Lucas looked down at him, no judgment in his gaze, only a quiet, heavy compassion that Kade wasn't used to seeing from a man usually more known for war cries than soft silences. "We all wanted to," Lucas said simply.
He gestured behind him, his eyes softening.
Kade turned.
There, spread out across the clearing, stood every Gamma from the Eastern Ridge. All in wolf form. Tall, strong, proud. Their heads were bowed in a silent, ancient salute to their fallen Beta.
A lump formed in Kade's throat that he couldn't swallow. He placed a hand over his heart and gave the wolves a respectful bow of his own. "He would've liked this," he said quietly. "He would've stood taller, pretended it didn't matter… but he would've liked it."
Lucas gave a small smile. "Despite everything, Kade… your father was a good soldier. A damn fine one. A lot of things have happened but when it came to the battlefield…he never wavered."
