Luna was fifty when Marcus, the Alpha of Mountain Crest under the co-leadership model, died unexpectedly. Not from violence or illness, but from choosing Void dissolution after his co-Alpha Drake passed naturally at seventy-eight.
"They were bonded," River explained to Luna when delivering the news. "Not fated mates but a chosen partnership. Marcus said he didn't want to continue without Drake. Asked the Void to take him three days after the funeral."
Luna felt complicated emotions processing through her filters. Marcus and Drake had started as rivals forced into shared leadership. Over twenty years, they'd become genuine partners, their different approaches complementing rather than conflicting. That partnership evolving into love was unexpected but beautiful.
"How is Mountain Crest ha
