“I’d like that, Kaylee,” she agrees instantly, her musical voice completely different from what I expected. I smile, feeling Lucas take my hand in his and squeezing it.
“Now that introductions are over, let’s get down to business,” David says, catching our attention. The room grows somber and quiet as everyone turns to look at Lucas and I. Taken aback for a moment, I look at my mate, who smiles reassuringly. This is our fight, our plan. We will be the ones taking the lead in ridding the community of Marilyn and Ramos.
“First and foremost, I want to inform everyone that Ramos’ former spy, Devon, is helping us,” I announce, watching Titus raise a brow but keep quiet.
“Devon, do you think anyone lingering in Oak Fur will help us slip inside the pack borders?” I ask, turning my attention to the wolf in question. He looks at me briefly, his eyes wide in awe, before Ash encourages him to speak.
“I have a list of a few friends of mine. We were all planning to leave Oak Fur in the dead of night before Ramos called me into his office two weeks ago, and well, you all know the rest,” the man sputters out. Marco rolls his eyes at this, Maya giving him a pointed look. It seems my friend hasn’t accepted Devon’s sincere apology and effort to show he’s no longer a threat to us.
“If I can get in touch with them tonight, I can ask them to volunteer to work on the day you wish to attack Oak Fur,” Devon continues, his voice steady and even despite the wary gaze he throws Marco’s way.
“Are the contacts on the phone we confiscated last week?” David asks, a frown marring his face.
“They are, Luan,” Devon answers, his gaze now focused on David.
“Okay, Ash and Kurt, you two should accompany Devon and me after the meeting. We can grab one of the untraceable cellphones from Amelia’s office before we head to the tech center and gather the contacts for Devon to call his friends,” David suggests.
I nod at this idea, agreeing that having Kurt and Ash there to help keep an eye on Devon was sensible.
“Before we call these contacts of yours, we should investigate them and see if they are truly trustworthy,” Marco chimes in from across the table, his glare trained on Devon.
Devon drops his gaze, a look of shame on his face. I frown, turning to give Marco a pointed glare and sending him a warning to watch his tone through our link. Titus may be our ally, but even I don’t want him to know if there is discord in the pack.
“I agree with Marco. We need to investigate the wolves before deciding when to attack,” Lucas says, breaking the awkward silence.
“I have a few contacts who can gather any information on any wolf. Do you want me to give them a call?” Titus asks. I sigh, looking at Amelia and David. I know we have our own network of informants, thanks to how friendly Amelia has been to many of the packs that were allied with Oak Fur. Maybe we can use them to our advantage.
“Ramos will know if we have you helping look into his wolves. We have a few friends who have kept us in the loop of what’s happening inside the pack since we left. I’ll take the list Devon wrote and have them look into it,” Amelia responds, tactfully declining Titus’ offer.
“Okay then. In the meantime, I can send Carson with some of our warriors to train with your wolves while we strategize our attack,” Titus offers, smiling. “I’ll even come with Daisy and our pup so that Kaylee can learn the role of a Luna—”
“Kaylee will be an alpha,” Lucas cuts Titus off, making me giggle.
“Really?” Titus asks in disbelief, sitting straighter in his chair.
“Really. Kaylee is a strong she-wolf. She deserves the alpha title alongside me,” Lucas confirms. His eyes sparkle with love and adoration for me as he talks to his god-brother. A blushcreeps along my cheeks, and for a moment, I look down both in embarrassment and happiness. This is the second time he’s announced to everyone that I will be his equal when running a pack. An alpha, not a Luna.
“So, who will do the Luna role?” Avery asks, her eyes sparkling in amusement.
“Both of us. We can both be leaders and nurturers of our pack,” Lucas answers. I catch Amelia looking at her nephew in shock before pride fills her features. None of us are used to this side of Lucas, the kind and caring side that was cast aside years ago after Luna Lidia’s death.
“I like that. This definitely suits the both of you,” Titus says, leaning back in his seat.
The meeting continues, all of us agreeing to first train in our respective packs while David and Amelia contact their friends to investigate Devon’s list of allies in Oak Fur. Once we can confirm they can be trusted, a date will be set for the attack in six weeks. Titus will send thirty-five men to train alongside ours in the meantime, accompanied by him and Daisy.
With a plan in motion, we conclude the meeting. Ash is the first to leave, taking Devon to his room. I’m happy my friend’s relationship is progressing, but I’m concerned about Marco’s anger towards Devon. If Marco keeps acting this way towards him, he will inevitably lose Ash as a friend.
41
Kaylee
Sitting under the willow tree just outside the packhouse, I take a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. In the distance, children’s laughter can be heard as pups chase after a ball they found in the storage room. After the meeting had ended, I went to my office to continue my regular beta duties—planning training and hunting schedules with Royce and Marco before noting who would be ready to advance in ranks in our army.
Marco suggested the pack should know about the upcoming battle. I disagreed with this, stating that only our warriors should be informed to prevent chaos and anxiety inside the pack, but ultimately, it wasn’t my decision. Instead, I told Marco to bring this idea to Amelia and David. The next thing I knew, they were calling for a pack meeting with all wolves over the age of eighteen. Amelia was the one to explain the situation to the pack—how we had a spy sneak into Ivory Fangs and give information to Ramos.
As I thought, many wolves were worried about their safety, considering that many of our packmates either were once rogues in need of a pack or had suffered at the hands of Ramos and come to Ivory Fangs for a safe and secure life. I stepped in, reassuring them that a plan of action was being made and that no one would lose their life or livelihood because of the situation we’d found ourselves in. We held the fact that Lucas and I were planning to claim Oak Fur back from our packmates, not wanting to reveal our plans to stop information from being leaked.
After that, Amelia told everyone they could inform their pups of this news. The training facilities would be open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for those who wished to become stronger or increase their self-defense knowledge.
