"Hey," I poke him, trying to lighten up the mood. "It worked though."
Maverick doesn't appear to share my positive attitude, just grumbling under his breath until it's time to leave.
We find Alpha Daxton on the edge of the field, standing with Alpha Kingston and Alpha Wyatt. All of them wear hardened, matching expressions and I start to brace myself.
Luna Grace is nearby, helping direct people and checking on them. Likewise, I see Dr. Madison doing rounds, determining who needs the most help.
For the most part, everyone seems pretty okay. But my eyes linger to the field, blankets and covers now draped over the sea of bodies.
"Stevens," Alpha Daxton says as we approach. "Are you okay?"
"I think so," I tell him, offering a tight smile to everyone. There's a mixture of all the packs here, and to my surprise, Alpha Kingston reaches his hand out. I shake it slowly, confused.
"You saved everyone, little wolf. That bastard is gone now."
Suddenly, I feel a little awkward with everyone's gazes on me. "It was a team effort," I reply. "Thank you for coming to our aid. Both of you."
Alpha Wyatt smiles. "Of course. I mind linked Eve and she sends her best."
"How is the baby?" I ask, hating how desperate I sound.
He nods. "All is well, thank you for asking. And now, thanks to you, we can return home knowing that our pack is no longer in danger. There's no greater fear than bringing a child into a world full of carnage and a war."
The thought suddenly hits me. “This was never a Great War repeating, but rather one man deciding to be selfish. And in that, people panicked without proper information, leading to dangerous decisions."
Cade steps up beside me. "I disagree, Nyx. Wars are created by man. I think the Moon Goddess knew this was coming, that’s why she sent you to us. Like Ophelia, fate put you in our path, to put an end to this mess."
My shoulder slump slightly. "You're right. Wars are created by us. Ophelia already fixed it once. But clearly it happened again. We need to ensure this never occurs again. We need to figureout a plan so that in years, decades to come, our children or ancestors aren’t dealing with the same problems."
"What do you propose?" Asks Lex.
I frown. How do we stop this happening again? Sure, Orson is gone but who knows what might happen next. While lots of packs vanished, there's still an endless amount of wolves out there. The same thing can start all over again next week. That's the problem when packs only answer to themselves and can make these kinds of terrible decisions.
"We need a system in place," I start. "An authority to reign over all wolves. Alphas would still be in charge of their packs, but they need to answer to someone. Someone who can be the ultimate voice and hold them accountable."
"Like a ruler?" Asks Alpha Wyatt with a look of bewilderment.
"Or a governance," I offer. "Some type of system and laws in place to deter events from repeating."
Alpha Daxton folds his arms. "A hierarchy. No—a monarchy."
"A king?" I mutter in amusement.
"Or a queen."
I pause, staring incredulously at Alpha Daxton’s suggestion. He’s not possibly saying that I should rule over all wolves. Right?
“Maybe we need to figure out some options and vote on it. Establish a council or something.”
“I vote that Nyx be crowned Luna Queen,” Lena says cheekily, startling me. I glance over, guilt filling me as I notice her eyes are blood shot red from crying but somehow she manages to flash me a smile.
“Shut up,” I whisper at her, unable to hide the smile on my face. Of course she’d volunteer me. Great—put me in charge of all the alphas.That will go down well with my history.
Before I can argue more, another voice chimes in, this time from the one person I don't expect. Alpha Kingston.
“I second the motion.”
“No, stop,” I try to interject weakly, perplexed that they are taking this joke way too far. Maybe everyone is concussed. “There are probably better options. Let’s explore them—”
