Arthur waited before talking again, giving any further dissenters time to speak, but no one came forward. Returning the Book of the Law to the table, he picked up the agenda and addressed the next point. “Due to Thomas’ accident, I’m declaring much of the woods out of bounds. The primary pathways will remain open for your use and I’ve doubled our patrols in those areas, but we can’t cover every acre of the entire property every day. Patrols will still be dispatched throughout the territory, but we’re focusing most of our energy on those places closest to home in order to ensure your safety. Any questions?”

When no one spoke up, Arthur nodded to John who began to hand out what appeared to be a map of the pack’s territory. Two areas were marked off in colour. Ava studied it with interest. What was the significance of the coloured regions? After the maps had been distributed, John began to explain.

“The next point on this evenings agenda has to do with Northern Oil. I’ve given each of you a map so you can see the exact areas in question. The section outlined in red indicates where Northern Oil wants to do its exploratory drilling. It’s close to several underground streams and could possibly result in the contamination of our ground water and thus our wells. In addition, in order to bring in the needed equipment, several large tracts of land would have to be cleared and temporary roads constructed. As you can see, it’s a significant area, despite their claims otherwise.

“They’ve offered us a very large sum of money as compensation if we sell outright. Alternatively, they’ve proposed leasing the land, and if no oil is found, they would assist us in replanting. However, should oil be discovered, we’d be bound by the lease for a specified number of years or until the wells ran dry. During that time, there would be inspectors and trucks visiting the area regularly and it would be out of bounds to all of us. I know this isn’t new information, but we wanted to bring it to your attention again, since they’ve upped their offer substantially—it’s noted at the bottom of the page, in footnote number three.”

As people read the amount, gasps could be heard around the room. Ava had difficulty not exclaiming herself. It was a significant amount of money. Again, conversation erupted around the room.

“We’d be rich.”

“Look at all the land they’d be clearing.”

“Well, we really don’t use the northern corner that much.”

“I wonder if they’ll raise the offer even more.”

“If we don’t take this, and the courts order us to allow them in, I wonder how much the amount will drop.”

“It’s ridiculous. We’re wolves. Money means nothing. Territory is everything!”

John called for quiet and as they settled, he looked over the crowd. “Yes, it is a sizeable sum, but at our last meeting we decided that our privacy and the need for space were more important. Both Arthur and I still feel that these factors take precedence over monetary gain.

However, another issue has come to light and it might require us to reassess our stance on Northern Oil. It’s the third item on our agenda.”

Arthur took to the podium once again. “On your map, you’ll see an area outlined in yellow near the mouth of the river and around the north side of the lake by the roadway that cuts through our property. As you know, earlier this month we found several large barrels of oil had been left at the base of the bridge and had been slowly leaking into the water for an unknown length of time. We immediately cordoned off that section of land and called in environmental experts to help us assess the damage and coordinate the cleanup. Oil booms were used to contain the spill and most of the oil was skimmed up. Chemical dispersants also helped to break the oil down, to make it less harmful to plant and wildlife. Unfortunately, there was a significant loss of fish and water fowl. Tests are being continuously run on the water to ensure it is free of contaminants; hopefully, we’ll soon receive an all-clear so that we can start using it for drinking again. But even as that problem starts to fade, we’re now faced with cleaning the shoreline.

“People from the lab were here today, gathering samples and outlining possible steps we might have to take. It was initially thought that it was a surface problem and we could just remove a thin layer of the contaminated topsoil. However, the lab now thinks the oil might have been there much longer than we suspected. It’s possible that it’s leached deeper into the ground than we originally thought. If this is the case, we’re looking at yet another very big, very expensive cleanup project.

“On the other side of the map, I’ve outlined some of the steps that have already been taken as well as what still needs to be done. We’ll have to hire trucks and backhoes, then remove a significant layer of soil and gravel and send it away to be cleaned or taken to a toxic dump. Many of the plants are severely damaged and will have to be destroyed and removed. Sorbents will be spread in the final stages, to pick up the remaining oil and then we’ll have to retest to ensure that we’ve got it all. Finally, we’ll have to replace all the soil that was removed and replant the shoreline. If the testing comes back positive for oil having seeped into the ground, the cleanup will require a lot of time, money, and effort.”

Someone with black, spiky hair raised his hand. “Do we have the money for this?”

John answered. “Yes, but between what we’ve already spent on containing the spill in the water, combined with the expense of the land clean up, it will severely deplete our reserves.”

“So we might be forced to take Northern Oil up on their offer, just to clean up this mess and keep our accounts out of the red.” The spiky haired man summarized.

“Not necessarily, but we are planning for a worst-case scenario. While the lab tests might have better results than we expect, we need to be realistic.”

Marla snorted. “With everything that’s been happening around here lately, I sometimes think we should cut our losses, sell everything to Northern Oil and buy some land elsewhere. With what they’re offering, we’d certainly have enough money to afford it.” The assembled crowd reacted noisily to Marla’s statement.

“How could she even say such a thing?”

“Marla has a point.”

“I could never live anywhere else. This is my home!”

Ava noted that the muscle in Arthur’s jaw was working and she knew he was extremely irritated by Marla’s comment. Surprisingly though, his voice was calm when he called the crowd to order yet again. “That is also an option. This land is our heritage. It’s belonged to our pack for hundreds of years and, as Alpha, I’m charged with caring for it. However, if the pack as a whole feels the need to move on, then we would do what we must do.”

“I was playing devil’s advocate, Arthur.” Marla smiled at Arthur. He gave the briefest of nods, but his brow was still furrowed. Ava noted that Marla’s expression sobered in the face of the Alpha’s disapproval.

“Uh-oh. Now she’s done it. Marla’s pissed off Arthur,” Carrie whispered gleefully in Ava’s ear. Pressing her lips tightly together to keep from smiling, she gave the briefest of nods, still focused on her mate. Arthur was listening to someone from the far side of the room now.

“Do you think the oil company is deliberately poisoning our land in the hope of forcing our hand?”

“It’s a possibility that we’ve been looking into, but we’d need hard evidence to make such a claim stick.” Arthur agreed. “It could also be that someone unthinkingly dumped the oil by our river or maybe it fell off a delivery truck. There is a bridge there where the highway crosses that corner of our land.”

“Ryne’s footprints were found in that area, weren’t they?” One of the Elders stood and addressed Arthur.

“Yes, they were. His scent was also near the traps we found. That’s common knowledge. Whether any of these events are related or if they are coincidences, we don’t know. But rest assured we’re looking at every possible angle.” Arthur checked his watch. “It’s getting late, if no one has any other business that needs to be brought to the floor, we’ll adjourn. John and I are both willing to stay and answer any questions you still might have. And, of course, my office door is always open if you have any issues that need to be discussed in private.”

When no one spoke up, Arthur closed the meeting. A buzz filled the room as everyone stood and started to talk. Small crowds began to gather around both Arthur and John. It was easy to see that the evening was far from over for the Alpha and his Beta.

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