Both Ann and Adam had agreed the previous night that something needed to be done about the clear fractures and rivalries between the different packs and refugees that were staying within the palace grounds.
Despite a close watch being kept on them all and firm words spoken with the village leaders, things were only marginally improving. So, they only thing left to do now was to pull in the Pack leaders that were responsible for the different populations that were gathered.
By midmorning the council hall was full. Runners had pulled in leaders from the encampments on the outer rings and the scattered safehouses inside the larger towns nearby that were still relatively untouched.
Ann took her seat at the head of the long table and waited while guards checked blades at the door and the palace record keepers laid out clean pages ready for the minutes that they would document and bind to be stored in the Archives.
Adam stood behind her right shoulder, Eva sat to the left with a stack of brief summaries and a portable console. Coral moved along the perimeter with a handful of trusted omegas who carried pitchers and cups and a few plates of various snacks, bullying everyone into taking water and something to eat before the first argument started.
The displaced alphas took their places in a rough arc in front of them...Others sat close behind them, seconds and elders and scouts who had opinions they were not shy about sharing. The smell of road dust and smoke still clung to their clothes and some of them looked ready to sleep for a week, but most looked ready to fight.
Ann waited until the room settled before talking.
"Thank you for coming. I know the summons was short notice but time is a luxury that we don't seem to have at the minute" She said as she kept her voice steady and clear. "Before we argue about anything I Want you to hear what I have to say first. The Dark Moon will not claim any sort of special authority over the rest of you, they do not outrank you, you are all equals and the standard hierarchy applies."
Ann ignored the scattered sounds of disbelieving scoffs as she continued.
"My mate is the Alpha of The Dark Moon Pack and I am your Alpha Queen. That has not changed. It only looks a little different right now because you are forced to stand close to my house while yours are burned or occupied. The Dark Moon was moved with time to prepare and organise, your pack's were not. I understand the resentment that some of you hold, but it does not change the work that needs to be done."
A few heads dipped in acknowledgement and seemed pleased by her reassurances, but others stiffened.
"Those are pretty words, but the reality is still that your Alpha sleeps inside palace walls and ours sleep on floors and wake to patrol." The disgruntled Alpha of Stone Lake spoke up impatiently.
"Mine sleeps on floors and wakes to patrol too," Ann said, narrowing her eyes. "He just did it at the border for two days and came home with his shirt stuck to him with a mixture of his own blood and that of our enemies. Do not mistake stone walls for softness. We lead by example, not from the comfort of our beds like some nobles that will remain nameless."
The Stone Lake Alpha held her gaze as several sniggers of agreement rippled around the room, then he finally gave a grudging nod but two other Alpha's who sat close by did not seem fully appeased just yet.
The Luna of The Etherium Pack spoke next, her voice cool.
"There is also the matter of Lycans in our camps. You placed their families beside ours without even asking our opinions. Some of my second's patrols refused to share mess tables with them last night. They are not alone in that sentiment..."
There it was. Ann tried to suppress the snort of derision that threatened to break free because she had expected this line of argument in the first five minutes. She carefully schooled her face into the neutral mask that she had perfected and answered steadily.
"The Lycans who fight with us, will eat with us. They sleep within our perimeter and they follow our rules oftentimes flawlessly, which is more than can be said for a lot of the wolves within my grounds currently. Their presence at the mess tables is not negotiable."
The Luna's eyes did not warm up in the slightest.
"With all due respect, My Queen, they have been hunting us for years and as you well know, some of them still do. You are asking us to swallow that as if the taste of it changes just because you say so."
And gaze hardened, this Luna was pushing her luck and she knew it.
"I will respectfully ask that you stop blaming every Lycan for the Lycan King's choices," Ann said coolly, "If you cannot manage that overnight, then manage your packs as you are supposed to and keep order whilst you stay here. We do not have time to work through old grudges while Ely pushes closer to us."
The Alpha of Black Crags chair scraped an inch backward as he huffed in indignation.
"That's easy for you to say from that seat."
Ann met his stare confidently.
"It is not easy from any seat, no matter where I sit, but it is necessary from this one." She nodded to Eva. "Put the list up so that they can see."
Eva tapped the console a few times and in seconds the wall display lit with a long list of names.
Lycans who had fought for them at the river crossings, Lycans who had brought intel, maps, and codes. Lycans who had dragged wolf pups out of burning homes while Ely's crew tried to pen the exits. Next to each name was a pack officer who had confirmed the account.
Ann let them look at the list.
"If you want to talk about betrayal. Fine. Let's do that, shall we? There are plenty of wolves who served Narcissa and smiled while she starved our towns and warped our children, yet many stood by and did nothing. There are witches who gave their craft freely to serve the Daemon Lord Eromaug and called it freedom. And there are Lycans who have taken more blows for us this month than some of your own wolves who sit out there and cause nothing but problems for the ones who are risking their lives to keep us safe! You should be judging people by their actions here and now. Not by the banners that they did not choose ten years ago."
The Luna of Ethereum Pack leaned forward, her dark eyes on the names.
"I'm not saying that you are wrong, My Queen," she said eventually. "But you are asking for control that we do not always have. If a soldier hears the word Lycan and remembers a throat torn out in the snow, how are we supposed to mitigate that?"
"By leading them," Ann said stonily, "Isn't that what Alpha's and Luna's are supposed to do? Or have you all forgotten that this is what this job is. Managing your pack, holding them accountable for their actions."
Ann cast her gaze across the room and found many of the people assembled were now avoiding her gaze entirely and she had a sneaking suspicion that these were the leaders who had a guilty conscience. Whether it was from laziness or ignorance, she didn't care. She only cared that it stopped now.
"You absolutely cannot let your pack members swing on the first insult or the first hard look that they get. Have you lost all pride in your conduct and honor? What happened to the discipline that used to put our wolves miles ahead of others in the world? You need to put your wolves on task and you keep your discipline tight. The Dark Moon and the Lycan refugees have been provoked every single day, multiple times a day, for at least a week. And not once have they answered back.If they can show restraint at the same time as defending our lands then so can your people."
The Alpha of Gold Oaks spoke next, his mouth flattened into a thin line.
"This resentment did not start with the refugees, Alpha Queen. It started when you took the crown after rejecting the choice that was agreed among the packs. The fact that an already powerful pack then became even more powerful just because you were the Luna for a short time, and A Dark Moon Alpha became royal the moment you accepted your bond in public…it leaves a bitter taste in our mouths when tradition is not followed."
Ann did not give him an inch, instead she openly scoffed.
"I will not apologize for rejecting a cheating Alpha who disrespects the sanctity of the mate bond with his mates so-called sister, and I will not apologize for marrying my true mate. This throne did not transform him into something else. It only put more eyes on him. If you believe that the Dark Moon is using that to intimidate or coerce you, then bring me proof. If you do not have proof, then stop whining and do what you are supposed to do as an Alpha."
The murmurs rose and fell and Adam stayed silent behind her. She could feel his focus steady and sharp as if he were bracing his hands on her shoulders without touching her.
The Luna of Ethereum spoke again and Ann resisted the urge to sigh heavily at the sound of her voice again...
"Surely you can see that accepting Lycans openly sends a message...you cannot pretend it doesn't!"
"I am not pretending anything," Ann said. "I am saying it clearly. We are finished throwing whole species and races into fire just because some of them did harm at some point in time. We tried that with witches and magick users after the daemon wars. Do you even remember the cost, or do you only remember the comfort of not seeing them in your streets?"