Page 18 of Howl You Doin'

Fiona opened her mouth to answer, then paused, her expression shifting from confident to contemplative.

Caleb scratched his chin, remembering an idea he'd dismissed earlier. "I'd been thinking about organizing something in the town square. Food trucks, music, maybe some friendly sparring matches. Show everyone we're not hiding."

Fiona's eyes lit up, but she shook her head. "Close, but not quite right." She drummed her fingers on the desk, a habit he'd noticed she did when piecing things together. "What about holding it here instead?"

"At the community center?"

"Think about it." She stood, energy radiating from her like heat from a flame. "This place means something to your pack. Victor tried to damage that by vandalizing it. So we transform it into something even better."

His wolf perked up at the suggestion. The center had been his first major project as alpha - turning an abandoned warehouseinto a place where pack members could gather, train, and support each other.

"A celebration," he mused, warming to the idea. "Right where Victor tried to hurt us."

"Exactly.Show everyone you're not just talking about unity - you're living it." She gestured around the office. "The volunteers today proved people will come together if you give them a reason."

The more he considered it, the more sense it made. The elders would see the pack's strength. Victor would see his intimidation tactics had failed. And most importantly, his people would remember what made them strong in the first place.

"Plus," Fiona added with a mischievous grin, "it'll drive Victor absolutely crazy."

Caleb couldn't help but laugh. "You know, for someone who preaches peaceful solutions, you've got a vindictive streak."

"I prefer to call it creative problem-solving." She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. "So, what do you think?"

His wolf practically purred at the prospect. "I think you might be onto something."

"That's not a yes."

"Yes," he said, rolling his eyes but unable to hide his smile. "Happy now?"

"Ecstatic." Her grin widened. "Just wait until you hear the rest of my ideas."

The groan that escaped him was only partly feigned. What had he gotten himself into?

8

FIONA

Fiona spread notes across her desk as Caleb and her brainstormed about the festival. "We need entertainment, food vendors, and activities for the kids."

"No outside vendors." Caleb leaned against her filing cabinet, arms crossed. "Too risky."

"You can't seriously expect to feed everyone with just pack members' cooking."

"Watch me."

The pencil in Fiona's hand sparked, a tiny flame dancing along its edge. She set it down before it could catch fire. "Fine. But you're helping me coordinate the food prep teams."

"Done." His lips twitched. "The flame thing - does that happen often?"

"Only when stubborn alphas get under my skin." She shuffled through her papers. "What about music?"

"Pack band."

"You have a pack band?"

"Three actually."

Fiona looked up, catching the hint of pride in his voice. "That's... actually perfect. We can rotate them through sets."She made a note, her handwriting flowing across the page. "But we still need activities. Face painting, games, maybe some craft stations?"

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