The snow finally came the day Natania had decided to announce the rankings. It was a Saturday and she was lounging at Sara's house with Branson, Leah and Valerie as she tried to finalize the list. The two females were sitting as far apart as they could get, trying to ignore each other.

Since their date, Leah had been hanging out with the others more and more, but she was still irritated by Valerie and preferred to avoid her when possible. It had taken a little convincing to get Leah to attend this meeting, but she had reluctantly agreed.

"Who is going to be your omega?" Branson asked, hands clenched into fists as he stared at the slips of paper with the packs names on it that Natania had spread across the table.

"No one," Natania replied.

The other three stared at her. She heard a dish drop in the kitchen, where Sara was washing dishes. Natania pushed away from the table, grabbed the broom out of the hallway closet, and swept up the broken glass.

"I can do that," Sara scolded her.

"I've got it." Natania lightly pushed Sara's hands away and finished cleaning up the mess. Sara kissed her on the cheek when Natania passed to rejoin the others again.

"Don't you have to have at least one?" Valerie asked as Natania sat back down.

"No." Natania bared her teeth. "And I will not." Leah's hand squeezed hers under the table and Natania grinned at her.

"Alistair is going to throw a fit," Leah remarked.

"I will deal with him," Natania said. "And I'm only ranking the first ten." The wolves shot her confused glances so Natania continued, "there's only eighteen of us. If I do the top fifteen, the last three might as well be omegas for how they will be regarded. At least until the others are grown up."

The youngest wolf officially in Natania's pack was fourteen, her father had encouraged his packmates to have children when Abigail was pregnant, but there were more children under ten that were earmarked for her as well. She hadn't had much to do with them so far, so she didn't really consider them pack yet.

Natania adjusted the slips of paper so Leah was at the top, followed by Branson and then Valerie. She flipped through them and then added Avery and Keiran.

"So you still need seven, eight, nine and ten," Valerie said.

"Yes." Natania pulled out Grace, Damien, Olivia, Laura and Rory and moved them aside. She was having trouble deciding the last four, but she knew those five wouldn't be it. Leah pulled out Malachi and added him to the outside pile.

"He would do better if he took things seriously," Leah said, as way of explanation.

Valerie plucked Rayla's name out and added her to the growing pile. "I love my sister, but she causes too much trouble."

Branson waved Alex's name and a quiet growl spread through the three females. He snorted and added it to the edge as well.

There were four left. Violet, Sage, Mason, and Hayley. Natania put Hayley in the list, but left a space between her and Keiran. Leah growled under her breath and Natania smiled sympathetically. "I know, but I can't spite wolves for personal grievances. That wouldn't be right."

"You just spited Alex," Leah complained.

"He's weaker than the four left," Valerie argued. "Hayley isn't and she's a better hunter."

Leah bared her teeth at the blonde but didn't reply.

"Sage is a better hunter," Branson said. "But she's tiny."

"She fights mean," Leah stopped glaring at Valerie and turned to Branson. "She's quick and knows how to use that." Natania put Sage over Hayley. Valerie put Mason at the bottom of the list.

That left them with Violet. Shaun's daughter. Natania knew her father's attitude hadn't passed onto his daughter, for which she was thankful. Violet had helped Leah take down her elk at the pack hunt. "Who would win between Sage and Violet?" she asked Leah, who had resumed her teacher role in the group training.

"Violet," Leah said without hesitation.

"That settles that, then." Natania laid out the list.

Leah.

Branson.

Valerie.

Avery.

Keiran.

Violet.

Sage.

Hayley.

Mason.

The wolves nodded in agreement. "Time to summon the pack."

When she told her father what she was doing, he insisted upon the entire pack being present. Alistair summoned the packs to his house, and he and Natania sat, in wolf form, on the lower edge of the roof overlooking the crowd. Natania's ears twitched nervously, she would have preferred to do this with just her pack, but it wasn't worth the fight.

The adult wolves sat in a large circle, leaving Natania's pack in the middle. Some of the wolves were excited, while the rest looked up at her nervously, snow dusting their pelts as it fell in a slowly increasing flurry

As the last wolf settled into the crowd, Alistair stood up. "My daughter has chosen to abandon the tradition of a wolf taking their parent's place in the new pack." His voice still held a touch of disapproval, and a few of the wolves muttered to each other, though they were quiet enough that she couldn't pick out what was said. "So we are gathered here so her pack may learn their new places among us."

Alistair stepped back and glanced at Natania. She swallowed nervously and walked to the edge of the roof. She really didn't want to do this in front of such a large crowd.

"Start with your second and third," Alistair instructed from the sideline.

Natania nodded at him then turned back to the crowd. "Leah will be my second." The blue wolf walked out of the crowd, bunched her muscles, then leapt up onto the roof to join her as a surprised murmur spread through the crowd. Naomi and Skylar looked on proudly, ignoring the irritated looks they got from a few of her father's wolves.

The reaction was tame, compared to what happened when she announced Branson as her third. Outrage spread across the crowd, hostile looks and snarls were directed at Sara and Branson. The grey wolf flattened his ears and crouched in his spot instead of joining Natania as he was supposed to.

Natania howled to silence them then leapt from the roof, she snarled at the crowd baring her teeth, to Branson she said, "get up there and stand up tall." He hesitated for a moment then obeyed, she heard him scrambling up to the roof. She shot one look behind her to make sure he wasn't cowering then turned back.

"If you have a problem with my choices," she snarled, "then say it to my face." She glared at the wolves, daring any of them to challenge her. When no one spoke she lashed her tail. "Good. I expect you to treat my wolves with the respect they deserve, or you can answer to me." Valerie came to her left side, then Damien to her right. After a moment of hesitation, the rest of her pack filed in behind her, staring down their parents without flinching. Natania glanced back at them and felt a swell of pride and satisfaction, her pack was behind her. Though she wondered if they would still have that attitude when she was finished.

One by one, her father's pack bowed their heads. "That's enough," her father finally spoke. "Let's finish this."

Natania's pack split down the middle to make a path and Natania retook her place on the roof. She finished off her list, the wolves she called taking a spot beneath her on the ground. The crowd kept their opinions to themselves.

"And your omega?" Alistair asked when she finished.

"I don't have one." She didn't look at him as she spoke, but she heard the growl rumbling in his chest.

"All proper packs have an omega," he growled.

"Says who?" She shot him a glance. He wouldn't argue very hard in front of the packs, she knew. The only benefit of having them all present, though he might be angry later. "Real wolf packs don't have omegas unless they're in captivity. And we are free."

He bared his teeth but didn't say anymore. She knew he wouldn't make a scene about her pack in front of the others.

Satisfied, Natania raised her head and howled. Her pack took up her song, while the others watched silently. When she finished, she leapt down and touched noses with her pack, greeting each of them as her father's wolves padded silently away.

"You're really not making any of us omega?" Olivia asked.

Natania raised an eyebrow. "You want me to pick one to be below the rest?"

"No," Olivia replied, dipping her head low. "Just wondering."

"It should be Rory," Alex grumbled.

Rory hunched his shoulders. Natania ran her tail down his back comfortingly. "I think Rory has a different future." He looked up at her hopefully and Natania continued, "would you be interested in being Elise's apprentice?"

His eyes widened. "She already has an apprentice."

"She can have more than one," Nat assured him. "I already talked to her. But it's your choice."

He glanced between her and the pack. "Is the alternative to be the omega?"

"No." Natania cuffed him lightly over the ears. "No omegas in my pack. But being a doctor is a big job, so only accept it if you're actually interested."

"Can I think about it?" he asked, but he already sounded excited

"Of course," she purred. He pressed his nose into her neck then bounced away.

"Branson is an interesting choice for third," Violet said. "I'm not arguing with your decision," she added hastily, "but I do wonder your reasons."

Natania waved her tail to gather the wolves around her and sat. "The second and third in a pack are the right and left hands respectively," she said. "They make up for what I lack. Leah provides a different insight, and she's not afraid to voice that insight," she shot a grin at the blue wolf. "And she can stand beside me to protect you all." Natania lashed her tail. "That is my job. To protect you."

"And who is Branson going to protect?" Alex growled.

Natania held his stare until he looked away, tilting his head slightly to give her his neck. "Branson is my brother. He knows how I think, he knows what I need half the time before I know it myself." She gave him an approving nod. "Physical strength is not the only thing to be considered. If it comes to a fight, I trust him to survive, but I am not blind to the fact that he is not equipped to protect the lot of you."

"But he is watchful and perceptive, and that will allow me to know where I am most needed." She gazed over the wolves. "Outside of that, you can feel safe going to him with things you may not be comfortable bringing to me. He is not aggressive or a gossip, and he has never wronged any of you that personal grievances might cloud his judgment."

The wolves shot each other reluctant glances then nodded as one. The snow was starting to pile up beneath their paws so Natania asked, "Does anyone need anything else? Or shall we finish this ceremony and seek shelter before we're all soaked?"

A rumble of agreement spread through the pack. "Okay then, line up." The wolves settle in the order she assigned them in. Natania bit into each wolf, taking a small amount of blood. They were already bound, having had the official ceremony when they were children, but the bonds needed to be resettled with the new hierarchy.

What she took from them, they in turn took from her, until the space between her shoulder and neck was riddled with small bites. When it was done, she guided the magic the way her father had taught her, granting each ranked wolf a piece of her authority. It wasn't absolute, but it would grant a little oomph to any orders they gave to someone below them in the pack.

"Welcome to our official pack," she told them with a grin. "And thank you for standing behind me."