Adam did not change his expression, but the Alpha's eyes landed on him and then moved away quickly.
The Luna of Ethereum closed the folder and sat back, eyeing Ann speculatively.
"You are actually serious about this."
"I am," Ann said. "You are all Leaders.and you know what happens when you let resentment sit and fester."
"Fine. Standards and schedules, those are clear enough but let's talk politics then." The Black Crag Alpha said, "You are asking us to swear to a banner with Lycans under it. That is the part that is going to be difficult to swallow for a lot of us."
"Then prepare to swallow," Ann said with a smirk, "This is not a purity parade. This is war. If your oath cannot stretch to cover every fighter who stands between your pack and a mass grave, then keep your oath and give me your fighters. I will take both whether you want me to or not, but I would rather do it with your permission."
The Luna's gathered in the room snorted their laughs but the Black Crag Alpha did not look amused.
"And what about after? When the King falls. Where do these Lycans go? Back to packs that hate them and into our towns and into yours? Do you think that it's going to settle peacefully afterwards?"
"They go where they choose," Ann said. "Some will go back across the border to rebuild what the King burned. Some will stay in mixed towns. Some will ask to swear to packs that have space for them and actually want to make use of their talents. If they stay, they stay under our law. If they break it, they answer to me as does every other citizen. I am not drafting new rules to make you feel safer. We already have rules. We are just ensuring that they are enforced."
The Black Crag Alpha tapped a finger against the folder.
"Do you really think that this will hold?"
"I think it can hold if you choose not to sabotage it because you like reopening old wounds and extending people's grief," Ann said. "You want your people alive and I want mine alive. That includes wolves, Lycans who stand with us, and anyone else who stands at our side against The Lycan King and Ely. You can hate whoever you want in your heart but publicly, you will hold the line or I will hold you accountable for your actions."
No one spoke for a long time and the room had that tense silence that told her she had walked right up to the edge of their patience and not quite fallen off.
Adam did not shift behind her, but she felt his pride radiating from him when she managed to take a room from unpredictable anger and irritation to quiet acceptance.
The Alpha of Stone Lakes stood first. He placed his palm flat on the table.
"Stone Lakes will run your rotations. We will post your rules and we will enforce them. We won't marginalise people that offer to help and stand at our side, just because our pride is hurt."
The Luna of Ethereum rose next, a little slower but still committed.
"Ethereum Pack will comply with your demands. We will instruct our patrols to eat with the Lycan units that they share the perimeter with. There will be no split mess lines and I will see that they integrate more."
"Black Crag swears to the banner as stated." The Alpha offered gruffly, "If one of mine starts a fight, I will deliver them to your guard myself in a semi conscious state. I won't hav e my honour in question as a leader..."
The Alpha of Gold Oaks stayed seated for a few minutes longer than was polite, but he finally stood with a grimace.
"Gold Oaks will run the schedule and keep discipline, but don't ask me to smile at Lycans. I won't go that far. However…I will not swing first and neither will my men."
Ann accepted each pledge with a short nod.
"You have my thanks. I will remember who spoke up first and who stays true to their word."
The Alpha of Black Crag smirked mischievously.
"Aye. And we'll all remember who made us drink this damn medicine as well."
"Good," Ann said. "Because I will ask you to drink it again tomorrow, and the day after, and every day until it sinks in if I have to."
Coral slid fresh cups along the table and Ann felt as though she looked a little too pleased with herself for someone delivering water, which meant she had counted this as a win ten minutes ago and dared anyone to argue with her.
Ann straightened.
"Actually, we aren't finished just yet.There is the matter of shared intelligence. I want scouts rotated across packs so that you learn each other's basic skills. You share knowledge with each other. If Ironwood knows how to hear the hum of magick in the ground or in the bark, and Stone Lakes does not, then you teach them how to. If Frost Vale can smell daemonic resin and Ethereum cannot, you teach them. I do not want one more patrol walking into a trap because the skill sat in the next tent over. It's pointless deaths that all of us should want to avoid."
They all nodded.
"I'll send you the lists over myself," Adam said, speaking for the first time since the meeting convened.
Eva lifted her console.
"I've sent a list to your assistants as well that you need to take a look over of suggested member compositions, all already approved by Adam."
The Luna of Ethereum leaned over their assistants shoulder as she frowned down at the list.
"Hmmm. We're going to need more healers."