special announcement before festivities begin,” I said. “You’re more than welcome to partake.”

Mingan’s eyes slid over to me, and for the first time, I felt nothing but respect in her gaze. She inclined her head and offered me a thin smile before turning back to include Nathan in her stare. “Before we can do that,” she said, “we owe you an apology for—”

“No,” Nathan cut in, shaking his head firmly. “There’s no need for that. Not anymore, at least.”

Mingan furrowed her brow. “Alpha—”

“What’s done is done,” he interrupted again. “The past can’t be changed, only learned from.” He paused, letting the weight of his next words sink in. “But I want you to know that I’m sorry, too. Sorry for acting so rashly, for shutting you out and banishing you to the wilderness instead of trying to understand your perspective. Especially you, Freya.”

He turned to Freya then; she had become a permanent installment in our family since her return, but they hadn’t spoken of this. Even now, she blinked in mild surprise at his words.

“Because of my rash actions, which were driven by fear and anger, you suffered the most,” Nathan continued. “You went feral, and lost your wolf because of that. That is something that I can never restore for you.”

Freya said nothing, but I could see the tiniest smile tug at the corners of her lips as she nodded.

“There is no need to apologize, Alpha,” Mingan spoke up, her white stark against her sun-weathered skin. “We were the ones who betrayed the pack’s trust first. Our banishment was warranted—and necessary. For all of us.”

The other Elders nodded in agreement, bowing their heads in shame.

“Being cast out, left to wander far from our homes… it forced us to reckon with ourselves,” Mingan said, her deep-set eyes boring into Nathan’s. “To acknowledge the wrongs we had committed in our hubris and lust for power.”

“But no more,” she continued. “From this day forward, you have the Elders’ solemn vow—we will always put the interests of our people first. There will be no more scheming in the shadows, no more plots to seize control through deceit and malice.”

She extended a gnarled hand, her palm up in offering. “We are yours to lead, Alpha Ford. We humble ourselves before you and the Luna. Our wisdom and guidance is yours—should you wish to have it.”

A beat of silence stretched out as Nathan stared at the offered hand. My heart hammered in my chest, half-convinced he might reject the gesture outright. After so much pain and turmoil, I wouldn’t have blamed him one bit for still being wary.

But then, with a weary sigh and the faint ghost of a smile, Nathan clasped Mingan’s hand in a firm shake. “It would be my honor to have you by my side again, Elders. All of you.”

When they finally pulled away, I didn’t realize how long I had been holding my breath until Nathan turned to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. I let out the air I had been holding in and couldn’t help but laugh a bit as the Elders found their seats at the front of the crowd.

“That was honorable of you,” I murmured, meeting his gaze.

He simply shrugged. “I don’t know about honorable,” he laughed softly. “Maybe a bit selfish. I’ve realized I can’t run this pack on my own; I not only need a Beta and a Luna, but I also need the guidance of the Elders.”

I let out a tiny snort. “Still.”

“Still.”

Nathan turned to me then and gripped my shoulders with his hands. The crowd had begun to quiet down, returning to their seats in anticipation for this ‘special announcement’ that we had been hinting at all morning. Up ahead, I could already see my team assembling, waiting to get it over and done with so we could get on to the festivities.

“Well, Luna,” Nathan said with the barest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips, “are you ready for your speech now?”

I nodded. Without hesitation, I turned on my heel and made for the podium once more, Nathan trailing on my heels. I felt proud, confident, every bit the Luna I was meant to be.

But as Nathan held back, waiting off to the side, and I stepped up to the podium and saw the sea of faces turned squarely toward me…

I froze.