Copyright to VedaPettigrew

I stood at the edge of the platform, watching as a mesmerising stream of wolves ran in formation underneath. They were Alpine Forest wolves, judging from their scent. I clapped and cheered them on, hearing a groan from behind me.

"Ets, no cheering the competition. We've talked about this before," Kat called grumpily. I didn't take it personally, she was in her eleventh month of pregnancy and was feeling ALL her emotions as well as being uncomfortable most of the time. She pulled up the waistband of her soft support leggings, still humphing in my direction.

I turned to her and blew a raspberry. "I am the Luna Luna of every wolf pack. They are not my competition," I gloated. I smirked as I reminded her again, "It means I win, no matter what. Haha."

"Eurgh, you're impossible," Kat grumbled.

I grinned at her until she smiled. It never failed. She literally found it impossible to resist me. I could actually do it successfully to most wolves. Dominic thought it was because the position of Luna Luna meant more to them now, I held a special place in their hearts and they felt the need to be at one with me.

It was very useful when trying to break up arguments and mediate heavy discussions. My presence did something that Dominic couldn't emulate. All wolves wanted to please both of us, but in different ways. As the mother wolf they felt peaceful near me, and calmed in my presence more than anyone else, but they listened to Dominic as the one with the most authority.

There had been a big need for it since Golden Day, the day we turned our world on its axis and brought Ori's revelation and light to all wolves. It was a wonderful day and became an annual celebration but I had been right to think the journey wouldn't all be easy; there had been plenty of upsets and discussions on how things should be done, there were endless debates on how to make such massive changes within the structure of mates, families, packs. It was understandable, everything was new.

About eighty percent of wolves now wore a silver starfish pin. On Golden Day we fast ran out of them in Black Lake and had to commission more in a hurry. Marcus and Fiona issued the design to every pack a few months after the day, letting each pack know what it meant, so the little pin became the sign of Ori to all wolves.

The remaining twenty percent were either indifferent or rebellious. The rebels weren't a true threat to the New Way, but they made life unpleasant where they could. They refused to accept any of the changes we made and actively campaigned against them. Most chose to leave packs and formed their own little rogue groups led by the three Prestons, formally HCAPs, who stole enough silver to keep them in the lap of luxury, unwilling to put up with anything less. We opted not to pursue the issue, we had enough to deal with already.

Devante Marx on the other hand, had believed the miracles he saw and became a supporter of Ori, gaining his own brown wolf in the process. He joined Brogan Brogan in guiding and supporting Dominic.

The irony was that those who became rogues replaced all the previous rogues who chose to rejoin packs after Golden Day.

Dominic had managed to get the word around, informing them of the broadcast, and they were able to watch it on the screens every pack had at the edges of their territory, thereby giving every wolf a chance to witness change in action. Once it was obvious that packs were following the New Way, rogues applied to join them in droves.

It turned out a lot of rogues were like me and my parents; leaving packs because they could not support the way they were run. A lot of them already knew Ori and couldn't behave the way they were expected to inside the dictatorial environments. Golden Day brought them back within the fold, willing to help those who had previously detested them and their ideas.

The next stream of wolves ran under us in the same direction as Alpine Forest and I cheered them too. They howled for me as they ran past and I poked Kat gently, gloatingly blowing another raspberry. She shook her head at me in a hump so I blew her a kiss instead, "Love you KatKin."

Lacy laughed and casually swigged from her bottle of beer. We'd moved past the days when it was forbidden to females and surpassed the time that even a tiny bit of alcohol got us drunk, well the others had - I still had little tolerance for it, but we rarely drank to excess.

"Katherina, give it a rest. You know Luna Luna Greta has the responsibility to all packs," Elgatha called sharply. I rolled my eyes, wrinkling my nose at Kat to smooth her ruffled feathers, some things never changed. However in reality, Elgatha had. It had taken Hestia and me a lot of work to bring her out of her exile and there were times I was so frustrated with her attitude, I wanted to give up and leave her stuck in the invisible prison she refused to acknowledge.

Fortunately, Hestia had far more patience, she had been in the same position as Elgatha and when I told her some of the things I knew about her suffering, recalling the time she stood silently and let Amos strangle her, her attitude to Elgatha had been one of sympathy and love. It didn't mean she backed away from the hard tasks though; there were plenty of times that she got cross with her and called her out on her attitude or behaviour whenever she deemed it necessary, she just didn't ever think of giving up like me.

It took a year of visits before Elgatha was persuaded to join in with the pack and another year before she finally let go of her belligerence and opened herself to new ideas. Understanding Ori finally became possible and soon she got her own small grey wolf.

Throughout it all she didn't stop visiting Amos. Incredibly, watching her change before his eyes had an effect on him that nobody could have foreseen. He changed too.

I think that despite his previous behaviour towards her, he realised that she was the only one he had left. His need for her made him pay her more attention, and he grew to grudgingly respect her as more than just a tool for his use. Stuck in prison with no other friends he began to anticipate her visits in a way he never would have on the outside.

She chose to carry on visiting him even after she realised they weren't true mates and spoke to him about her life, what was happening in our world, about the changes happening all over and how things were different. She told me that she never imagined her words would actually sink in but one day when she went to visit him, he had a large grey wolf by his side.

He had turned to Ori and begged for forgiveness. He finally understood everything he had done wrong and lay it all before her: all his mistakes, the horrors he committed. Ori, in her amazing way, forgave him and blessed him.

He had changed so much that he was invited to join the Black Lake Prison Reform Committee that was part of an initiation to try and sort out the state of all prisons.

After discovering that Uncle John had been unfairly confined for so long, I began to think that many others probably were as well. I asked him to set up and head a committee to run programmes throughout the whole prison system. As someone who had both my trust and experience of life inside, he was the perfect candidate.

The Governing Prison Committee researched and investigated every single prisoner. John kept me regularly informed, and we often discussed how things were progressing and debated how to keep improving things.

It became apparent that many wolves were restrained at the whim of a petulant alpha and didn't deserve their punishment. Every worthwhile case went through a series of stages, finally landing on Dominic's desk to make the final decision. He generally followed the advice of the committee but with difficult cases the prisoners were sent to him and he read their minds to determine the outcome.

The G.P.C also started various training sessions, giving every prisoner a chance to re-educate themselves, aiming at their skills, minds and attitudes. They ran multiple teaching sessions on the Origins and created opportunities for them to discover the true Ori for themselves, hoping for the best change of all.

The committee took on more and more responsibilities as it grew, including help with sentencing in difficult cases. Marcus and Fiona called them in after the first year of Jeremy's sentence passed, to help them determine his future. The committee ruled that due to his castration, the overall sentence should be shorter - he would be carrying the consequences of his heinous actions for the rest of his life.

Dominic's punishment had been effective, the change in him was apparent from the start. He lost all his excessive aggressiveness and became docile to the extreme. It didn't alter the fact that he had attacked and raped multiple women, punishment was still necessary. They decided he was to spend a minimum of forty-five years behind bars and then there would be another review.

I was glad that justice was being served for me and all the others, but I didn't want to hear anything else about him. I forgave him his actions, towards me first, then eventually my mother, but even his name caused me to have a physical reaction, my fear was involuntary. Dominic forbade anyone from mentioning him in my presence. Any news I needed to know came from him only.

Amos joined the G.P.C led programme at Black Lake and ran sessions as well as apparently talking about his experiences everywhere he went.

I had finally been able to forgive him a year or so after Golden Day but hadn't wanted to see him while the forgiveness was still both fragile and hard work to maintain. I wrote him a letter to let him know, but heard nothing back until after Elgatha told me he had a wolf, then he wrote a letter asking to see me. After much thought and discussion, Dominic took me and I was glad he did.

It was a cathartic experience. I saw true repentance as he brokenly cried on his knees before me. He was truly sorry for taking my father from me and admitted that although Ori had forgiven him, he couldn't forgive himself. I told him that I did and that he should continue to ask for Ori to help - explaining that I'd asked for months to be able to forgive him before it actually happened.

I didn't visit him regularly, I wasn't that good of a person, but I did try to send the occasional message along with Elgatha. Her loyalty to him was something I couldn't understand, he'd hurt her so many times, but she refused to abandon him. I didn't dwell on it, her choices were her own, and if it were not for her, he might not have come to know Ori, which despite all he had done, was wonderful.

I wish I could say the same for Max, unfortunately he was still the same vile man he always was. Hestia said she'd forgiven him, but never wanted to see him. Uncle John made her happy and treated her so well that she saw the reality of her relationship with Max as the awful thing it was.

When George came to the pack, he still went to visit him but he wouldn't let his mate go with him. He met Lena at his new pack, she was a nurse at his practise, and they were true mates. He protected her from who his father was. A bitter and angry man who only wanted power.

Still, there was hope for Max. Never say never with Ori.

George had started following the New Way on Golden Day. He said watching us on screen astounded him, the sight of the golden beam from Dominic's chest convinced him that it was no trick and he felt a switch flip inside his heart. There was no other way to explain it, everything changed in an instant.

He was happy in his new pack, not only had he met his real mate, but he was finally just Dr George. Not Alpha Alpha's older brother. He came to visit once or twice a year and that was enough for them both. Hestia went to visit him at least once a year, at his request as well as her wishes. He'd finally come to understand that Max had been at fault for her absence in his life growing up, not her.

The children joining back with their families had been miraculous, changing more than just family life. Packs became like different places, seeing carefree cubs running about everyday brought a lightness into the lands that was missing without their happy mischievous laughter and crazy antics.

Rearers had officially become Family Friends, helping the reintegration process and being a source of assistance and advice to those in need.

Valerie led the programme at Black Lake and was invaluable. She knew instinctively how to deal with each family, each problem. Mae was her second-in-command and together they brought unity and enjoyment to the families struggling with the new responsibilities. It was understandable that there were difficulities, it was a massive change.

But it was one of my favourites and I knew it was welcomed by most. Nobody could deny the newly joyful atmosphere in packs was aided by the presence of cubs in every part of life.

One of the most difficult things to deal with had been the issues with mateships. Most mates were not true, having been put together by alphas or as business decisions. Dominic asked for no couple to separate until they had given it a real chance. Children being put back into families, just to have them ripped apart again wasn't ideal.

He allowed separations to happen but requested that each couple gave it at least three months before making any life-changing decisions. He warned the males that they had a responsibility to make their females happy, they had to change their selfish ways and realise that although they were responsible for leading the households, they were no longer masters of the voiceless.

We ran mateship courses, offering advice and a safe space to talk things through. We brought Ori's teachings into it, letting her way be the guide, as we did with every aspect of life now.

Some mates stayed together, those with children put more effort into trying to fall in love with each other. Some found their true mates and left. Some true mates were left at the side as couples stayed together. It was messy and painful. But it was real. Mates who stayed together did so because both partners chose it. The dynamic within the household changed, leading to progression on a larger scale, within the entire pack.

There were endless counselling courses for all involved and Ori gave her help as always, mates who had been abandoned, found love with each other. An air of civility was everywhere, and most of those who separated remained friends.

Obviously there were also those relationships that could or should never heal, Gertie and Hestia ran a shelter for women whose mates had abused them. It was more than just a safe place, it offered them a way to move forward, to learn how to be confident and happy again.

Some couples stayed together after it was apparent that the male had truly changed through Ori's love. Most didn't, but the females never felt alone, thanks to the shelter.

As with most things, Black Lake was the test pack. We ran ideas first, then passed them onto the other packs with advice and training on what worked and what didn't.

So yes it was hard, but beautiful things rose out of it.

Thinking about it gave me a panging to see Dominic. I was so blessed to have my male. I thanked Ori for him every day. Our love had only grown and we were stronger together each day. I wished I could be in his arms right now but he was in the competition today, as were Hammer and Joan. I wasn't 'allowed'. His words, not mine. Though I didn't argue for once.

I would, if it wasn't for the three tiny lives inside me.

After five years we finally decided that things had settled down enough to start a family and I got pregnant immediately. Silver stretched proudly inside, flicking her tail at me lovingly before curling her entire body around our tiny cubs, protecting them from every possible threat.

Since Golden Day and the onset of real wolves, it was discovered that having babies was much easier. The lack of synchronisation between the wolf form and the human was corrected once a real wolf appeared, and a balanced relationship between human and wolf was the key to creating life. Multiple births were common now and the number of children had doubled the numbers within the pack.

I was only four months along so I hadn't reached the irritable stage of my dear friend, however my hormones were demanding the safety of my male. I tried to mute them, but it was like trying to lower the tide by pushing it down with one hand. Useless.

"I recognise that look," Kat smiled sympathetically. She stood from her seat and wrapped her arms around me. "I'm sure it won't be long before you have him back. Probably... Maybe... I actually have no idea, I still haven't worked out how this competition works."

I giggled, "Me either."

Jasper came and stood in front of me, "It's nearing the end Luna. Alpine Forest are trapped, so are Red Beech, but if you need him, I will call Alpha, it will still be a few more hours."

I patted his face gratefully, but shook my head. "Thank you Jas, but don't worry. If it gets bad, he'll know anyway." Jasper grinned and nodded, knowing the link between Dominic and I was the best communicator.

Getting my five original protectors reinstated after Golden Day was amazing. Once Dominic was alpha of the Starfish pack, it was no longer necessary for him to worry that they could override his instructions and they were allowed back. Of course my overprotective male used it as an excuse to increase the number of my protectors, refusing to remove the other ones and leaving me with fifteen.

And four months ago I had another five added. I rolled my eyes hard.

Twenty!

Twenty protectors.

That's what my crazy mate thought was necessary.

I patted my tiny bump, Your Pappy is ridiculous. Silver wagged her tail in proud agreement, carefully licking the cubs as they lay quietly within. She was glad to have a male that cherished us so deeply. Many times she made me acknowledge that despite the increase of Starfish in the world, I wasn't safe. The dissidents were not against cruelty and would do anything to hurt the cause. I was an obvious target. The Prestons hated me, putting all the blame on my shoulders.

Fortunately, thanks to Ori and Dominic, nothing had even come close to me. Dominic was fanatical about my safety. The promise he made to me, that he would never let me get hurt again, drove him every day.

"Those first months are awful, I remember," Fiona offered with empathy as she nursed her youngest cub. She had three now, though unlike me, she had them all separately. Her oldest two boys were at CoolCubs, a club that ran for families during the Challenge. "It doesn't get easier with further pregnancies either, in fact it gets worse because you feel like you can't protect the little ones."

"I've got your back Grets, I'll take out any danger, I am the queen of protection," Lacy stated proudly, saluting me with her bottle as she pulled her bare foot onto the chair. I noticed with a smile that she was wearing my jean shorts I'd passed on to her once I got pregnant, she'd always admired them and I loved her more than them, so I let her have them.

She was putting off having cubs for the time being, she wanted to be integral part of forging the New Way and felt she had a lot more to do. One of the things she had wanted was for women to be allowed to learn how to fight and defend themselves. One day she went to the warrior barracks to find a male who would train her and found her mate. He refused to allow anyone else to do it but was a complete softy with her, despite being feared by the men he led. However they managed to find a happy ground and she got stronger under his tutelage, eventually running classes together for the females of Stone Mountain. He was ready for cubs but was willing to wait for as long as it took, which was good because Lacy was driven and needed time.

"With your arm?" I snorted softly. The new female self-defence competition had left her with a broken bone from a dodgy fall.

She groaned, "Don't remind me," and took another swig from her bottle. Fiona made sorrowful noises at her second.

Fortunately for my hormones, the game was over within the hour. I realised Dominic had felt my neediness when he appeared in his upright lycan form, running towards our tower at full tilt. There was multiple screaming and running from those who hadn't seen it before, but he ignored it all, all he saw was me.

I stood at the edge watching him come with joy in my heart. "See you guys back at the camp," I called over my shoulder before jumping into his arms as soon as he was close enough to catch me. I buried my face in his fur while he held me close and left without a word to the others. Typical of him in this form.

"Did you cheat?" My words were muffled because I didn't take my nose from his chest, I couldn't stop inhaling his scent.

"It's not cheating. This is my natural form," he answered indignantly.

"Hmmm," I said disbelievingly. "Sure."

"I may have changed into it when I felt you, to speed things along, but there's nothing in the rule book that says I couldn't."

I kissed his fur, teasing him, "Uh huh."

"You needed me," he said unrepentantly. "It was all I could do to stop him from abandoning the competition altogether. This was the only way."

"It's only my silly hormones," I mumbled but my actions argued his case as I snuggled deeper into him. I did need him. Silver rubbed against him too, but refusing to move from her littles. Alarick licked the top of her head proudly, bending further to nuzzle his cubs as they slept.

Dominic snorted at me, amused by my contradictions, and pulled me tighter to him.

We were back at the Black Lake hub in no time, this time our building was a freaking castle. I had no idea how we built a stone castle, complete with moat, in just two days, but we did. I shook my head as we went over the drawbridge, talk about overkill. Dominic was determined to win the structure competition this year.

Stone Mountain had built an impressive camp surrounding our castle, made to look as if it was sieging it. The gorgeously colourful canvasses spread out for as far as the eye could see in a complete circle round the castle. It was a tactic of Dominic's to increase my protection, I was in the very centre of two packs, nothing was getting to me.

Marcus was a willing participant in his plan - willing to sacrifice any chance of winning the structure competition for the honour of protecting the 'Mother Wolf'.

To be fair, I loved it because it meant we often joined forces to eat, relax and socialise, meaning I got plenty of time to spend with my family. It was harder now most of us had families of our own, but we were determined that each cub would know and love their cousins. That they would never be alone. We made the effort for their futures as well as our own pleasure.

Sophie and Bee even ran a mini family nursery during the competition. Their mates weren't warriors but they were all permitted to come anyway for my sake. Both of them were still feeding their cubs so they needed them close, but the littles were also too old to sit happily in their arms for long, they were moving around far too much. As a result, Sophie and Bee regularly looked after their nephews and nieces too.

I admit to often giggling at the state of their mates when we went to visit, they looked exhausted. Doctors and gardeners weren't used to running around after multiple cubs.

Bee had found her mate in another pack, he was a doctor attending a training event that Sophie had dragged her to. His family loved her but were shocked by his decision to relocate to her pack. He explained that having heard her stories, he couldn't bear to pull her away from the sisters who kept her going through the hardest times, even though she'd never asked him.

Sophie's mate was an upsilon at Stone Mountain. He was a gardener and she found him after sending out a plea for help to grow a useful healing plant that wasn't designed for the climate. He had responded and the minute he walked into the greenhouse she knew. He knew too and, unlike Dominic and I who took much longer, they kissed before even talking.

She was always bold.

The family 'nursery' was closed today which is why the bigger ones were at CoolCubs. The adults needed recharging and made the decision to have quiet 'family day' instead.

Stone Ridge Alp pack were hosting the Challenge this year and it was pretty much the same formula as before. Well, except for the added women's events and allowing some of the competitions to be mixed gender. There was also a need for reclassifying the male fights, incorporating a separate category for non-Starfish as they were nowhere near as strong. We hoped that it would help those who were indifferent come to realise that knowing Ori was a true blessing.

Once I got pregnant, Dominic had wanted to hold it at Black Lake but it was far too late to change everything so he satisfied himself with his castle and siege idea. My silly but utterly amazing male wolf!

I cheerfully waved at our members as he strode through the courtyard ignoring everyone. They kept back, even though they had become more used to seeing the lycan, they were still cautious around him. Right now, he was easier to cope with because he held me in his arms and they knew they were safe.

Seeing us pass by, Raoul called out from his position underneath three children. "Where's Hammer and Joan? Beth and the twins have been asking when they'll get back."

"They'll be here as soon as a regular wolf can run," I called, Dominic not breaking his pace.

"Good," he sighed in relief. Obviously Joan's twins had been running him ragged, he had offered to watch them when Sophie and Bee pulled out, instead of partaking in the competition.

He was single but loved being 'fun Uncle RaRa'. The littles were used to him being around, but being boisterous two-and-a-half year-olds, they were thoroughly mischievous. Fortunately for him, Beth could control them somewhat because they loved her so much. She had been devoted to them from the moment they were born, joyful to have an expanding family. It didn't matter to her that they were much younger, they were her brother and sister.

However, the only person they truly listened to was Joan, who never even had to raise her voice.

I decided she was made of magic when I saw her calm them once with just three words. They were running and screaming through the garden, covered in mud and trying to catch the poor puppy who was terrified. Hammer had tried to bring them to heel, as had Valerie and Mae, to no avail. Eventually she came from inside the house, called their names and said no and they stopped. Just like that.

Magic.

Joan and Hammer had held off having babies for our sake, helping us through the trickiest period following Golden Day, but also because Joan wanted Beth to know that she was truly her daughter through-and-through before any others came along. Pressing into the little girl's heart how precious she was to her.

When the twins came along it was a happy day for all three of them and I knew that Joan and Hammer were planning on trying for more after the competition.

That night Dominic and I lay in bed snuggled together as usual. It was always my favourite part of the day, the moment where we laid everything down and became just us. I chuckled internally, recalling the night of Golden Day. It had been impossible to sleep. The gold and silver beams were so bright that I had to sleep on top of Dominic so I could put my head on the opposite side to the light. When we awoke, the beams were gone.

As was normal these days, Dominic kissed his way down to my stomach, resting his mouth against my rounded bump and speaking words of love and longing to the little ones he helped create. I was growing them, but they were truly ours.

I ran my fingers through his hair, eyes closed as I soaked in the moment. I made sure to be thankful to Ori for every blessing.

Silver.

Dominic.

Alarick.

Our tiny but growing cubs.

Lacy, Sophie, Bee, Kat and Joan.

Their five mates, who were all wonderful additions to our family.

Especially Hammer. My Bapa. My cubs would call him that too.

All of my nieces and nephews.

Uncle John and Hestia.

Our loving and close family, growing all the time.

My parents, never forgotten.

So many Starfish.

All the real wolves.

Changed hearts.

Changed lives.

The list could go on and on.

Ori, thank you. Thank you for bringing me through the hard times, laughing with me through the good. Thank you for getting me to this moment. Thank you FOR this moment.

I pulled Dominic's hair softly, giving him the look that told him he needed to give the mother of his cubs some love now. He smiled, eyes crinkling as he kissed his way up my body to my waiting lips.

"I warty love you Greta Griffin, my beautiful mate."

"I warty love you too Dominic Griffin." I kissed his lips softly. "Let's show each other just how much."