Elisha grimaced leaning over the arm of the chair, so I met him halfway as he whispered in my ear. After he was finished, I had a better idea of how to answer. Elisha's thoughts were on the same page as my own, but his response was more concise and easy to explain.
"How I see it is we would understand our packs would always be connected as allies, but whatever alpha takes it over will take charge with my blessing. And since I will have won the pack and all its holdings by challenge, I'm within my rights to do this, and I don't need permission from anyone other than my mate, since Newberry Springs' property and holdings would be considered mine personally." I was pretty sure the Gamma Council knew as much, but it didn't hurt to clarify I wasn't giving away anything rightfully belonging to Lucerne Valley.
"Correct. If any pack members question it, I'll be happy to show them the law pertaining to assets won in challenges." Jared frowned with concern, drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair. "My question is, are you sure you want to give it all away? The law states you could place a governing alpha in your stead. I don't know the value of their holdings, but I'd imagine you’re leaving a lot of money behind.”
I sat forward with my elbows on the table, looking around to make sure everyone was paying attention. "I'm absolutely certain I want to. Whoever takes over the second pack needs to have the freedom to do things their way. Some extenuating circumstances involving illegal mining have to be dealt with, and quite a few pack members won't be happy to see the money train go away. I won't ask anyone to put in the work it'll take over there and then tie their hands by making them come to me for permission about every decision."
Elisha spoke up in full agreement, making me proud. "Matt’s right. Whoever takes over Newberry Springs needs the freedom to run it their way. As long as our packs remain allies, we will be happy to let it go. My heart lies here now, even before I met my true mate. I've never been happier than I've been in Lucerne Valley. I want to give our people the choice of which pack they want to be part of and then give each pack the chance to bloom separately while being allies."
"Well, damn. If I couldn't already tell the pair of you were made for each other, I'd know it now." Tucker smiled at me with suspiciously misty eyes. "For what it's worth, you can consider me as an option. As much as I love the West Coast Wolves, I don't know I have the heart to travel without you. And our goal has always been to help those in need, wouldn’t you agree? Sounds to me like a pack out in that desert needs one of us. If anyone else is interested, choose whoever you think is best. I'm simply putting myself out there as an interested party."
Devon tilted his head toward Tucker. "What he said. All kidding aside, I'd be willing to step up for you, Matt. I don't care about what the assets might be worth, although I'm sure future me will be grateful if I'm chosen. But if you need me, I'm there."
When Nick hesitated, Lucian snorted. "If you're interested, now's the time to speak up. Listen, guys, Tucker was right about our moral code. I might want to kick my own ass one day for not jumping at the opportunity, but I'm not offended by you guys offering. Truth be told, maybe it's time we think about settling down. Putting down some roots. If two of us are going to be heading up packs, maybe the rest of us should consider getting a place nearby. Just because I don't want a pack of my own doesn't mean I wouldn’t be down to visit you assholes when the mood strikes. I'm rambling, but I want you to know where my head's at."
We all laughed when Nick jumped up and ran around the table to give Lucian a big hug and a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek. Grunting, Luci tried to bat him away, but Nick held on like Velcro as he grinned at me. "Luci talked me into it, y'all. I'm tossing my hat in the ring too. Now Matt has to draw straws or come up with a good reason why he picked whoever he does, but there you go. Three alpha options, Matt. Have fun deciding."
I was still chuckling when my phone rang and picked it up without looking at the caller ID. Luckily, it was Ash. "Hey there, Matt. Letting you know the challenge is scheduled for one week from today at ten o'clock in the morning at a neutral spot in the desert between you. I’ll text you the coordinates. Now this is where I'm supposed to suggest you get your affairs in order, should the challenge not go your way. But since my money's on you, I'll tell you to make sure you get a decent sleep the night before. Let's see, what else would a halfway decent parent tell you if they were here right now? I never had kids, so I wouldn't know. My mom would tell you to wear clean underwear and remember to brush your teeth, if her advice helps."
"Thanks, Ash. I'll take it under advisement. Or how about I let Elisha take charge and make sure I'm rested and well fed?"
Ash chuckled roughly in my ear. "Works for me too. Let your mate spoil the hell out of you, now that I think about it. Nothing will make you fight harder than knowing your sweet little mate is depending on you."
"Fuck you, Ash. Now I’m going to be stressing for the next week and remembering mine isn't the only life I'm risking." I held my breath, half afraid after talking to the territory chief like we were old friends.
I shouldn't have worried because Ash cracked up more. "Did you really say ‘fuck you’ to me? I like your style, kid. I knew I liked you. Now do us both a favor and don't screw this up. I'm looking forward to taking you up on your offer to visit your guestroom. In fact, I'll bring a bottle of my best scotch so we can toast your success."
"Sounds like a plan. See you Monday, Ash. I look forward to meeting you. I'll be the cocky one with four other alphas as my backup team. Yes, before you ask—there is a story. And I'll be happy to tell you all about it over a glass of scotch. Until then, I'll merely remind you Monty has all my deltas, and I have no other options."
Ash snorted. "Can't wait to hear the tale. A group of alphas working together? I wish I saw the like more often. Besides, you're welcome to bring anyone you want for your backup team. Hell, bring some damn cheerleaders and a marching band. Give us a show before the main event. Simply make sure you deliver at the end because I already know I'm going to prefer doing business with you."
"I'll do my best, Ash. Have the scotch ready."
Eight
Elisha
Even though I had every faith Matt would win, tomorrow was scary to think about, so I was doing my best not to. Think about it, that was. And since I was having the best day ever, pretending we weren't one day away from the challenge was easy.
My life with Horace was nothing more than a bad dream at this point. After all the times I'd woken up to him pushing his fat, sweaty body into mine, waking up with my dick in my mate's mouth was amazing.
And afterwards, I'd been forced to take a long, hot shower where Matt took his time soaping me up and cleaning my body. He'd given special attention to every nook and cranny. Yeah… more than the temperature had been hot in our morning shower.
Paula was rattling around the kitchen when we went downstairs, but her presence was okay since I was supposed to be off today anyway. After shooing us to the breakfast room, Paula made sure we got to enjoy a private meal before letting anyone know where we were.