Page 60 of Howl For A Kiss
"Already on it." Damon ended the call and immediately began scrolling through his contacts.Time to see if this revolution has real teeth.
For the next two hours, their cabin transformed into a communications hub. Elena worked one side of the room while Damon commanded the other, their voices overlapping as they made call after call.
"Zachary, it's Elena Walsh," she said into her phone, her tone commanding respect. "We're organizing something unprecedented—a unified summit between all rebellion leaders and moderate pack leadership."
Damon watched his mate work, admiring the way her tactical mind engaged with each contact. Her fitted black thermal shirt hugged her curves perfectly, and every gesture reminded him exactly why he'd walked away from fifteen years of duty.
"No, this isn't surrender," Damon said into his own phone, speaking to a Granite Ridge rebellion leader. "This is us demanding equal representation at the negotiating table."
The responses varied wildly. Some rebellion leaders accused Elena and Damon of selling out to pack leadership. But many of the rebellion leaders did see this meeting as equal representation at a table they'd been denied sitting at for too long.
"The Lunar Summit," Elena announced to another contact, her voice holding that revolutionary zeal that made Damon's wolf howl with pride. "First official meeting between our sides in three centuries."
She's extraordinary,Damon thought, ending another call with a Silvercrest rebellion leader who'd agreed to participate. The way Elena commanded respect from hardened rebels while still maintaining her feminine grace—it was like watching a master tactician in action.
When Kieran called back exactly two hours later, Damon could hear the controlled excitement in his best friend's voice.
"It's being met with skepticism by pack leaders," Kieran reported.
"Same here with the rebellion leaders," Damon admitted, his eyes finding Elena's across the room. She was tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, the gesture unconsciously sensual. "But that's exactly what we expected."
"The important thing is, it's happening," Kieran continued. "Your status as mates from both sides is making people curious. They want to see what bridging these worlds actually looks like."
Elena moved to Damon's side, and he automatically wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her against his chest. She melted into his warmth with perfect trust, and Damon felt that familiar surge of possessive protectiveness.
"I'll mediate," Kieran said. "But we keep this from the High Council. Absolute secrecy."
"Agreed." Damon's tactical mind was already working through security protocols. "They'd sabotage any attempt at real reform."
"Because they're the ones hell-bent on maintaining separation and control," Elena added, her voice carrying that fierce determination that made Damon's pulse quicken.
After ending Kieran's call, Elena immediately pulled out a legal pad and began drafting. "Treaty proposal," she announced, her penmanship elegant even when writing at speed. "Ceasefire between rebellion and pack leadership. New inter-pack representation in pack hierarchies. Freedom of mating choices."
"And hybrid protection," Damon added, watching her work with growing admiration. "Plus human integration protocols."
Elena's hand moved across the page with practiced efficiency, her strategic mind translating revolutionary ideals into actionable policy. "This has to be ironclad. No loopholes for traditionalists to exploit."
Meanwhile, Damon focused on security and logistics, his Beta training proving invaluable. He placed calls to secure a neutral rebel stronghold, arranged protection details for all participants, and established communication protocols that would keep the High Council in the dark.
This is what my skills were truly meant for,Damon realized as he coordinated complex tactical arrangements. Not blindly enforcing oppressive laws but building bridges between worlds that needed each other.
Over the following days, intelligence reports flooded in. Some rebels feared betrayal—worried their leaders were being seduced by promises of legitimacy. Some pack members feared hope itself—terrified that change would destroy everything.
But underneath the fear, the momentum kept building. The Lunar Summit had given both sides something they'd never had before. The official recognition of the other's legitimacy.
"Many fear the Council's backlash if they discover what we're planning," Elena said, reviewing the latest communications with a frown that made Damon want to kiss the worry from her face.
"Let them fear," Damon said, his voice carrying fifteen years of accumulated authority. "Fear means they know we're powerful enough to actually bridge the gap between the twosides and bring the human and shifter worlds back together after three centuries."
And we are,he thought with fierce satisfaction.We're exactly powerful enough to change it all.
Two days later, the icy wind cut through the reinforced walls of the neutral stronghold, but nothing could penetrate the security protocols Damon had meticulously designed. As Cade's truck pulled up to the heavily guarded compound, Damon felt the weight of history pressing against his shoulders.
This is it,he thought, scanning the perimeter where his hand-selected guards maintained vigilant watch.Three centuries of separation ends today, one way or another.
"Your security network is impressive," Cade said as armed rebels escorted their truck through multiple checkpoints. "Haven't seen arrangements this thorough since my military days."
Damon's analytical mind cataloged each defensive position, satisfied with the coverage. "Experience has its advantages."
