*~Hazel's POV~*
Soon enough, everyone had gathered where I wanted them. The entire pack of Blue Moon sat before me in the clearing, their eyes fixed on me. Klaus and Leon stood in the middle of them like twin pillars, their stares hard and unreadable as they watched me.
A voice rose from the crowd. "Where is our Alpha?"
"Your Alpha is currently not available," I said, my voice steady. "But in his absence, I will be taking over. I will be the Alpha."
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the wolves like a wave.
"Calm down and listen to your Alpha," Klaus commanded. His tone cracked across the crowd like a whip. He glanced at me, and I held his gaze. We exchanged a single, silent nod before I stepped forward.
"He has made me the Alpha for now," I announced.
"Impossible!" one wolf snarled. "Alpha Cayden would never appoint someone without telling us—the wolves of Blue Moon!"
I inhaled slowly, fighting the surge of power that wanted to break loose. Try not to lose it, I told myself.
