Philip's POV
Pride floods through me as we walk away from the meeting with Hans and Herbert. My chest feels like it might burst from the satisfaction coursing through my veins.
For years since I claimed my position as Alpha, those two have treated us like we barely existed. They were civil enough, in that condescending way powerful alphas perfect over decades, but they kept us at arm's length. Never offered genuine partnership. Never saw us as their equals. I used to think they looked down on me personally, saw me as too green or too soft to truly lead a pack.
When Jackson tracked down Karl and dragged him back home, I hoped having someone with his intensity beside me might shift their perspective. It didn't work. But today changed everything.
Today, they actually listened to what we had to say. They didn't speak to us like we were children playing dress-up. They didn't smirk when we proposed uniting the packs for mutual benefit. The whole thing still feels surreal.
