CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED & TWENTY
Talia’s POV
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High-ranking pack members were assembled in the central meeting room. The room sat near the heart of the pack house. It was large enough to hold a full council and still left space for warriors to stand along the walls.
As Nolan and I stepped inside, all conversations ended. The pack members walked toward the table. I had seen several of them at the return party, but this was the first time I would speak to them as their Luna.
“Alpha,” several greeted.
“Luna,” others added.
All eyes were on me. I kept my hands relaxed at my sides. I refused to look uncertain, even for a second.
‘You belong here,’ my wolf said firmly. ‘Don’t forget that.’
Nolan walked with me toward the head of the table. He sat at the head, and I sat to the right of him. Della took the seat to the right of me and Marco took the seat to the left of Nolan.
“Sit,” Nolan commanded.
Everyone sat down and one pack member said, “It is good seeing the Alpha and Luna. I hope you have called us here for good news.”
“This meeting is convened to discuss the safety of Bloodmoon,” Nolan explained. “Luna Talia reviewed the recent patrol reports. She noticed a pattern.” He turned to me and asked, “Would you like to elaborate on what you found?”
I stood up, and walked to the other end of the table, so everyone could see me. “I went through patrol summaries, border reports, and pack member concerns,” I began. “There is a consistent pattern in the documents. Rogue incursions are becoming more frequent.”
A few of them exchanged looks, but no one spoke.
“Right now, we are responding to the issue,” I continued, “but we are chasing the problem when we need to be proactive. Increasing rotations helps in the short term, but it burns out our warriors and makes us weaker in the long term.”
An old pack member leaned back in his chair and asked, “We are aware, Luna. This is a known concern; however, we don’t have any other choice.”
“No, it isn’t,” I said. “The outer plains are too open, and it gives rogues too many ways to approach without being spotted. We can change the structure of the border. My proposal is to build a defensive wall along the most vulnerable section of the plains border.”
“That would be cutting us off,” one of them blurted out. “How would we get supplies or help if we need it?”
“No, it would only block that area. It would connect using the forest edge and the mountains as anchors,” I explained. “We would create only a few controlled entry points with permanent gates. With limited entry points, we do not need dozens of scattered patrols. That frees the rest of our warriors to train, reinforce villages, and respond quickly if rogues appear elsewhere.”
“Isn’t this an overreaction? They are only stealing a few livestock,” another pack member asked. “They haven’t done anything that would warrant this.”
My wolf bristled within me. ‘Is our abduction not enough for them?’ she growled. ‘Would it be an overreaction it their loved one was taken from them?’
“This is not just about stopping rogues from stealing livestock,” I said firmly. “This is a situation where it will escalate. What happens when a rogue is caught? Will they become violent to get what they want? That is a reality that our pack should not have to face. By building the wall, it will prevent them from bringing in anything that can be harmful, prevent dangerous rogues or rogues with bounties being able to enter and cause damage before we find out about it.”
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I did not need to bring up my kidnapping. It was still fresh on everyone’s mind. It shouldn’t happen and with stricter entryways this shouldn’t happen again.
“I want your assessment,” I said. “If you see flaws, say them. If you see improvements, speak.”
No one said anything for a few minutes.
Marco was the first to speak. He leaned forward, forearms on the table, and looked down at the table. “It’s practical and I think it could work,” Marco said. “When are you proposing to get this done?”
“In a month,” I said.
A pack member on the left side of the table spoke. “A month is fast.”
“It is fast if you expect only the warriors to build it,” Marco replied. “It’s not fast if we rotate construction shifts and use villagers for hauling, digging, and basic labor. Warriors handle security and the heavy lifting.”
Another pack member asked, “What about emergencies? If the wall forces movement through gates, it slows travel.”
“It only slows travel in that area. Of course, Bloodmoon pack members will be able to move freely,” Marco said. “It forces any rogues moving through that border to be seen, recorded, and challenged. They will be forced to do that if they enter any other area. That is the point.”
A few wolves nodded, while others remained stone-faced, watching Nolan. Then, a cold scoff cut through the silence.
To my right, a stern man sat rigid, his gaze hard with disgust as if I had said the worst thing imaginable.
“A wall,” he huffed, voice dripping with disdain. “So, is this what Bloodmoon has become? A pack that hides because its new Luna is afraid of rogues?”
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SOWEND ONE
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