Page 4 of Silas

Tomorrow I want to do more exploring of this cute little town. I can’t wait to meet more people from this town.

Hopefully, I won’t have to deal with wolves every night. In the distance, a long howl cuts through the quiet. What I didn’t know is that soon I wouldn’t be just dealing with wolves in my yard…I would be dealing directly with the one I don’t see staring at me through my window as my eyes fall closed.

Chapter 2

Silas

You know what nobody even bothered to mention when they were rooting for me to challenge Orion for the Alpha position? Oh, that would be all the paperwork. Not only was Orion being an abusive asshole to the women of our pack, he was also heavily borrowing money from another pack. So much so that I am not sure how we will pull ourselves out of that hole.

Once I took the position, I came into the office to find a literal hurricane mess. There were papers from one side to the other. Piles and piles of files and books to where you wouldn’t have known there was actually a stunning hand-carved oak desk with wolves howling to the moon underneath it. The first week of being Alpha was cleaning and organizing the office, creating a filing system, and determining what my first month was going to look like.

Apparently, the first thing that I will deal with is this debt to the Ghost River Pack to the attunement of $3,456. I don’t even understand why he was borrowing so outlandishly, anyway. Yes, a pack has financial needs, but as a pack, we contribute financially to cover those costs. I have gone over and over this paperwork, still unable to determine the cause of this debt. The only thing I can think of is that he was into some shady business. I just have receipts tracking the deposits from their pack.

I think the best thing to do now is appoint my pack leaders who will help me manage all of this. There is no way that I can do any of this, especially without a Luna to assist me. Picking up my cell phone, I dial Warrick.

He picks up on the first ring. “Hey man, what’s up?”

“Can you round up the pack into the pack house for a meeting? I am ready to appoint the leaders who will help me with managing this pack,” I heave out on a heavy sigh.

“Yeah, man, for sure. Do you have a time in mind?” I can hear him shuffling around his house as the wood creaks under his feet.

“Yeah, let’s say in an hour. Give me time to complete my meeting notes and make my way over there.” I say as I stare down at the sheet of paper, ensuring all my thoughts are on it.

“Alright, good deal. See you soon,” he says as he clicks off the call.

Putting my phone down on my desk, I drop my shoulders and just sit for a moment. Truth is, I have my meeting notes done. I just needed some time to just sit in peace. It’s rare these days that I have time for myself. You can almost bank on someone bothering me every few minutes. Not that I am complaining by any means, but I went from a life of solitude to a life of never ending people needing something. It is taking some time to get adjusted to it.

Standing up, I walk over to my whiskey cabinet. It’s an ornate oak cabinet depicting wolves running through the woods on our pack land. I think it might be my favorite piece of all those I've ever had commissioned by our pack artisan. Dropping three cubes of ice into my crystal glass, I pour three fingers of single barrel malt whiskey. Plopping myself down into my desk chair, I turn to stare out the massive picture window to my pack lands. Sipping on my whiskey and just enjoying the stillness before I have to get back to work.

Loud chattering and the mingling of voices assault me as I walk into the large open meeting space in the pack house. It’s a vaulted ceiling room inside our log pack house. The ceiling peaks at 20 feet, with carved untreated wood beams running from one side to the other. We have pews lining both sides of the room with a dais front and center. Pups running across the open space have worn the beautiful oak floors over the years. It hasa beautiful warm rock hearth on the left side with a roaring fire going already.

Walking through the aisle towards the dais, there is a hush that falls as the pack members turn to acknowledge me entering. I bow my head towards each member as I walk past them with my hands clasped behind my back. I haven’t quite gotten used to the change from pack member to pack Alpha.

Stepping up the dais and coming to the center, I take a deep breath before stepping up to the podium.

“Good Evening Rocky Mountain Pack. I appreciate all of you coming on such short notice. I will keep this brief so our pups don’t miss family dinners and nightly routines. As you are all aware, with the change of Alpha comes the change of leadership within our pack. This is to ensure each Alpha has leaders he trusts and can rely on. After a week of organizing, filing, and thought, I have determined who will be my pack leaders.” Clapping breaks out from the group. Holding up my hand, the crowd dies back down.

“It should come as no surprise that I am appointing Warrick as my Beta. This man has been with me from the time that I was a pup and I wouldn’t be here today without him. As the man who inspired me to challenge Orion, he is equally invested in improving our pack.” A rapid round of applause breaks out across the room. Some even whistling in their excitement. Holding my hand up again, everyone settles back into their seats. “Thank you for welcoming him into his position. Warrick, please join me on the stage.”

I am so proud to call this man my best friend and have him with me every step of the way. Warrick walks up to stand to my right, acknowledging his acceptance of his role. I clap him on theback and smile at him. Everyone sees the playboy and hardass, but I know he is one of the sweetest men you will ever meet.

“This next one should go without saying as well, for the temporary spot of Luna, the responsibility of ensuring our pups are cared for, activities are being well organized, and our females are being respected. I am appointing Gail, our pack matriarch. Until I find my mate, I appoint Gail as our temporary Luna. Gail, will you please join me on stage?” Awes and sniffling comes from the women of our crowd.

No one has any memory of when this meddlesome woman came into town, but we all know that we are grateful she is here with us. She has seen the rise and fall of several pack leaders. She has watched this town bloom from a few shops into a bustling little town. I know that it’s only temporary, but I couldn’t think of someone better suited for the role.

Warrick holds his hand out to Gail to assist her onto the stage. She gives me a loving tap on my cheek as she passes to take the spot to my right. She stands one step back to acknowledge that she isn’t my fated mate.

“Introducing our financial advisor, Caelon. After reviewing our finances, not only were they not being taken care of, but they were being abused. To put it mildly, Caelon will have his work cut out for him. Come join us on the stage, please.” Clapping rings out again.

Caelon joins the stage next to Gail as she wraps him into a hug. She really is the grandmother to all of us. He smiles warmly at her as she taps his cheek as well. See what I mean about being a grandmother to us all? Caelon is what you would call a nerd. He is always crunching numbers and can spit out the answer to the hardest math problem without paper. You always will find himhuddled in some nook with a book, graphic novel, or in front of his computer programming some new thing.

“The last position will be our pack recruiter and trainer. This position helps young pups learn how to shift, control their wolves, and develop a better relationship between wolf and human. I couldn’t think of anyone better than Xavior who shows exemplary patience within all aspects of his life. Come up to the stage and join your other leaders.”

Xavior is the silent, brooding type. His time in the military really changed who he was as an individual. Not that it’s a bad thing, but the man that came back to us wasn’t the same pup that left. He will do great in the training portion of our pack. I think that is what he is needing somewhere to put those skills to use. Forget the militia; we need to focus on training our inner wolf.

“Everyone, give your new leaders a warm welcome and show them your appreciation for stepping up in our pack.”

The room erupts in applause, cheers, wolf whistles, and fuck yeahs. I take a step back, allowing them to walk forward to bow to their pack mates. Warrick moves to the front of the dais and looks back towards me. “Everyone, show your love and appreciation for the man who saved us and is going to bring the pack into a far better world for ourselves, pups, and future generations. Long Hail Alpha Silas!”

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