Lenny

    I stared at Ramsey on therge screen, seeing him without really seeing him.

    In the room, five Alpha representatives from the Major Werewolf Packs allied with us, as well as representatives from the smaller packs that hade the previous week to solicit funds and a host of other things, were talking to Ramsey.

    We''ve held meetings that I''d briefed Ramsey about, but until now, we still haven''t reached apromise. The Alphas were insisting that the budget allocation I had suggested was too small, so it was now up to them to convince Ramsey before we followed through with the final approval protocols.

    The conference call had been going on for nearly two hours, and my patience was wearing thin as we discussed details of resource distribution.

    "The medical supplies allocation for the Northern Ridge Pack seems excessive," Alpha Morrison was saying, his face creased with concern. "Thirty thousand dors for basic first aid materials when our entire food budget is only twenty-five thousand?"

    "With respect, Alpha Morrison," one of the smaller pack''s Alphas replied, pulling up the detailed spreadsheet on the monitors embedded on the conference table, "the Northern Ridge Pack took heavy casualties during the final battles. They have seventeen pack members still recovering from severe injuries, including three who require healing treatments from witches themselves, and these treatments cost more than anything."

    Alpha Chen from the Mountain View Pack, another smaller pack, leaned forward into her camera. "What about the infrastructure requests? The Pine Valley Pack is asking for two hundred thousand dors to rebuild their pack house, but the Riverside Pack only requested fifty thousand for simr reconstruction."

    I nced over at Caius, who was sitting at the side table, taking detailed notes of every concern raised. He looked up and caught my eye, nodding to indicate he was tracking all the questions for follow-up research.

    "The difference in reconstruction costs reflects the extent of damage each pack sustained," I exined, switching to another tab with architectural assessments. "Pine Valley Pack''s territory was directly in the path of the Dark One''s final assault. Their pack house wasn''t just damaged, it waspletely destroyed. They''re essentially starting from nothing."

    "But two hundred thousand still seems high for a pack of only forty-three families", Alpha Rodriguez interjected. "Couldn''t they consider a more modest structure?"

    Ramsey''s voice came through the speakers, "The pack house isn''t just a building—it''s the spiritual and social centre of pack life. Thesemunities have already lost too much. We''re not going to force them to ept substandard living conditions on top of everything else they''ve endured."

    "Alpha Ramsey is right," I added, pulling up data. "The construction costs include specialised warding materials and supernatural security features that are essential for pack safety. Regr human construction materials simply won''t provide adequate protection."

    "And can you all be considerate. We still haven''t dealt with packs in the south yet, I expect those woulde calling as soon as I''m back," Ramsey sighed. "Everyone is recovering from the loss, but you don''t have to go greedy. Our pockets are running empty."

    "But you were not hesitant to approve Blue Ridge''s 100 million dors for a renovation when their pack wasn''t even touched?" Alpha Chen sneered. "Lycan Leader, with all due respect, but I think you always favour werewolf packs in the south over the ones in the north, and it has to stop."

    As the discussion continued, I found my attention drifting to Caius, who was meticulously documenting every financial detail and concern raised by the Alpha representatives. Despite my best efforts to focus on the meeting, I couldn''t stop wondering if he had been telling the truth about his rtionship with Cassidy.

    It had been an entire week since his revtion, and as much as I wanted to believe it was some misunderstanding, the evidence was bing harder to ignore. I''d spent the better part of seven days trying not to vomit every time I thought about them together.

    They weren''t obvious about it; to a casual observer, their interactions might seem perfectly normal. But to trained eyes like mine, someone who had been in a rtionship with every type of woman ever and someone who has been watching Cassidy''s every move for a few months now, the signs were there.

    The way their hands would brush against each other when they passed in the hallways. How Caius''s entire face would light up with joy whenever Cassidy entered a room, his usually serious expression changing into boyish happiness.

    The way Cassidy would seek him out during pack gatherings, moving toward his side even when she could have sat anywhere else.

    Was I jealous? Maybe, but there was something off about the whole situation that I couldn''t quite put my finger on.

    While Caius was radiating with love and devotion whenever he looked at Cassidy, her response seemed forced, somehow, like she was being forced into the rtionship and not because she truly wanted him.

    "Beta Stone?" Alpha Morrison''s voice cut through my distracted thoughts. "What''s your rmendation for the emergency fund allocation?"

    I quickly refocused on the screen. "I rmend we maintain a reserve of fifteen per cent of the total budget for unexpected crises. Given what happened in thest war and how almost none of the packs had core savings except werewolf packs of the south," I stared at him pointedly. "We need that flexibility."

    "Packs of the south had influential Alphas who had family members working in our Nation''s Silver Bank. How are we supposed to beat that? The requirements alone…" Alpha Chen startedining.

    "We''re working on reaching an agreement with them to induct smaller packs like yours into the system with flexible savings and investment ns. Additionally, meeting quarterly targets increases your borrowing power. The White Moon Throne will not always help you," I said.

    "Agreed," Ramsey said. "The emergency fund has already proven its value at these times."

    The meeting continued for another thirty minutes, covering everything from food distribution logistics to educational support for disced pack children. By the time we finally reached the end of our agenda, I felt mentally drained from trying to bncepeting needs with limited resources.

    "Thank you all for your time," Ramsey said as the meeting began to wind down. "Beta Stone will follow up with detailed budget breakdowns for each pack by the end of the week."

    One by one, the Alpha representatives signed off until only Ramsey and I remained on the call, with Caius still taking notes at his side table.

    "Caius, could you give us a few minutes?" I asked. "I need to discuss some confidential matters with Ramsey."

    "Of course," Caius said, gathering his papers. "I''llpile these notes and have the summary ready for review by tomorrow morning."

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