Caden's phone beeped, and everyone looked at him.
Caden looked around apologetically. "I swear, I thought I had it on silent." He was confident about it because he could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket while they were talking. Only super-urgent notifications would make his phone break the silent mode.
Caden's eyes widened when he saw the message. "Damon…", he called. "The Council of Alphas was summoned. You need to be there at dawn."
This was the first time for Damon to be summoned to attend the Council of Alphas, but he knew what it was. He couldn't help but frown at the timing. "Now?"
"My father is behind this.", James said with certainty.
"Do you think Alpha Edward can use the Council to pressure Alpha Damon?", Maya asked.
James confirmed. "He only needs to make his case and put it for voting. The majority wins. Considering what happened here, Alpha Damon will face an attack on his character, and it will escalate into a challenge to his ability to be the Alpha of the largest pack in North America. If Alpha Damon doesn't agree to give up on whatever they demand, they will form an alliance to impose sanctions on the Dark Howlers pack, or maybe even threaten with open war, depending on how confident they are."
Talia was restless. This all sounded like big trouble! But first, she had one basic question, "What is the Council of Alphas?"
Damon responded, "Alphas of packs gather and make decisions that will impact all werewolves." He released a frustrated breath. "Caden, you will come with me."
"I want to come also.", Maya said.
Damon refused. "We need you to stay here and ensure everything is ready for the pack run. Besides, only the Alpha and his Beta are allowed to go."
Talia didn't like this. 'What if the potion wears off and you forget about me?', she spoke to Damon through their mind-link.
'Caden will go with me.', Damon said. 'Give him the potion and instructions, and do not worry.' He pressed his lips against her forehead. "Knowing the methods of Alpha Edward, the news about the Council meeting and me being in trouble will spread with the goal to confuse our people. You will be needed here to work with Maya and ensure things are in order. I promise to be back before the pack run."
Damon gave Talia a reassuring smile and turned to Caden. "Where will the meeting be held?"
"GPS coordinates came with the summon. It's close to the territory of the Lightclaw pack. I will get the plane ready because with a car we won't make it even if we start now."
Damon puffed his cheeks. That meant they can stay until dinner if they give up on sleeping, and they had a lot to do until then.
He ran his hand through his hair and looked at the people gathered. "Let's end this meeting for now. Maya, Caden, can you stay here and help to discuss plans while Caden and I are away? Mindy, Gideon, if you can help Maya and Talia regarding plans for tomorrow's pack run, that would be great."
Talia looked at Cornelia. "I hope you can double-check I have everything ready for the ritual to dispel the black runes."
Mindy waved at Talia, indicating that she will help with that also. "I want to be a part of that conversation." Tomorrow at the ceremony, Mindy will be introduced to the pack as Gideon's mate, and she will officially become a member of the Dark Howlers pack. She was looking forward to it.
"Can we help?", George asked.
Damon thought of something. "As a Commander, do you have people you trust that can tell us more about what Alpha Edward is up to?"
George confirmed. "I will contact them."
Before Damon could give a task to James, James was talking to Talia, "Miss Talia, can we have a word? I would appreciate it if you could explain in detail the passages you know in my packhouse. It will help me look for journals."
"Sure.", Talia agreed. "Let's go to a different room…"
James and Talia walked out of the study, and into a spare room on the first floor.
The room was on the smaller side, with one wall covered in enclosed storage where they kept plates and utensils used when they hosted large parties. On the wall opposite the door, was a window with a small sitting area below it that consisted of a two-seater sofa, one coffee table, and two ottomans tucked in under it.
James closed the door behind them, and when both of them were seated on the sofa sideways so they face each other, Talia kept the notepad and the pencil on the table, and asked, "What do you want to know about passages?"
She assumed that James was onto her about being in the Red Moon pack. Did he recognize her? Was that a good thing? Talia was not sure.
"Are you going to let Damon do this on his own?"
Talia didn't get it. "What?"
"Only Alphas of packs have the right to vote in the Council. Your proxy might attend, but his vote won't count, Alpha Talia."
Talia's eyes widened when she understood where James was going with this. He knew that she was the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack. Somehow, she forgot about it. Maybe because she always saw Axel as the Alpha, and from Talia's point of view, she was still the timid girl hiding in the attic.
"Is this why you pulled me out of the study?", Talia asked.
James shrugged. "Based on my observation, Alpha Damon doesn't know you have a pack of your own, and I don't care about your reasons for concealing it. But is that secret more important than helping him?"
Talia pressed her lips into a line. It was not really a secret, but with all the things going on, she didn't get a chance to tell Damon about it. Getting rid of black runes, Marcy, and preparing for the upcoming pack run seemed awfully important, and everything else could wait.
"How can I help him?"
Talia felt silly asking.
James was a teenager, the young master of the house where Talia lived while hiding her presence, yet now she was seeking advice from him. It all looked like some twisted reality. But James was serious, and he didn't seem to be joking.
He took the pencil, opened the notepad, and started writing down while talking, "There are currently fifteen packs that are large enough to get a seat in the Council of Alphas. Every vote counts. Assuming that all of them will be present, Alpha Damon will need seven votes on top of his to be safe from open attacks. Of course, even if my father fails, he won't give up, but at least his allies won't dare to support him openly. Most of the Alphas will go with the flow because they fear retaliation from bigger packs. However, you should be wary of four packs that will support my father no matter how flaky his arguments are…"
