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The warriors straighten. Their eyes move to us, assessing, curious, not unkind, and then they step back, clearing the threshold.
“Welcome to Silver Moon,” the taller one says, and there’s something genuine in his voice that makes my chest loosen a fraction.
Inside, the Pack House is all warm wood and soft light. The ceiling soars above us, timber beams crossing in patterns that make me think of cathedral ceilings I’ve only seen in books. The floor is polished stone, worn smooth by generations of wolf feet, and the air smells like cedar and something sweet I can’t identify.
“Elevator’s this way,” Luna Selena says, leading us down a corridor lined with portraits. Alpha pairs, I realize, their faces watching us pass with painted eyes that seem to follow our progress.
“Mommy,” Darlene whispers, “why are the pictures looking at us?”
“They’re not looking, sweetheart. It just feels that way.”
“They’re looking,” Damian says with absolute certainty.
The elevator doors are white and gold, etched with the Silver Moon crest. A fierce silver wolf stares out from the center of an ornate silver shield, framed by sweeping silver flourishes with two crossed silver battle axes rising behind it. Every detail gleams like it was carved from polished silver.
Luna Selena presses a button, and the doors slide open with a soft chime.
“Everyone in,” Alpha Rylan says.
We step inside. “The elevator is larger than our tent at the rogue camp.”
Darlene’s eyes go wide as saucers. This is the first time my pups are riding an elevator, and I almost want to cry.
“It’s a room that moves,” she breathes.
“It’s an elevator, baby,” I tell her, though I’m equally fascinated. I’ve been in elevators, but nothing as grand as this.
Luna Selena presses a button marked with a stylized crescent moon. The doors close, and my stomach drops as we begin to rise.
I have to get used to this again.
“Whoa!” Damian grabs my hand.
“First time in an elevator?” Alpha Rylan asks, amused.
“For the kids, yes. We’ve been... off grid,” Darian says carefully.
“Right.” Alpha Rylan’s eyes flick to Luna Selena and then away. “The Alpha floor is the top level. Private quarters, our office, the ceremonial room where we’ll do the induction.”
The elevator chimes again, and the doors open onto a space that takes my breath away. Floor to ceiling windows line one entire wall, framing the mountain range beyond like a living painting. The furniture is minimal but elegant. Dark wood, clean lines, comfortable looking leather chairs arranged around a stone fireplace.
“This way,” Luna Selena says, leading us down a corridor. “Ceremonial room is at the end.”
The room is circular, with a domed ceiling painted to resemble the night sky. In the center stands a stone altar, and on it, a silver bowl etched with the same crescent moon motif I’ve been seeing everywhere. The air here feels different. Charged, like the moment before a thunderstorm.
11
Arlene’s POV
“Okay,” Alpha Rylan says, turning to face us. “This is the induction ceremony. Simple but important. Every member of Silver Moon goes through this... it establishes the pack bond, connects you to the collective consciousness of the pack.”
“The pack bond?” Damian asks.
“It’s like... a shared mind,” I explain, crouching down to his level. “A connection between all the wolves in a pack. It lets us communicate, know when someone needs help.”
“Like how you and Daddy talk in our heads?”
“Exactly like that, but with more people. Except mommy and daddy get to decide which people can talk to you until you reach thirteen. We’ll go more in detail in a moment.”
