Page 27 of Howl For A Kiss (Rebellious Mates #3)

"The Beta of Tidewater pack witnessed it," Damon continued, his voice gaining strength with each word. "There's no taking it back, even if I wanted to. Which I don't."

Kieran was quiet for a long moment, his fingers steepled as he processed the revelation. When he spoke, his voice carried both concern and respect.

"The execution order for six young rebels. That's what pushed you over the edge."

"Among other things." Damon's jaw tightened with controlled fury. "They were going to kill them simply for wanting to join the rebellion. Children, Kieran. Fiona is twenty years old."

Maya's face had gone pale with horror. "Six young people? Just for exercising their right to choose their own path?"

"The Tidewater Alpha wanted to make an example," Elena said, her voice carrying the cold edge of someone who'd seen too much cruelty. "To terrorize anyone else who might consider rebellion."

Kieran's silver eyes flashed with his wolf, the Alpha in him responding to the injustice. "And you couldn't stand by and watch it happen."

"I couldn't enforce those laws anymore," Damon admitted, the confession feeling like shedding a weight he'd carried for years.

"Even with all the reforms you're implementing, Kieran—even knowing you're fighting to change things from within—I need to be on the side of the rebellion.

I need to fight alongside my mate for the kind of change that can't just happen from within the system. "

Maya leaned forward, her green eyes bright with understanding. "Elena is the third hybrid of the Lunar Prophecy. She's destined to help restore harmony between our worlds."

"Which means supporting her isn't just about love," Kieran said slowly, his strategic mind clearly working through the implications. "It's about fulfilling prophecy. About healing three centuries of division."

Damon felt Elena's hand slip into his, her fingers intertwining with his in a gesture of unity that sent warmth coursing through their mate bond. "I won't apologize for choosing her," he said firmly. "Or for choosing what's right over what's traditional."

"I wouldn't expect you to apologize." Kieran's mouth quirked up. "The day you called asking for leave, I knew this was inevitable. You've been questioning the system longer than anyone—longer than me, if I'm honest."

The admission surprised Damon, though perhaps it shouldn't have. Kieran had always been perceptive, especially when it came to reading his closest friend.

"This changes everything," Kieran continued. "For the pack, for our plans, and for the balance of power. But maybe that's exactly what needs to happen."

He stood abruptly, moving to retrieve his phone from the desk near the window. "There's someone I need to call. Someone who should be present for this conversation."

Damon felt his eyebrows rise in question as Kieran dialed a number and switched the phone to speaker. The ringing echoed through the cabin's main room, and when a familiar voice answered, Damon's breath caught in recognition.

"This is Logan Cross."

Logan. The name hit Damon like a blow, carrying with it memories of Logan's father—the Beta who'd died fifteen years ago, leaving Damon to step into shoes he'd never been ready to fill.

"Logan, it's Kieran. I have Damon and Elena here with me, along with Maya. We're on speaker."

"Kieran." Logan's voice carried that familiar edge of controlled intensity. "What's this about?"

Kieran's silver gaze locked onto Damon's green eyes, and something passed between them—a moment of understanding that transcended their lifetime of friendship.

"Logan, I'm calling to offer you the position of Beta of Silvercrest pack."

The silence that followed stretched taut as a bowstring. Damon felt Elena's surprise ripple through their bond, though she kept her expression carefully neutral. Maya had gone completely still beside Kieran's chair.

When Logan finally spoke, his voice was carefully controlled. "That's Damon's position."

"Not anymore," Damon said, finding his voice. "I stepped down last night. Formally and publicly."

Another pause, longer this time. Damon could practically hear the wheels turning in Logan's analytical mind, calculating implications and possibilities.

"Why me?" Logan asked finally.

Kieran's smile was sharp and purposeful. "Because it's your birthright. Your father's legacy. And because the pack needs someone who understands both sides of this conflict—someone who's been fighting the Council's corruption from within the rebellion."

"I'll do it," Logan said, the words cutting sharply through the cabin's atmosphere. "But only on my terms. I won't be a puppet Beta, and I won't enforce laws I don't believe in."

"Agreed," Kieran replied immediately. "The pack needs reform, Logan. Real reform. And it needs someone willing to fight for it from a position of power."

Damon felt something shift inside him—a sense of rightness, as if pieces of a cosmic puzzle were finally clicking into place.

Logan's father had died protecting the pack's interests, and Logan had spent fifteen years seeking justice.

Now he would have the position and authority to pursue that justice properly.

This was always meant to happen, Damon realized, his wolf settling with something that felt like peace. This is how it was supposed to be.

"Thank you," Logan said, his voice carrying something that might've been hope. "When do I start?"

"Immediately," Kieran replied. "We'll make the formal announcement to the pack tonight.

Damon, Elena—this means you'll be officially working together.

" He paused for a brief moment as if finally realizing this was always the intended path forward.

"And now all of us will be working together from both sides.

The rebellion and the reformed pack leadership, united in purpose. "

Elena squeezed Damon's hand, her blue eyes shining with possibilities. "To finally take down the Council's corruption and restore harmony to our shifter world."

"Three hybrid women and their warrior mates," Maya added softly. "The prophecy is coming together exactly as it was meant to."

Damon looked around the room—at his best friend who'd become a reformist Alpha, at the brilliant hybrid scientist who'd changed everything, at the fierce rebellion leader who'd claimed his heart, and at the invisible presence of Logan Cross, the son of a murdered Beta ready to claim his inheritance.

This is our moment, he thought, feeling destiny settling around them like a mantle. This is when everything changes.