Chapter 85

Grace

A few days after my dinner with Gabriel, we met again. I wasn't sure he was prepared for me to show up in the hotel lobby with a bus card for him, but he took the card with a smile and good humor.

"I promised you a proper tour."

He nodded and tapped his card. "That you did."

He listened intently as I explained Mooncrest's welfare system and public transportation system.

We rode the main bus through the heart of the city to the main clinic. We walked through the city easily. He had a security detail, as did I, but it felt so simple and easy.

I hoped one day I could do this with Charles without the risk of some reporter figuring out who he was and causing an uproar. I felt proud to show him the city my father and his father and all my ancestors had built from the bustling streets and the various community centers that were now mostly restored to their former glory.

"How can you sustain the welfare system?" He asked.

"It's mostly paid for through the pack endowment. The rest is supplemented as a massive donation from Wolfe Medical."

"Ah, you've set up the pack as a non-profit, essentially." He bobbed his head. "How do you submit that for reporting?"

My cheeks heated. "I think we'll have to ask someone at the City Hall about that."

He chuckled. "Of course. I was just wondering if you were taking advantage of the exemptions properly. It did a lot to lower Silver Crest's tax bill and make sure the money stayed in the pack."

I blinked at him. "Exemptions?"

He nodded and started to explain that if the pack's profits from taxes and the company attached to the ruling family could prove that at least half of those profits went towards charitable efforts, whether inside the city or beyond it, the pack was given a special exemption that lowered the taxes owed to the States' Treasury.

"I don't know if I mind paying taxes."

His lips twitched. "I think you'd mind if you knew what it went to and what it didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"It's mostly used to pay the President, dole out bribes as neeeded, and to keep packs like yours and mine from getting a seat. There hasn't been a new seat added in over a hundred years."

My eyes bulged. "But... why? With the way everything is going in the economy?"

"Because there are campaigns designed to keep smaller packs divided, fearful of being annexed by any packs that might be closer to their size."

We stopped in the park that had a large map of the States in a mural on the ground. He stood on the star that indicated Mooncrest.

"Did you know that if you drove maybe thirty minutes from here, you'd find a pack that could really use a welfare system like Mooncrest's?"

I frowned as he took a few steps. Then, he took a few more steps. "Go a little further, and you'll find a pack half the size of your West End that barely manages to feed their people year after year. Most of the youth move out of town and send money back when they go to bigger cities, bigger packs, and they rarely move back."

He went on, working around Mooncrest in a large radius without hitting any other pack that I knew by name.

"If just this section of the States' territory was unified, that would be enough of a land stake to get a seat."

He crossed the mural to where Silver Crest was. It wasn't marked. Instead, there was Hazel Wood a little further north from where Silver Crest was. As far as I knew, Hazel Wood didn't exist anymore.

"I've... been meaning to ask about Silver Crest."

He smiled. "It started off as one of those poor little towns too... Then, Hazel Wood fell in an attack, and Silver Crest's high lycan population put a stop to the attacks."

He walked up the border toward the shoreline. "I took over all of this, unifying all those little towns with jobs and purpose, and by the end of this year, I'm hoping to have a seat on the Senate."

"You're... pretty impressive, Alpha Black."

He grinned. "Maybe, but... Mooncrest is truly remarkable." Gabriel's eyes shined with admiration as he looked around. "The amount of care your family has poured into this pack is incredible... I hope you won't be too upset if I copy a bit of your techniques."

I laughed. "If it helps you, go for it."

I led him on through a few local businesses and markets. He bought a few souvenirs, ranging from knickknacks to specialty medicines that were only made in Mooncrest.

"I've been thinking about it..."

"You want a fair trade?"

I flushed. "Well... yes."

"Don't be embarrassed. I've been thinking about what would actually be fair, and given the shift in your pack, I think the best thing I can offer is how to navigate this coming shift."

I frowned as we headed into a little cafe for lunch.

"One of the main things that helped Silver Crest was jobs, but in your case, people are moving for culture, not opportunity. I think you should capitalize on it."

I swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"Your city is already rather metropolitan, being so near to the border. I think you have a good shot at opening up your city as a trading city."

My eyes widened. "I--"

"Here me out," he chuckled. "Before you panic. Mooncrest isn't far from the Clan territories, but you're far closer to the human countries than Silver Crest. If you could establish strong trade connections with the human territory nearby, you'd have a direct route to the coast that would lead you towards some very lush magical farmlands."

Farmlands. The word rang through my head, and I thought about those reparations. Where were those farmlands that I'd gotten? Were they on this route he was talking about?

"Tell me more."

He grinned. "That's the spirit."

Gabriel's knowledge of running a trading pack and managing resources was invaluable, but the fact that he'd already come up with this plan for me felt surreal. It made me think of Eason and Charles. It made me wonder if maybe he saw something in me that I just hadn't seen in myself yet.

"You turn your city into a metropolitan, people will come for culture and jobs--fixing your pending labor shortage too. More jobs, more money. More of those little towns are going to start eyeing Mooncrest as an option."

That would fix the shifts in population easily, fill up the empty apartments, and maybe I could revamp the Mooncrest pack's employed forces back to the standard they had been before Devin.

By the end of our day together, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for Gabriel's willingness to share his knowledge and ideas. He was a good sport about riding the bus to the airport with his luggage, and as we parted ways, I was overjoyed. I really had an ally.

As I headed home in the car, I couldn't help but feel invigorated by the possibilities that lay ahead. I pulled out my notebook and began jotting down notes on how to implement some of Gabriel's ideas into our existing systems.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over Mooncrest, I reached home. As I stepped into the familiar comfort of my home, I couldn't contain my excitement. It had been better than I could have ever hoped. My heart raced with the thrill of what lay ahead, and I couldn't wait to share it all with Charles.

He hadn't come back, but I picked up my phone and dialed his number. As his voice came through the line, I couldn't help but gush with enthusiasm about the day's events.

"Charles, you won't believe how incredible the meeting with Gabriel was!"

He let out a chuckle as I started pacing and explaining everything we'd talked about. The more I talked, the more I thought about what it could all do to Mooncrest's future.

"It sounds like you had a far more productive day than I had," he said. "I'm glad to hear you so excited about leading your pack, Grace."

My heart swelled with gratitude. "Thank you. I... actually feel like it could be my pack if that makes sense. I know part of it has been how much you've believed in me."

"There are so many people who believe in you, least of all me. I shudder to think what will happen when you're on that list, too."

I bit my lip, casting my voice low. "When will you be home?"

Charles cleared his throat. "Not soon enough for that tone, Alpha Wolfe. I have a meeting I can't miss and can't afford to be hard and distracted during it."

I couldn't help but tease him, my voice taking on a sultrier tone. "Well, maybe we can continue this conversation later once you're free?"

He let out a low, appreciative growl. "I'd love that."

"But when will you be home?" I asked with a sigh.

"Soon," he said, his voice soft. "Though, I promise I'll be thinking of you, Cecil, Richard, and Eason."

"Have you heard anything about him?

He chuckled. "Plenty. He's being discharged. You should have him within worrying sight by next afternoon."