Ann sat down again and pulled the tablet closer.
"Okay, so the supply list is live. Coral, assign housing in the west wing for these families, not the basement. They get daylight and a clear route to the work rooms same as everyone else."
"The west wing? That's better housing than some of ours," A noble muttered from the benches as Ann's head snapped toward him.
"Then fix your housing standards. No one gets shoved in basements. Not them, not you. If you don't like it, I'll trade your room for theirs."
The only reply she got back was silence and Coral smothered a grin as she started tapping assignments into the tablet.
"Eva, build a shared schedule," Ann continued. "Ward teams paired with scouts and runners. Each team gets a Dark Moon liaison. No one works alone and no one works unsupervised."
"On it," Eva said, already dragging windows around on the tablet. "We'll need version control on the ward schematics as well, or the teams will start improvising."
"Lock the schematics," Ann said. "Read-only for teams and hard copies with Dark Moon. Backups with the other Alpha's involved. If one set burns, we still have copies."
Thalia watched the back-and-forth and let out what looked like a sigh of relief.
"You really do run this like a field unit, not at all like the fancy court affairs that I was expecting."
"If you had arrived a few weeks earlier, you might have a different opinion," Ann said with a wry smile, "But right now, I run it like it needs to work, and this is what works best."
"She respects you," Maeve murmured in Ann's mind, amused. "Because you're treating them as equals, not with fear or disdain."
Ann didn't answer, she just kept going.
"Training." She continued, flicking her gaze back to the new arrivals, "If you have kids old enough to learn without wrecking things, we'll set lessons in the evenings once the yard clears out. They can train in pairs, with a wolf spotter and a Lycan at the gate. Same standard applies to everyone and if anyone complains about favoritism, send them to me or Adam. They'll get extra latrine duty until they stop."
That earned the first real ripple of laughter from the refugee side and a few reluctant smirks from the nobles. The tension in the room thinned just enough for people to relax a little. Adam's stance at her back eased a fraction,barely,but Ann caught it.
The Tideglass leader raised a hand as she spoke hesitantly.
"One more fact for your records, if you don't mind, your Highness."
"Not at all," Ann smiled, gesturing with her hand, "Please, speak."
"It's not as simple as blood being clean or tainted because some of us carry both. You already named Lexi and I know that there are others like her. They're rare. But they're not doomed."
Ann's throat tightened at the mention of her friend but she kept her voice steady.
"Lexi proves that."
Thalia nodded.
"The girl born of three inheritances,human, elemental blood, and daemon fire from her father. She isn't corrupted because she chose discipline, and she chose you. Blood doesn't decide anything. Choice does."
A noble whispered, "Brarthroroz," like saying it out loud might summon him and it was obvious that despite everything that he had done for them, both in the past and recently against Eromaug, a lot still distrusted him.
The Tideglass leader's gaze snapped to him sharply, and then then fixed back on Ann.
"We don't use that name lightly.Lord Brarthroroz isn't a relic of history, he's very much alive, and still stands at our side.A Daemon Lord who chose humans over hunger all in the name of love."
"Lexi is his daughter. She hasn't denied that inheritance and she hasn't let it define who she is. She's shown that power doesn't dictate destiny. Choice does. That is our standard that we judge people by,not their bloodlines, not rumors. Their Choices."
Ann gave a single nod.
"Then we share that standard. It's the only one that makes sense."
Adam leaned forward just enough that she felt the shift at her back.
"If anyone in your lines feels a pull to summon something tied to Eromaug, you come to us first. I won't bury your children because no one asked for help."
"Agreed," Thalia said.
Ann closed the tablet and looked around the room.
"Ok, I think we're done talking. We'll start on the wards. First ward test is at dusk on the inner yard line. I'll be there to watch as well. Wolves, Lycans, Magick-born, everyone stands on the same line, and does the same test."
Chairs scraped back and Beta's and runners peeled off with assignments whilst Thalia lingered at the end of the table.
"One last thing, Alpha Queen," she said, her voice lower. "When we activate the inner ward, you'll feel it settle. It's not a chain or a solid wall,it's a weight that you can walk through. People bound with daemon contracts will feel pain when they try. Those with clean blood will feel pressure, then release. Use that to check people's claims of loyalty."
Ann's eyes sharpened.
"So we can actually separate contract-bound from the rest with a simple walk-through?"
"Hmm. Probably not securely enough for a full blown trial," Thalia said. "But enough to know where you should be investigating closer."
"Good," Ann said, nodding thoughtfully. "We'll make it a part of the gate protocol for the inner wing then if all goes well."
Thalia dipped her head and moved to join her people.
The hall emptied faster this time, the Alpha of Ethereum bumped Coral's shoulder with a grin and stole a second cup and the other Alpha left with his folder and a stone-faced runner.
When it was quiet again, Adam stepped around the chair and Ann noticed that the bruise along his jaw looked darker under the hall lights. He didn't reach for her, he just studied her face the way he always did after a difficult time had passed.
"I still don't like new unknowns in our yard." He said finally.
"You never will," Ann grinned, "That's why I always want you at my back when I let them in."
He huffed and shook his head.
"Dusk, then. I'll post guards at the test site."
"Double guard," Ann said. "And a medic stationed at the gate, just in case someone tries to push through who shouldn't."