Page 37 of Moonlight and Mischief
Hazel watches them go, and I’m confident if she was in her human form, she’d be rolling her eyes. Stepping closer, I nudge her muzzle with my nose in a sign of affection. She tilts her head, ears swiveling. With a wag of her tail, she dashes after the boys, inviting me to give chase.
Our endurance as wolves is considerably better than as humans, and it’s another hour before we are panting and finished with our play. I haven’t won a single game of chase, but the attachment and loyalty between us is stronger than ever.
JASPER
Eight of us gather around the meeting table, the air heavy. Heath sits at the center, with his heirs beside him. Hawthorne rests across from him, with me at his right hand. Fisher, our Delta and trainer, sits on his other side.
To Hazel’s right slouches Sable, Marigold’s grandmother. The healer’s long memory of the local packs has been helpful in preparations for the Alpha Counsel. And at the end perches Linden, our business manager. With mousy brown hair and a reserved demeanor, Linden often joins our meetings to take notesfor logistics, budget, or supplies, but I don’t know him well. Being a few years older, we’ve never socialized together.
“How large of a team do you think each pack will bring?” Slate asks. Hazel leans back in her chair, her fingers tapping against her chin.
Hawthorne exhales. “I would expect around ten. Their top three, and then half a dozen guards or so.”
“We should set a maximum number,” Hazel muses.
Sable purses her lips. “Setting a rule about how many wolves an Alpha can bring is a sure way to make them wary and trigger them breaking that rule.” Hazel frowns at her.
“We already have some advantage as the hosts, though it’s minimal. I don’t think anyone will bring twenty wolves, it would make them look frightened,” Heath says. “They’ll want to appear confident and powerful in their own right.”
Nodding, Hawthorne adds, “Ferris and Zephyr will likely display wealth in any way they can. And all of them are likely to bring not only their closest advisors, but also their most physically impressive.”
“Displaying power without numbers,” I conclude. Hawthorne’s mouth quirks, his approval sending a satisfied warmth through my chest.
“So who do we want to bring?” Fisher asks.
“Everyone here, although I think I’d prefer you stayed behind with our pack as leader de facto in my absence.” Fisher nods at Heath’s edict.
“There is no reason for me to join you.” Sable raises her chin. Heath nods in acknowledgment.
“So how many additional Zetas and Thetas should we bring?” Slate asks.
“Two,” Heath says, “Lazuli and Cassia.” The mated pair make an impressive team. Lazuli stands tall and intimidating with his athletic build. Cassia is smaller, but she is perhaps our strongest Zeta. She’s quick, clever, and fairly ruthless, although only in a fight. It’s quite the contrast to her calm temperament and role as a mother to Oliver, the youngest baby in our pack. He’s six months younger than Dahlia and only recently started running.
“I’d like for us to have additional security measures,” Hazel says.
“Yes?”
“Perhaps additional members standing by at a distance? Vale, Elm, and Aven?” Slate suggests, mentioning the last three of our warriors. Elm is Marigold’s father and the oldest of our Zetas, and Vale is the youngest Theta at barely eighteen, though Vale’s talents at scouting earned him the position as a teenager.
Several people nod at the suggestion. Taking a measured breath, I say, “Perhaps a hidden stash of additional weapons within easy reach?”
Fisher’s lip curls. He knows I mean handguns, and he disdains them. Though we pack in shots of wolfsbane which disable our opponents instead of kill, he still sees it as dishonorable. That belief makes him a critic of me.
“Yes, please arrange that,” Heath says. I fight to keep my face relaxed when I want to smirk. Hazel’s gaze flicks to me and her mouth twitches in a subtle praise.
Heath sits up straighter. “What do we know about the objectives of each pack? We need to consider how their desires may conflict.”
This is Hawthorne’s area of expertise. He leans forward, speaking directly to his Alpha. “Zephyr seems intent on rebuilding an alliance with us, at the expense of his relationship with Ferris. So we are primed for a conflict between them in addition to Ferris’s general dislike of us. But outside of them, I don’t foresee any requests or complications from the Valley Pack. So it’s whatever we bring to the table.”
“What are we pushing for?” Hazel asks. Her wide brown eyes look up at her uncle.
“Peace and order,” Heath says simply.
Slate frowns. “We need to publicly hold Granite Ridge accountable for their recent offenses toward us.”
“Do we?” Sable asks. I scowl at her. Knowing the depths of her unkindness to Marigold has set the healer in a new light for me, and I see her compassion extends furthest for those she is healing, and least for her family.
“Everyone is already aware of their crimes,” Hazel says, crossing her arms. As the chief victim, her word will weigh the most in this matter.
