quiet victory, but other than that, they stayed silent.
“But make no mistake. I am not your savior. I’m not here to take his place because no man should have that much power. The power belongs to the people, to the country. It’s called a democracy for a reason. We will ensure that a freely elected government will return, that those who have corrupted justice will be prosecuted, and that freedom and justice will prevail. Whatever changes you want to see, vote accordingly.”
An explosion of cheers burst out, almost deafening, and behind him, Armitage made a choked sound. Lidon waited for the crowd to calm down, his heart pumping fast. He had to get this right, had to make them see that they shouldn’t put their trust in him or any one man. That was asking to be deceived all over again. Transparency and equality, democracy and debate, that was the way forward.
“Is it true? Can you shift?” someone called out when the crowd had quieted down.
At once, Lidon realized the magnitude of that question. Too long, everyone had tried to keep this a secret. No more. Being able to shift was a gift to him, and it was also up to him to share that gift with others. Besides, shared knowledge also prevented them from being targets anymore. It was time to lay all their cards on the table.
“Yes, I can,” he said. “But it’s not just me. My whole pack can shift, including my infant son.”
“Alpha, can we shift too if we want?”
“I don’t know. We’re still researching how this all happened, but here’s what I do know. We stopped being able to shift when we abandoned the old ways. Return to the honor code that our ancestors adhered to for centuries, and your powers will be restored.”
“Where do we start, alpha? How can we do this?”
“Find your pack. If you listen to your wolf, they’ll remember…”
“How will we know what the right choice is? How can we learn about the old ways?”
“At the end of the day, the old code is about truly believing all are created equal…and that we must do what is best for all, not just for a few. It’s about sacrifice and serving, about being willing to step back and let others lead. It’s about looking at people’s hearts and talents, at their gifts and skills rather than at their status.” He gestured Palani to step forward. “This is Palani Hightower, my second-in-command…and a beta. I trust him with my life, and no one is better at what he does than him. His brother just started his own pack, with an omega as his second-in-command.”
Another chorus of stunned gasps.
“But no one can make that change for you. You have to do that yourself. You have to be willing to face the bias inside you, your alpha or beta privilege, your own feelings of inferiority because you’re an omega. It’s not easy, but it will bring freedom and happiness like you cannot imagine.”
He had no illusions that one speech would magically change hearts, but if he could even set a few of them on a path toward reform, he was making a difference.
“What about Armitage, alpha? What will happen to him?”
The words hadn’t come out friendly, and Lidon couldn’t blame the speaker. Knowing what the general had condoned, had ordered made him sick to his stomach every time he thought about it.
“My men have seen the omega camp,” he said, allowing some of his fury to sound through. “And we’ve heard the stories about what has happened to betas and omegas in the capital. It is abhorrent and horrific, and Armitage was responsible. Believe me, I want him dead as much as anyone else, maybe even more because he sent men to take away my son. He’s indirectly killed my cousin. But murdering him now wouldn’t solve anything. It would put his blood on my hands and lower me to his level of perverted justice. No, he will be imprisoned and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It might take a while before we have a system back in place that we can trust, so he may have to spend a long time in prison before we get around to giving him the fair trial he deserves. I can live with that.”
His face softened. “Nothing can ever take away what you have suffered. All we can do is prevent this from happening again. Together.”
“Alpha, can we see you shift?”
Lidon looked at Palani, as