Three days later, everything Otto had hoped to avoid by trying to talk it out went sideways exactly like he feared.
It all started when Marcus Chen, one of the youngest in the pack, stumbled in from a solo hunt, claw marks tearing across his shoulder and fury blazing in his eyes.
"Blackwood patrol," he announced at the emergency meeting James had called. "Three of them, parked at Copper Creek like they owned the place. Told me I was trespassing on their land."
Otto's heart sank. Copper Creek had been Moorland hunting grounds for over forty years. If the Blackwoods were claiming it now, that meant they were redrawing boundaries right through the middle of their territory.
"What did you do?" James's voice was controlled, but Otto could feel the storm brewing just beneath.
"I told them to back off. They laughed. Then the biggest one (seemed like their goon) decided to give me a little lesson in respect." Marcus rolled his shoulder with a wince. "I got out before it turned into a full brawl, but it was close."
Anger and fear rippled through the pack like jolts of electricity. Otto felt it all: thirty-six wolves' emotions crashing against him. His Omega instincts screamed for calm, but he was drowning in their aggression.
"This is exactly what I warned about," Derek growled, voice tight with barely contained rage. "They won't stop at patrols. They want our land, piece by piece, until we've got nothing left."
"We have to hit back," Maria said grimly. "Show them Moorland wolves don't bow to bullies."
Otto's hand shot up, even though his body trembled from the tension. "What if we called for a formal meeting? Alpha to Alpha? If we could get Alpha Blackwood to sit down and sort out boundaries..."
"Otto." His father's voice was sharp, like a blade. "Not now."
"But Dad, if this goes violent..."
"I said not now."
That command knocked the wind out of Otto's lungs, forcing his wolf to submit instantly. His mouth snapped shut, cheeks burning, as he sank deeper into his seat.
The pack spent the next hour planning how to respond: more patrols, combat-ready teams at border markers, sending a clear signal that any more Blackwood trespassing would be answered with force.
Otto listened in growing horror as his family prepared for war, watching his research on conflict spiraling out of control, and feeling utterly helpless.
Afterward, as the pack broke up, James beckoned him. "Walk with me."
They walked into the familiar forest behind their home. Montana's wilderness was unforgiving and wild, much like the pack politics that ruled their lives.
"You're upset," James said.
"You humiliated me in front of everyone."
"I kept you from making things worse." His father's tone was weary, not angry. "I know you mean well. But your plans count on the other side being reasonable. What do you do when they're not?"
"You find a way to make them reasonable. Find common ground. Appeal to shared interests." Otto's voice gained fire. "The Blackwoods need more hunting grounds because their pack's growing fast. If we could work out seasonal hunting rights or rotate access..."
"And what if Alpha Blackwood wants it all? Doesn't want to settle for half?"
Otto was silent for a beat, thinking it through. "Then we'd be at the same spot, but having tried peace first."
"No, son. We'd be worse off because we'd have shown weakness. In our world, weakness invites attack." James stopped and fixed his son with a steady look. "You think like a scholar. That's not bad. But leading means thinking like a wolf."
"And what if thinking like a wolf is why the world's so messed up?"
That question hung heavy. James regarded the gentle, brilliant boy who saw hope where others saw only fists.
"Maybe it is," James admitted. "Maybe you're right about a better way. But 'maybe' won't keep this pack safe. It won't protect your mother from raids or stop stronger neighbors eating us alive."
"So stay quiet? Pretend I agree with wrong decisions?"
"You learn when to speak and when to listen. Good intentions don't always make things better." His father's expression softened. "Your heart's in the right place. But hearts don't win wars."
That night, Otto sat at his desk, trying to focus on getting ready for Moonrise Academy. But all he could think about was the talk with his dad. The pack was gearing up for a fight that could destroy everything, and he was the only one trying to see the storm before it hit.
His phone buzzed with a text from his mother: Don't let them make you feel like caring is a weakness. The world needs wolves like you.
Staring out at the dark forest that might soon turn into a battlefield, Otto wondered if the world that needed him was even the world he lived in.
Five days until Moonrise Academy. Five days until he could finally breathe, away from being the wrong kind of wolf in a pack that wanted fighters, not thinkers.
Five days until he'd find out if there was really a place for an Omega who dreamed of peace.