No one had any questions so my Dad continued with the meeting.
“Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of this meeting. The ‘family’ will include Thomas as the son, Kobie as the father, Ingrid as the mother, and Sheila as the daughter. The family surname will be The Marshalls. You will be ‘moving to Conyers, GA which is a suburb of Atlanta, GA. Do we have any questions about who is participating and where it is taking place?” questioned my Dad.
“I have a question. Why is she here? Is she going to be participating in the operation?” one of the special forces humans asked pointing to Melanie.
“No, she will not be participating in the operation itself. For those who do not know who she is, this is my daughter and heir Melanie Miller. She will personally monitor this operation from start to finish. She will be cc’d on all e-mails and text messages or any form of communication for this operation. She will know everything there is to know about it. Is that clear?” commanded my Dad.
“Yes sir,” was heard from everyone in the room that was human, and a “Yes, Delta,” was heard from the wolves in the room.
“Delta?” someone asked in the room.
“You can get a lesson in pack hierarchy later. Right now, we need to concentrate on this operation. Your team will act as an overwatch. You will rent out a series of houses that surround the area. You will keep track of the comings and goings of the neighborhood and the family. You will keep our ‘family’ safe and ensure their safe return. Am I clear?” demanded my father to the special forces commander.
“Yes, sir. We will coordinate accordingly. I see the houses have already been rented out for us. All we have to do is set up our surveillance equipment and schedule. I will submit my plan to Mr. Graham and to Ms. Miller by tonight,” announced the commander.
“Very good. Just remember, all of you have to blend in the neighborhood like regular people. Now, onto the next item. Operation-Family Reunion will kick off in two days. We need to have you moving into your houses in two days. Is this feasible?” inquired of my Dad.
“Where will the furniture come from?” someone asked in the room.
I guess they hadn’t quite finished reading the information in front of them.
“In the file folder in front of you, it says that our Atlanta office would be providing all of the necessary household items. All you would need to provide is your clothing and personal toiletries,” I replied to the one who didn’t read his information.
“Oh yeah, I guess I must have missed that. Thanks,” he stated with a wink and a smirk on his face.
I guess he thought it was a good way to flirt with me. Growls were heard when they saw his wink and smirk. His smirk quickly dropped off his face.
“I didn’t mean anything by it, honest,” he said as he held his hands up in a surrender motion.
“Recent events have caused me to be very leery of ‘men’ in general. I’m not impressed by your subtle way of flirting. She-wolves like me that take our mate bond very seriously, we don’t flirt with anyone who isn’t our mate. If you want to live and/or walk out of here, don’t flirt with me again. Understand?” I explained to the offending party.
“Yes, I understand. Again, I didn’t mean anything by it. I apologize,” he stated once again.
“Apology accepted,” I replied to him.
The other males in the room just looked at me with a renewed sense of respect. I put him in his place but I didn’t make him look weak or demean him. I simply explained what I believed and what I would do if he did it again. Problem solved.
“Now, I believe I was waiting for an answer to my question. Is two days feasible to begin this operation or do we need three days?” questioned my Dad.
“If I may, why don’t we have everyone get everything in place in two days? Then begin everything on the third day. Sound feasible?” I asked everyone in the room.
“Yes, that sounds feasible. Why don’t we go with what she said,” the commander declared.
“Okay, set up in two days. Kick-off in three days. Have we missed anything? Everything else is in the file folder. Your individual teams will meet to discuss logistics. Any questions?” Dad inquired as he tried to bring the meeting to a close.
Seeing no hands or hearing no questions, “This meeting is now dismissed. Thank you everyone for coming today. Thank you Alpha King Matthew for coming.”
“As always, it is a pleasure to see you, Delta Troy. And I got to see Melanie this time around. You will become Delta in two months, right? Taking the position from your father so he can concentrate solely on the Firm?” inquired Alpha King Matthew.
“Yes Alpha King Matthew,” I answered him with pride in my voice.
“We are very proud of her Alpha King Matthew. Melanie has exceeded our expectations. She’s an excellent warrior and I know she’ll be an excellent Delta for our pack as well,” announced my Dad.
“Oh, I know she’s an excellent warrior. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing her in action before. Stay put for a second,” commanded the Alpha King.
“Yes Alpha King Matthew,” we both chorused together. As Beta Walsh stepped out of the room with the Alpha King.
When they came back in, they had Prince Michael with them. Prince Michael is Alpha King Matthew’s first-born son. He has a chosen mate already.
“Delta Troy and Melanie, do you remember my son Michael?” announced Alpha King Matthew.
“Yes, good to see you again Prince Michael,” my Dad exclaimed as we bowed toward him.
“Pleasure to see you again Prince Michael,” I said.
“My how you have grown Melanie since I’ve last seen you. What’s it’s been six years since I’ve seen you? You certainly have filled out since then,” praised Prince Michael.
“Yes, it has been six years. My how time flies,” I stated trying desperately to end this conversation. I remember Prince Michael being a spoiled pampered brat who always put people down.
“Delta Troy, it’s good to see you again. How’s Daniel and his mate? I understand they are expecting a pup soon” inquired Prince Michael.
“Yes, they are expecting a pup. They are both doing just fine. He was supposed to be here today but he couldn’t make it. Maybe next time you’d be able to see him,” my Dad explained to him.
“Oh, so Melanie is simply the replacement. She wasn’t supposed to be here, she is here in his stead? Just like she’s going to take the role of Delta from him?” mocked Prince Michael.
Low growls could be heard after Prince Michael made this comment.
“No, that is not correct Prince Michael. Melanie will be monitoring this operation from start to finish. She is the Delta Heir to our pack as pack law decrees since she is the firstborn child. Prince Michael, It does not matter if she is a female, she will take my place in two months,” my Dad clarified to everyone who was listening.
“My apologies if I came off sounding insensitive. I must have heard wrong. Melanie, congratulations on being your pack’s next Delta. I thought all packs had a law that it must be a male child to take after their parents. If one doesn’t exist now, it will when I become King,” stated Prince Michael.
“Michael! Enough! I have not given you the role nor have I decreed you as my successor! Hearing you today, I am in agreement with others that you may not be the right one to succeed me on the throne. Pack laws exist for a reason. Each pack is a unique entity. They were created for a reason and we must recognize their laws, morals, and values as such. You cannot decree every pack to have a hierarchy as the same. It cannot happen. Because I can name three packs that the Alpha is chosen by a different means other than the oldest male child,” Alpha King Matthew explained to his son.
Alpha King Matthew simply shook his head as his son walked out of the room without acknowledging him or what he said.
“I apologize for my son. Please do not take what he said to heart, Melanie. I am so sorry Delta Troy for his words. He will be disciplined. You have my word,” Alpha King Matthew said before he left the room.
We all bowed before he left. I couldn’t believe what Prince Michael said. He was a chauvinist who only believed that males should be in power just like my Grandfather. I was still breathing a little heavily when my father turned to me.
“Are you all right Melanie? I need you to calm down. I’m proud of you for not saying anything. You did good,” Dad praised me as I was still trying to control my breathing.
“Thanks, Dad. The nerve of him,” I seethed through clenched teeth as I flexed my hands to and from fists. “Why is it that males like him don’t believe that females can lead people? Hmm? I guess I can only do what I’ve been doing, just keep working my ass off to prove to them I am more than capable of leading them,” I declared to my Dad as Anderson and Noah high-fived each other after my statement.
“What? We agree with you. You’re an awesome leader. Just ask anyone from our pack,” Noah exclaimed as I looked at him with an incredulous look on my face.
“Okay. I’ll take it. Thank you, Noah and Anderson. Are we heading home now for dinner? I could use some of Mom’s home cooking,” I asked Dad with a small smile on my face.
“Yes, we are heading home. Daniel and Rebecca are joining us tonight remember? We have some things to go over about you becoming Delta and Daniel taking over more responsibilities at the Firm. Come on, Mom doesn’t want us to be late,” Dad announced as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“I’ve got your stuff Mellie,” Anderson stated before I could go and get it.
“Thanks, Anderson,” I replied as we walked out the door.
The rest of the people in the room were still standing there looking at us. They watched the entire scene unfold between the Alpha King, his son, and us. Just what are their first impressions of the crowned prince? Not very good ones.