An hour later, the pack was in a great mood. Karano had gotten the fire started, and there had been a huge train of people getting all the food put away except for that which was now being cooked. Kenzie was right on the money with her suggestion that the celebration would help. She was going around the pack, arm in arm with Eliza, and either introducing her to people that didn't know her or were born after she left or helping the older pack members to remember her. Some of the people that she hasn't seen yet were Kenzie's family, though Kenzie had told her they were helping her with a project and would see them in the morning. That was a little surprise on her part, but she wasn't going to tell her new mate that just yet.

Ethel and Emerson were almost overwhelmed with the mass of friendly people, but quickly latched onto a bunch of other kids who were toasting marshmallows. It had been a long time since they'd been so happy, and they were laughing through most of the night.

Hazel, Karano, and Melashka supervised the fire, just taking in the scene. It was completely different to them for entirely different reasons, and all the better for it. For Melashka, the pack's home looked like a dream compared to the camp she'd spent all her life in. The main house was a mix of cut stone and oak logs that looked to have been built over a hundred years ago. Other smaller buildings that were in the area had similar style of construction, though were smaller in size. Some were family homes, while others looked to be a bunch of maintenance sheds and places where different wolves worked. But a lot of those also looked to be barely used, perhaps because of the way the pack was run before.

Karano and Hazel also loved the look of it, though it was completely different than their home in Florida. Down south, the pack was out in the open, with scattered palm trees around the area before getting into the wooded swamps. But here, the trees enveloped the entire pack compound, and made everything seem more intimate, even with the larger population.

When everyone was fed, and just enjoying their new freedom, Eliza got up on the roof of Rodney's SUV and then helped Kenzie up next to her. She'd met a lot of people in the pack, but she also knew that there were more that had not had a chance to ask everything that they would have wanted, as there hadn't been time to have an in depth conversation.

"Good evening to the Black Tooth Pack!" Eliza called out, her voice amplified by the power of being an Alpha that was still new to her. "It has been a pleasure to meet so many of you since I arrived, but I know there are others that I haven't had a chance to spend time with yet. So, first things first. My name is Eliza Vera, and I am the new Alpha of this pack, after Rodney and Jackson were defeated in a challenge. You all know Kenzie, and she is my Luna and mate." The blonde blushed and dipped her head shyly while Eliza squeezed her hand in reassurance. "There are several things that are changing because of that. First, the practice of challenging others for the right to take their mates is over."

The cheers that broke out over that announcement made Eliza pause for a minute. Quite a few pack members were in tears after hearing it, and there were even some that rushed into the arms of others that they'd been afraid to be with for fear of being challenged. When the rest of the pack calmed down, she spoke back up.

"I know I have a lot to learn, I was never expecting to be in this position. But the moon goddess has blessed me with her support, and I have a wonderful Luna and amazing parents to support me." She pointed down at Hazel, Karano, and Melashka as well, which made Melashka's heart swell to be included so readily in both the pack and a part of Eliza's parental group. "We're going to try to strengthen the pack, with some wolves coming from my old pack, the South Glades pack in Florida, and hopefully reaching out to the rogues that are in the area to see if they can be trusted to join the pack as well. We're also going to all learn to fight and become more involved in the day to day pack activities. We're all wolves and should be treated as such. There is no longer going to be a hierarchy based on gender. Yes, we'll still have leaders among the pack, but anyone can be eligible for those positions. I don't want anyone living in the pack to think that they can't be heard and seen and have their opinions taken into consideration. We're all going to learn to fight, and hunt, and make this pack into something we can all be proud of!" She didn't mention the weretigers that might be joining them too, as she didn't want to put pressure on Melashka and her pack. It might be that they want to live on their own, in which case they could make that work too with an alliance of some sort.

The crowd let out a cheer again, and Eliza took a deep breath before jumping down off the roof and folding her hands out for Kenzie to fall into. Her lovely mate didn't hesitate, but let Eliza catch her before they fell into a kiss. Even the last few boys that had been following Rodney, Jackson, and Ryan were on board, though they would be on a short leash and watched closely.

Hazel and Karano looked on in pride, happy to see that the daughter they had helped raise had turned into such a good leader. "I think we should spend the night, then get going," Karano said to Hazel and Melashka. "The weather is already cold, and the further into winter we get the harder it will be to get there and back. I'm not worried about the snow, I'm more worried about the water."

"Unless we can get the whistle back," agreed Melashka. "That would help."

"We should be able to take the rental car all the way to Seattle, then go on foot to Alaska," suggested Hazel. If we can go visit Gavin, then we can get the whistle, and it will help us immeasurably. Or just steal it from his pack."

"The Selkie really helped me get to America, and I think they could help again." Melashka wasn't sure she would have made it if not for them pulling the boat and giving her the fish to eat. She might have died out in the choppy water in the Bering Straits instead.

"And then we just reverse the trip you made before?" Karano asked. "It might be safer than trying to get everyone on a boat. We don't even have a boat for that matter."

Hazel sighed and nodded. "I think the boat is faster, but Melashka's route is safer, and we know it can work. We should be able to bring food with us too, just to make sure that we can give everyone the energy to get back."

"The guards have a lot of food too," Melashka added. "They have cooks in their barracks, and they won't need it when we're done."

Hazel and Karano knew what she meant by that. The guards wouldn't survive the rescue, and they could understand that reasoning. Anyone alive could sound the alarm, and they had been held as prisoners, not having done anything wrong, for decades. If Melashka could kill whoever made the decision to imprison them as well, she would do so in a heartbeat.

"That is a good plan," Karano said while wrapping Melashka up in her arms. "You mentioned that your father and others had tried to find help, and you're the one to actually do it. It might take us a few months to get back here with everyone, but we will."

"This will be their new home. Everyone's new home," Hazel agreed. "We're going to make sure they're safe and happy, just like the rest of the pack."

Now that it was almost time to go back to Russia, Melashka couldn't wait to go. She wanted it all over, with her mother and sister here at the new pack house that looked so inviting. It was only with a hug from both Hazel and Karano, who could sense her excitement and tension, that she was able to calm down. It was good that she did, too, because the rest of their night was spent meeting people as well. Once Eliza had pointed them out as her parents, they started to get hugs and congratulations galore. It was a good night for them all and solidified the choice they'd made to merge their old pack with the new one.

The biggest surprise came from an older woman who Kenzie introduced as Darla. She turned out to be one of the mates that the old Alpha, Benton Day, had stolen from her true mate. She knew the rogues and had been helping them when they needed food or other supplies. It turned out that her son from her original mate was among them, and that many of them had run away from the pack over the years to keep from being subjected to the horrid rules there.

"I have my son's number," Darla said with a smile. "If the Day family is gone, then I think all of the rogues will be back and happy to live with us again."

Kenzie gave a little cheer as she gave a side hug to Eliza. "That would be so wonderful, Darla! We'd love to get everyone back together so families don't have to sneak around like that, and mates can be free to love."

"That's all we want." Darla pulled out her phone and started pressing buttons. "I'll call him right now!"

The rest of their evening was easy. By rights, the Alpha's quarters were theirs, but there was no chance they were using it until it had been cleansed of Rodney's stench. Luckily, Kenzie already had her old room, and while the bed was a little cramped, it was more than enough for the two young women who were going to be sleeping in each other's arms anyway.

Well, once they were thoroughly exhausted from pleasuring one another that is.