Doctor are you here?

Chapter Eight

Drew POV

Zoren was already on the training grounds. When I arrived, I liked that he was serious about his job, and that was a good sign. So far, this pack just needed a few changes that won’t be liked, but in the long run, it will be for the good of the pack. If the men were as eager and dedicated as Zoren, these changes would be a welcome change. Some of what I have heard is that the last alpha was getting slacker every year, and though a good alpha, was not security-minded in any way.

‘Morning sir.’ Zoren greeted me politely and respectfully, a slight tilt of his head, exposing his neck, only a small tilt, but none the less it was a show of respect I had not expected just yet, and then proceeded to introduce me to the men who would be taking over the training while we ran the perimeter with twenty other men. We set a slow pace at first, taking in all the areas close to the pack-grounds that could be exposed, then a faster pace when we were more than half an hour from the pack. I told Zoren about the place my dad managed to hide in and he would make sure we laid a few traps around that area. We found a few more places I did not like and more traps to be made, but by the time we returned to the pack-house, it was lunchtime and we were ready to eat. I asked Zoran to join me in the office and the cook to bring some food for us.

I mind-linked the beta and delta too. I might as well have them here and see what changes we can come up with. The perimeter run was an eye-opener, not just for me, but for Zoren too. He had no idea of all the places that were blind spots. The beta, delta, and their sons enter the room and take a seat. As they sat, two ladies walked into the still-open door, placed the food on the table, bowed, and left quickly, closing the door behind them.

‘Dig in, we shall talk after we eat lunch and I have finished digesting what I have seen today.’ We dig in and eat. As I type on my laptop, the room is silent except for the sounds of eating. I note that Zoren does not mind-link the others to let them know what is going on and I am pleased he just passed another small test.

‘Zoren, would you like to explain what we saw during our run and come up with some solutions?’ I offer Zoren the floor, allowing him to see if he is war management material, besides being the head trainer he can delegate responsibilities, he can understand our weaknesses, and work on improving them, and I won’t need to be on his back all the time, some areas he can fix without running to me each time for permission, or that is how I would like it to happen. I needed to have men I trusted to do the job quickly and not run to me for every tiny change.

We discussed for the next three hours areas that need upgrading and some solutions. By the end of the session, I had offered Zoren the position of war manager and had suggestions on who to promote to training head. It seems we will have four head trainers, and he will oversee all of them. Each head trainer will focus on an age group, and be responsible for that group's progress. I liked this idea and showed this guy had the initiative and was prepared to put in the work needed for this pack to grow and survive.

‘Sir, do you have a Luna in mind?’ was the one question I was not needing at the moment. I had too much to do before my dad tried something to see how much I had managed to change and improve.

‘No, I have not found her yet and before you ask, I will be waiting for my fated mate. I will not be taking any of those ladies who will no doubt try and make their way into my bed, and though I am not opposed to sleeping around, at this moment that is the last thing on my mind. We have a lot to fix and change. I hear our doctor is getting on in years. Any ideas where to get one of those?’ I asked, changing the subject as fast as I could.

‘One of my children is actually studying to become a doctor, but is still a few years away from graduating, Robby is maybe three years away from returning.’ Jamie answers, and I get the idea that he was not willing to let me know about this if I had not asked. I guess I should have expected that. I have a long way to go to get real respect from all of the pack members. Alpha loyalty is one thing, compelled by the pack bond, but true trust and respect are another. The pack bond keeps you loyal, but in the back of your mind, you have your doubts, and I completely understand this.

‘Once Robby has graduated, does he intend to return here?’ I asked, hoping that is one more issue gone.

‘That will be up to Robby, but we are hoping so. Robby was out at school when the takeover happened, and I don’t mind admitting I asked Robby to stay away. We had no idea what was going to happen, and if you killed us higher-level members like so many new alphas do, then Robby knew not to return.’ Jamie was being honest with me, and I appreciated that. I would have told my pup to stay away too. I was in an unusual situation, where I had not got any backup from my dad, and I wondered what my dad was playing at, to not have left me with anyone, not a single person or friend to turn to.

‘I hope you encourage your pup to return in a few years. Our doctor could use some help, which I saw when I did a tour of that facility earlier today. Let’s get on with other issues, shall we?’ I said and went on to pack building upgrades and other small changes. I want the garden used by the kitchen to expand and, if need be, set some workers on that job, and become the farmers of the pack. We have good soil here and no reason not to have our own vegetables and fruit, chickens, and a few other livestock that could ease the pressure on the pack’s funds. We found areas of improvement for cash intake and found out the small town was owned by the pack, and most businesses were pack-owned. Some of this seemed to surprise the beta, and I wondered how much the alpha kept from his so-called second-in-command. We reviewed the income and expenses of those businesses and worked out where we could expand. The pack was self-sufficient in many ways, just bad management, and I can see this pack thriving if given a chance, and Dad did not keep testing me.