(Pyre and I went to the pride event downtown this weekend. It was too hot to bring Pepperjack, didn't want to melt the Cheese lol) 

Pretennon leaned back in the large desk chair he was situated in as he turned another page from the document he'd been looking over for the past hour. It was a request for the removal of the Ghost pack from city lands. The document was the third such one he'd read in the past month and a half, and all three had come directly from the Rain alpha. 

"Your friend isn't exactly the easiest to get along with, you know?" he said as he glanced to the side for a brief moment before returning his attention to the document. 

Kandza perked his ears up immediately at the attention, even if it wasn't exactly positive. He had followed Pretennon all the way from his doorstep, where he'd met him earlier that morning. The wolf had wanted to come inside, but unfortunately for both of them, Preto had quite a bit to get done and couldn't entertain today. 

Of course, that only deterred Kandza for one whole minute as he quickly decided to simply follow him wherever he decided to go. He wasn't sure what the werewolf had expected from their little journey, but the disappointment on its face was hard to hide when Pretennon finally stopped before the massive city library and moved to ascend the stairs. 

He'd actually made it to the top of them before realizing that Kandza was still sitting at the bottom, his ears tilted to the side as he reconsidered his options for the day. Preto had given him only the slightest eyebrow raise to silently ask if he was still interested in following, and that was all the pup seemed to have needed to regain his determination and climb the steps. 

He'd been rewarded with a quick ear scratch, but the moment Preto turned and stepped into the large building afterward, he became all business. He retrieved the key to his private meeting room and made his way up the winding staircase to the second floor without a word. A large envelope of paperwork lay sitting on the desk at the far side of the room, taking the man's full attention once they entered. 

Kandza gave him plenty of time to read over the documents before nudging at his knee for attention, but he'd simply received a head pat for his efforts before Pretennon had gone back to his work. 

So, Kandza had waited another bout of time, then tried again, but the result was a quiet warning hiss. The message was finally received loud and clear. He didn't want to be bothered. Forlorn and likely regretting his decision, Kandza had found a little circular carpet off to the side and managed to curl up on most of it, leaving just a bit of his backside and tail hanging over the edge. 

There he waited until, finally, Pretennon looked over at him and spoke. Except, judging from the expression on his wolf's face, the words definitely hadn't been what he'd wanted to hear. The look was entertaining enough to make Preto grin slightly, though. 

"Your alpha wants the Ghost pack gone before their grace period is even over," he said, noting the stipulation he had to removal requests that was attached to each contract signed by their leading alpha. He hadn't been at the Ghost pack's signing due to another important situation taking his time, but Marquise had made sure that the paperwork had been taken care of correctly. 

Silas knew that unless something very serious occurred, he had no power to call the other pack's actions to his attention until the three month trial period was over. 

And yet, this is the third written request for removal that I have received so far. 

He did have to agree that the Ghost pack was more troublesome than the Rain or Moon packs, but Marquise had selected them for a reason. Their alpha, while still quite wild, had also been quite promising. Of course, he hadn't been very surprised by his most recent behaviors, but he knew that such big changes took time. It also helped that his heir had pinned the man a few days ago, taking a literal bite out of his overly-dominant personality. 

I still need to question Ruoka about that. 

Of course, he had no doubt that it had been his heir's wolf now. Each time he'd tried to get its attention through its thoughts, the creature completely refused to acknowledge him. He'd even turned down two thick pieces of bacon in order to remain distant. 

Whether he confesses to what he has done or not, it throws quite a bit of a thorn into my plans. 

He definitely liked the little wolf, but he wasn't sure that he appreciated the pup's current attitude towards him, or the fact that he'd ordered his own master to attack someone else. If there had been a serious threat to Sebastian, he would have taken care of it immediately, but Verander was not someone who would risk the situation he'd begged to have for his pack just to harm his heir. The man was extremely compulsive, but he wasn't outright aggressive. At least, not yet. 

"What do you think of it?" 

The familiar voice was accompanied by the sound of the door closing at the other end of the room, drawing Pretennon's attention up above the paperwork he was now rereading. 

"Marquise," Preto greeted with a slight nod of his head. 

The man had requested that they meet, and after looking over the paperwork that had been left for him, he was glad that he had. Marquise was the alpha of the first pack he'd offered residence to. They had created a sort of committee between themselves after his pack had settled well, and thus, began inviting others. Thankfully, the werewolf was the easiest of the three leaders to work with, too, and was very calm and collected in any matter he tended to. 

Taking a seat across from him, Marquise offered Preto a relaxed smile.

"Elder Pretennon, I thank you for meeting with me today," he said, his voice calm and controlled. 

Preto noticed the man spare Kandza a glance as the wolf slowly sat up, its interest clearly piqued by their guest. It was no surprise, either, since Marquise rarely made public appearances. He was an older wolf, considering how young Silas and Verander were, but at a young sixty years old, he still wasn't even middle-aged as far as werewolves went. 

He looked to be about thirty in human years, but the wisdom in his eyes showed his true age well. His hair was cropped somewhat short and kept quite neat around his ears and neck. His clothing was a little more old fashion, with the soft light colors of a full body robe settled comfortably on his shoulders. Beneath the slightly open garment was a light gray shirt and black pants. 

Noticing the man's dark green eyes return to him, Pretennon offered him a warm smile and straightened a bit in his seat. 

"It is always a pleasure, alpha Marquise. I have reviewed the documents you left me, but I'd like your opinion on them first, if you wouldn't mind?" 

The alpha nodded and relaxed in his chair, sending the signal that the meeting would not be taken too seriously. Pretennon mirrored his actions, glad that they wouldn't have to go too in depth. He didn't doubt that part of that reason was because of Kandza's presence, but that was fine with him. If it truly was an issue, Marquise would order the wolf to leave. 

"I'm not exactly sure what is going on beyond what we are seeing, and since my pack is quite large, I'm often indisposed with internal affairs and unable to observe much more than what is reported to me. Have you seen any direct conflicts between Silas and Verander that should cause us to worry that there is something more than just territorial grievances causing these requests?" he asked, cutting straight to the point. 

Preto had previously thought back on each situation he'd heard or seen concerning the two alpha's interactions, but honestly, none of them seemed to be too bad except for the time when alpha Silas had first appeared in front of his heir covered in blood. 

He hadn't gotten the information about that situation until the next day, and it hadn't been more than bits and pieces of what had taken place. It had been a territorial dispute, that was for certain, but any issues with such things were supposed to be brought up to the heads of the Relocation Council, which would be himself and Marquise. They handled the issue internally, if able, then reported to the human side of the council afterward, which would be the local governor and his associates. If the situation needed more input or directly affected any humans, then it was to be immediately brought up to the full council during a special session. 

"To my knowledge, Silas was strictly defending his portion of territory that was gifted to his pack when they signed the agreement to relocate here. Considering his two other previous requests for removal, the situation has not improved," Preto said, earning a nod from Marquise and a flick of Kandza's left ear. 

"I agree, Verander is likely to blame for the root cause of these issues but I have my doubts that they aren't somewhat provoked, either," Preto added as he looked over to Kandza. 

The wolf looked down at its paws nervously before glancing back up, giving Pretennon all the information he needed to confirm that there was, indeed, more to the story. 

"Kandza, as beta of the Rain pack, do you have something to share with us?" Marquise asked, his voice suddenly holding the weight and authority of his title. 

Kanza fidgeted and lied back down, but when Preto figured that he would get no answers from the wolf, he heard his familiar voice in the back of his mind. 

There was provocation from both sides, but Verander was extremely worked up before he even appeared at our territorial line. 

He could believe that. 

"Thank you for your honestly. I will have my beta look into this situation further..." Marquise said as he stood from his seat, having clearly heard the same thing that Preto had. 

Pretennon got up, too, bowing at the waist out of respect before replying. 

"I will also look further into this matter, and if need be, confront alpha Rain about the situation?"

Marquise nodded. 

"I will speak with Verander in the coming days. Are there any other issues you might wish to report before we conclude this meeting?" Marquise asked as he first looked at Pretennon, then allowed his gaze to shift to the wolf nearby. 

Preto felt the slightest hint of nerves as the man silently considered his clear connection, of some sort, to the Rain beta, but he knew that he should not be nervous. What he did with his personal time was completely unrelated to important business matters. 

"I can assure you that, should there be any issues at all, with anyone at all, and I require assistance, I will not hesitate to request your presence," Preto said, holding his head high. 

He might allow Kandza more freedoms around him than he would most others, but that would never sway his decisions regarding the wolf's pack. His work was important to him, and he was known to take it very seriously. There would be absolutely no favoritism. 

"I am glad to hear it. Then, please enjoy the remainder of your day. I will see myself out," Marquise said with a warm smile before turning and exiting the room. 

Pretennon waited a few moments before giving a quiet sigh of relief and walking toward the door, too, the folder of information tucked beneath his left arm. He truly did like Marquise, but the man held such a strong aura of authority that it became exhausting to be in his presence for too long a time. The funny part about that, though, was that he doubted the man even knew he had such an effect on those who weren't even in his pack. 

Preto settled his hand on the doorknob, intent on heading out, but right when he was about to turn it he was suddenly shoved up against the door by a warm, muscled body. Before he could decide on a reaction Kandza had his clawed hand tightly gripping his own, clutching it almost painfully around the doorknob. His left one was already wrapped tightly around his middle, but surprisingly not beneath his shirt. 

He is learning... a little bit. 

"Where did this come from, Kandza?" Preto asked as he allowed himself to relax against the man the slightest bit. 

"He was staring at you too much," Kandza growled out, his warm breath brushing against the cold skin at the nape of Preto's neck. 

He was looking at you, too. 

And he would never admit it out loud, but each time Marquise turned his attention to Kandza, he'd wanted to growl at him. It was an absolutely absurd thought to consider in the first place, let alone allow to come into existence as a legitimate thought, but... 

Perhaps I let my displeased expression slip the slightest amount. 

No wonder Marquise had questioned him at the end of their meeting. 

A quiet whining grumble pulled him back out of his thoughts and made him roll his eyes a little before looking to his left. A mop of pitch black hair greeted him and brushed against his cheek as Kandza began to slowly lick at his neck. 

"You are such a stubborn one," he chastised even as he reached up with his left hand and began gently tugging on the man's wolf's ears that were tucked within his soft, messy hair. 

Of course, as he leaned his head back, giving Kandza plenty of access to do as he wished with his neck, Preto knew that he, too, was an extremely stubborn person. He should be reprimanding the man for what he was doing inside of a public space, let alone the city's library, and yet he said not a single word as he allowed the werewolf to do as he wished with his mouth, and eventually, with his hands... within reason, of course. 

(Edited)