Two weeks after the battle, Ezra called a pack meeting. Everyone gathered in the main hall, curious and a bit nervous.
"I've been thinking about our future," Ezra began. "About what kind of pack we want to be going forward. Victor is dead, but his ideology isn't. There are still packs out there that operate on fear and cruelty, that treat lower-ranked wolves as disposable."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.
"I want The Nightshade to be a beacon of something better," Ezra continued. "I want us to prove that a pack built on mutual respect and shared responsibility is stronger than one built on dominance and fear. To do that, we need to grow. We need to offer sanctuary to wolves fleeing abusive packs, training to those who want to learn our ways, and alliance to packs willing to reform."
"That's ambitious," Alpha Kris said. He stayed at The Nightshade during recovery, helping coordinate with his own pack remotely. "The traditional Alphas will see it as a threat."
