Xander


    Nobody would ever use me of beingputer savvy, but | was doing okay. | had a few different spreadsheets up on the


    laptop in front of me, and the notepad on the table was full of my scribbled notes. This meeting wassting forever, and we


    weren''t even really close to being finished.


    | had to admit, though, it felt good to be doing something. So far, we’d spent the morning going over the different security


    protocols already in ce in the enve. Most of them were fine, and a few were even impressive. But there were still fragilities


    in the system that could be exploited. Mason had pointed out a few | hadn’t even noticed, and | also had to admit | was


    impressed.


    Mchi and the other enve members on the leadership council seemed to be, too. They also seemed to be regarding me and


    my brother as a team. | wasn’t sure how to feel about that. It made sense, sure, but it wasn’t like we’d grown up together. Had


    never led a pack together.


    “Now, about the testing for Lanie,” Mason was saying when | snapped back to attention. He addressed Mchi and also


    Charlotte. “I''d like to insist that there be some better protocols or checks and bnces put in ce for that. | know it has to


    happen, but...


    He looked at me.


    “We don''t like our mate being set up to do things we can’t be sure she understands how to control,” |Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    finished for him in a firm tone.


    | wasn’t going to let anyone here talk us out of this. We''d discussed it beforeing to the meeting, and both of us had agreed.


    Lanie was not going to be used by anyone. Not for any reason.


    Mchi steepled his fingers under his chin and studied us for a minute or so without speakin finally did, he sounded kind of


    amused, which, no lie, kind of pis sed me off. “When will the pair of y ept that your mate is, and always will be, much stronger


    than the two of youbined?”


    “It''s not about how strong she is,” Mason cut in before | could snap back. “It’s not about her skill.


    about her being able to use that strength and skillpetently, something that’s impossible to do with


    training and practice.”


    “Yet you''re trying to hamstring me about the testing.” Mchi said.


    | shook my head and made sure to address each member at the table as calmly as | could. | remembered once seeing my father


    shouting during a pack meeting. Totally losing his sh it. I''d vowed back then that I''d be careful how | approached people, and |


    wasn’t proud to realize | hadn’t been doing a great job of it. | was going to try extra hard today.


    “We understand that you know all this stuff, Mchi, but we don’t. And Lanie doesn’t. And, honestly, man, you''ve said yourself


    that there are things you haven’t seen before. It’s not out of line to work within a set of


    parameters,” | told him.


    “Ones you''ve set, along with your brother,” Mchi said. 1/2


    Mason nodded. “You''ve trusted us enough to take our counsel about your security measures. Why wouldn’t you trust that we can


    come up with safety procedures that will allow you to do what you have to for Lanie’s growth, but also protect her? And anyone


    else she’s working with.”


    Mchi rolled his eyes but then nodded. “Very well. No more testing of her abilities until you’ve managed toe up with


    something. But you must get her permission as well, do you understand? | realize wolves are rather more...” He paused.


    “Patriarchal, shall we say. In terms of how you deal with your mates. But although. we wee your kind here in the enve, we


    do not hold by outdated gender standards.”


    | barely kept myself from rolling my eyes right back at him. “This isn’t about gender. As our Luna, Lanie is given the utmost


    respect. We just want her to be safe. | would think you’d want that, too.”


    “| do.” Mchi sighed. “The hours have passed, and fear it’s time to do more than feed our minds with ideas. My stomach is


    empty, and I’m sure all of yours must be as well. | move we adjourn for meals and reconvene this meeting tomorrow. Mason and


    Xander, | expect you to havee up with something to start with by then. The longer we wait to help your Luna reach her full


    potential, the more potentially damaging it


    might be for her.”


    This was the first I''d heard of that. “Huh?”


    Lanie’s grandfather raised an eyebrow. “To put it more simply for the two of you. The longer Lanie goes without being able to


    harness the full array of her powers, the more likely it is that it will begin to affect her body. And worse..her mind.”


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