218 Accepted

“You won today because you were accepted by this pack as someone they will follow. Someone they will fight and die for if necessary.”

Ashleigh stared at Fiona with complete shock. She was accepted? No, it was only a game, and only a few wolves.

“They chose you over me, Ashleigh,” Fiona continued. “This whole time, not once in any other round did a single wolf choose you. But this time, when you chose to protect them in place of winning the game, they chose you.”

“I wasn’t trying to–”

“Isn’t that the point?” Fiona smiled. “You saved Abe because he was a pup in trouble. But you could have left him after you took care of the wolves after him. Or you could have even left him with one of the others you came across.

“You chose to bring him to the safe zone yourself to ensure he made it. You carried him and took long detours to keep him safe. They saw that choice. They respected it.”