In the first year after the disappearance of their Alpha, the wolves of Sumr had mourned his loss while recovering from their own tragedies of war. The concern of finding his replacent was not yet present in any of their minds.
While Ashleigh had not actually acted in the role, she had been approved of by the pack. After months of tireless fighting for the right to be their Luna and the way she had protected them in their escape from the fae, she had earned their loyalty and respect.
They understood her need to grieve, her desire not to give up on Caleb, and to bring him ho. In fact, for many of them, it solidified her place in their hearts.
The vigil had been necessary.
It was the only way for many to express their pain and be able to focus on rebuilding what was left of Sumr. But there were still those among the pack who believed very strongly that Caleb was still out there and that he would return one day.
So, it only made sense that his mate, their Luna, would lead in his place until that day. For those who didn’t believe he would return, she was still the rightful Luna in their eyes. The one that Caleb had chosen, the Goddess had chosen, and the one that had fought with all she had to earn that right.
The pack understood why Ashleigh had not taken up her position as Luna in the first year after Caleb’s disappearance, but they still expected she would eventually.
So, when the rightful Luna of Sumr chose to leave to fight monsters across the world, concerns began to rise.
Resentnts began to form among those who believed Ashleigh was running away. They felt they had been patient and understanding while she grieved, but her choice to leave made it clear that she had never cared about Sumr from the start. She had fooled them to win over their beloved Alpha and abandoned them now that he was gone.
Hope blossod for those who believed Ashleigh was leaving to find Caleb. That fighting the monsters was only an excuse to keep others from getting in her way. They held firmly to the belief that the bond between Ashleigh and Caleb was strong enough to reach between worlds and that, sohow, he was calling to her.
Those still holding to the Goddess and all they had known before the war were a mix of fear and hope. The Alphas of Sumr had all co from one family line. But Caleb had disappeared without leaving an heir to lead them. They wanted to believe that the Goddess was guiding Ashleigh to him, that she would return him to lead the pack, and that all would return to how it was ant to be.
Over the first year that Ashleigh was gone, there was a clear concern among the people, but not enough to disturb the day-to-day of the pack as a whole.
Her return had been sudden. Fiona herself had only received word a few hours before she arrived.
As word spread throughout the pack that she had returned, there was a mixed reaction. So elation, so anger, so expectation.
But when she left only a few days later, with just as little notice, the atmosphere of Sumr began to shift significantly.
Though Fiona and Galen had worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of all of Sumr, it was not enough to curb the growing animosities among the pack.
The divide between those who resented Ashleigh for what they saw as her abandonnt of Caleb and Sumr and those who believed her to be the rightful Luna was getting more prominent with each passing day.
Rumors began to spread like wildfire in all corners of Sumr.
So said that Ashleigh and Fiona had fought, that Fiona had chased her away because she did not want to give up control of Sumr. Others said that Ashleigh had told Fiona that Sumr could burn for all she cared.
After clearing diseased trees in the forest, the treehouse that had belonged to Alpha Caleb beca common knowledge.
The revelation fueled stories that Ashleigh had gone to the treehouse before she left. She had howled, scread, and even shifted into her wolf to claw and scratch at the tree, attempting to tear it down herself.
Others said that the tree contained no disease and that Fiona had used that as an excuse to tear down the treehouse to cause Ashleigh so much pain that she would leave again.
Those who had held out hope that Ashleigh had left to bring Caleb ho were divided again. So now believed she had given up and sought only to die in battle. Others began to doubt Fiona, thinking she had pushed Ashleigh away by insisting that Caleb was dead and not just missing.
In the months that followed, argunts and fights had beco common. Friends, neighbors, coworkers, and colleagues who had always respected each other suddenly couldn’t get along.
Others felt like they could not raise their voice, those who felt safe with Fiona and Galen in charge or simply felt lost in the fight. They were pulled into the conflict, told to pick a side, and left with only the fear of their pack falling apart.
One side demanded that Ashleigh return and lead the pack as she was ant to. The other demanded that Ashleigh be banned from Sumr, and a new alpha be brought to lead.
The wolves needed a leader. Even with Fiona and Galen handling all the responsibilities of the pack, it wasn't enough. Too much ti had gone by. The wild nature of the wolf inside each mber was coming to the surface, and without an Alpha to guide them, the risk of becoming feral was genuine.
Galen was not ready to entertain the idea of a new Alpha. He was sure there was so other way to solve the problems within the pack.
Fiona was less hopeful. She had done all that she could. She had rebuilt and repaired all that was broken in the war. But it wasn't enough. She wasn't enough. Even still, the idea of bringing in a new Alpha to replace her son, could she do that?
Neither knew what to do, but one thing beca more evident with each passing day. Sumr was a powder keg, and sooner or later, it would blow.
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