Page 74 of Fated
The coffee turned bitter in Caleb’s mouth. “Weeping?”
“His entire demeanor shifted. He condemned nearly every alpha in that room. For their selfishness, their self-aggrandizing, their greed.” Alaric’s voice took on the force of memory as hepointed forcefully across the table. “‘Your apathy!’ he roared at my father at one point.”
Caleb’s eyebrows shot up. “You were there?”
“My fifth summit. Quite the show.” Alaric paused, clearly still affected by the memory. “Odin’s aura was incredible. Damn near pressed every wolf in that room into their seats, demanding they listen to every word. He told the alphas that their ‘Goddess was moonlight, not land or money.’ Reminded them their power wasn’t limitless, and their will wasn’t absolute. ‘Only Hers,’ he said.”
Caleb’s stomach churned as he pushed his plates away, appetite completely gone. The grandfather he remembered had been joyous, gentle—a male who never needed to raise his voice because his presence alone commanded respect.
“He stalked to the conference room door,” Alaric continued, “and warned them that they’d ‘destroy themselves from the inside out unless they humble themselves and found a way back to Her light.’ Then he ripped open the door and left. No one saw a member of the Crescent Fang delegation for the rest of the week. Apparently, a formal letter of separation was already in the mail.”
“I always assumed it was a quieter departure,” Caleb said, voice barely above a whisper. “It’s hard to picture the even-tempered male I knew taking such a strong stand.”
Alaric shrugged, palms upturned. “I can only guess it was a long time coming. A decision that clearly hurt him to make.”
Caleb nodded, trying to process this new understanding of his family’s legacy. “I still don’t understand what that has to do with us being asked back now.”
Alaric inhaled deeply, refilling his coffee and stirring in two sugars. “I was too young then to really understand the enormity of it, but packs don’t leave the Collective. For the most favored pack to do so, and in such a dramatic way...” He stared intohis mug as if searching for answers in the dark liquid. “I’m not saying Odin was completely right in his assessment, but given everything since, I’m not sure he was wrong either.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not just the rogues plaguing our community,” Alaric explained, voice growing more serious. “It’s the decline in birthrates, especially in the legacy bloodlines. Have you noticed that most of the alphas, betas, gammas, and their heirs are only children? Our community is shrinking, even without the losses to rogue attacks.”
The observation rooted itself in Caleb’s chest like a splinter. He thought of the leaders he’d met at the summit—so many were indeed only children.
“And then there’s the mating bonds,” Alaric continued. “We’re constantly filing chosen pair marriage certificates, but it’s been over twenty years since a chosen mating received the Goddess’s blessing.Twenty years, Caleb...”
The ambient sounds of the diner—food dropping into fryers, diners’ soft chatter, the bell sounding in the pickup window—felt impossibly loud against the elder’s silence. Caleb found himself bracing for the gravity of what was coming.
When Alaric finally spoke again, his voice was heavy. “I worry our people may have lost, or be on the brink of losing, Selene’s favor. That our existence will fade without Her blessings. And worse, that most have gotten so comfortable with arranged marriages and heat inducers and constant rogue threats that they either don’t notice or don’t care.”
Caleb’s equilibrium faltered as he took in each revelation. “And you want me to make them care?” he asked, incredulous. “What makes you think anyone would listen to me?”
Alaric waved a dismissive hand. “If your grandfather’s warnings did nothing to sway the alphas, especially whenCrescent Fang was still revered, I doubt you taking that approach would move the needle.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I want you to be here.Withus. Help us remember—not through force or preaching, but through your actions. Be the example of Selene’s favor in this modern world.”
“I don’t—”
“I’m not suggesting you do anything you haven’t done already,” Alaric interrupted gently. “Look at the impact you had at the summit. At what you’re already doing to open your lands to wolves in need.”
“We will show them who we are.”Fenrir’s voice was certain, proud.“Remind them we belong to Her.”
Their waitress appeared tableside. “You boys want anything boxed up?”
“Yes, please,” they said in unison.
“And box up a slice of pie for my friend here as well,” Alaric added with a grin.
As she collected their plates, Alaric shook his head. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to get so far off track or dump all this responsibility on you.” He pulled his laptop back in front of him. “Shall we get back to the practical matters?”
Caleb nodded, grateful for the reprieve, and retrieved his own laptop from his bag.
For the next thirty minutes, Alaric guided him through the Collective’s database—the newsfeed, payment portal, document library, delegation visit calendar, and how to complete Crescent Fang’s profile and upload their pack registries. The sheer volume of information must have shown on Caleb’s face because Alaric placed a reassuring hand over his.
“It’s a lot, but you have six weeks to get it all completed. After that, it’s just maintenance. If you need more time, just let me know.”
