The two pulled away from each other. Their attention snapped to the call of the pack.

“Oh no, did they find out we snuck out together?” Sierra whispered, her clouding with worry.

“I don’t think so,” replied Gail. “It seems overboard to call a pack meeting just to scold the two of us. Let’s go, in case they haven’t noticed that we’ve left the cave.”

They hastily returned the different containers—Sierra chucked the two small containers onto the alcove, then passed the broad container to Gail who had already clambered up the ledge. Tucking them discretely in the corner, she jumped down and chased after Sierra. Unconsciously, she looked over her shoulder to have one last gander of Sierra’s—their—Sanctuary.

They reached the cave rear entrance and ran into Quibs just as he was about to leave. “There you two are,” he said. “I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t show up. Everyone else has gathered for the pack meeting; it’ll be less trouble if I come with you both.”

Gail and Sierra thanked him as they followed. The scent of their packmates grew stronger as they neared the gathering chamber. Entering it, everyone was segregated by rank. The six Gammas and eight Deltas sat near the entrance, while the Beta and the Zetas sat at the opposite end of the chamber. Between them, the Alphas stood with imposing authority.

Everyone looked toward their direction at having their footsteps heard. Gail shrunk under their scrutinizing glares, most, if not all of them, coming from the Gammas. It didn’t help that that they were among the few with spears strapped on their backs and daggers sheathed along their waist; the wolves ranked above them also donned the same weaponry, although better maintained and polished.

Of course, the Alphas were among those inwardly berating them. Terra sighingly shook her head at seeing Gail be one of the late wolves, while Frost huffed.

The three late wolves padded to the side, Quibs sitting farther from the others. Not having a rank still, Gail sat beside Sierra. The Beta, Zane, sneered at them. Gail thought he must’ve noticed her braid, and she could only growl back.

“Right, now that we’re all gathered,” Frost announced. “In the foreseeable future, two events shall be witnessed by the pack. One of them is to be expected in the following days—Goldenrod, one of the Thetas, is expecting cubs. I assume you Zetas will be prepared when the time comes.”

Potts and Juniper nodded their heads. “We have prepared the numbing agents for Goldenrod, and food for the cubs will not be an issue for now. We are merely waiting for her wails to echo through the tunnels.”

“Good,” Frost replied. “I should expect no trouble with that matter. Now, for the other occasion—” He stopped when one of the Gammas raised a hand. “Yes? Speak up, Reckles.”

“May I be informed when Goldenrod is in labor?” the wolf asked. Beneath a cleft in his mask’s front, a scar could be seen running down his maw. Gail recalled watching him stumble into the cave years ago, bleeding profusely from his maw. It was a miracle he’s still alive.

“You wish to see her cubs?” Frost hummed in thought. “Hm. I suppose you are the father of those cubs. It is not often the male goes to see his cubs, and it has been many moons since the last cubs were . . . tragically taken from us.”

One of the Deltas shifted in his place, and Gail couldn’t help frowning for him.

Glancing at Terra, who gave a nod, Frost said, “We shall allow it.” He looked at the Zetas. “Be sure to inform him of when it is time.” The twins nodded. Frost redirected his attention to the pack. “Right. As I was saying before, the other matter I must speak of.”

Gail’s fur stood on end, as though Frost’s voice pierced right through her.

“Two full moons will shine overhead next week. Gail’s Cubbing Ritual shall take place under that phenomenon, which is a blessing. Only few can say that they have been blessed under the two moons’ watchful glow.”

Gail’s eyes went wide. Two full moons? Gail knew the larger of the two white marbles would be shining in its entirety in the sky during her ceremony—it was the only time a Cubbing Ritual could be observed—but she never thought hers would take place under two full moons. What a miracle it will be!

Her excitement was snuffed a little once Terra’s voice reached everyone’s ears. “Preparations for her Cubbing are still being prepared, but rest assured we will not run into any snafu. The two full moons bless that day.” She muttered something under her breath, the same time Frost’s and the Zetas’ lips moved as well. They all were staring at her. Gail couldn’t strain her ear enough to catch what they said, but whatever it was, they didn’t want the rest of the pack to hear.

“That is all I wish to announce,” Frost declared. “There are no other pressing matters the pack needs hear of. May prey be plentiful, and may we hunt under the stars.”

Everyone remained seated on the ground as the Alphas and Betas padded out of the gathering chamber. Once their tails had left their sights, the Gammas and Deltas followed, before Sierra, then Quibs, then Gail stood. Sierra turned to Gail, grinning with sparkling eyes.

“You’re so lucky!” she exclaimed. “Your ritual’s going to be under two full moons! Two! I didn’t even consider that as a possibility!”

“Yeah, I’m just as surprised as you are,” Gail said. “I’ve barely seen the moons lately; I wouldn’t think that they would both be full.”

“I’ve suspected that both full moons would coincide,” Quibs commented. “Watching the moons while guarding by my lonesome, it’s inevitable I begin to muse to myself. I suppose my suspicion was correct.”

Gail looked from Quibs to Potts and Juniper. She asked, “Is there anything significant about two full moons? Aside from it possibly looking grand, should I be worried about my Cubbing being different?”

“You must feel the opposite of worry,” the Zetas replied. “As Frost and Terra had announced, your Cubbing will be a miracle. Our conjoined Cubbing took place beneath the same phenomenon, and so were the Alphas’ during their conjoined ritual. Our strength and wisdom are few of the fruits of the bi-full moons.”

So it’s that big a deal, huh? Gail imagined herself duking it out claw-to-claw against Frost and Terra. If she were as strong as them, she could challenge for whatever rank she desired. Despite that, she was still wrestling her mind on which rank she should challenge for. Thinking back to how peaceful it was to work with Sierra, she was leaning toward being an Iota.

“What if you get cool magic like Frost and Terra because of the two moons!” Sierra wondered aloud. She looked at the Zeta pair and asked, “Is that possible? Could it give Gail powers?”

“Possibly,” the Zetas replied, sparking ideas in Gail’s mind. They dipped their heads. “We shall be taking our leave now. Much work is to be done in our den.” They then padded out of the chamber.

“I’ll be returning to my position as well,” Quibs said. “You’ll have to wait till tomorrow if you want to visit your hideout again. I have a feeling Terra will be more wary, seeing as how we arrived last.”

“That’s fine, Quibs,” Sierra said. “I’m just glad we weren’t yelled at right then and there.”

Quibs offered them a smile before beginning to pad away. Just before he exited, though, he looked back at Gail and said, “I think that braid looks lovely on you.”

Gail’s face reddened. At least someone said something nice about her new looks. “Thank you,” she whispered as Quibs’s tail swished out of the chamber.

Gail sat back down with a prolonged sigh. She didn’t feel like leaving the gathering chamber just yet. Sierra sat by her side, to her comforting relief. Though, the Iota tilted her head at seeing Gail’s face. “Something bothering you?”

“Yeah,” replied Gail. “Just something I noticed about the gathering, especially the first announcement. It just . . . didn’t feel right.”

Sierra frowned. She knew it as well. “The Thetas weren’t here for the pack gathering.”

“Even when it concerned their rank. Not even Goldenrod was present, and it was about her.”

Sierra rested her head on Gail’s shoulder. “Well, maybe she’s too sore to walk all the way over here. And besides, the Thetas already know she’s expecting cubs.”

“Everyone in the pack already knows, but Frost found it necessary to announce it.” Gail’s frown deepened. “And even before, the Thetas have always been absent during gatherings. And it’s stupid that wolves need the Alphas’ permissions to see their own cubs. It’s all so unfair.”

Staring at the floor, Gail realized she could never say any of this out loud to the Alphas. They would claw her mouth for even thinking their pack ruling as unfair. “You’re still too young,” they would probably say, and emphasize how she was still unranked. She curled her hands into fists, then relaxed them when Sierra’s warm arms wrapped around her body.

“I hate it when you’re angry,” Sierra whispered. “We can worry about all that another time. For now, we should at least be happy for Goldenrod’s upcoming cubs.”

A moment of silence, then Gail replied, “You’re right. That’s for the older wolves to worry about. We shouldn’t have to concern ourselves with it.” And yet, it continued to nag in Gail’s brain, troubling her even further.

Gail eventually left the gathering chamber. As much as she wanted to sit around all day wrapped in Sierra’s embrace, Sierra had to return to her den to work on something private. Gail didn’t complain, as she wanted some alone time herself. She needed to show her face around the cave at this hour anyway, as to not raise any more suspicion of her sneaking out of the cave. While she wanted to make that a habit with Sierra in their Sanctuary, she shouldn’t be giving the Alphas reasons to have someone maintain a constant watch on her.

Her mind decided it’d be best if she went to sleep in the Alphas’ den. As much as she hated that notion, she had no other better place to sleep. Sierra was working on something private, Quibs had no proper den of his own, she was no longer allowed to sleep with the Thetas, and the Zetas would probably harvest her organs in her sleep—that or they cast a hex on her, or just creepily watch her in her slumber. So the Alphas’ den it was.

And then her stomach grumbled.

She hadn’t eaten since morning, before she left to go hunt that feral wolf by herself. Her mouth watered at the thought of it, and it was worsened by the scent of the stockpile wafting through her nostrils. If only Terra actually let me eat it!

She neared the prey pile, and was about to take a plump hare when a snarl from behind petrified her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Gail turned around, instantly feeling more aggressive upon recognizing who it was. “If you wouldn’t mind, Zane, I was just feeding myself. Now can you beat it and leave me be?”

The fury in the Beta’s face only burned more fiercely. “If you aren’t aware, the Deltas have yet to take their share of the pile, and neither the Zetas and all the way to the Omega.” His throat rumbled cynically as he said, “You only get the scraps of the pile, as you always have.”

Gail flexed her claws. “Clearly they aren’t as starved as I am if they haven’t devoured it all already!”

Zane laughed at her. “You naïve cub. It’s not about how starved a wolf is.” He took a step and grabbed Gail’s braid. “It’s about his position in the chain.” His grip tightened, and Gail whined and screwed her face as her head was being dragged down. Zane’s tone deepened and slowed as he whispered, “You’re the rusted link at the end of the chain, and it’s only a matter of time until you break.”

With a shove from Zane, Gail stumbled and hit her back against the rough cave wall. She slid against the jagged stone as she heaved a groan, feeling pinpricks of rock scrape against her fur and skin.

“And when you’re gone,” Zane went on, “the pack lives on without you. You never mattered in the first place, not unless you get a rank.” His maw widened into a crooked smirk. “But I doubt you’ll get anything above an Iota. You’ll live your entire life as low as my daughter. Or even better for the pack, a Theta. We could always use more wolves to help unload our stress.”

Gail let out a stuttering huff. She could only watch Zane walk away, untouched without repercussion. Not even Gail’s tensed muscles can find the proper strength to deliver a blow to the back of his head.

She struggled to get up. Her back stung, and spots of crimson glistened on the spiky walls. The Zetas didn’t need to see her so soon. Gail didn’t even take a piece of prey from the pile, even if that would spite Zane. Though, her tears may have clouded her vision as she failed to notice the prey pile. With a hand on her shoulder, she heaved herself toward the Alphas’ den. Maybe she could find hope in there.