Chapter 534 Strategizing as equals

"I would suggest that Commander George joins this discussion. He can help.", James said while approaching the desk where Damon, Maya, and Caden were with Alpha Maddox and Alpha Christian present via video conference.

As soon as James finished talking, George was already by his side, pulling a chair so he can join the group. He was eavesdropping from the side, but since no one invited him, he pretended to be interested in whatever Cornelia was explaining.

"What are you trying to achieve?", James asked while taking a seat.

"The summon for the Council of Alphas is unexpected.", Damon said. "With every Alpha getting an invitation, it's inevitable that the news will spread. A pack without its Alpha and Beta is vulnerable. Our warriors have their orders, but if they are facing an unexpected situation, without leadership to guide them, they might make mistakes and that can cause casualties. We are trying to prioritize spots where attacks might happen so that we reinforce our borders in a smart way."

Damon showed James a map he had in front of him with some areas marked in red. "The red areas are where we experienced attacks in the previous year."

After looking at it for a few seconds, James turned to look at the wall where the map of North America was hanging with outlines of pack territories. Every pack (other than the Midnight Guardians pack) had precisely determined borders, and between two packs was a few miles-wide neutral territory that didn't belong to anyone. That prevented packs from accidentally crossing into another pack's territory (which happened often, and the fights would escalate), but unfortunately that gap between territories also allowed for rogues to move freely.

"Do you think that the young Alpha from the Red Moon pack will have anything useful to say?", Alpha Cristian asked without concealing the mockery in his voice. He didn't like the Red Moon pack, and he didn't bother with being polite.

Damon raised his hand, indicating to Alpha Cristian to be patient. "Maybe he doesn't, but we won't know unless we hear him out. Our plan so far is solid, but this is what we always did, and I have a feeling that even rogues can see through it. I believe that a fresh perspective might be useful."

James didn't bother with Alpha Cristian, as he focused on talking to Damon.

"Your packs share borders, with the Spring Leaf pack between the other two. Depending on your level of trust, I would suggest that you temporarily merge territories. The neutral land can stay unused after you comb it to flush out lingering rogues. In that way, you can rearrange your warriors to protect external borders."

Everyone looked at James like he said something outrageous. And it was outrageous because Alphas would never merge territories in a way that would make them vulnerable, but at the same time, it made sense.

Damon was first to react. "If I don't need to protect my North border, we will have more manpower for other areas.", Damon said and turned to look at the monitor.

Maddox was next to agree. "With Alpha Cristian's warriors assuring no one will attack my pack from South, that works for me also."

Alpha Cristian burst into laughter. Who would say no to more land and less manpower to secure it? "Why not? If this crazy experiment works, maybe we could make it permanent!"

Maddox snorted. "How can you be so quick to agree? Didn't you imply that James won't have anything useful to say?"

Alpha Cristian narrowed his eyes, probably at Maddox, but he was on the screen, so it looked like he was glaring at everyone. "I admit. I was quick to judge. Maybe I am getting old."

Damon shook his head. Alpha Cristian was in his mid-thirties. How can that be considered old? But he didn't want to stray off the topic because time was running out and they had a lot of things to do.

"Since we all agree, let's get into details.", Damon said. "We need to determine who will be responsible for which stretch of the outside borders so we don't have gaps, and we should coordinate sweeping the neutral territory from rogues. Let's finish all this today so that tonight we can head to that meeting without worrying about our people…"

James was glad that he could contribute, and he was recognized. George was not the one to be left behind as he showed expertise related to techniques for communication between patrols belonging to different packs. As a Commander, George studied military tactics, so he was comfortable in this setting.

What was novel for both James and George was that three Alphas were discussing things openly, as equals.

Alpha Edward never showed such trust and respect toward anyone; in cases when he cooperated with someone, it was shallow, and Alpha Edward made sure the other party knew he was in charge. People in this room (and on the video call) were aware that Damon had the most power, yet Damon didn't impose his opinion on others, and it created an atmosphere where everyone was free to voice their thoughts.

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Talia entered the study to find that Cornelia, Gideon, Mindy, and Dawn were on the sofa and talking in hushed voices while Damon was at his desk with Maya, Caden, James, George, and Alpha Christian and Alpha Maddox on the video call.

Somehow, the air in the room was harmonious, and Talia thought how it would be wonderful if they could all work together like that. Of course, she would add Tatiana, Kalina, Tony, Axel, Yasmin, Zina, Meg, and a few others into that mix.

This was the opposite of the cutthroat situation that James described to Talia earlier and she hoped that James will see that not all Alphas are greedy and backstabbing. The boy was full of bitterness and bad experiences, and Talia wished that Damon takes him under his wing and shows him a brighter side of life. Unfortunately, that won't happen as long as Alpha Edward has the resources and power to bully others. Was there really nothing they could do?

'You are back', Damon's voice sounded in Talia's head, and she could feel the happiness her presence brought him.

'I came to check what you guys are doing.'

Damon looked at her guiltily. 'We need to finish this before I leave tonight.'

'Don't worry about it.', Talia responded.

Talia was aware that Damon had his hands full and he couldn't indulge in a lovey-dovey mood. Damon was normally busy, and the situation with Marcy made things worse, and now this unexpected meeting came on top of everything.

Talia was happy that she could come to see Damon like this and she wondered if she will get a chance to talk to him in private and tell him about the whole Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack business.

Talia noticed that Cornelia, Gideon, Mindy, and Dawn were sitting there without much to do, so she offered them to join her in the kitchen.

Dawn was first to get up. She wanted to see Zina and catch up with her bestie but was feeling awkward about just leaving.

Cornelia and Mindy got up next, and Gideon grumbled something, but he followed after Mindy.

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