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nerves before he made his next proposal, “We can offer a discount…in exchange for a share of profits…and security.”
Atticus held his breath as he waited for their reaction. Normally, he never would have dared, but as Alpha it was his responsibility to ensure his pack’s future.
Jason blinked. Atticus’s boldness was surprising and welcome. He understood the value of his
pack’s herbs and the value of the medicine. By sacrificing some immediate profits, he was ensuring future financial gains for his pack. It took foresight, not to mention courage, to speak so openly in front of two high-ranking alphas.
“Interesting,” Jason finally said. “We haven’t really gotten around to profit shares yet. I intended my pack to retain the majority: sixty-forty.”
“Funny you should say that,” Reed said, “since my pack will be handling manufacturing, distribution and future development, I was going to propose sixty-forty in our favor.”
The Alphas shared a chuckle and Atticus relaxed. It seemed his proposal didn’t offend either of
them. What was more, they were taking it seriously. Enjoying a good natured laugh, they settled in for a serious discussion. In truth, Jason wasn’t terribly concerned with his pack’s profit share as long as Bridget and Phoebe received fair compensation as the creators. Future generations of werewolves would learn that the most revolutionary medicine in history was invented by a pair of
remarkable she-wolves.
For their part, Reed and Atticus not only wanted to ensure their packs were properly compensated, but also friendly terms for the future. Peace River was a small pack and the added security Blue Moon could provide would help it grow quickly. The same was true for Harvest Moon. Blue Moon could provide security and training.
Eventually settling on terms, the alphas drafted a contract and signed the agreement under Ansel’s
watchful eye. Each would retain a copy for their records. Once the agreement was made, the trio
headed to the meeting room, arriving several minutes ahead of the other alphas.
Jason sat at the head of the table. As the one who called the meeting as well as the host, it was
his right. Ansel sat to his right while Reed and Atticus sat at his left, still in deep discussion about herbs. As they chatted, the other alphas slowly began filing in.
has
as slowly began filing in.
“Excuse me.”
Atticus paused his conversation to see another Alpha standing over him. If not for Jason’s presence, the other alpha would certainly have extended his aura as he attempted to hold command over the lower-ranked alpha.
“You are in my seat.”
Atticus blinked, looking at Reed, “Do we have assigned seats?”
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“Everyone is free to sit where they please, Reed assured him.
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It was technically true. Alpha meetings were considered informal gatherings to trade information and work cooperatively. Aside from the host who always sat at the head of the table, there were no assigned seats. Every alpha was meant to be equal, theoretically. In practice, there was an unspoken tradition of higher-ranked alphas sitting near the head of the table and lower-ranked
alphas sitting at the other end, sometimes standing if there were not enough chairs. If not for their continuing discussion, Atticus would never have even considered sitting anywhere near Reed or
Jason.
The other Alpha looked to Jason for support, but the latter merely said, “Sit in any of the open chairs. I know we’re all eager to get back to our Lunas, so let’s make this as brief as possible.”
Stifling a growl, the alpha snagged another chair. Since he had taken so much time accosting Atticus, it was further down the table than he was used to as others were already taken. Some of the lower-ranked alphas were emboldened by Atticus and took seats closer than usual.
Once they were all seated, Jason stood, “Now, I know we’ve all been experiencing an increase in
rogue attacks. Is there anything anyone would like to add or suggest solutions?”
“I don’t know what it’s like further south,” an alpha from Manitoba said, “but in the north the attacks
are much more vicious, especially during the fall and winter when food is scarce.”
“How is your pack situated?” Jason asked. “Casualties?”
“We’re only three hundred. We’ve lost five since last fall.”
Jason nodded. Smaller packs always suffered more when it came to rogue attacks as they lacked
the members to sufficiently repel them. Aloud, he said, “I’ve already agreed to send a team to
Peace River at Atticus’s request. If you like, I can organize another to send to you.”
The alpha hesitated then said, “We would appreciate any aid you’re willing to spare.”
“Of course,” Jason readily agreed. “I’ll send a team back with you. They can help assess the threat
as well as improve security. When winter comes, I’ll send warriors based on their assessment to help manage attacks.”
The other alphas murmured among themselves. Blue Moon’s strength was well-known. It was not
lue Moon’s strength
an exaggeration to say one Blue Moon warrior was worth ten from another pack. But even more surprising was Jason’s willingness to send out his warriors to help secure other packs, especially as he hadn’t suggested compensation. Most alphas would only concern themselves with their own pack security and if they did entertain the idea of assisting, some form of financial compensation
tertain the idea would be required, but Jason seemed wholly unconcerned.
“I know subduing rogue attacks can be more difficult for smaller packs,” Jason continued. “That is why sharing information and cooperating is so important. As some of you may know, my pack has
been doing a detailed study of rogues and their movements. We have determined that rogues set up territory usually near the borders of a pack. We are still determining why, but that means paying attention to rogue sightings and monitoring their numbers is a good indicator of the danger level
they present to a pack.
“I encourage everyone to meet with their neighbors regularly and organize patrols of their shared borders and share information with each other. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to ask me. I’ll happily organize a team to help assess your pack’s security, determine threat levels, train your warriors and, of course, help repel attacks.”
E
He looked around the room, gauging each alpha’s reaction. Jason noted those who looked agitated or worried and reminded himself to speak with them later. If they didn’t want to speak in front of the group, perhaps they would be more comfortable one on one.
“And now, I would like to make an important announcement,” Jason said. “I’m sure several of you have noticed Elder Ansel. My pack recently applied for a patent on a new medicine and was approved. The medicine is specially formulated to treat and heal wounds inflicted by silver.”
An audible gasp went through the collected alphas. They seemed to be in a state of shock and
disbelief and looked at the Elder, who simply nodded. It was all true.
“Since my pack doesn’t specialize in medicine, we will be partnering with Alpha Reed of Harvest
Moon as well as Alpha Atticus of Peace River, who will be providing the herbs and facilities to
manufacture and distribute the medicine,” Jason continued. “Harvest Moon, I assume, will be
running their own trials and making test batches to ensure quality. I encourage anyone interested
to discuss with Alpha Reed the price and when you can place orders.”
Alpha Reed nodded as their attention shifted to him. After a moment, he said, “We will be
reviewing the information provided by Blue Moon and make test batches soon. Once we can
ensure quality, we will begin production.”
The room suddenly erupted with questions. Everyone wanted to know how effective the medicine was, how it had been discovered and when they could conceivably make orders. After millennia, all were eager to overcome one of their greatest weaknesses. Jason allowed Reed to answer most of the questions, though some were also directed to Ansel as the Council performed the initial
trials.
While he remained silent, Jason’s mind was filled with thoughts. He knew the others were curious, but a lot of the medicine would remain secret to protect the patent as well as his contracts with the other Alphas. However, there was one piece of information he would make absolutely clear:
was one and that was its creators.
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joj
“Um… May we join you?”
Phoebe looked up to see a trio of Lunas cautiously approach while she spoke to Koko. She smiled
warmly, “Of course.”
Koko introduced the trio as she was well-acquainted with them. They all came from mid-ranking. packs, “This is Luna Arin from Tumbleweed Pack, Luna Kimi from Mountain Keep and Luna Sashi
from Meridian.”
Perhaps expected from lunas from smaller packs, they were all on the shorter side, petite like Phoebe. Sashi was also rather plump and she gave off a gentle, calm aura.
They joined them in the water. They were nervous about meeting a Luna of such a large pack, but seeing how easily Phoebe accepted Koko gave them courage to introduce themselves. The pup in
Phoebe’s arms soon found several more eager to cuddle with him as he splashed.
“…Excuse me.”
Phoebe looked over her shoulder to see the young she-wolf from the dining hall along with two
others. Judging by how they stuck together, they were clearly acquainted. All three were dressed
in bikinis, one also wore a sarong. Phoebe wasn’t much into trends, but she would consider them
fashionable young she-wolves, not that she was an expert on fashion.
“Yes?” Phoebe prompted when they remained silent.
“We were just wondering when it would be our turn,” the first said.
“Your turn? I’m not sure I understand,” Phoebe said, genuinely confused. The pool was open to
everyone, though with the Luna Luncheon scheduled around it, most of the rest of the pack
selected other distractions for the day, except for the daycare and her guards.
“Well, when is everyone else going to leave?” the she-wolf glanced at the other young wolves splashing and having fun.
“They’ll be here for a while,” Phoebe said, still confused. “Don’t be shy. You’re welcome to join
them.”
“But they’re unranked,” the young she-wolf finally said.
“That’s right,” another seconded, “in our packs unranked wolves are restricted to certain swim
times.”
“And if you decide to throw a pool party during that time, they can’t swim at all for the day,” Phoebe
surmised. She didn’t need their confirmation. “And do you think regulating them like that fosters loyalty and pack unity?”
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The three she-wolves looked at each other in confusion.
“Let me put it a different way,” Phoebe sighed, “if a lower ranked member of your pack and you are alone in the woods and suddenly found yourselves attacked by rogues, do you think that pack member would stand and fight with you or would they run and save themselves? Keep in mind, this pack member may be one you have bullied and degraded because they were powerless to stop you, a pack member you probably don’t even know by name. Do you think they would do anything to protect you, their tormentor? Do you think pack bonds are strong enough to save you when you have done nothing to strengthen them?”
The three she-wolves stared at her in shock. They were the daughters of Alphas and taught the pack was subservient to them. It never occurred to them that the pack would not support them wholeheartedly.
“They would get in trouble for abandoning us,” one said.
“Maybe,” Phoebe allowed, “but who would tell anyone the truth about what happened after you were gone? Besides, lower ranked wolves are weaker and rarely trained. Would anyone really expect them to fight? Would they really be punished?”
The young trio shared uncertain looks.
“And what if your fated mate ends up being one of those unranked wolves you’ve looked down on all your life?” Phoebe asked. “It’s not unheard of. After all, I myself was unranked until Jason found me. Perhaps the reason it’s difficult for ranked members to find their mates is because they are looking in the wrong place.”
Again the trio gave each other tentative looks. They had always assumed they would find their
fated mates among the ranked members of the pack, but…
“That’s probably why so many alphas resort to taking chosen mates,” Phoebe said. “It also explains why the birthrate among ranked pack members has fallen.”
“What do you mean?” one of the trio asked.
“It’s not a secret. Fertility rates between chosen mates is far below that of fated ones. With a
chosen mate you might only have one or two pups, while a fated mate you can easily double that. I doubt any of you have more than one sibling, if any at all.”
“H-how did you know that!” one of the she-wolves stuttered.
“Well, what about you?” another suddenly asked.
“I’m an only child, My parents were fated mates, but they met much later in life since they were from different packs. But as far as your parents are concerned…they are most certainly chosen mates. In fact, I’m certain at least one of them rejected their fated mate.”
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Lucille suddenly snorted laughter, drawing their attention. With a smirk, she explained, “Given I grew up with their parents, I can confirm everything she just said.”
The trio of teenage she-wolves stared at her in shock.
“Oh, the stories I could tell you, but I don’t think I will. So much more fun to let you wonder.”
The trio shared worried looks. Their parents always told them how magical meeting their fated
mate would be, but now…
Was it really true that none of their parents were fated mates? Even worse, one of them had rejected their fated mate, the one wolf they were meant to love and cherish. If that was the case, how could their parents know anything about fated mates?
“H-how did you know that about our parents?” one finally asked Phoebe.
“If you know what it to look for it’s easy to tell chosen mates from fated ones,” Phoebe said, though she doubted their parents would even think to explain it. “Fated mates find it difficult to be apart and when they sit next to each other they are always touching. They can’t ignore each other like chosen mates sometimes do. This would be even more obvious if one of the pair rejected their
fated mate. Their wolf would resent the chosen mate.”
They wanted to argue that she was wrong, but they could tell by her sincerity she was not. It might
be the first time an adult was completely honest with them. They could feel it. Their wolves, not
yet awakened, stirred. Quietly thanking her, they circled to the far end of the pool and claimed
some lounge chairs. Phoebe watched them for a moment before turning her attention to her other
guests.
“How did you really know all of that?” Sashi asked. “Did Lucille tell you?”
Phoebe shook her head. There had been no need to consult her mother or sister-in-law. The truth
was obvious, but something else was beginning to bother her. Rejections were supposedly rare,
but she had already met so many rejected wolves. It made her wonder if the difficulty for alphas to
find their fated mates was indeed punishment from the Moon Goddess for rejecting her gifts.
‘Punishment is not the Goddess’s way,’ Máni said. ‘However, not all lessons are easily learned. Some
can be quite difficult’
“I have to say,” Arin changed the subject after an awkward silence, “I thought you played and sang beautifully.”
“And Arin should know,” Kimi seconded, “She has a wonderful voice!”
“Perhaps we should play something together,” Phoebe suggested.
“Now that’s an idea!” Lucille exclaimed, “Phoebe on the piano, Koko on the guitar and Arin on the
vocals. All you need is a drummer and you have a band. We’ll call you the Lunas!”
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They laughed at her good natured joke. The other Lunas were, of course, familiar with Lucille.
Before Phoebe arrived, she often accompanied her brother when the presence of a she-wolf was required. At such meetings they never approached her, thinking she was standoffish. Now, they realized her attitude was because she didn’t want to deal with the other high-ranking she wolves.
“Sounds like everyone is having fun,” a deep voice interrupted.
Phoebe stood, immediately stepping out of the pool to greet the speaker. A thick robe was quickly
wrapped around her as his strong arms pulled her close. Jason breathed in her scent, pleased to
see she was enjoying herself. What he didn’t like was the leering stares she received from some of
the alphas.
Lobo was practically clawing his way out, trying to get to their mate and reestablish their claim.
Their mate was gorgeous. Jason’s hands rested on her hips, pulling her close to him, unconcerned with the fact she was still wet from the pool. Her scent filled his nose and he felt immediately at
ease.
“I take it the meeting went well?” Phoebe chuckled.
“Fine,” Jason smiled. “We have a contract with Harvest Moon and Peace River.”
He buried her nose in the nape of her neck near her mark and breathed deep, smelling his scent mixed with her own. She was his. She would always be his. Phoebe chuckled as he pulled her
against him, nibbling her ear.
From across the pool, three young she-wolves watched as the other alphas returned. Some, like Jason, immediately went to their lunas to hug and kiss their mates in greeting. Others merely nodded, if they acknowledged their mates at all. Just as Phoebe told them, it was not difficult to tell fated mates from chosen ones once you knew what to look for.
“So the meeting with Reed went well.”
“He’ll be along shortly. He’s still talking to Atticus.”
“My Atticus?” Koko asked, overhearing,
Jason looked up smiling at the other luna, “You must be Luna Koko. You’re your mate is quite impressive. Reed always makes it a point to visit packs he has a contract with to view their
operations.”
“Contract?” Koko repeated.
“Aside from the contract the three of us made, Reed is interested in other herbs your pack
produces.”
Koko struggled to keep a straight face. For years, her pack struggled to make connections in order to sell their herbs. She never imagined they would make a connection to the longest medically
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specialized pack on the continent. Kimi, Arin and Sashi whispered congratulations. They were also from smaller packs, so they all rooted for each other as they struggled to stand among the larger
packs.
Before they could say more, a feral voice thundered through the gathering, “WHERE IS HE!”
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