*Cali POV*
Zenith has just stormed out when I feel a piercing pain followed by a burning sensation on my neck. 
“Your marks have resurfaced!” Betty exclaims. “Love always prevails,” she declares excitedly. 
My hand instinctively move to touch the two overlapping marks on my neck. My heart hammers against my chest. 
I don’t know what this means, but I think it’s a victory of some sort. 
“Two marks, this is incredible!” Alloy beams, quickly takes out his phone and takes my photograph. This man is really weird. 
I give him the look and he gives me a sheepish grin. “You are the only She-lycan. This is vital information for our species, My Queen,” he explains his weirdness. 
I only shake my head. I don’t have the energy to deal with him right now. 
“Let’s give our queen privacy,” Betty instructs, takes a fast asleep Cale from me and ushers everyone out of my chambers, leaving me with the unconscious Leroy and the Epsilon. I am really grateful for her quick reaction and thoughtfulness. 
“Is he going to be okay?” I ask the old man, whose eyes are glued on his Alpha. 
“You both challenged the goddess and won. You chose your own destinies. I cannot tell the future, My Queen.”
“If we won, then why is Leroy still unconscious? How long is he going to be unconscious for?” I ask in desperation. He shakes his head, sinking my heart. 
“I don’t have the answers, My Queen.”
“Talk to me as a father then,” I plead.
“The connection you share is stronger than anything I have ever seen. Use that to connect to him. Only you can bring him back,” he advises before leaving. 
“Leroy. My love,” I call to the man still unconscious on my bed and blink back my tears. “I am here. I am so sorry for doubting you,” I continue mumbling, the tears I have been holding back finally flowing. 
“Babe, you have to fight to come back to me. You have to because I can’t live without you.”
I pour my heart out until midnight and still could not link with my mate. 
I wake up the following morning and hurry to find Alloy. 
“Queen of Queens.”
“I need to speak to your parents and grandparents,” I get to the point while he gives me a surprised look before panic replaces his surprise. 
“I did not do anything. I am sorry if I did, or if Neptune did.”
“What?” I ask, completely dumbfounded until it clicks on me that he thinks I want to report him or his crazy uncle to their parents. “You have not done anything wrong. You have been more than a friend to Leroy and I appreciate that.  I can’t get to Leroy. Your parents have been through something like this. I need their advice,” I explain myself and he nods before making the call. 
It is general knowledge that his father once went into a coma for days without his mother being able to link with him. The circumstances were different, but it’s all I have right now. 
I have just had breakfast when Marcus and the Ruber city park elders arrive. 
“Brother,” I embrace Marcus and frown when the pack’s Thetas walk in with the pack’s sceptre. 
“Alloy filled me in. How are you doing?” Marcus asks worriedly, but my head is on what is happening around us. All the elders are on their knees. The presence of the pack’s sceptre means they are handing over the Ruber pack’s rule. 
“What is going on?” I inquire when the Epsilon joins them. 
Leroy is still alive, they can’t just hand over the pack’s rule. Unless he lied to me when he said he couldn’t tell the future. 
“We were informed, My Queen that our Alpha is unconscious. It is a critical period that places the pack in danger,” one elder explains. 
I know this. There could be fights for power within the pack, rogues and even other Alphas could be tempted to try their luck and try a coop.
“Our Alpha chose his Luna and made certain that every member of the pack knew his choice. He left clear instructions on what to do if he was ever no more or not able to rule,” the elder continues while my head starts spinning. Leroy has not returned to his pack since the Luna red moon. For him to have told his whole pack his choice means he chose me before then and has kept to his word. 
“Accept the Ruber city pack’s sceptre, My Queen, My Luna,” the elder concludes and signals to the Theta’s to come forward. 
One of the Thetas reads me the pack’s constitution, which pretty much gives me all the power over the pack. 
I shake my head. “I am so sorry, but I cannot accept this.”
They all look shocked by my response. 
“I love Leroy with everything in me, but I am the Alpha, Luna and Queen of the Golden pack. Ruber city pack has not returned our burial land. My people are still disgruntled about that. I cannot accept this,” I explain myself. Having power over their pack means I can take back our land their former leaders stole from us. I can’t do that with a clear conscience because Leroy had not planned on returning it to us. 
“You bear our mark now, My Queen. Two to be exact. You will have to balance serving both packs because you cannot refuse the sceptre without rejecting our Alpha,” the Epsilon states, leaving me with no choice. I can never reject Leroy and they know it. 
I let out a sigh and accept the sceptre. 
“Hail to the Queen of Queens. Hail to the Ruber city pack Luna,” the Epsilon leads them and they respond in unison. 
“Hail!”
The elders and other Ruber city members are having refreshments when I pull Marcus outside. I fill him in on everything and he listens attentively as usual. 
“I need you to keep the burial land documents away from me,” I say and he laughs. 
“You are afraid to contradict Leroy?” he asks, amused. 
“It’s not funny. You should have convinced the pack against this.”
“You are our Luna, Cali. I am not keeping away any documents from you. You will do what you see fit. I only ask that you give me a heads up if you terminate the contract with the humans so we can move the old, woman and pups to safety on time.”