The Replacement Alpha

Chapter 4 - Too many questions

Are you f*****g kidding me? – Hugo asked as we looked over them.

There were so many transactions for online gambling sites. The amounts were… staggering. Did my brother have a gambling addiction? I don’t remember him having any vices other than going out to parties. Since he turned 18, he was always hopping from one place to the next with Eric. It wasn’t until he took the Alpha title after dad passed, that he took a break. Less than a year later, it seemed like he was over his grief and he was bar hopping again.

“Horse races. Is that even legal anymore?” Jesse asked.

“Casinos over here. Alpha Jason had a gambling addiction?” Alpha Brock asked.

“Not that I knew, but I can’t dispute the assessment. These bank accounts all have online gambling services.” I sat down and put my hands on my head. What did I get myself into?

We will make it work. We have to. We can’t let dad’s legacy end like this. – Hugo growled in my head.

I looked up at the concerned looks of my friends and Alpha Brock. I didn’t know how I would pull us out of this hole, but I knew I had their support and I would figure out a way to make this work. I cracked my neck as I thought about it. “Let’s continue the tour, shall we? It will take more than an evening to get a full view of the true financial state of the pack. We’ll keep going and I will make sense of the mess later.”

“Are you sure you’re able to do that?” Alpha Brock asked.

“If anyone can, he can. He’s handled my finances since I took over and even dad’s the last few years as Alpha. He’s got a master's in accounting.” Jesse said, winking at me.

“Well then, how the f**k did this get to this point?” Alpha Brock growled, looking around the mess.

“My brother shut me out of his Alpha duties a few years ago. We grew apart. He was distant and didn’t allow me to ask any questions. I have no idea what could have happened.” I tried to explain again.

“How did you end up going with yesterday, then?” He asked, and I didn't know the answer to that question either.

“I asked him that twenty times before we got there and the truth is, I still don’t know why I was there. He just ordered me to go.” I answered.

“That seems odd, doesn’t it?” He said pensively.

I nodded. It always did, from the very start. Alpha Brock was about to say more, but he grunted and doubled over. I gave him water to help him calm his breathing, but he still didn’t address the pain.

‘Dr. Roberts. What do you know about breaking a chosen mate bond? Can it be done without one of them present?’

‘I… I don’t know. Let me do some research, young Alpha.’ He answered.

‘Thank you.’ I said, cutting off the mind link before anyone noticed.

We began touring the pack house, and I pointed out places and how I thought they worked. Oftentimes, we had to bring over someone to help explain what they were doing and how it was currently working. I was surprised to see how many changes had occurred right under my nose. Not much was the same as when dad was alive. Jason had changed so much and not much seemed to have changed for the better. I could often see the questions being asked would elicit some hidden reaction that they tried to hide. The staff and warriors were overworked, underpaid, and unhappy. Things were looking very grim by the time we came back to the packhouse to eat dinner. We weren’t even talking much as we all digested the true state of the situation.

After dinner, I led them to the old Alpha offices. They were clean, unused, and a little dusty.

“Well, this is more like it. Where were we before then?” Jesse asked, grabbing some tissues from the desk and beginning to dust one of the chairs. We sat around the couch to talk.

“This was dad’s old Alpha office. A few months after Jason took over, he and Eric decided they wanted an open office between the two. They thought they would get more done that way, so they converted one of the conference rooms into a new office.”

“Will you be following his example?” Alpha Brock asked.

“I prefer to work in the quiet, so I think I will use this office again. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I would like to have that conference room decontaminated before anyone sets foot in there again.” I said, causing the rest to laugh. I looked around the office. Nothing really had changed from when it was Dad’s office. “I will look at his computers and see if they are worth keeping, and I’ll sort through the boxes one by one in here. I will be computerizing most of it, I would imagine.”

“Do you want to put things off until you’ve done that? Perhaps we should revisit the other options if the pack is broke?” Alpha Brock asked.

“No. You were right. I am not about to let my father’s legacy die without a fight. Numbers are my thing. I will figure out how to get this pack back in decent shape. What I need help with is… well, everything else.” I looked at Alpha Jack.

“As long as you’re willing to fight for it, I’m not going anywhere, son. Emma will be here in the morning.”

“Very well. Then we continue as is. I think I’ll be leaving here tomorrow afternoon. I will check in with you once a month, but I’ll give you the first two months to make sense of the mess here. If you don’t mind, I’ll take my leave. It’s been a long day and I need to rest.” Alpha Brook stood while unknowingly massaging his chest. We all nodded, and I called the doctor to come see us when he left.

The door opened a few minutes later and Dr. Roberts walked in with an old book. “Alphas,” he bowed.

“Were you able to find anything?” I asked, making the other two look confused.

“Yes. But… I’m not sure that it is the right way to go about this.” He said with uncertainty.

“What does it involve?” I asked.

“A lot of pain for both parties,” he said as he placed the book on the desk. “As you know, taking a chosen mate doesn’t stop you from recognizing your fated mate. When one chooses a mate, they may still find their fated mate. On most occasions, the fated mates will reject each other and continue with their chosen mates. In others, if the person chooses to be with their fated mate, they will reject their chosen mate. Same process, the pain of the rejection will occur and once the bond is severed, they can both walk away and begin anew. There have been, however, occurrences when one of the mates chooses to run in order to avoid being rejected. It was during one of these rare events that this method was found. The woman found her fated mate and ran away with him without severing the bond with her chosen mate, out of fear of retribution. The mate she left behind could often feel them being intimate with their fated mate. In a fit of rage and pain, the man plunged a dagger into his mark while rejecting his mate over and over. From what we know, the wound he created healed at human rate and the man had to remain sedated for a week in order for him to be able to survive the pain. It was later found that his chosen mate was also under the same pain. However, she almost died from the pain as she didn’t know what was happening and the pain almost caused her heart to give in.”

Alpha Jack sat back after the doctor stopped talking. “We should give all of this information to Alpha Brock in the morning. He should have the choice to decide. I’ve heard the pain of betraying the bond is excruciating and can often end with the betrayed mate’s body suffering great damage.”

“I agree. Please prepare a room in the hospital in case he chooses to do this. Grab a bed from the packhouse if necessary. If he decides to stay, you should treat him with the most care, compassion, and discretion. No one can know he will remain here. I will want guards outside his door at all times, so begin thinking about who your most trusted are, doctor.” I asked.

“Yes, Alpha.” The Doctor answered and left.

“ Should we tell him now?” I wondered.

“No. He needs to have a clear head for tomorrow. Besides, I heard the Beta asking for a sedative earlier today. I think he is likely to be knocked out for the evening,” Alpha Jack answered.

I nodded at his wisdom. “I should go take care of the funeral arrangements for Jason,” I said, remembering that my brother needed to be sent back to the moon goddess.

“I have already taken care of that, son. Why don’t we all retire for the day? It’s been a rough one for us. Go and have a moment to grieve your brother in peace. You will be busy for the next year. You don’t want to be bottling all of that up.”

I swallowed the lump already forming in my throat and left. I wanted to hug him. Alpha Jack had always been more of a second father than the father of my best friend, but right now, I couldn’t afford to lose my s**t in public. I walked to my room and found it occupied. Beta Henry was sitting on a chair close to the wall shared with my guest suite. “I’m sorry Ethan. They put Brock in the adjacent room and with everything happening, I just can’t leave him alone, but I don’t want him thinking I think he’s weak. I can sleep on the floor. Please.” He pleaded.

“I understand. Have the bed, please. I will go sleep in another room.” I told him. His face was relieved at my words and he continued to listen for trouble.

I grabbed some overnight clothes and a suit for tomorrow and I walked over to Jason’s old room. I didn’t know if this was the right thing to do, but I needed to come to terms with everything that happened today. Alpha Jack was right. I wasn’t going to have a lot of time to mourn him. Tonight, my last night as a normal person, I would allow this to happen. Tomorrow, I would become Alpha and I couldn’t afford to put my own emotions first. I had a pack to salvage and learn to run. His room wasn’t tidy, but Jason had never been. I wondered if he had ordered the omegas to stay out of this room as well, but I could see the dirty hamper was clean. His dresser was ransacked, and his closet was a mess. Someone had been looking for something. I linked his Gamma to come to his room.

“Did someone come in here while we were gone?” I saw his eyes shifting, and I grabbed him by the shirt. “Who was here?”

“Beta Eric came in early this morning and said that Alpha Jason had been hurt and needed some things. We had just felt the pain of the connection to the Alpha dying and were confused. I thought maybe they managed to bring him back and let him rush about. I’m sorry Ethan. I didn’t know he was a traitor to Alpha Jason.” He said nervously.

“What did he take?” I growled.

“I don’t know. I swear I don’t. He had a duffle bag on him and he just rushed out.” He said.

What do you think, Hugo? – I asked.

He’s scared, but I’m not sure if it’s from lying or from us hurting him when we become Alpha – Hugo responded.

I dropped him and let him go. I put his drawers back and closed his closet door. I took a shower and laid in bed, trying to muster some type of emotion. I couldn’t. I could see him dying in my head every time I closed my eyes, but try as I might, the tears wouldn’t come.

You’re in shock. Give yourself time. We will mourn him when we’re ready. – Hugo said strength flowed into me. I tried to sleep, but it wouldn’t come. Finally, sometime after midnight, I gave up and went downstairs. I grabbed the first box inside the conference room and went over to the office to begin sorting. This is how they found me the next morning, knee-deep in papers on the floor. I was on the fourth box by the time everyone walked in.

“Goddess Ethan, have you been working all night?” Jesse asked.

“No, just a few hours. What time is it?” I asked while trying to suppress a yawn.

“Eight am.”

“Oh, then I guess I have.” I said sheepishly, “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Come, let’s have breakfast and then you need a shower and about a gallon of coffee.” Alpha Jack said. I got up and put away everything that I had sorted. I still had a lot to go, but it was a good start. I met Alpha Brock and Beta Henry at the breakfast table. He looked a bit more rested.

“You look like s**t. Did you not sleep?” Alpha Brock asked.

“Some. I had trouble and started doing some work instead.” I said vaguely as I grabbed a cup of coffee and a plate of eggs, ham, bacon, and hash browns. “I have something to speak with you about after the ceremony, Alpha Brock.”

“I’m not planning on leaving for a few hours after. My time is all yours,” he said between bites.

I nodded and began digging in.

A/N: Next update is on Monday.