When Grace and | return to the packhouse, | have to admit that the sprites are overwhelmingly appreciative of our assistance.


    Grace lets them know that they are always wee, but especially if they are frightened or need assistance.


    Before they head back to the forest, | ask Funichio to continue to keep a lookout for hunters and alert us right away if they see


    any. He agrees happily, before flitting off to join his group. | notice the twins flitting around the back of the packhouse, until | see


    Alexandere down and join them before heading out into the forest. I''ll need to have a conversation with him soon about his


    involvement with the sprites. He needs to understand what he’s done and what it means to the twins. Sprites may not be my


    favorite creatures, but I’m still an Alpha and my job is protect those that need protection. The sprites are annoying, irritating


    creatures, but they are fragile.


    “Carlos, Noah, meet me in my office.” Now that our pack is settling, my office space and furniture has improved. Jeremy has


    opened his own store front and is swamped with requests for furniture. He has been able to hire three staff and he’s still working


    non-stop.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    When they arrive, we sit around the new table, in the chairs that now have cushions. “We need to get some intel on these


    hunters. This is twice that they''vee into or near our territory. What do we know about them?”


    I''m concerned that we''ll be leaving in a week to go to the tournament with hunters in the area. | don


    want to leave the pack vulnerable, and not just our pack, but Rik’s and Liam’s as well.


    “Not much.” Carlos says. “I’ve been trying to get any intel | can, but they are difficult to find and because we don’t live among the


    humans, it’s hard to know how many there are. However, | have been hearing whispers that they are nning something big.”


    “| heard that they have taken some werewolves hostage. They must have a ce where they are either torturing them or


    experimenting on them, or both.” Noah


    says.


    “Keep trying to get information. I''ll reach out to Rik and Liam to see if they’ve heard anything. Liam’spany is in the human


    city nearby, he may have some information.” Although | doubt that. If he did, he would have shared it.


    After informing Rik and Liam of our battle with the hunters and finding out that they don’t know any more than we do, | ask them


    about the taxes that they put


    on their pack members.


    “| do twenty percent.” Rik says. “I have a lot of businesses on the packnds, and they pay me once a month. But | use that


    money to pay forrge gatherings, food in the packhouse, raising orphans, general improvements, etc. It almost all goes back


    into the pack. Obviously, as the Alpha, | benefit from the ie, but | don’t overstep, and | keep myself and my ranked members


    from spending extravagantly.”


    “I''m a little different.” Liam says. “Most of my iees through the business. Because it’s in a human town and


    incorporated with humans, | and all the employees pay taxes. So, | only tax them an additional ten percent above what they


    already have to pay. However, my business is extremelyrge so the ie, while smaller, is still substantial. And |, like Rik,


    refuse to use that money for my own extravagance.”


    We finish our discussion talking about our travel ns for the tournament. Like us, they are driving and n to leave a day


    before the tournament begins. We develop a n to have the packs provide support and back up for each other while all of us


    are away and then | say my goodbyes.


    Later that day, | find Alexander and | let him know about my conversation with Aolis. | tell him he needs to make a decision about


    the sprite twins. He either needs to take them as his mates or he needs to let them go. He’s not as overwhelmed by the to


    Conversation as | would have expected which leads me believe that his wolf may be willing to ept those two as his mates.


    And appears that he would have to take them both. They seem to be a package deal. It’s notmon among wolves to have


    more than one mate, but it has been known to happen in the instances of identical twins.


    yes,


    it


    As the week progresses, | finalize the building ns with Perry to continue while. I’m away. | let him know that Noah is able to


    make any financial decision necessary in my absence. | also give him a head’s up about the hunters and the sprites. Some


    wolves have chosen to build their homes closer to the pack border and the forest, so it’s likely that they wille into contact


    with the sprites. | tell him to contact Alexander if they be a nuisance.


    +