Artemis Lyall answered the call moments later. "Luna?" she said. "How'd it go? Do you have any new straight or bisexual females for the pack? There's those two males you found, Dylan and Jake if I recall, will have their uses, but there's still a lot of lupine bachelors around this pack waiting for mates."
"It's okay, Mom," Luna said, deftly soothing her mother's volatile temper before it could get properly inflamed. "A bunch of my sorority sisters are still in Washington state, so we got them together and sold them on the idea of pack life."
"How many?" Artemis asked her eldest daughter.
"There's nine of them," Luna said. "There's other girls in my sorority, but others are scattered everywhere from Florida to Cancún to Las Vegas to Hawaii."
"And these nine girls seem suited to life in a werewolf pack?" Artemis interrogated.
"I think so," Luna responded. "There's Belle Meadows, who's a total eco-warrior. She's involved with PETA, Greenpeace, and all kinds of human environmentalist organizations like that. She goes hiking in her spare time. Sound good?"
"She should adapt just fine," Artemis decided. "I expect she'll get along well with Shaman Fenris. He could really use an apprentice. What about the others?"
"There's Blackout Brooke... uhh... Brooke McGuinness," Luna answered. "She's... hedonistic. She's all about drinking, dancing, fucking, smoking weed, and generally living it up. I expect she'll enjoy our festivals."
"She'll need to learn some discipline," Artemis mused, "but I'm sure I can make something of her. Who else?"
"We've also got Kristin Underwood and Crystal Colton," Luna said. "They're best friends who both love the rustic life. Kristin listens to country music and drives a jeep. As for Crystal, she grew up on a ranch."
"Good thing, considering what homestead life is like," Artemis said approvingly.
"And then there's..." Luna gritted her teeth. "...Lauren Frost. She's... let's just say she's ruthless. And merciless. And fucking ambitious. She said she's got alpha goals."
"Sounds like an excellent addition to the pack!" Artemis said delightedly. "That's the kind of spirit this pack needs more of! Everybody's been getting so fucking soft around here lately. Even your father is growing peaceful and complacent."
"You don't mind that she'll likely challenge my status as heir?" Luna asked, sounding more than a little hurt.
"Survival of the fittest, Luna," Artemis scoffed. "If you want the position, you'll have to fight for it. If you can't defend your claim, then maybe the pack's better off in Lauren's hands. So, who are the remaining four?"
"There's Kara Lovelace and Lexie Dove," Luna answered, trying to put the sting from her mother's words out of her mind. "They're both by and they're more or less a couple; they're kinda joined at the hip. Kara seems suited to pack dynamics. She's really social and loyal. As for Lexie, she's... sweet. Really adorable." Luna cringed, knowing what a weak endorsement that would be from her mother's hard-nosed perspective.
"I'll soon toughen that callow little buttercup up!" Artemis scoffed. "She'll learn that there's no room for weakness in a werewolf pack, or else she'll fucking leave. Simple as that!"
"And we've also got Abigail Lei," Luna continued, trying not to picture her mom terrorizing poor Lexie. "Abigail's Chinese-American, and she has way more energy than you'd think could ever fit into her tiny body. It usually comes out in manic movements and a booming voice. Her perk can be... something. That girl's fun, but kinda tiring. Last of all, there's Erika Savage. She's got a temper like you wouldn't believe! Be warned, she's prone to violence and angry outbursts."
"As any werewolf should be," Artemis, said with excitement. "That'll be the opposite of a problem as long as that aggression is pointed away from her packmates." Artemis laughed coldly. "Good thing we have so many enemies right now."
"Well, that's everyone," Luna concluded. "When do you want to transform them?"
"At midnight tonight," Artemis said decisively. "I can't afford to wait for the next full moon just to make the transformation go fifteen minutes faster. I want you to gather Dylan, Jake, Belle, Brooke, Kristin, Crystal, Lauren, Kara, Lexie, Abigail, and Erika in a few hours and bring them to our family's cabin in the homestead. I'll take care of the rest." Artemis then unceremoniously hung up.
"I guess Mom was her usual 'delightful' self?" Diana scoffed, noticing Luna's annoyed expression.
"She's as enchanted by Lauren as I predicted," Luna growled. "She almost sounds like she's rooting for the bitch to succeed Dad over me. Over me, her own flesh and blood! Anyway, we're supposed to gather everyone up in a few hours and escort them to our cabin. Until then, I guess we have some time to ourselves."
"Then let's head back home," Diana grinned. "I could use some quality time with Sylvie."
"And I need some 'therapy' from Lucy's gentle fingers," Luna nodded. "Let's go find our girlfriends."