Page 41 of Ascendant Moon (Gladstone Shifters #6)

Early Monday morning, packhouse dining room

Michelle and Perdy wheeled a metal cart out to the table, loaded down with platters of pancakes, omelets, bacon, sausage, muffins, and carafes of strong coffee, cold milk, and juice.

Ben had requested an early-morning breakfast meeting with Tom, Nolan, Royce, and Dan to discuss progress on the new conference grounds and motel.

Appreciative growls filled the air as the food was offloaded and they settled in to feast. Ben got them started.

“Nolan, what’s the status of the walking trail and the main road into the conference center?”

Nolan answered while wiping maple syrup from his chin.

“Both have been cleared of trees and undergrowth, and the embankments and drainage are being worked on now. Installing the security gates and guardhouse may have to wait until spring, but we can block it off temporarily to keep people out.”

Ben stuffed a blueberry muffin into his mouth and nodded. Given the dense forest here, creating unobstructed access was a challenge. It wasn’t cheap either, but the investment would serve them for years to come.

“Sounds good. Caleb knows what we need for security, so be sure to consult him before making final decisions. Tom, where are we on the social center?”

He reached for another serving of bacon before his packmates got it all.

“Foundation and cement work are done, and if they deliver our lumber as promised, we can get started on the framework today. The storage building site is prepped, and the company we hired is supposed to have it done by Friday at the latest. The prefab cabins should be here in a couple of weeks, and I don’t anticipate any trouble getting them hooked up and usable. ”

Ben acknowledged the report with a growl while making short work of his third omelet, and turned to Royce and Dan.

“I understand you’ve run into some issues at the motel. What happened?”

Since Royce was between bites, he answered Ben’s question.

“The exterior work is on track, but we’re a few days behind on the interior. There was some hidden water damage in the east wing we had to fix first, but we’re catching up now. The new berm looks great, and the pines blend in well with the rest of the property.”

Pleased with the reports, Ben scanned the group as he finished the last of his meal.

“I want to thank you for all your hard work. I know we’re in a time crunch here, but it looks like things are coming together the way we’d hoped. By this time next year, the upper peninsula will have a first-class meeting venue right here at Gladstone.”

############

Monday afternoon, packhouse conference room

Dante, Sergio, Nick, and Gray sat facing the wall-mounted teleconference screen, waiting for the transmission to begin.

At the group’s request, Ben, Evan, Jack, and William had joined them to hear what Alphas Sheppard and Cruz had to say.

There’d been a flurry of international fact finding, phone calls, offers, and counter offers regarding their future home and business, and apparently, all the details had finally been worked out.

Though they loved Gladstone and its people, they were eager to put down roots and get on with their lives.

The screen suddenly blinked to life with images of Cruz on the right and Sheppard on the left. Both men smiled at the assembled group and President Cruz got them started.

“Hola, mi amigos! It is wonderful to see you again. I am also pleased to meet you, Gray. Your mating and recent, ah, change has caused quite a stir, and I wish you and Nicolas much happiness. Now, on to the business at hand. The Mexican and North American Councils have joined forces to purchase a working goat and sheep operation, which has been renamed Rancho Lobo. I am sure you have questions, but allow Alpha Sheppard to explain more of the details.”

Sheppard had never met any of the men, including Gray Claw, so he greeted all of them warmly before explaining how things were supposed to work.

“The property includes a three-bedroom home in good condition, and several small cabins the previous owners used for visiting friends and family. When the pack begins to grow, there is plenty of space to add more housing in the future. The operation is being run by several human employees until you take over, and all are willing to stay as long as you need them. To expedite your arrival, I have forwarded funds to Ben for the purchase of a vehicle.”

Like the others, Sergio wasn’t sure he understood what the men were offering.

“Excuse me, but who actually owns the property and business? Without looking at the books, I’m not sure we can afford the payments, at least, not yet.”

Alpha Cruz responded first.

“No need to worry, mi amigo. We wanted to give you a fresh start without debt and have purchased the property and business on your behalf. Legally, it belongs to one of the American Council’s companies, but as soon as you are turning a profit and have some money in the bank, both will be signed over to your pack.

Meanwhile, you are free to make changes or additions as you see fit, with no interference. ”

None of them had expected this ! They’d only hoped for a loan, not an outright gift. Dante glanced at his dumbstruck packmates and addressed their benefactors on the screen.

“We don’t know what to say, except thank you. Why did you do it?”

Alpha Sheppard fielded this one.

“For one thing, your pack includes a True Elder, and our policy is to provide whatever resources are needed for a comfortable life of service. In addition, Luna has apparently chosen the four of you for something very special. If the idea is to form a new connection between our people and the Diné, then we want to ensure that you flourish among the natural Lobos. Your presence could very well make the difference in their survival, so we consider this an investment on multiple levels.”

After another round of thanks, Cruz and Sheppard signed off, leaving the action plan to Ben.

The rest of their conversation concerned travel logistics, contact information, bodyguards for Sergio (paid for by the councils), and details on the employees who were actually running the business until they got there.

Nick insisted on a stop in Albuquerque so Gray could see his grandparents, and William refused to let any of them leave without a farewell party.

Ben finally called for reinforcements to handle the myriad details, resulting in a whirlwind of activity.

Including stops, it would take them at least five days to reach the ranch, requiring long hours on the road.

Ben asked his accountant, Zane Metcalf, to assist Gray in purchasing a suitable vehicle and help plan their route west. Meanwhile, Dante called his parents to let them know what was happening and to inquire about obtaining bodyguards for Sergio.

If things worked out, they also agreed to bring everyone’s belongings from storage and then stay for a while to help.

Fortunately, things fell together quickly and they made plans to leave no later than Thursday morning.

William recruited volunteers to help him with the party, and Jack called Walter to keep him in the loop.

That evening, Gray made a call to the ranch’s temporary manager, a Diné woman named Sakari, to let her know when they expected to arrive and to ask if she needed anything.

By day’s end, the little pack was both excited and exhausted, but their time in limbo was finally coming to an end.

############

Mid-morning, Tuesday

With the two-hour session nearly over, Evan purposely chose certain memories to share with his new protégé.

Colton was an eager student, curious about anything and everything, and like all other True Elders, thirsty for knowledge.

Today, Evan had included his own journey of growing up without any knowledge of True Elders—something they had in common.

Unsurprisingly, he’d picked up a wide range of emotional responses from Colton, despite the fantastic speeds at which the memories were transferred.

One positive thing they’d shared, however, was loving and supportive parents, and it made a huge difference.

So many of the newly revealed True Elders arrived with damaged minds, anger problems, and abandonment issues.

Having the love and support of immediate family meant fewer scars on the psyche, and Evan was glad that Colton didn’t need extensive intervention.

So far, he’d been able to gently guide the teen through the healing process as they went, and he’d responded beautifully.

To conclude today’s session, Evan went beyond childhood to his arrival at Gladstone, meeting his mate, and the birth of their children.

Lastly, he gave Colton a quick summary of Jack’s colorful life and how his reappearance eventually led to the discovery of other True Elders.

Sensing Colton’s fatigue, he stopped the teaching dreams—keeping the mind-link open between them but closed to Ben.

Otherwise, his possessive mate would sense the training was over and rush home for a vigorous reclaiming.

By delaying the inevitable a bit longer, Evan gave his student the opportunity to ask questions privately through the link. Colton’s sharp and inquisitive mind had stored up a list of inquiries and he fired them off in quick succession, ending with one that truly puzzled him.

“Why does Ben have to claim you every time we do this? I mean, we’re just sitting here holding hands!”

Though Evan was amused, his answer touched on something that would affect Colton personally.