Chapter Nine
Zane and Bob had already taken seats in front of my desk. I closed the door behind me and went to stand in front of the desk. Not leaning on it this time; this meeting was entirely official business.
Well, mostly. “This is a shitshow.” That wasn’t what I’d meant to say, and I couldn’t help a bitter laugh. “Sorry. Apparently my brain has gone on a coffee break after everything that happened downstairs.”
“You’re with friends, Anax,” Zane said. “If it isn’t too presumptuous for me to say, speak freely.”
This time, my laugh was a little more genuine. “Thank you. Yes, we are friends in this room, but there is a little too much to sort out for friendship to take the lead. Had either of you seen or heard any indication of Davis’s plans?”
“Not exactly, Anax,” Bob said. “Not that he intended to break with the rest of us during the gathering. He has spoken against you, but nothing specific or actionable.”
“Others have spoken against me, and usually it’s just mouth noises.” I sighed. “Except Irving Macomber.”
“Macomber challenged you because Garrett Lawson convinced him to,” Zane said. “But also because he was afraid you would find out what he was up to with some of the wolves under his rule. It was self-preservation as much as anything.”
“I wasn’t acting in the highest benefit of the werewolves of the United States.” The phrasing was so formal it made my lips curl. “He was right to challenge me.” Just as you were, old friend, even though Kyle didn’t let you finish issuing the challenge.
Bob knows about that, Zane replied. He and Paul are the only ones aware that your mate challenged me to save your ass.
I snorted, and Bob looked startled. “Sorry, Arkhon. Private conversations shouldn’t happen in front of others. I was unaware that you knew about Zane’s attempt to challenge me for rank a few months ago.”
“Ah.” Bob settled back in his chair and folded his arms. “Your mate is very protective of you. A good one to have on your side. Probably best that he didn’t actually fight Zane, though.”
“I agree.” Kyle, of course, hadn’t actually wanted to fight Zane.
He just hadn’t wanted me to be in the position of either killing one of my closest friends or dying.
“Be that as it may, the fact remains that rather than issuing a challenge, Davis Gray chose to pack up his toys and leave the playground. Which, truthfully, worries me more than if he had challenged me. What is his plan?”
It was a rhetorical question, and neither of them answered.
I glanced toward the door. Despite the room’s soundproofing, muffled voices and other noise filtered in from the hallway.
“We have a gathering to get through. The alphas should have their packs in hand, but I need to be out there. Visible. Showing that even though I did do things against the benefit of our world, I’m acting in what I believe are our best interests now. ”
“We have your back, old friend,” Zane said.
“The only ones who might not are, as you probably suspect, Robert Greenlea and Edward Cutler. They aren’t on your side.
I believe they’ve been speaking with Davis about plans to remove you as Anax.
However, I don’t think they realized what Davis had in mind today. ”
“They want a united country under an Anax they want to follow,” Bob agreed. “They’ll take a united country under your rule, Tobias. It’s better than what’s going on now.”
“Yeah.” I was a little amused by his phrasing, but I was too deep in thought to show it.
“All right. I’m going to give everyone a little more time to chat amongst themselves, get something to eat or drink, whatever they need to do.
But I am going to have to reconvene the meeting soon, or people will think Davis’s departure has brought the gathering to an end. ”
“How will you proceed?” Zane asked. “Business as usual, minus the report on the Pacific Region?”
“I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “To some extent, yes, business as usual, because that’s the only way to reassure most of the guests that things aren’t going completely to hell.
The opening meeting hasn’t concluded. I haven’t introduced the alphas, and we have to have everyone’s agreement that we are on neutral ground here and no fights or conflicts will occur.
I think we need to move on with that piece, then break for lunch, and then have the closed meeting as scheduled.
By then, the Pacific wolves should know which Arkhon they’re under, and things should calm down a little. ”
“What about Davis?” Bob asked. “You ejected him and those following him.”
“Yeah, and I should have kept everyone else in the frigging auditorium until I was sure they’d left.
” I hadn’t even thought of that. With so many werewolves wandering around, my guards wouldn’t necessarily have been able to keep Davis and his followers separated from the rest of the guests.
There was no way to know who might have said what to whom, or whether any of the defectors had talked anyone else into joining their cause. “Shit.”
“We’ll check around,” Zane said. “Make sure that no one who’s still here is acting under Davis’s orders.”
“Thank you, old friend.” I pressed my lips together and looked out the window.
Trees. Grass. No ocean, but right now, that was for the best. “Okay. Thirty minutes, then everyone will reconvene in the auditorium so we can finish the introductory meeting. I know that isn’t a lot of time, but it’s really all we can spare. ”
“It’ll be enough,” Bob said.
“Yeah.” I hoped he was right. “Thank you both. I might speak with you privately again, and with Paul, while we navigate all of this, but for now, you’re dismissed.”
Bob nodded and left the room. Zane came over and rested his hand on my shoulder, looking me in the eye.
Not something he would ordinarily have done, but right now he was behaving as a friend, and I appreciated it.
“Tobias, remember you aren’t alone,” he said quietly.
“This mess with Davis…It’s a mess. There’s nothing more to say about it.
As the Anax, you are in charge of cleaning it up.
But in charge doesn’t mean on your own.”
“Yeah. I know.” And he knew as well as I did that I tended to take far too much responsibility even when I did have others to support me. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He gave me a faint smile. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
Half an hour definitely wasn’t long enough for everyone to wrap their heads around what Davis had done, but as I’d said to Zane and Bob, it was all I could give them.
If I didn’t gather them back in the auditorium and reinforce my position as the one in charge quickly, others might follow Davis’s lead.
At the very least, they might lose confidence that I could handle the situation.
I didn’t exactly have that confidence myself, but I needed the werewolves under my rule to have it. So when exactly thirty minutes had passed from the time Bob left my office, I announced, with my voice and through my bond to every werewolf present, that it was time to resume the meeting.
The attendees rapidly filled the auditorium. The arkhons once again sat at the table, with Davis’s chair blatantly empty, and the alphas once again took seats at the front of the room, with several vacant chairs where Davis’s followers had sat previously.
This time, the room didn’t fall silent until I stood at the podium, though at least they didn’t wait for me to raise my hands to signal for quiet.
I cleared my throat, a sound which echoed through the room, much to my annoyance.
Kyle was in the same seat as before, and I kept my gaze on him as I began to speak.
As frustrated as I was, seeing my mate would keep me on track.
“You all know what occurred earlier,” I said slowly.
“I won’t prohibit you from discussing it amongst yourselves, but there is no need for further discussion here.
Davis Gray and those who support his cause have been ejected from this gathering.
Those who remain will work with me to ensure that anything that occurs here is to the highest benefit of all werewolves of this country.
I will say nothing more on that matter at the moment. ”
I waited. No one spoke. No one stood and expressed their intention to secede. Hopefully a good sign.
“Before the disruption, I introduced the arkhons,” I said.
“In a moment, I will introduce the alphas. First, though, I remind all of you that this house, the guest houses, and the land here is all neutral ground. There will be no conflicts. No fights. No assassination attempts.” Not that I could do a whole hell of a lot if someone decided to make an attempt, but I could hope it wouldn’t happen.
“If you have conflict with someone from another pack, speak to your alpha. If you are the alpha and you have conflict, go to your arkhon. I am also available to support and mediate when necessary, but I would like you to attempt to sort things among yourselves before bringing me into it. This gathering is intended to be safe for all present.”
I paused as something else occurred to me. Moving my gaze over the crowd, I found Enzo Pereira in the second row of alphas.