“Why should we participate in this?” asked the brown-haired man sitting at the end of the table.

“What do we gain?” questioned the woman across from him.

The room erupted into more questions and angry statements, ten men and women all arguing the same point. None wanted to participate in the exchange of strategies between packs.

“That is enough!” shouted Galen, silencing the group as he entered the room. “Stand at attention for your Alpha!”

Each man and woman immediately stood from their chair, placing their fist to their heart, their head bowed. Caleb entered the room. Without so much as a glance at those gathered, he walked directly to his chair.

“Sit,” he instructed.

“Yes, Alpha,” they all replied in unison, taking their seats once more.

Galen handed him a prepared folder with documents inside as he sat beside Caleb.

“How long since the last attack?” Caleb asked no one specific.

“There have been reports of individual attackers at the southern border along the river. And in the west towards the mountains. But no reports of group attacks in close to a week.” stated the brown-haired man.

“Have repairs been made to all the border posts that were assaulted?”

“Sir, we took very little damage in the assaults. We have patched and repaired at every outpost. We have also sent scouts along every border to investigate any potential weak points that could be taken advantage of. So far, there have been two identified, and both have been reinforced.”

Caleb glanced up from the documents in front of him, first looking out at the men and women gathered, then specifically at the woman that had just given her report. He raised an eyebrow before turning to Galen.

“Did you already receive this report?” he asked.

“No, Alpha,” Galen sighed, knowing what would come next._.

Caleb looked back to the reporting wolf.

“You said, ‘so far’, right?” he asked.

She looked back to Galen, who shook his head, signaling that she had already made a mistake.

“Are you reporting to Beta Galen or me?” Caleb asked, a coldness seeping into his voice.

“You, sir. Alpha, sir,” she replied nervously.

“Then keep your eyes here, and answer my question,” he growled.

“Yes, Alpha, I… I did say ‘so far’”

“That implies there are more to be found,” Caleb stated.

“Well, I don’t suspect we will find any, sir, but I can’t guarantee it,” she replied.

“Why not?” Caleb asked with a dark smile.

She looked at him carefully before answering.

“Because I don’t know—”

“You don’t know….” Caleb repeated icily. “Galen, how many weak points are there in our borders?”

Galen cleared his throat before answering.

“The southern border is roughly three miles across with a mile of river; there are four weak points, including the river itself. The northern border has six, eastern has three. The western border along the mountain is ten miles of rough terrain but still holds two weak points.”

Galen took a deep breath and looked at the woman with pity before continuing.

“Within our territory, there are fifteen weak points along our borders, though I suspect the two along the western border have now been ‘fixed’…”

The woman stared horrified at Galen. Caleb let out a growl, causing her to look back at him. His grey eyes were shrouded in darkness yet still somehow held an unnatural glow to them. She felt the hitch in her breath and wondered if today was her last.

“What is your name?” he asked.

“Cl… Clara,” she replied timidly.

“Why are you here, Clara?” he snarled.

“To report the damage to the border defenses,” she answered desperately, fighting not to turn away from him.

“I meant, you are not the person I assigned this task to!” he growled once more, “So, why are you here?”

She couldn’t stop herself from flinching.

“I… When my commander was reviewing the border defenses, I noticed one of these weak points…” she began, trying her best to get it all out in one go. “I took it upon myself to investigate it further. Finally, I gave my report to my commander. He suggested that I be the one to report it to you, Alpha.”

Caleb growled and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temple in frustration.

“Little Clara, you are not ready for this table,” he whispered to himself. Only Galen was able to hear the words. “Galen.”

Galen nodded, turning his attention to Clara.

“Clara, weak points in the borders are strategically placed.” Galen began. “When an enemy sends scouts to find ways to enter our territory, they will find what they seek, but only where we want them to.”

Clara gasped in understanding.

“Our defenses are the strongest of any pack, but they are that way because our Alpha and every pack member at this table work hard to make it so.”

“I didn’t know,” Clara whispered.

“You weren’t supposed to.” Galen smiled. “Patrols and sentries at the outposts are arranged in a way that makes sure these weak points are heavily monitored, quietly. Your commander, however, would have known.”

“Enough,” Caleb growled. “Clara, you have no reason to be here. Go, return to your duties.”

Clara immediately gathered her things. Then, as she stood to leave, she awkwardly attempted to salute Caleb, spilling papers on the floor.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered as she picked them up before running out the door.

A few giggles were heard toward the opposite end of the table. Caleb’s eyes snapped up immediately.

“Was something funny about what just happened?” he growled.

“No, Alpha,” the room replied in unison.

“Continue the reports,” he said.

Each person at the table reported on the tasks given and received new orders for the next hour.

“I believe that is all that was meant to be reported on today. Is there anything else that needs discussion?” Caleb asked uninterestedly.

There were glances and whispering, but no one spoke up. Caleb found this lack of spine more irritating than any question they could have posed.

“Be heard or be silent!” Galen roared. “Our Alpha has permitted you to raise questions, take the opportunity or let it go. But do not waste our time.”

“I don’t think this plan to give our defense tactics to the other packs is wise,” stated the wolf at the end of the table.

“I agree. I don’t see how it will benefit us,” said another.

“We have nothing to learn from the other packs. They just want our strategies. So why should we help them?”

There was a murmur of agreement. Caleb laughed, drawing all eyes to him.

“If you truly believe that you have nothing to learn from the other packs, you are a fool,” he spat. “There is always more to learn from an ally or enemy. It may not seem worth it to you now, but you have no idea what the future holds.”

He stood and walked the length of the table behind each committee member as he spoke.

“Our defenses are the best of any other pack. That is, without question, true,” Caleb stated. “But what about information gathering and scouting? Or the things our people need aside from the military?”

Caleb looked at the people sitting around the table, they weren’t convinced, but they were listening.

“Spring, to a concerning degree, has a knack for gathering information. Their scouts are trained in a way that helps them identify things we would never think to look for.

Autumn, while their tactics and general moral standard leave something to be desired, they provide for their people. They have built a standardof living that is unrivaled by any of the other packs.”

Caleb looked away from them, glancing out the window before continuing.

“These are things we need. That will help us continue to be the strongest of all the packs. Summer is strong, but we do have room to grow.”

“And what of Winter?” asked the woman seated beside Galen. “Alpha, forgive me, but I will be honest. Why should we aid Winter when they refused to aid us at the time we most needed it?”

“Yes, and while you may be right about the things we could learn from Spring and Autumn, Winter boasts military strength, just like us. So what can they offer us to outweigh the dishonor of working with them?” added the brown-haired man.

Caleb growled at the word dishonor. He knew it would be a problem; he had fought against these accords for this exact reason. Working with Winter was not something he could convince his people was worth the personal cost.

“I will tell you this, the agreement was for all four packs. There was no picking and choosing,” Caleb answered truthfully. “However, I did speak with Alpha Wyatt, and he agreed that for our two people to consent to this exchange, there would need to be an added incentive.”

They all were at attention now, each wondering what he could mean.

“For Winter, the request was, frankly, easy. I had already intended to be the representative of Summer to train the others. But nevertheless, Wyatt requested precisely that, myself as the one to teach their representative.

Galen will aid me in training all the representatives, but my focus will be on a specific member of Winter.”

“That’s still only a benefit to them! And honestly, it feels insulting to have our Alpha personally training one of theirs!” snarled the brown-haired man who had spoken before.

“Watch your tone!” Galen snarled back.

“It’s fine,” Caleb said, touching Galen’s shoulder.

“What we get is two representatives, one whose focus is learning the defense tactics we are willing to share, and the other that will be with me.” Caleb replied, “This person is the incentive.”

“Who are they?” asked the woman.

“I don’t know or care,” Caleb replied. “It’s not the who that matters. It’s what.”

Murmuring rose from the table once more. Caleb turned away from them and smiled as he spoke.

“There is one thing that Winter has in military strength, Summer does not. Something we have tried to replicate and have never succeeded.”

They looked around at each other, wondering what he meant. The woman beside Galen was the first to understand. She looked to him for confirmation; Galen nodded with a smile.

“A berserker?”