A cool breeze wafted in through the open window. The silvery pool of moonlight flowed in and slid over the tiled floor, stretching to the other end of the small bathroom. A steady hum of noise could be heard out the window as crowds gathered for the ceremony.

Hardened hands gripped the edge of the sink tightly, the only indication of Siya's nerves. Her heart beat steadily, even breathing, collected face. As Siya stared at her reflection in the mirror, she noticed the scars which decorated her face and neck had healed better than anticipated. Faint red lines that had formerly been large gashes were the last physical reminders of their battle.

The marks, which could easily be hidden, were worn with pride. They would be healed soon enough, no longer a visible reminder.

A sharp knock on the door took Siya out of her train of thought. Releasing her grip on the sink, she wiggled her fingers to gain the feeling back before addressing the Beta, Renald, who she sensed stood outside.

"It is almost midnight," he informed, holding up his characteristic pocket watch as proof. Siya nodded, running a hand through her auburn mane. "Are you ready?"

"I am as ready as I can be."

"Remember, Siya, we made a deal. They are no longer the enemy." His hands came to rest on her shoulders as he sought to comfort her as best he could. It was no secret that Siya wasn't thrilled to be directing the ceremony, but it was her responsibility as Alpha.

"They have not proven that." She snapped, straightening her shoulders and brushing off Renald's touch.

He ignored her body language and cupped her face, holding her eyes steady with his own. "You cannot hold this mentality. Those that were enemies are gone. These are new people; your people. Welcome them as such."

She nodded, closing her eyes and inhaling. A moment of silence passed. Siya listened to her own breathing, matching it with that of her Beta. Opening her eyes, she met his warm ones with a curt nod. "Please lead the way, Beta."

His hands fell from her face and Renald nodded, turning and guiding the Alpha through the hallway and outside to the stage where the ceremony would take place.

Large glass doors soon became the one thing separating her and 168 pairs of foreign grey eyes, along with 200 pairs of familiar electric blue eyes. Her wolves were arranged around the foreigners, as if blocking any opportunity to escape. Almost every member in her pack sat outside in the lawn, albeit not all looked comfortable. Her eyes furrowed at that thought.

The 168 foreigners sat unphased on metal chairs directly in front of the podium she would walk out to. Siya noticed through the glass that none of them spoke, nor did they look particularly delighted to be in their position.

Ungrateful.

Renald was right; she needed to push these prejudice thoughts out of her mind.

Taking one more deep breath, Siya pushed open the glass doors and stepped out before the crowd. Her own wolves howled at her presence, but Siya's eyes were trained on the newcomers'. She found herself surprised as each bowed their heads at her arrival.

"Good evening, my family." She opened with a smile as her eyes moved to all the familiar wolves in her surroundings. Siya felt herself relaxing as she laid eyes on each wolf, reaching out to all of them with her mind and soul. "We are blessed tonight with clear skies and soft winds for this special occasion."

Her voice rang loud over the grounds. She may not have had a deep voice like her predecessors, but Siya's voice was just as prominent. She knew no one would mishear her on an evening like this.

"Before we begin the ceremony, I would like for us to take a moment to remember those of whom we have lost over the past two years." Her eyes surveyed her own wolves before slowly traveling to the foreigners. "Everyone has been impacted by this war; although we are not here to mourn, let us have a moment of silence for those of whom we loved and lost."

She paused, closing her eyes and bowing her head. Around her, she could sense her wolves doing the same, and could only assume the 168 others were as well.

Lifting her head, she continued with her speech. "Tonight, we gather in celebration of the adoption of the Lambda Pack into the Omega Pack. We honor the history of the Lambda Pack, and welcome them as new family.

"On this special night, Omega Pack will officially announce the conditions under which we accept the Lambda Pack into our own. It is at this time that I ask all members of the Lambda Pack to please rise as able."

She waited and watched as 168 bodies rose at her request. Siya clasped her hands in front of her as she began to speak.

"Lambda Pack. As I proceed with the conditions, I will take your silence as an affirmation of acceptance to these rules. If any of you disagree, please speak out at any moment. That being said, as new members of the Omega Pack, you will be expected to participate in your designated area of responsibility, and in all Pack assemblies. You will be expected to uphold the morals and values of the Omega Pack. As members of the Omega Pack, you will denounce Jacobi Crat as your former Alpha. I, Siya Waters, am your new Alpha, and you will follow my lead, and the lead of your new Beta, Renald Cane, as well as the lead of all elected officials in my council.

"As members, you will have full protection of yourself and your children. You will be granted permission to all areas of the Omega territory, and your children will be provided with an education. You will be given shelter and food, and an adjustment period of 14 days before you are expected to have fully immersed into the Omega Pack.

"As former members of Lambda Pack, you will not be accepted as equals to the native Omega members. Any current children under the age of 10, and any future children shall be accepted in as fully Pack members.

"These are the conditions outlined by Alpha Siya of Omega Pack upon adopting Lambda into our territory. Should there be any rebellious behavior against these conditions, that wolf can be considered a rogue, and will be, at minimum, expelled from the Omega territory. Are there any objections?"

No wolf spoke.

It was silent, save for the wind that whispered through the air. The Omega wolves' eyes were trained on the Lambda, while the Lambda stared determinedly at Siya.

Upon hearing no rejection, Siya opened her lips "I hereby declare the Lambda Pack no more. Welcome to the Omega Pack, brothers and sisters."

The wolves howled loudly at the acceptance of their new family. The new pack members bowed respectfully. Siya surveyed her audience, wondering if there was authenticity in the howls, or if they were eager to begin the real celebration.

"You are all dismissed."

Siya was no fool; after any ceremony, she was well aware that a majority of her wolves would drink the rest of the night away. It was rare that a wolf had a real excuse to get drunk—any normal day they would be preoccupied with more important matters. Weddings, annual Phasings, and in this case, an adoption of a pack into their own, were all viewed solely as excuses to party.

Siya, as Alpha, refrained from participating in these impairing behaviors.

She retreated back through the glass doors, and without a word, made her way to her room for some peace and quietness.

Siya closed the door behind her with a deep sigh; this ceremony had been exhausting, and it had barely lasted a half an hour. The majority of her energy had been expended in not insulting the former Lambda Pack and in treating them as if they were part of her family.

They are part of my family now, she reminded herself. It would be difficult to remember that.

After two years of war, and many brave men lost, Siya could hardly blame herself for holding a grudge against the pack that had caused the death of her brother. But as the leader, she could never act on those feelings.

After all, she was saving 168 wolves from going rogue. 168 that hadn't been a part of the battle. Some of that number had been for her side, and she needed to respect that.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to do so, Siya realized.

Siya pulled herself away from the door, and made her way to her bathroom. She wanted to wash her face and crawl into bed. Tomorrow would be an early day for her, although it would be a late day for the rest of her pack. An Alpha never took vacation days.

Splashing cold water onto her face, Siya's stomach tightened as a memory of one of her late pack members floated into her mind. Kenneth had been such a dedicated, skilled warrior and he was a great loss to the pack. He had fought whole-heartedly for her; he had sacrificed his life so that she could live.

Kenneth had been killed by the now-dead alpha of the Lambda pack.

She splashed more water on her face before dabbing it with a towel and pushed the feelings aside. Siya needed rest—immediately.

Stripping out of her formal gown, Siya let it pool at her feet before stepping out. As she made her way to her wardrobe, a knock sounded at her door.

Renald.

He hadn't said a word as she left, but Siya was no idiot. Renald was too much of a worrier to not seek Siya out after her grand speech.

"You can come in." She said, searching through for her favorite shirt, one of which that belonged to her brother. Siya felt no shame in standing in nothing more than panties; Renald was as close to a brother as she could have nowadays, and their relationship was strictly platonic.

She heard the door open, and he whistled at the sight of her...Whistled?!

Siya's eyes widened, and her head whipped around. "Who are you, and what are you doing in my room?"

Her eyes landed on the silhouette of an unknown wolf, one with grey eyes that stared down her body.

"Answer me—what are you doing in my room?" She demanded with a growl.

"I believe you invited me in, Alpha." The stranger said, eyes traveling over her body. Siya felt her muscles contract as her body braced for an attack. "I am happily following your orders."

"Who are you?!" She hissed, clutching a random shirt to her chest. She turned to face him, hoping that more of her body was covered because of the shirt. His eyes moved down her legs slowly, interest decorating his face. "Get that look off of your face before I claw it off you personally. You do not have permission to be in the Alpha's corridors."

"Alpha, with all due respect, you just invited me in." He teased, taking a step in and closing the door behind him.

Siya felt her stomach knot, and her breathing quickened at his proximity. Instinct told her to attack, but she felt frozen in her place. What was wrong with her?

"I'd like to get to know my new Alpha a little bit more after that...impressive speech she just gave."

It was then that Siya noticed those grey eyes holding hers. She knew he was not one of her pack members, but only then did it click in her mind that he was a Lambda. She hadn't noticed him in the audience earlier, and her memory usually served her well.

"Though, as much as I am enjoying this, I think it would be in both of our best interests if you put that shirt on rather than hold it to your chest."

His suggestion made her realize that she was still standing half naked before a stranger. A stranger from an enemy pack, who had somehow managed to get in her room. Heat rushed to her face and Siya quickly tugged the shirt over her head, grateful that it fell to at least her thighs.

"You do not have clearance to be in my room, or even in this building. How did you get in here?" She crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow. Siya knew she should have him escorted out—and not personally rip him apart in doing so—but she couldn't bring herself to make him leave. How had he gotten past all of her councilmen? Someone was getting punished tomorrow...

"No one told me otherwise." He shrugged, resting his hands on his hips. "From what I've heard from your pack, you're a very approachable Alpha. That's not the sense I'm getting now."

"I'm approachable when I allow myself to be, and I'm approachable to my own pack." She spat back.

He laughed, "I am your pack now."

"You are a part of this pack, but you are not my pack."

He pouted, putting a hand over his heart "That hurts, Alpha."

Siya narrowed her eyes, unamused. He must have been lying; someone had to have seen him head toward her room—but why had no one stopped him?

Another knock on the door broke Siya of her thoughts. This time, she made to open the door herself, pushing past the intruder roughly. Siya could feel his eyes travel down her back as she tugged open her door. Hairs on the back of her neck picked up before her eyes settled on Renald who stood in the entryway.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his words stopped short as he took in the stranger standing behind Siya. A curious and confused eyebrow rose and Renald gave her a questioning look. "Am... I interrupting something, Alpha?"

Siya's face flushed once more at his implication. She was not that type of Alpha. No man aside from Renald had been in her room before this stranger. "No, Renald, you are not."

"May I ask who your guest is?"

Siya opened her mouth wordlessly, realizing he had never provided her with a name.

"Jate." He said, causing Siya to whip her head around once more. She hadn't expected him to actually provide Renald with a name, seeming as how he failed to do so for her. Her eyes narrowed at his speech, but he deflected the glare. "Pleasure to meet you, Beta."

"Jate..." Renald repeated, nodding. "And... Jate... what exactly are you doing in Alpha Siya's room?"

"He was just leaving." Siya cut in, smiling at her Beta. Renald nodded suspiciously, noting the irritation laced within her pseudo-smile.

"Yes, I was." Jate said, walking closer to the door. He paused, turning to Siya and lightly rested a hand on her shoulder. "It was a pleasure to meet you Alpha. I look forward to future encounters."

Siya felt chills run down her spine as he pulled away, but she kept her face emotionless, hoping to keep Renald ignorant to her feelings.

Renald closed the door behind the Lambda wolf, and turned to give Siya a deeply concerned look. "What exactly was that about?"

"I don't know how he got into my room, but someone will be running laps until they puke tomorrow." She growled, running a hand through her hair. "I thought I had more loyal councilmen than this."

Renald frowned, creases forming between his eyebrows. "Siya, your councilmen are out celebrating as you had previously instructed."

"Typical." She scoffed and moved to sit on the edge of her bed. Renald came to sit behind her and began to rub her tense shoulders. Siya leaned back into his touch, grateful for the relief.

"You're very stressed, Alpha."

"Yes, I am. I'm integrating a pack I have spent the past two years at war with into my own, and I'm learning that I have no one guarding the halls because they're out drinking away their good judgement."

"Relax. They haven't been able to enjoy themselves in months. Jate did no harm to you, and he seemed like a gentlemanly fellow. I'm sure he was just curious about the female Alpha, as many are. You forget that not all packs are ruled by a strong woman like yourself."

Siya decided it best to withhold any more information about Jate, and gave into Renald's touch. She shifted to lay on her stomach, allowing her mind to wander.

She had found herself embarrassed twice in Jate's presence. The last time Siya remembered that feeling, her brother had still been around to create it. Why had she responded that way toward a complete stranger?

A complete stranger who had found his way into her private corridors...

Regardless of the lack of wolves guarding her building, it was an unspoken rule that specific authority be required before approaching an Alpha in his or her private corridors. As Alpha of the Omega Pack, Siya frequently made herself available to her own wolves, and had never had an instance in which a wolf sought out permission to enter her chambers. Only her immediate family and councilmen had been inside of her bedroom...and now Jate too.

Sleep began to overtake Siya, but a lingering knot in her stomach made it difficult to succumb to. Perhaps she should perceive this stranger as a threat; perhaps he was attempting to usurp her power. Siya wasn't sure what her intuition was telling her, but she knew she needed to be weary of this particular grey-eyed wolf.

Renald dismissed himself as Siya fell asleep beneath his touch, mindful to lock her door on his way out. Although she would be awake in a few hours' time, he didn't want to risk anymore intruders.

Siya rested inside, while laughter and joyous celebrations could be heard through the crack in her window coming from both parties of wolves. At least for the time being, there was an attempt being made to welcome the Lambda Pack.