The next morning, Keira woke up earlier than normal. She had forgotten to set her alarm, but now it seemed like it wasn't necessary. The digital clock on her bedside table glared 6:00 AM.
Too early, she thought, throwing her arm over her eyes.
Today was the day. The day the fate of the Task Force would be decided.
Anxiety coiled in her stomach. She'd led the Task Force for such a short time, pouring her heart and soul into stopping it from collapsing. It just didn't sit well with her that the Task Force could be disbanded on her watch.
Keira dragged herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready. She dressed in the Task Force standard uniform and slipped on her jacket before heading to the mess hall.
She took a deep breath to steady herself and stepped out into the hallway. Keira walked to the Alpha-assigned mess hall and headed straight for the coffee.
'This is new,' Sabelina teased.
'Just for today,' Keira assured her.
Keira poured herself a cup of steaming coffee and went to grab something to eat. She didn't want her stomach to growl from hunger. That would be too embarrassing.
30 minutes before the meeting time, Keira headed back to grab Antoine, only to bump into him outside the mess hall.
"Sorry about that, Captain," Antoine said, straightening his jacket. "I didn't want to arrive late."
Keira nodded in understanding, "Get something to eat. I'll wait outside."
Keira leaned against the building, keeping her emotions in check.
'You're stressing me out,' Sabelina commented.
'I am stressed,' Keira stated.
A few minutes later, Antoine walked out the door.
"I'm ready," he said.
Keira and Antoine walked to the meeting room in silence. There wasn't any need to speak. They had done what they could.
Josh greeted them with his usual smile.
"Best of luck," he said, waving them through the checkpoint.
Keira smiled at him and walked inside. Just like yesterday, several of the Alphas were gathered, all chatting with one another. This time, no one tried to stop Keira or speak out of turn. General Donovan and his beta were already seated.
The atmosphere in the room was heavy with anticipation. Even Alpha Tom was silent. At the appointed time, King Richard entered the room.
"Good morning," he greeted. "Take your seats. Ian, you may begin."
Ian stepped forward and began the meeting.
"First item on the list is the disbandment of the Task Force."
"Captain Grace," King Richard began. "Before we begin, why don't you tell here what the purpose of the Task Force is?"
Keira nodded and stood, "The Task Force answers only to the King himself. We operate under the King's authority to deal with internal or external threats. Some of these threats may be too sensitive, too dangerous, or too… unconventional for the regular guard.
The Task Force does have other responsibilities, such as performing investigations, acting as a police force, or providing extra security."
Keira sat down and waited to see what the rest of the Alphas had to say.
"How much does it cost for the Task Force to operate?" Alpha John asked.
"We don't take our resources and money from the King," Keira began.
"What?" Tom asked, confused.
His confusion was echoed by the rest of the group.
"The Task Force was set up with its own private fund at the beginning of its establishment," Keira explained. "The logistics and finances were all reviewed and approved by the previous generational Alphas. Your "payment" to us is for over-the-road expenses, nothing more."
"I want my pack to deal with any issues that may arise," Alpha Tom began. "If a rogue appears near my lands, I want my pack to deal with it. Not outsiders."
Since when are we outsiders! Sabelina growled. We go places that other packs can't!
Settle down! Keira warned her.
"Besides investigating and security, I just don't see the reason behind the Task Force any longer," Alpha Collins said, speaking up. "At one point, I know they were needed, but now it just doesn't make sense to have them any longer. We're at peace. The Task Force was created during the time of war."
"Maybe the Task Force can be deactivated for the time being," Alpha Eric commented. "If the need for the Task Force ever arises again, we can call on them."
There were a few murmurs from the Alphas around the room. Keira looked around the room as a few more Alphas spoke up. At this point, it was only a matter of time before the King would ask for a vote.
'So much for our presentation,' Antoine said. 'I really thought they would let us present the facts and numbers.'
Keira quickly glanced at him and looked away.
King Richard held up his hand for silence.
This is it, Keira thought, bracing herself for what was to come.
"Before we vote," the King began. "I will remind everyone of the contract that everyone signed when they took over the Alpha position for your packs. I would suggest everyone review this context before deciding."
"We know what we are asking for," Alpha Taylor said as he looked around the room. "We all read the contracts and know the document's contexts."
There were several nods from the Alphas.
"Captain Grace," the King said, glancing at her. "How many members are there in the Task Force?"
"Including the recruits," Keira began, "About 200 members, and some of those members have families. Families include about 230 members."
"All those in favor of deactivating the Task Force raise your hand," the King commanded.
Keira looked around the room and saw several hands go up.
'This....is more than half...' Keira said to Sabelina.
The only Alphas that didn't raise their hands were General Donovan, Alpha Taylor, Alpha Finn, and Alpha John.
'I didn't know they thought of us as useless,' Sabelina said, growling.
"The Task Force will be deactivated," the King began.
"I think that's your cue to leave," Alpha Zeke said, sneering.
"Once all 230 members of the current Task Force have been distributed among all the voting Alpha," the King finished.
That caused a huge commotion around the table.
"That's absurd!" yelled one of the alphas.
"You tricked us!" yelled another.
"I'm not taking in members!"
"ENOUGH!" roared General Donovan.
Several of the Alphas sat back down. Others huffed and puffed, but eventually, they sat down as well.
"Captain," the General said, still standing. "Why don't you explain?"
Keira nodded at him and stood up.
"As you are all aware," Keira began. "Once you have assumed command of the pack, you are sent documents by the King. These documents are to be filled out and returned promptly. These documents are meant to help keep track of the pack's owners who have died and new members.
The other sets of documents you receive are for the Task Force. These documents outline everything you need to know. In these documents, it also states that in the event that the Task Force is disbanded, the voting members, those who voted for the disbandment, are required to take in the Task Force members."
"So in latency terms," Keira continued. "If you voted for the Task Force to be disbanded, then the current TF members are to be split amongst all those voting members. Since everyone was told to read and sign those documents, we are assuming you all agreed to these conditions. You can thank Alpha Taylor, didn't he just say you all know the contexts of these documents?"
"The documents also state that the current Captain of the Task Force will stay on board until all the tasks and procedures have been met," General Donovan inputted.
Keira sat back down. The room was filled with glares and murmurs.
"Since the Task Force has been disbanded," the King said, speaking up. "We can't move forward until this matter has been resolved. Ian and Drew will help coordinate the member distribution. Anyone not involved, you may leave. I will summon you once we're done here."
The alphas who didn't vote stood up with their betas and left. General Donovan and his beta stayed seated.
'Antoine,' Keira said to him. 'Send the member list and all Task Force-related documents to Ian and Drew. If they need anything else, you have my authorization to send whatever documentation is needed.'
'Yes, Captain,' Antoine replied as he began to type away on his laptop.
Keira got comfortable in her chair and turned her attention back to the King. Since she was not going to be part of any more meetings, all Keira wanted to do was take care of business.
She had to make sure that everything was dealt with and all procedures were followed correctly. She didn't want anyone to say that she left the Task Force a mess once it was deactivated.
Keira sat quietly as Drew looked over the financial paperwork while Ian worked on the member distribution. The Task Force assets would be liquidated, and any not sold or used would be put in storage until needed. Mr. Drew knew how to do everything. It was no wonder that he was the King's closest advisor.
"I also want to point out," General Donovan was saying. "Since the majority of the packs are receiving more members, extending the matting ceremony would be the most beneficial."
"It may take some time for the territories to house the new members," General Donovan continued. "We may need to send additional resources to help until everyone is situated."
The King nodded.
"Once we have finalized numbers," the King said. "Send a message to your territory to prepare the necessary housing."
"Mr. Drew can help with sending out contractors if houses are unavailable," the King continued.
"We will all be well acquainted from this point on," Mr. Drew commented. "But I will do my best to make sure all parties come out satisfied."
"If you have any more questions, you can speak with Mr. Drew," the King said. "We will take a short break before resuming the meeting with everyone else."
"Dismiss."
Keira stood up and waited for the King and his guard to leave before making her way out of the meeting area. She didn't want to get stuck being around the alphas if she could help it.
'Antoine, have everyone gather in the room,' Keira ordered as they made their way out of the door and back to the main house. 'I want to tell them as soon as possible. Afterward, I want all of you to head back to HQ and get everyone ready to move.'
'Yes, Captain,' came Antoine's bitter reply.
Everyone was waiting for Kiera when she got back to the room. They knew something must have happened as soon as she walked in. Her face said it all.
"The Task Force is being disbanded," Kiera announced.
"What?!" Everyone exclaimed.
"There weren't enough Alphas to oppose the disbandment," Keira continued.
"What are we going to do? What about our families?" Ethan asked.
"The contracts that the Alphas signed at the beginning of their rule take care of that," Keira replied.
"The contracts state that those Alphas who agreed with the disbandment will take responsibility for the Task Force members and their families," Antoine said. "Task Force members and their families will be distributed among the Alpha's pack. Mr. Drew is going to help out with the logistics of things."
"I'll be staying here for a few days until it's all worked out," Kiera said. "I want everyone else to head back to HQ and begin preparation. Those of you who have families, your wives will be informed by the time you arrive."
"I will take care of having HQ packed," Keira continued. "In the meantime, I want you to pack your personal belongings and take care of your families."
"Alright," Ethan said. "We'll leave as soon as we've packed up our things here."
"There's no reason to be upset," Montego commented when no one moved. "It's not like we can appeal the decision."
"Let's go," Ethan said, standing up. "We've got work to do."
Keira didn't say anything else as everyone stood up and went to pack their things. She had been slightly surprised that they didn't seem more upset about the disbandment.
'Maybe they're in shock,' Sabelina commented.
'Perhaps,' Keira replied. 'In any case, we should pack. I don't think they are allowing us to stay in that room.'
Trying not to focus on her feelings, Keira went to pack up her room.