~ Chapter Thirty-Six ~

Dimitri and I walked into the pack meeting holding hands, walking close, but not looking at each other. We took a seat at the head of the table and sat up straight, focused, attentive - just like we'd talked about. Jessica sat in front of us with Dylan, Taylor, and a few of the other wolves whose opinions Dimitri valued the most; these were the people we were to trust the most of everyone in the pack, the ones we should go to if we needed to talk about something very serious.

The issue to talk about today: Alpha Roger's pack. It was a meeting Dimitri could no longer even dream of stopping me from attending.

"We all know what this is about and that it's a very sensitive topic, so watch your mouths or I'll kick you out," Dimitri began, and I glanced at his cold, serious face. "A scout we sent to assess Roger's situation came back a couple of days ago with some news, which I'd like to share with the rest of you so we can come to a uniform decision on what to do. From now on, you are not my advisors, but you're..." He trailed off.

I took Dimitri's hand beneath the table and squeezed, capturing his attention for a split second. It was difficult for him to pass over his power like this, but it was something he had finally relented to after hours of discussion. I couldn't let him give up on this now.

"You're my council and you now have a say in pack matters," he finished stiffly.

Taylor bowed his head gracefully. "It's an honour to be given this position, Alpha."

"Yes, thank you, Alpha," Dylan agreed.

Dimitri nodded, hardly able to respond to them at all. I quickly took over for him, something I'd been rehearsing in my head for a short while now.

"*And* although I do not have a mark to position me as Luna, I am still the luna from now on, working totally alongside your alpha. That means my voice matters as much as his."

"Of course," Taylor replied - the first to speak again.

I smiled lightly. "Unlike other lunas, though, I won't be taking over the "emotional" side of being a leader. We share all responsibilities."

Jessica smiled widely but didn't say anything; there was a light to her eyes that couldn't be faked, something that ignited a pleasurable feeling inside of me.

This tiny change was something I had refused to give up on, as I wasn't great with being sensitive, even though I had worked as a doctor for a while. My patients were strong wolves who refused to let their pride slip away from them, and the other patients were children who were easy to work with anyway. As there weren't any children in Dimitri's pack, there was no one I was comfortable with helping emotionally. Besides, being a woman didn't make me solely responsible for other people's feelings.

"So," Dylan said, "what is the news about Alpha Roger's pack?"

Dimitri, grateful for the change of subject, adjusted his posture. "Alpha Roger is stronger than we thought but what the scout saw is not something to worry about yet. If Roger continues as he is, he will have grown his pack by ten times the size it was before within a year. However, at the moment, not only is he quite vulnerable, but he's almost easily taken down."

"It has to be taken into consideration that not all of his resources might be in the same place, though," Jessica pointed out.

"Exactly." Dimitri nodded. "In himself, he is not a bother, but he has made it clear that he also has some innocents under his control. Children, need I point out to you."

Taylor's brows furrowed uncomfortably, and Margery - the only parent on the council - pressed her lips together unhappily. I had never seen her upset before.

"The main prisoners I can think of are a warrior named Connor, someone who helped me escape and was always on my side, and his family; he has a mate, Valerie, and three children - twins and a young boy," I explained. "Roger has never liked anyone in particular aside from his beta, James, but he began to show his hatred for mates more and more later on. He never liked Valerie, he said she took Connor's attention away from what really mattered. This could put them in danger the most."

"Why do we need to know the specifics?" asked Dylan.

"If we ever launch an attack on Roger, you need to know who you can and can't attack, especially since we don't know many faces. Erika is the only person who knows every person."

I flinched. "I know *most* people. Not everyone was ill or needed medical attention while I was there."

Dimitri gave me a look.

"Yeah, I know pretty much everyone," I corrected. "It's safe to say that by the time we are to launch any attack, I will be... either attached to this pack via mating, or I will be drafted in anyway. In that case, I will have easy access to the mind-link with everyone. In battle, if you're anywhere near the prisoners, you need to let me see their faces before rescuing them."

Margery frowned. "But why is that necessary? Should we not save anyone who's there?"

"Normally, yes, but Roger is a bastard. We have to be careful that he hasn't snuck a warrior of his into the prisoners so that he has a spy. I know the most likely candidates for such an important job, although he will also consider that I used to be a part of the pack so I'll know the people he's closest to."

Dimitri turned toward Jessica. "While I'm thinking about it, I have a duty for you that you need to take very seriously."

"Yes, Alpha."

"This pack has lacked a doctor for a while now and as Erika and I have discussed, she will only be stepping in, in the most dire of circumstances - for example if we are in the middle of a battle. That means we need someone else to be the doctor, so I want you to search our pack for anyone who might have qualifications, then to extend your search out to other *trusted* packs if you can't find anyone. It's important we find someone soon."

Jess nodded. "I already have some wolves in mind. I will get to work as soon as the meeting is dismissed."

"Thank you."

She was not the only one who was startled at the phrase coming out of Dimitri's mouth, but he was determined to move on before someone made a big deal out of the big bad alpha expressing his gratitude.

"Now, we're ready to hear some opinions on what our first course of action should be regarding Roger."

Taylor cleared his throat. "Alpha, Luna, I think it is best we do not leave it too long. The more time that passes, the stronger his forces will be, and we already know that he is more ruthless than we are. While we may only injure his warriors, he will order us dead on sight."

"Taylor has a point," Jessica agreed slowly. "However, I don't think we should risk attacking Roger, necessarily."

"What do you suggest, Beta?" Dimitri asked.

"I suggest we lure him our way with whatever it takes. His territory might be protected by unseen wolves, who knows how many could converge on us from all directions, and there is no way we could ever know his terrain better than him. We could be in major trouble."

"Roger *is* a sneaky bastard," I reminded my mate.

Dimitri peered at me for a moment in thought, his pupils expanding. "If we choose not to attack, then what are our options?"

"Surveillance," Dylan suggested. "Specifically on the entire area he has claimed as his own now, so we know what kind of things are going on. We can also identify which prisoners to save so that we aren't distracted during battle."

"That's an interesting point."

"Shall I send some scouts back to Roger's pack, Alpha?" Jess glanced at me. "Luna?"

Dimitri and I looked at each other at the same time, which excited me more than anything had so far. I couldn't believe how hard he was trying to make this work, to fix what he had almost ruined.

*Having intel never hurt anybody,* I told him, *but we do have to worry that the scouts will return. We can't send wolves to their death.*

*If we warn the scouts to be very careful...*

*It may be worth it.*

*Then I say we should do it,* he decided.

*I agree.*

He turned toward Jessica. "Yes, send some scouts, but I'd like to talk to them before they go anywhere."

"Of course, Alpha."

"As for attacking," I continued, "that will be postponed until we believe it is best. Can we all agree on that?"

"Aye," said Taylor, hesitant.

"Agreed."

"Perfectly."

I nodded and looked to Dimitri, who placed his palms flat on the table. "That concludes this meeting for the time being. When there is more to talk about, we'll call you all again. This is top priority, no one is to put anything else before it." He took my hand. "Dismissed."

**Follow my Facebook :) 'GracieMackintosh'**