Chapter 28 Pack Introduction (Vivienne POV)
Seven pairs of eyes track my every movement as I enter Greyfang Hollow, and none of them look particularly friendly.
"She shouldn't be here," a voice says immediately. Not shouting, just stating fact like it's obvious. "Not now. Not with hunters circling."
The speaker is tall, built like he spends hours in the gym, with dark hair and sharp features that are currently arranged into an expression of profound mistrust. Kieran, I remember from last night…though in wolf form, I'd only recognized him by scent.
"She's here because she's pack," Declan says, his hand steady on my lower back. "And because we don't leave packmates vulnerable when danger's coming."
"Packmate." Kieran laughs, the sound bitter. "She's been one of us for what, twelve hours? Meanwhile, her father has been hunting us for years. Setting traps. Installing surveillance. Bringing in professional killers. But sure, let's just welcome her with open arms because your wolf likes how she smells."
"Careful." Declan's voice drops into a register I haven't heard before…pure Alpha command. "You're questioning my judgment."
"I'm questioning your priorities. There's a difference."
They stare at each other, tension crackling between them. I want to intervene, to defend myself, but I don't know pack dynamics well enough to know if that would make things better or worse.
Owen breaks the standoff. "Look, can we just skip the territorial posturing? Dec's made his choice. Vivienne defended herself to her father last night, transformed, and survived her first shift. That proves something."
"It proves she's a werewolf. Doesn't prove she's trustworthy." This from a broader guy with sandy hair…Brian, I think. "How do we know she's not reporting back to Edmund? Feeding him information about our defenses?"
"Because she ran away from him," Declan snaps. "Because he tried to kill her. Because she chose us over him. What more proof do you need?"
"I don't know. Maybe a demonstration that she's actually committed? That she understands what pack means?" Kieran crosses his arms. "Right now, all I see is the daughter of the man who killed my sister standing in our sacred space like she has a right to be here."
The words hit like a physical blow. His sister. The one Callum mentioned, killed by hunters three years ago.
"I'm sorry," I say quietly. "About your sister. I didn't know."
"You wouldn't. You were too busy living in isolation while your father systematically murdered our families." His voice is cold. "My sister was fifteen. Did you know that? Fifteen years old when hunters cornered her during a full moon run. They had silver nets. UV lights. They tortured her for information before killing her."
"Kieran, that's enough…" Callum starts.
"No, it's not enough. Because we're supposed to just accept her? Trust her? Risk our lives protecting someone whose father might have been one of the hunters who killed Riley?" He looks at me. "Tell me, Vivienne. Did your father ever mention killing a teenage girl? Did he ever talk about his successful hunts?"
"He didn't tell me anything. I didn't know he was hunting werewolves until two weeks ago."
"Convenient."
"It's the truth."
"The truth is you're Edmund Ashford's daughter. His blood. His training. For all we know, you're here to gather intelligence. To identify pack members. To help him finish what he started."
"That's absurd," Declan says. "She's my mate…"
"So? The mate bond can be faked. Powerful witches can simulate the sensation. We've seen it before." Kieran turns to the others. "Remember Marcus Webb two years ago? Thought he found his mate. Turned out she was a hunter plant using enchanted perfume to mimic bond pheromones. Led hunters straight to his pack's den. Twelve wolves died."
Murmurs of agreement from several pack members.
"This is different…" Declan starts.
"Is it? Or are you thinking with your wolf instead of your brain?" Kieran steps forward. "I'm not trying to undermine you, Dec. I respect you as Alpha. But bringing her here, giving her access to our hollow, our secrets, our vulnerabilities…it's reckless."
"Then challenge me." Declan's voice is deadly quiet. "Formally challenge my authority. We'll settle this the old way."
The hollow goes silent.
"You'd fight me? Over her?" Kieran sounds genuinely surprised.
"I'd fight anyone who threatens my mate. Pack law is clear…an Alpha's mate is under absolute protection. Questioning her place here is questioning my judgment. So either accept her or challenge me for leadership. Choose."
Kieran's jaw works. For a moment, I think he might actually do it…might shift and force Declan to fight for his position. But then he looks around at the other pack members, gauging their reactions.
"Fine," he says finally. "No challenge. But I'm not accepting her based on your say-so. If she wants to be pack, she needs to prove herself."
"Prove myself how?" I ask, finding my voice.
"Shift."
"What?"
"Shift. On command. Show us you have the control necessary to be part of this pack. Because last night you transformed accidentally during emotional trauma. That's expected for a first shift. But being pack means shifting when we need you to, not when your emotions overwhelm you."
"She just shifted for the first time twelve hours ago," Declan protests. "Expecting her to have command shifts already is unreasonable."
"Is it? She's Silvermane bloodline. Pure, according to Callum. If her heritage is as powerful as everyone claims, she should be able to demonstrate basic control."
I look at Declan, who shakes his head slightly. Don't do this. You don't have to prove anything.
But I do. Because Kieran's right…they don't know me. Don't trust me. And why should they? I'm the daughter of their enemy. The girl whose father has been systematically hunting them for years.
If I want to be pack, I need to earn it.
"Okay," I say. "I'll shift."
"Vivienne, you don't have to…"
"Yes, I do." I step away from Declan, into the center of the clearing. "If this is what it takes to prove I'm committed, I'll do it."
"You've only shifted twice," Declan says quietly. "Forcing it could be dangerous."
"Then I guess we'll find out if I'm as powerful as everyone thinks."
I close my eyes, trying to remember how it felt last night. The sensation of bones breaking and reforming. The rush of fur spreading across skin. The way my senses exploded into overwhelming awareness.
Come on, wolf. Help me out here.
Nothing happens.
I push harder, focusing on the memory of running through the forest on four legs. The freedom. The strength. The rightness of it.
Still nothing.
"This is pointless," Kieran says. "She can't do it."
"Give her time," Owen argues. "Command shifts are hard."
"Not for Silvermanes. They're supposed to be naturally gifted."
Frustration builds in my chest. Why isn't it working? Last night it happened automatically. This morning I shifted back without trying. But now, when I actually need to transform, nothing.
"Just admit you can't do it," Kieran says. "Save us all time."
"Shut up," I snap. "I'm concentrating."
"Concentrating won't help if you don't have the control…"
Something in his tone triggers it. Not the transformation itself, but the understanding of what I've been doing wrong.
I've been trying to force it. Trying to make my body shift through willpower.
But that's not how it works.
The wolf isn't something I control. She's something I am.
I stop trying to push and instead just... open. Like a door I've been holding closed. And she's there, waiting. Not trapped or suppressed. Just patient.
Ready?
The shift starts.
This time it's not agonizing. It's fluid, natural, like slipping into water. My bones reorganize with practiced efficiency. Fur spreads in a wave of silver. My senses sharpen, expand, become wolf-aware.
When I open my eyes, I'm looking up at Kieran from wolf-height.
The hollow is completely silent.
I can see shock on several faces. Owen's eyebrows are practically at his hairline. Even Kieran looks stunned.
"Twelve hours," Callum breathes. "She's been a werewolf for twelve hours and she just did a command shift."
"That's..." Owen trails off. "That's not possible."
"Silvermane bloodline," Callum says, something like awe in his voice. "Told you. She's pure lineage."
I shift back to human…and yes, I'm naked again, this is going to be a problem…but I did it. Proved I can control the transformation.
Declan's already moving, shrugging off his jacket to drape over me before anyone gets too good a look. "Satisfied?" he asks Kieran.
Kieran doesn't answer immediately. Just stares at me with an expression I can't quite read.
"That was a command shift," he says finally. "Twelve hours post-first-transformation. Even for Silvermanes, that's exceptional."
"So she's proven herself?" Declan presses.
"She's proven she has power. Control. Ability." Kieran meets my eyes. "But that doesn't automatically mean trust. Power can be used against us as easily as for us."
"Then what would satisfy you?" I ask, wrapping the jacket tighter.
"Time. Consistency. Proof that when your father attacks tomorrow night, you'll stand with us instead of him. That when hunters come, you'll fight beside us instead of feeding them information."
"I will. I'll fight."
"Words are easy. Actions matter." But his tone has shifted slightly…less hostile, more assessing. "You shifted on command. That's more than I expected. So fine. You can stay. But you're on probation. One suspicious move, one hint that you're compromised, and you're out. Permanently."
"That's not how pack works…" Declan starts.
"It's how this works," Kieran interrupts. "Or would you rather I challenge you after all?"
They stare at each other again. Eventually, Declan nods once. "Fine. Probation. But she's still under my protection. Anyone who harms her answers to me."
"Understood." Kieran turns and walks away, disappearing into the trees.
The tension in the clearing eases slightly.
"Well," Owen says with forced cheerfulness. "That went better than expected."
"Better?" I look at him incredulously. "He basically called me a spy."
"He called you unproven. Which, to be fair, you are. But that shift?" Owen grins. "That was impressive. I've been shifting since I was sixteen and I still can't do clean command shifts. You just did it like breathing."
"It didn't feel like breathing. It felt terrifying."
"But you did it anyway. That takes courage." He offers his hand. "I'm Owen, officially. We met last night in wolf form, but proper introductions seem appropriate."
I shake his hand awkwardly while trying to keep the jacket closed. "Vivienne. Though I guess you know that."
"Vivienne Silvermane," Callum corrects, approaching from where he'd been standing with the other pack members. "Use your real name. Own your heritage."
"My heritage that makes everyone suspicious of me?"
"Your heritage that makes you powerful enough to be taken seriously." He studies me with clinical interest. "That shift was remarkable. Most newly transformed werewolves take weeks to manage even basic control. You did a command shift in twelve hours. Do you understand what that means?"
"That I got lucky?"
"That you're potentially one of the most powerful werewolves in Britain. That the Silvermane bloodline is as strong as legends claimed. That having you in this pack changes everything."
"Changes how?"
"Politically, strategically, practically. An Alpha mated to a Silvermane heir? That's unprecedented in modern werewolf society. It creates alliances and complications in equal measure."
"I don't want alliances or complications. I just want to understand what I am."
"Too late for that. You are what you are, and what you are matters to more than just this pack." Callum glances at Declan. "You need to tell the others. About the Silvermane significance. About what having her here really means."
"Later," Declan says. "Right now, she needs food and rest. The shift took a lot out of her even if she made it look easy."
"I'm fine…" I start, but my stomach chooses that moment to growl loudly.
Owen laughs. "Sounds like you're starving, actually. Come on, we have supplies stashed nearby. Let's get you fed before you collapse."
The pack starts moving, gathering their things and heading toward what I assume is the safe house Declan mentioned. I watch them go, noting the careful distance most maintain from me. Only Owen seems completely comfortable, chatting easily about food options and safe house amenities.
Callum lingers. "For what it's worth," he says quietly, "I don't think you're a spy. But I lost people to hunters too. So I understand Kieran's caution."
"He mentioned his sister. I really am sorry."
"Sorry doesn't bring her back. But it's more than your father ever offered." He starts following the others, then pauses. "The shift really was impressive. Kieran's right to be suspicious, but he's also right that you have exceptional power. Use it well."
He disappears into the trees, leaving Declan and me alone in the clearing.
"That was brutal," I say.
"That was necessary. They needed to see you. See what you can do. And you handled it perfectly."
"I almost didn't shift. What if I couldn't do it?"
"Then I would have defended you anyway. But you did do it, which proved them wrong about you being weak or unprepared." He takes my hand. "Come on. Let's get you fed before you actually collapse. That shift used more energy than you realize."
We walk through the forest following the pack's trail. My legs shake slightly…he's right about the energy cost…but I force myself to keep moving.
"Kieran really hates me," I observe.
"Kieran lost his little sister to hunters. Give him time. He'll come around."
"Will he? Or will I always be the hunter's daughter to him?"
"You'll be whatever you prove yourself to be. Which right now is a powerful werewolf who shifted on command twelve hours after her first transformation. That counts for something."
"Apparently not enough."
"It's a start. The rest comes with time and trust." He squeezes my hand. "You did good back there. I'm proud of you."
The words warm something in my chest that I didn't realize was cold.
"Thanks. For defending me. For standing with me even when it makes pack politics harder."
"That's what mates do. We stand together no matter what."
We emerge from the trees to find a cabin tucked into the hillside…small but well-maintained, with smoke already rising from the chimney. The pack is gathering inside, their voices carrying through open windows.
"Ready to face them again?" Declan asks.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Always. You always have a choice."
But we both know that's not entirely true. I chose transformation over suppression. Chose pack over father. Chose this path that leads straight into conflict with the only parent I've ever known.
Now I just have to live with those choices.
And prove to seven suspicious werewolves that I'm worth the risk they're taking by accepting me.
"Let's go," I say. "Before I lose my nerve."
We walk toward the cabin together, toward food and warmth and a pack that doesn't quite trust me yet.
But they will.
I'll make sure of it.