Page 236 of Sienna Rossi: Beyond Shattered Trust

“I do.”

“Do you vow to place the pack before pride, to lead without fear, and to protect every member beneath your command?”

“I do.”

“And do you accept that power is not given for your benefit, but entrusted to you for theirs?”

My gaze moves across the people gathered before me.

Dad.

My brothers and sister.

Grandad.

Grandma.

The warriors I trained with.

The children who will one day look to me the way I once looked to Dad.

Then my eyes settle on Sienna.

My mate stands a few feet away, with one hand resting lightly over our child, her gaze fixed on mine with absolute faith.

“I do,” I answer, stronger this time.

Dad draws the blade across his palm.

Blood spills from the cut before he raises his hand between us.

“I, Liam Westwood, Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, relinquish my title and the authority bound to it. By blood, oath, and the will of the pack, I name my son, Jayce Westwood, as my successor. May he serve, protect, and lead the Blood Moon Pack from this night until the title passes from him.”

He holds the dagger out to me, and I take it. The weight of it is nothing compared to the words he has just spoken. I draw the blade across my palm, barely feeling the sting as blood rises to the surface.

“I, Jayce Westwood, accept the title of Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. By my blood and my will, I vow to serve this pack, protect its people and lead without placing myself above those who place their trust in me. Their lives will be my responsibility, their enemies mine, and their futures, their legacies, I will defend.”

I take Dad’s hand. The moment our blood meets, power surges through me. It doesn’t strike like lightning or tear through me the way divine power does. It spreads deeper, flowing into my bones as thousands of connections awaken at once. I feel every member of the Blood Moon Pack like distant heartbeats surrounding my own, countless threads pulling taut as the authority Dad carried for years passes from him and settles into me.

My wolf surges forward with a roar of approval. My aura rolls through the pack grounds. Every wolf present feels the force of it. Heads bow, and a wave of acceptance seeps through the link as clear as spoken words.

Dad releases my hand, and although the strength of his Alpha aura has faded, he looks lighter rather than diminished, as if a burden he has carried for far too long has finally been placed where it belongs.

“Your pack,” he says quietly.

I look out at them.

“My pack,” I repeat.

Then I turn towards Sienna.

She is already watching me, and everything else seems to fall away again. The pack, the power, and the title all matter, but none of it feels complete without her standing beside me. I hold out my bloodied hand.

“Come here, Darling.”

Her heart thuds as she steps forward, gathering part of her skirt in one hand as she walks towards the platform. When she reaches me, I take her hand and help her up, my gaze moving over her face before settling on the mark at her neck.

“You ready?” I murmur.