A huge thank you to my editor Tex Beethoven for another amazing job and collaboration, thank you Tex you rock!!!
Book 1
Chapter 31
The days and weeks following the Grand Est visit passed quickly with all the work everyone had to do during the week, with their only consistent downtime coming in the evenings and on weekends. Lily and Dante spent their weekends together in their Cabin to capitalize on their alone time. Most evenings and many times during each weekend Lily and Dante made love together and kept their relationship strong and close, even when they felt overworked during the weekdays. No matter that the newness of their being mates had worn off a while back, they still couldn't get enough of each other, and craved each other constantly. Both were convinced their mutual craving would never lessen between them, and they took every chance they could to kiss and caress each other.
As the days and weeks passed by, the O'Connor Pack accomplished more and more, and things were moving swiftly and smoothly. The security upgrades for the Pack were completed and the investigation into the rogues continued as well, albeit with no revelations about who had been behind the attack on Dante. As a matter of fact, very little emerged except for scattered reports of sightings by nearby Packs.
The wolves from the Grand Est Pack arrived, and battle training for them went well. Soon Ben and Sara would be leaving to visit their sister Pack along with several other O'Connor Betas and Enforcers in order to train more wolves at the Grand Est facilities. Everything was moving apace and it was now November and well into winter in Montana.
They would soon be leaving for the Alpha Conclave. Odin informed them that the Conclave would be the first weekend in December and would be held this year in South Beach Miami, where it would be warm and sunny. Both Lily and Dante were looking forward to a warm weekend, even if the Conclave itself promised to be challenging. It had been set up so that the O'Connor delegation would fly out of Bozeman and would meet with Lisette and Raphael as well as the Grand Est delegation there. Bozeman wasn't nearly as close for them as their local Glacier Park Airport, but Odin and Victoria had chosen it as a courteous midpoint between Whitefish and their friends and allies who resided near Billings. The two Packs could watch each other's backs while they traveled, and particularly once they arrived for the Conclave. There were too many uncertainties about who their common enemy might be. This entity had already sprung one ambush, although thanks to Dante it had turned out disastrously for the ambushers. Alphas Odin and Lisette had agreed that traveling together would reduce the risk of anything unexpected happening.
***
Lily and Dante were sitting in the terminal at the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. They were accompanying Odin and Victoria, Ben and Sara and two other O'Connor Pack Betas, both Level 4's, to the Conclave. After a short while Lisette and Raphael, along with their Level 5 Sebastian and three other Grand Est Betas, Level 4's, joined them. Everyone greeted each other warmly and waited to board the plane. They were all traveling first class and would take up the entirety of that section of the plane. Soon enough boarding began, off they went.
The flight was long, since they were flying to the other end of the nation, but Dante and Lily napped during most of it to adjust to the different time zone and help the time pass more quickly. They landed at Miami International Airport in the late afternoon and picked up their baggage. Four rental SUV's had been reserved for the two Packs, and everyone piled in to head to their hotel. They were all staying at the Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club near North Beach. The evening and night was theirs, with the Conclave starting in the morning.
The Alpha Council maintained a building in South Beach, about 20 minutes away. It was closed to the public and was used exclusively for the Conclave as well as other needs the Alpha Council might have for it throughout the year. It contained meeting rooms, a library, a large gathering hall for assemblies that was similar to the theater setup for Congress, since there would be 200 Alphas in attendance. Lastly, there was an indoor stadium of sorts, for disputes to be settled, since fights often broke out with so many Alpha lycans present in a single building. Challenge battles were conducted one against one in front of the entire assembly, no weapons, and were very serious. They were always violent and bloody.
They arrived and checked into their hotel with several of the group in suites and others in regular rooms. Lily and Dante were in a deluxe suite that would be a pleasant place to unwind at night. They had been issued their own rental car and decided to take a small date together tonight before joining everyone for the start of the Conclave tomorrow.
Since they were in Miami they wanted to indulge in the local Cuban cuisine and the flavorful food of that culture. They picked out Havana 1957 Cuban Cuisine off Española Way for their date and drove over. When they arrived, they were seated immediately and found the atmosphere lively and festive. The smells coming from the kitchen were to die for! They started with a couple of authentic mojitos and enjoyed the sweet, tangy refreshing drink; it cooled them in the warm evening air. They ordered the Cuban Combo appetizer for two, and enjoyed the rich food. Dante ordered a main course of Ropa Vieja, a shredded beef dish, while Lily went with the Pollo Frito a la Cubana, a crispy chicken dish. Both meals were fantastic, and they shared bites with each other frequently, tasting everything served. After their meal they stayed a while longer and had another round of drinks, enjoying each other's company in the lively atmosphere. Eventually they paid their tab and headed back to the hotel and called it a night. Both of them were tired, but they wanted each other and made slow and quiet love for over an hour before falling asleep, Lily in her favorite spot.
The next morning at 8am everyone met for breakfast in the hotel, with many of them gently teasing Lily and Dante about their romantic date and suspected activities afterwards, speculating how they must have been heated up by the warm weather in Miami Beach. Lily and Dante just grinned at each other and smiled broadly at the rest of them, keeping their silence. It was a working breakfast as everyone discussed what might happen at the start of the Conclave that morning. They were all concerned about the tone the conference could take and what might be discussed. None of them believed it would be relaxed or without incident, but in the end they conceded that since they had so few facts to go on, the best they could do was simply to remain in close communication with each other and try to be ready for anything.
They drove over to the Conclave Building and arrived 30 minutes before the opening ceremony. When they entered the large meeting hall they saw the large raised dais at the far end where the Alpha Council would sit. Surrounding them in a large semi-circle were seats and desks for the rest of the Alphas. During the meetings, the Betas and the rest of any Alpha's entourage, including Alpha Heirs such as Dante and Lily, would remain outside the Hall in the large reception area or other rooms throughout the building. From these locations they could witness the proceedings through a bond or not, as their Alpha chose. Alpha Odin chose to include Dante and Lily via their Family bond.
Just before 10am everyone was seated, and the Alpha Council processed in and took their places at the dais. The President of the Alpha Council was Victor Petrov, who was a large man, standing at 6'5", with dark hair graying at the sides. Most people saw him as authoritative and imposing, to others he appeared simply arrogant, but nobody ever saw him as inconsequential. He was a hard man and had been leading the Council and those of his neighboring Packs who were in his thrall in an aggressive direction the last few years. He was the Alpha of the Tri-State Pack near New York City, and from all accounts was a ruthless, effective man.
Alpha Victor opened the meeting and formally welcomed everyone to the Conclave. The meeting lasted several hours, and many subjects and policies were discussed. Alpha Victor was pushing for more aggressive stances against humans as well as within business practices and territory disputes. There were hints and innuendos about some of the larger and stronger Packs beginning to start pushing for more territory for themselves, and without actually saying so, Victor seemed to be not only encouraging such expansions, but also giving a green light to power plays in pursuit of them.
Strangely, no mention of issues with rogue wolves was brought up, even though the Alpha Pairs from the O'Connor Pack and Grand Est Pack had both heard informal reports and bits of conversations from other Alphas about other sightings of rogues.
The meeting was sent for recess so everyone could enjoy the lunch provided for them, so they made their way to the dining and reception area. It was huge, with seating and many serving areas sufficient for almost 1000 diners.
Members of the O'Connor Pack and Grand Est Pack monopolized a table together through the meal, but gained evidence of a growing tension when several Alphas from Packs in their neighboring states stopped by and spoke with Odin and Lisette and the rest, voicing their growing concerns, both about the tone of the meeting and the lack of mention of the rogues. Alpha Thomas from the Crater Moon Pack in Idaho and Alpha Jerome from the Yellowstone Pack in Wyoming were among those who stopped by and spoke with their group.
