The territory of the Spring Leaf pack was next to get a boost in size.
Maddox, Cristian, and Damon agreed to discuss at a later time if this would impact their internal division of land. Since the last social mixer, many of their pack members crossed borders to be with their mates, and the interaction between the three packs became smoother.
Tony had concerns about accepting additional land since he didn't have enough manpower to secure it, but Maddox and Cristian assured him they would work it out together.
Despite his worries, Tony was eager to join the open-borders coalition. He was the youngest Alpha among the four, and he was looking forward to additional backing that Damon, Cristian, and Maddox would provide. Also, he was sure that Kalina would be ecstatic to hear that she was closer to her sisters now.
With that settled, Damon turned to his next ally.
"Alpha George," Damon called. "I believe you have members of the Frostcrest pack who are willing to follow you. Do you want to settle in a specific territory?"
Seeing that George didn't respond, James pointed at the map. "This belonged to the Frostcrest pack. If you want to continue the legacy of your ancestors, you should go there. The packhouse was demolished more than a decade ago, but we can allocate resources from the Red Moon pack's treasury so you can rebuild the packhouse and other necessary structures."
George pressed his lips into a line. He was not attached to any particular piece of land, and he also had another concern. "There are about seventy people from the Frostcrest pack here. Less than half are warriors. Even if we call people who found refuge in other packs two decades ago, and they agree to follow me, I won't have more than one hundred pack members with able bodies." There might be more, but George didn't have their loyalty.
Many were like George, without memories of the Frostcrest pack, and they would be no different than picking up random people. There was also an unknown number of survivors who were old, which meant that George would need to provide for them.
George had no experience in leading a pack, and he didn't want to get more than he could chew only to collapse on him. The bottom line was, "That's not enough people for a pack. If I take over the land and rogues find out about it, they will come at us, and we will be helpless." He would be stuck in defending the land he didn't want in the first place.
If it were up to George, he would spend the rest of his days with Dawn, having sex and cuddling.
"Five or a thousand, what matters is that you have people who are willing to follow you," Maddox said. "As an Alpha, it's your duty to lead them."
George was feeling guilty at the thought of Estelle, Adele, and other Omegas working at his villa, but it was simply not enough. He was about to argue with Maddox when James asked, "What if you can lead your people without worrying about safety?"
"How?" George asked.
James gestured toward Damon. "Alpha Damon has land that's not utilized. You can get your pack members to occupy an area within the territory of the Dark Howlers pack with reasonable autonomy. We can work out the details of what you will do in exchange for Alpha Damon's protection. It can be mining, hunting, or trading. As long as you accept to do your part, the warriors of the Dark Howlers pack will assure the safety of your pack members."
James pointed at Maddox. "Alpha Maddox seems eager to help you. He can take the territory of the Frostcrest pack and accommodate refugees that are transitioning. Once you feel ready to grow, you can negotiate with him."
Maddox's brows came together. Did James just volunteer him for this?
George looked at Damon questionably, silently asking for Damon's opinion on the matter.
Damon shrugged. "If my Gamma says that an alliance in such form is possible, then you should trust him. Alpha Maddox is a man of his word. If he says he will take care of some land and people for you temporarily, he will do so."
Maddox didn't like this. He didn't agree to anything! Damon would always dump things on him, private or pack related. Because of Damon, Marcy ended up in the Blue River pack, and Maddox was stuck with mentoring Tony. And there were more. Much more. Preposterous!
James asked everyone to focus on the map of the Red Moon pack as he marked areas that were still available.
He made a circle around the packhouse of the Red Moon pack and turned to speak to the people in the conference room.
"Alpha Natalia expressed a need that this packhouse and the surrounding area stay neutral. This building will be repurposed to host meetings when multiple packs are involved, and we don't want anyone to have an advantage of the home territory. As long as you agree to keep this as a non-conflict zone, you will get contact information on how to summon other Alphas here for a meeting. Alphas and their proxies can request a meeting, regardless of their pack's size. Any objections?"
No one said anything, and James continued, "I believe each of you got his eye on a piece of territory. Step forward, speak your mind, and be clear on what you will give in return. No decisions will be made until all offers are heard. If two offers are similar, the one presented first will get priority."
Damon admired James more and more. His Gamma thought of everything! At this rate, Damon can take Talia on vacation for real. Ah, the possibilities!
Just as Damon was silently praising himself for his foresight about James' potential, Alpha Richard stood up and spoke to Damon, "Alpha Damon, is it alright for young Alpha James to be here?"
Damon noticed that Alpha William was nodding in agreement with Alpha Richard.
"Is there a problem?" Damon asked.
"Considering the state of the Red Moon pack, and Alpha Edward's demise, I'm sure young Alpha James is in shock and…" Alpha Richard's voice trailed, and he gripped the edge of the table while struggling to remain standing when Damon released his Alpha aura.
"You are talking about the Gamma of the Dark Howlers pack," Damon said in a dangerously low voice. "James is the most familiar with the land we are discussing, and I trust him. No one is forcing you to be here, Alpha Richard." Damon retracted his aura, and Alpha Richard plopped back into his chair.
Damon's eyes moved over other Alphas present. "Your status gives you the right to be present here. However, I won't allow anyone to undermine my pack and my people. Is that clear?"
James' lips stretched into a smile. Damon stood up to him, and he said that he trusts him. It was a good feeling. James couldn't wait for this meeting to be over so he could tell this to Cornelia. She will be proud of him and praise his decision to join the Dark Howlers pack. Definitely.
