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"I stand before you not as a replacement for my father, but as a guardian of his legacy until his return. The Silvercrest pack has always been strongest when unified. That unity is what I pledge to restore."

His bright eyes blazed with fierce intensity as he surveyed the crowd, his expression both commanding and challenging. Maya felt a shiver run through her when those eyes found hers. Even now, the mate bond between them pulsed with raw energy.

"And now," Kieran's deep voice resonated, "I invite my mate, Dr. Maya Collins, to address you."

Maya's mouth went dry. Drawing a steadying breath, she stepped forward. The ceremonial dress Lena had provided—emerald silk that complemented her red hair and made her green eyes seem to glow—rustled softly against her skin.

"My journey to this moment began with scientific curiosity," she began, her voice finding unexpected strength. "I came seeking to understand wolves—not knowing I would find my own wolf within."

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Maya sensed both resistance and fascination.

"The disappearance of Alpha Alaric Silvercrest has left a wound in this community," she continued, her chin lifting. "But wounds can either fester or heal. The choice is ours."

She felt Kieran's pride radiating through their bond, along with a heat that made her skin flush.

"Division weakened us. Unity will strengthen us." Maya swept her gaze across the gathering, finding Malcolm's encouraging nod and Lena's subtle smile. "What good is tradition if it doesn't evolve to protect the pack? What good is change if it destroys what makes us who we are?"

The crowd had fallen completely silent, every eye fixed on her. For the first time since discovering her wolf shifter heritage, Maya felt her dual nature as an advantage rather than a conflict.

"I stand before you as living proof that worlds can merge—that science and magic, human and wolf, tradition and evolution can coexist. Not as enemies, but as partners.

" Her voice gained passion as she continued.

"This is our opportunity to heal ancient rifts, to become something stronger than separate factions. "

A few hesitant nods appeared among the traditionalists. One elderly woman near the front wiped a tear.

"I don't pretend to know all your traditions or history," Maya acknowledged, her hand unconsciously finding the mate mark on her neck. "But I know what I've seen since coming here—courage, loyalty, and love worth fighting for. Those values transcend any divide."

She felt Kieran's hand at the small of her back, strong and steady.

"Alpha Alaric is missing because our pack was fractured.

Let us honor him by becoming whole again—by showing that Silvercrest wolves can adapt without losing their soul.

" Her voice cracked with emotion. "I pledge myself to this pack, to this new path forward—where we are stronger together than we ever were apart. "

The silence that followed seemed to stretch into eternity. Then, from the back, a single pair of hands began clapping. Another joined, then another. Like a wave, the applause built until it thundered through the clearing, echoing off the ancient stones.

Kieran pulled her against him, his lips brushing her ear. "You're simply magnificent," he growled, his voice rough with pride and desire. "They'd follow you into fire."

Maya leaned into the solid warmth of his chest, hardly believing the response. "I was terrified," she whispered back.

"I could tell," he murmured. "But they couldn't."

The days that followed the ceremony blurred into a whirlwind of meetings and negotiations. Maya watched in amazement as former enemies began tentative collaborations—traditionalists offering their knowledge of pack history while younger rebels contributed fresh perspectives.

"I never thought I'd see Elder Callum sitting at a table with rebellion sympathizers," Malcolm remarked one evening, pouring wine for their small inner circle gathered in Kieran's—now their—quarters.

"This time of emergency creates strange allies," Damon observed, his green eyes missing nothing.

"It's not just this time of emergency," Lena corrected, nodding toward Maya. "Some people just naturally build bridges."

Maya blushed under the attention, but Kieran's arm tightened possessively around her. "My mate," he said with unmistakable pride, "the diplomat who captures hearts by simply being herself."

"Who would have thought," Maya mused, leaning into his warmth, "that a human hybrid with a PhD would end up being the glue for a wolf pack in crisis?"

"I did," Kieran answered, his eyes darkening as he pulled her closer. "The moment I first caught your scent."

The coalition forming around them remained fragile—a delicate balance of old guard traditionalists cautiously embracing moderate change while rebels agreed to work within the system, at least temporarily.

But for the first time since Alaric's disappearance, there was a current of hope flowing through the Silvercrest territory.

Maya knew the road ahead would be challenging.

Alaric remained missing, the rebellion still simmered in other territories, and the full implications of her hybrid nature were yet to be understood.

But with Kieran at her side, his strength matching her intellect, she felt ready to face whatever came next.

Together, they were building something new—a bridge between worlds that had been separate for too long.