Chapter Ten #2
“Tobias.” Kyle chuckled. “You don’t have to plan it all right this second.
I think there are a few more immediate things going on.
Can I help? You have the afternoon meeting to deal with, but I don’t have anything to do during that time.
Would it be all right with you if I started sketching out plans for a virtual…
I don’t know. City with different neighborhoods?
Something like that. A space for alphas in general and then one for just the newer alphas, separate ones for LGBTQ etcetera and other marginalized groups, maybe one for betas and one for peacekeepers, because those ranks get filled when a new alpha moves up, so maybe one each for all of them and then one each for the newer ones.
Video ‘rooms’ and maybe text-based chat rooms too.
And then I’ll see what else I come up with. ”
“Yes.” The idea excited me. Why hadn’t I thought of it before?
Like Kyle, I’d worked in tech, mostly self-employed.
Even the oldest werewolves knew how to use things like video conferencing.
We all used email and other aspects of technology.
This virtual “city with neighborhoods” could have existed already, but no one had thought of it.
“Is it just going to be for U.S. werewolves?” Kyle took another bite of his pita and swallowed. “Do we want to open it internationally?”
“I need to think about that. Maybe at least to the Canadian werewolves.” Silas would love the idea, and maybe allowing Canadians to join would help continue repairing the relationship between the two countries.
Silas and I had already done a lot of work to restore the countries’ connection, but there were still wolves on both sides of the border who had witnessed Hezekiah’s attempt to start a war and either doubted that there was no further threat or believed the war should have happened.
Kyle nodded. “I’ll shut myself in our room and start making some plans while you’re holding the afternoon meetings. Obviously I won’t put anything in motion without asking you.”
“Thanks.” I grinned. “Okay. Something good came out of this gathering, at least. Let’s finish eating, because I guarantee someone else is going to come looking for me any second now.”
I actually managed to finish most of my lunch, nodding at and greeting those who passed by and said hello, before anyone stopped for a conversation. Jason Yeaton surprised me by bringing two men to the table with him. “Anax, my apologies for interrupting your meal.”
“No worries, Alpha, and let’s keep this informal since it is lunchtime.” I stood and held out my hand to one of the other men. “I’m Tobias Rogan. Anax of the United States, but just call me Tobias for the moment.” I motioned to Kyle. “This is my mate, Kyle Slidell.”
Looking bemused, the man shook my hand. “Max Endicott. It’s an honor, Anax. Tobias. And Kyle.”
Everyone always stumbled over my name when I told them to use it instead of my title. It would have been funny if it didn’t make me so uncomfortable.
“It’s an honor to meet you too,” I said, which only made Max look more confused.
Kyle chuckled and quickly hid it with his napkin. “I’m glad to meet you.”
I turned to the other man, who shook my hand without hesitation. “Russ Kent. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“It’s good to meet you as well.” I gestured at the table. “Would you like to sit down?”
“Thank you, but not right now,” Jason said. “I’ve been telling these boys for nearly two years about the Alpha, then Arkhon, now Anax with a male mate. I brought them with me this trip specifically so they could meet you.”
“Ah.” Pretty sure I understood, I studied Max and Russ. “The two of you are together?”
Russ’s face lit up. “Not mates, but together, yes.” He took Max’s hand.
“We met in Tosohatchee Pack down in Florida years ago. He ran away because we were too afraid of what would happen if anyone realized how we felt about each other. I left the pack because I didn’t want to be there without him and ended up in Aroostook. ”
“I went to Colorado.” Max shrugged. “Didn’t work out there for a few reasons. So I ended up in Aroostook not knowing that was where Russ was. I thought he’d stayed in Florida.”
“Twenty-five years, we were apart,” Russ said. “And then we found each other again.”
My heart warmed. I was a fan of sappy love stories, especially when they were real. “That’s incredible. I’m happy that you found each other. And that your Alpha, it seems, supports you being together.”
“Love is love,” Jason said with his characteristic simplicity. “Don’t matter who all is involved as long as they’re of age and in agreement. Thank you for taking the time, Anax.”
“You have nothing to thank me for, old friend.” I beamed.
“I’m very glad to know Max and Russ.” I glanced at Kyle, who, apparently knowing what I was thinking, nodded.
“Listen, Max, Russ, before you leave to return to Aroostook territory, find me. I have something brewing I’d like to talk to the two of you about. I think you’d be able to help.”
Max tilted his head. “Whatever you need, Anax.”
“Tobias.” I sighed. I was never going to get people to consistently use my name. “We’ll talk about it before you leave on Saturday, yeah?”
“Yes,” Russ said. He nudged Max. “We aren’t being executed. Stop glaring.”
“I’m not.”
The corners of Jason’s eyes crinkled. “All right, let’s get on with lunch. I need to check in with the Connecticut Pack Alpha about a couple of things. Anax, we’ll resume in…?”
“About half an hour.” I had no idea what time it was or how much time had passed, but that sounded right. “I’ll summon everyone when it’s time.”
“Got it.” He nodded to Max and Russ, and they followed him away.
“Guess we aren’t so unique anymore,” Kyle said.
“They aren’t mates.” But he wasn’t wrong.
When he and I accepted each other as mates and our pack, and then others, realized, we were supposedly the only male mated pair in existence.
Then Quinn and Malachi met and recognized each other as true mates.
One male mated pair meant there was one; two meant there might be more who either hadn’t met yet or hadn’t accepted each other out of fear.
And werewolves didn’t have to be mates to be together.
Some never found their true mates, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have partners.
Werewolves could date or fuck whomever they chose.
Our only prohibitions were that if someone dated a human, they couldn’t tell their partner that they were a werewolf without permission from the leader in direct authority over them, and no one could intentionally come between a true mated pair.
Unless the mated pair agreed to it, of course.
Kyle and I finished eating, and I started mentally prepping to resume the meeting.
At least the afternoon session would be only arkhons and alphas, but there would still be a crowd in the auditorium, and I would still have to answer questions about the whole mutiny bullshit from that morning.
I didn’t believe for a second that the men—and they were all men; we had no female arkhons or alphas, which I would have liked to change but couldn’t really do much about at the moment—would just let that slide.
They would want to talk about Davis Gray’s defection and what I intended to do about it.
The problem was that I didn’t have any intentions right now.
My preference would have been to just pretend Davis and those who had gone with him didn’t exist. Of course that wasn’t realistic.
I would have to act if I wanted to hold onto my rank.
Which I did, even though sometimes I wished I could give it up.
Leaving the rank would mean either leaving the country or dying, and I wasn’t inclined to do either.
Since I couldn’t avoid the meeting forever, I took a few breaths, hugged Kyle, and went to the top of the basement stairs. Not wanting to strain my voice before the meeting recommenced, I used the bond to call all arkhons and alphas to the basement and to summon Seth and Xavier to go with me.
This time, I was the first one in the auditorium.
I went straight to the podium, where someone, thank gods, had left a full pitcher of ice water and a glass.
Each of the tables held two pitchers and stacks of plastic cups, and bins of bottled water sat at the end of each of the rows where the alphas would sit.
I didn’t know which of my household staff was responsible, but I greatly appreciated it.
When everyone was in their seats, I stood up straight and cleared my throat, which instantly quieted the few whispers among the arkhons and alphas.
“Typically at this point in the proceedings, I hear reports from each of you on the state of your region or territory,” I said.
“I still wish to hear those reports, particularly from those of you new to your ranks. However, first, I suspect you have questions and concerns to address about what occurred earlier today. For the first half hour, we may, if you wish, discuss Davis Gray’s departure and what it means for the Pacific Region and the country. Or we can just move on to the reports.”
As I’d anticipated, several dozen voices responded, nearly all of them with either Davis’s name or “Pacific Region.” I waited several seconds, then raised both hands.
Silence fell again, and I nodded. “We have a few things to sort out. While Davis Gray’s choice to leave this gathering is unsurprising, given his vocal opposition to having me as Anax, it does leave a gap.
Those of you who remain from the Pacific Region have been temporarily placed under the leadership of the Arkhon of the Northwest Region or the Arkhon of the Four Corners Region.
Truthfully, should Davis and his followers choose to remain separate, this temporary state of affairs may become permanent.
I hope it doesn’t come to that, but it is possible. ”
“Anax, if I may?”