Published: July 9th 2023, 2:00:03 pm
A/N: this was meant to be Monday’s update, but I accidently scheduled it to publish a day early (story of my life, lol). Next update will be on Wednesday as normal!
The TV lights up as the call is connected, reflecting the image of Caleb, Cole, Maverick, and King sitting at the table. Almost immediately, a second image quickly joins the screen as the humans enter the call. Only three humans are visible on the camera, but I’m sure several more are sitting just outside the lens like I am.
I recognize the man sitting at the center of the table as the human president, Anthony Moore. He looks good, healthier than usual. His gray hair is immaculately cut and styled, unsurprising, and I wonder if he’s wearing makeup to give his skin more color, too.
Humans are vain, and he won’t want to look physically frail in front of the wolves.
There are several human presidents, but Anthony’s the elected ruler of the lands directly below the wolves. It used to be called the USA, but they changed their name once the wolves took over what was once Canada, causing those humans to flee south and the two countries to integrate.
Anthony stares directly into the camera with a solemn expression, and I chew at my bottom lip as I shift my gaze to the people sitting on either side of him. To the left is a poised, dark-haired woman I’ve never seen before, and to his right is another older man who looks vaguely familiar.
I think he leads the human military.
“Alpha Caleb.” Anthony is the first to speak. “We appreciate you making time to speak with us at such short notice.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I’m sure the humans gave themselves plenty of time to prepare for this call. They probably even had a meeting before this one, exclusively discussing the perfect time to tell the wolves they wanted to have a call this morning.
Nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems.
Caleb licks his lips and leans back in his chair.
“I assume you’re looking to discuss the dismantling of HPAW,” he says, cutting straight to the point.
Chunks babbles, a quiet stream of baby noises pouring from his throat as he finishes the last bits of his carrot treat. I shift, preparing to stand and take him out of the room so he isn’t heard on the call, but Adam smoothly spins and pulls him from my arms before I get the opportunity.
“I can hear from the kitchen,” he whispers in my ear.
He carries Chunks out of the room just as Anthony begins to speak.
“Yes, well…” Anthony starts. He looks slightly nervous, not that I blame him. The wolves aren’t exactly known for their political grace, and this conversation probably isn’t following the unspoken rules and formalities they’re used to.
Anthony gestures to the man on his right. “This is my Chief of Sta—”
“Are you prepared to speak on the dismantling of HPAW or not?” Caleb interrupts. “We’ve made our position on the matter abundantly clear, and we aren’t looking to waste our time if that’s not what you’re here to discuss.”
Anthony does a moderately good job hiding his reaction, but the man and woman on either side of him aren’t as successful. Their jaws drop, and they cut sideways glances at Anthony before regaining their composure and turning back to the camera.
It’s probably not often they’re spoken to like this.
Anthony works his jaw side to side before responding.
“Yes, that’s what we’re here to discuss,” he admits.
My heart pounds, but I’m sure it’s not the only one in the room doing so.
“If the wolves are willing to cease their attacks and formally establish and respect the borders between our lands, we’re willing to issue an urgent order to shut down HPAW,” Anthony says.
That’s precisely what Caleb wants, too.
He’s been trying to establish formal divisions between the human and wolf lands for years, but the humans have been too paranoid to see it. All they do is preach that the wolves are trying to infiltrate and take over their lands, and they’ve failed to see that the wolves haven’t made any attempts to further expand in years.
Caleb turns toward Maverick and King, and Cole smoothly mutes the audio in case anything is said.
Those of us along the wall remain silent.
Maverick and King do a significantly better job than the humans at keeping their faces free of emotion, and they both give subtle nods before turning back to the camera. Caleb’s chest expands, and his fingers tap quickly against his thigh as he turns to Cole.
Cole also gives a subtle nod before turning the call audio back on. Caleb shifts toward the camera once more.
“Those terms are agreeable, but we want that order issued first and foremost,” Caleb decides. “We aren’t willing to have any further discussions until HPAW is officially shut down.”
It’s safe to say Anthony doesn’t look pleased.
“That isn’t the way things are done,” he argues.
Caleb shrugs, looking entirely unconcerned.
“We’ve attempted to establish agreements with you for years, and every one of our proposals has gone ignored. We’ve been more than patient, and we’re willing to fight if that’s what it will take to get what we want.” Caleb straightens up, appearing larger on the camera. “These are our terms; you can accept them as they are or not.”
I flush, beyond excited as I listen to Caleb speak. I’ve seen those proposals, and the human government was foolish not to accept them then. Caleb was beyond generous, but the humans are no longer in a position to argue. The fighting Caleb’s been working hard to avoid is already underway, and he has his people’s support to continue.
The humans aren’t a match for the wolves, and it’s clear they’ve come to realize that. They overestimated themselves, and now it’s their turn to grovel.
“We’ll need time to discuss…” the woman to the left of Anthony says.
Her voice is sharp, but the way her eyes dart along the camera makes her look skittish. That’s how most humans appear when speaking directly to the wolves, though.
“No,” Caleb says. “We’ve given you ample time to discuss. These are our terms, and we want an answer now.”
Fuck yeah, we do.
Anthony clears his throat before reaching for the small glass of water on the table before him. His gaze then shifts to the side of the camera. There’s likely somebody behind it directing him how to answer. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn dozens of people are running around out of sight of the camera.
The human’s audio and video suddenly cuts out, leaving a black screen. They’re still on the call, but we can no longer see or hear what’s happening on their end. Caleb, Maverick, King, and Cole remain still, like they’ve encountered this before.
Is it common for the humans to panic and disconnect while they sort themselves out? I want to be angry or annoyed by the action, but I must admit I’d probably do something similar. I’m not the best under pressure, but I’m also not electing myself into positions where that’s expected of me.
Caleb’s the one who handles these public things, and Sash and I keep everything running smoothly behind closed doors.
I’ve become useful to the wolves, even if it’s only in small ways right now.
An awkward few minutes pass before the audio and video are restored. Nothing seems to have changed, Anthony still seated at the head of the table with the woman on his left and the older man on his right.
“We will issue a statement today if you can have your wolves removed from our lands within an hour of the announcement,” Anthony decides.
I’m pretty sure most of Caleb’s warriors are already within the pack borders. Excluding the occasional targeted mission, Caleb isn’t interested in lingering on the human lands. It doesn’t benefit him, and he’s hesitant to appear too hostile.
There’s a balance he’s working hard to maintain.
Caleb takes a moment to respond to Anthony’s request. It’s good that the humans are willing to release a statement today, and I’m sure Caleb can physically have his wolves back in the pack lands within an hour, but it’s hard to trust the humans.
It wouldn’t be wise, but Anthony could plan to attack while the wolves travel. Then he could just as easily redact his decision to dismantle HPAW.
I’d like to think the humans wouldn’t do that, but I don’t know.
It would undoubtedly be the catalyst to a full-blown fight between the wolves and humans, and it’s one Caleb would win. Everybody’s got to know that at this point. Caleb’s only putting in minimal effort right now, and already he has the humans on their backs.
Anthony shifts in his seat, visibly on edge while he waits for Caleb’s response.
It’s crazy to think that the man who curls himself around me like a cat each night is the same man who can make the president of one of the largest human countries nervous. When you get past Caleb’s imposing stature and strength, it’s easy to see how little of a threat he is in his daily life.
He doesn’t lead with fear, and he’s gentle with everybody he meets.
Adam quietly returns to the room, and I place a hand over my mouth as I notice he’s stuck the entirety of Chunks’ head and torso under his shirt. Judging by the dangling limbs, I can tell Chunks is fast asleep, and I hold back a chuckle as Adam takes his seat next to me.
Chunks doesn’t move so much as an inch, the young man dead to the world.
It must be nice to fall asleep so quickly, and I’m sure he was out within seconds of Adam tucking him into his shirt. It’s probably dark and warm in there, two things universally needed for a good nap.
“My wolves will remain where they are until HPAW has been officially shut down,” Caleb decides.
I raise a brow. That’s not what I was expecting.
Neither was Anthony, if the widening of his eyes is anything to go by.
“Caleb—”
“Alpha,” Caleb interrupts.
Anthony clears his throat. “Alpha Caleb,” he corrects himself. “You can’t honestly expect us to shut down HPAW and remove their soldiers while your wolves are still on our land. This agreement works on trust—”
“And you don’t have mine,” Caleb interrupts again. “We have tried to find peace with the humans for years, and you have ignored us. My wolves are a consequence of your actions, and they will remain where they are until HPAW is officially eliminated.”
Fuck. Caleb is sexy when he speaks like this. I shift in my seat, becoming antsy with this conversation’s turn.
Unsurprisingly, after tense silence, the humans shut off their camera and audio once more. Caleb presses his lips together, looking mildly annoyed while he waits for his response. His only tick is his finger tapping quickly against the outside of his thigh, but it’s out of view of the camera.
I can’t decide whether I should be upset that the government hasn’t said anything about the marked humans Caleb rescued from HPAW and brought onto his land. You’d think Anthony would at least attempt to have them safely returned, and his lack of mention only further shows how little the government cares about their people.
Especially those with marks. In their eyes, we might as well be wolves.
An excruciatingly long few seconds pass before Anthony appears on the screen again.
“We will release a statement later today, and we will be reaching out within the hour to set up further meetings to discuss how we want to move forward with border regulation,” he says. “HPAW will be officially shut down by the end of the business week.”
By Friday? That’s only two days away.
My palms sweat, and I wipe them on my pants as Caleb dips his chin.
“Very well,” he says. “And how do you plan to shut down HPAW?”
Anthony exchanges a glance with the woman on his left. He never did introduce her, and I wonder what her role is. I can probably look it up later or ask Caleb if I get curious enough, but I doubt I will. She’s not important to me.
“We’ll handle it,” she eventually says.
How ominous.
Caleb leans back in his chair, looking less than enthused with Anthony’s response. I bet he’s deciding whether or not to push the subject.
“I hope you do,” he eventually says.
Caleb shoots Cole a glance, and Cole hurries to end the call. It quickly becomes evident by how Caleb’s eyebrows screw together as he watches Cole that he doesn’t know how to navigate the meeting screen.
And to think, this man taught me everything I know about computers and phones. I should ask Cole or Sash to teach me when they have time. I bet they could show me so many cool features Caleb’s never even heard of.
Caleb’s out of his chair the moment the call is ended, and I let out a loud shriek as I’m pulled into his arms and tossed into the air.
“You did it,” I gasp, wrapping my arms around his neck.
Caleb beams up at me, his eyes shining, and I cup his cheeks before pulling him in for a rough kiss. I’m faintly aware of Cole doing something similar to Sash, and I pull away the moment I remember Adam’s on the other side of us.
Pity stabs me in the chest, and my gaze instinctually shifts to the large wolf still cradling Chunks in his shirt. He avoids looking in my direction, and Caleb brushes his lips across my temple before setting me on my feet.
I lunge for Adam, eager to pull him into a hug and join him in the celebration, and Caleb grumbles Sash’s name before presumably doing the same.
“Release me, human,” Adam huffs as I hug him and Chunks.
Chunks twitches, but otherwise remains asleep as I force Adam to be happy. It takes a few seconds, and probably a threatening look from Caleb behind my back, before Adam grudgingly accepts my hug.
“It’s not over yet,” Adam mumbles into my shoulder.
I shrug. It’s not, but this was a massive step in the right direction.