**Aria's POV**

The first real test of my Alpha credentials came three days after returning home, in the form of a territorial dispute that couldn't wait for lengthy deliberation or careful consensus building.

"The Shadowpine Pack is claiming hunting rights to the eastern valley," my father announced during the morning pack council meeting. "They're citing a boundary agreement from 1847 that allegedly gives them access during winter months."

"What's our position?" I asked, settling into the ...