The Replacement Alpha

Chapter 5 - Alpha Ethan

Ethan POV

“I, Ethan Wright, pledge to protect and serve the needs of the Spruce Forest Pack. I swear to put their needs above mine and to the best of my ability, lead this pack to prosperity and peace.” I repeated the words I had helped my brother memorize all those years ago. Alpha Brock cut his palm and cupped it over mine. I felt the rush of power go through my body like lightning. My mind opened to the entire pack at once, and I almost doubled over as their voices filtered through.

“Deep breathe, close them out and focus on the voice of your wolf.” Alpha Brock whispered. I did as he instructed, while Hugo decided the best way to distract me was to try to recite the woodchuck riddle over and over while skipping around to distract me. Now my head was hurting again, but it wasn’t from the voices, but from him running in circles. When he heard me laughing at him, he huffed at me and simply said, ‘You’re welcome', before curling up to sleep.

“Please, my Beta and Gamma ordered some refreshments. If your decision was to move, we will reach out over the next week as we find space for you in other packs.” Alpha Brock told everyone.

With that, we headed back to the Alpha offices. There wasn’t a lot of time for me to mingle. The pack was a mess and I needed to get to work. I turned to look at Alpha Jack, who nodded and took Jesse to the kitchen for some tea. “What can I help with, young Alpha?” He said with a little bit of amusement as I sat down behind the desk.

“Actually, I was hoping I could do something to repay all that you’ve done for this pack.” I started.

“You’re not talking about killing your brother, are you? Because if you tell me this was all a trick, I’m not going to be amused.” He said seriously.

“NO. Of course not! I would have never plotted against my brother.” I said indignantly.

He raised his hands up. “I just had to check. The last few days have been hard for both of us.”

I sat back down and sighed. “I meant the respect and generosity you have shown, despite the circumstances. I spoke with our doctor yesterday, and we have a solution to your problem”

Alpha Brock squared his shoulders. “And what problem is that?”

“Your unresolved mate bond. I know what’s been happening and while I’m impressed with how much strength you have shown, I can’t imagine the amount of pain, mental and physical, that you must be in right now.” I said seriously.

For the first time since I met him, Alpha Brock put down his mask, and I saw how tired and in pain he was. “I… I did care for her. In my own way. Perhaps not how she would have liked. I never strayed, despite being an Alpha with a chosen mate. I just… I didn’t see this coming. I thought we would eventually find our rhythm again. I gave her distance, and I can’t help but feel like something is wrong with me. If I don’t deserve a fated mate or a chosen mate. I haven’t been the kindest wolf, but I thought I had been fair.”

“I don’t think we will ever know why people behave the way they do. I asked myself that when Jason began pushing me away. I think the best thing we can do is a just move on and try to learn from it. Try not to let the actions of one person affect the way we see everyone else.” I shrugged. I had a lot of experience with rejection.

Alpha Brock nodded before he rested back on his chair and said, “You said your doctor had a solution?”

“Yes, he found a way to sever the mate bond without Rebecca being present.” He stood up at that. “It will be painful, and he believes you will need to be sedated for a few days to a week after, but the bond should be gone after.”

“Done.” He said.

“There’s more. The break will be as painful to her as it is to you, but she will not know why it is happening until the mark fades.” I warned him.

“Even better.” He said, his hand going to his chest as if still feeling the ghost of the pain.

“I have instructed the doctor to set up a room with a bed and guards. No one will know you are still here.” I finished.

“That’s a kind offer, Alpha Ethan, but I would rather my Beta and my guards remain with me. Add another three beds to my room and my people will protect me. I will instruct my pack that I will be detained for a few more days and send my Gamma back to make sure everything is running smoothly. I mean no offense, but I am having trust issues at the moment.” He said with a pained smile.

“I think that’s perfectly understandable after what’s happened.” I said solemnly. I escorted him over to the pack hospital and gave him his privacy to do what he needed. I went back to the office with Alpha Jack and Jesse and we began sorting through everything again. Luna Emma had arrived and was talking to the staff about food. We had begun sorting again when we heard a loud roar coming in from the open window.

‘Everything is fine. Please continue about your day,’ I sent out a pack wide link.

“I guess the doctor wasn’t kidding when he said it would be painful.” Jesse said, as we continued to sort through the mess. Jesse would be leaving back to his pack in a few hours, and I was determined to make sure he sorted as much as he could before he did. Once the sorting was done, I could begin putting things into electronic records, and that part was easy. When Luna Emma came and grabbed us for lunch, I knew it was time for him to go. He stood back a little and waited for his mom and dad to leave before stopping me. “Listen, Ethan, you have a lot of s**t to do here. I don’t want to take you away from all of this. If you need a couple of months, I can handle the bookkeeping for a while.”

“Jesse, I appreciate it, I do, but I have a feeling I will need the money and the break from all of this, so please, don’t take it away right now,” I told him.

“Thank f**k. I hate numbers. But if you need a break, you know you can just call me. I’m here for you, buddy. Remember, all work and no play, plus no mate, make Alphas very grumpy.” He slapped my shoulder with a laugh as we walked to lunch.

Over the next week, I kept in constant touch with Beta Henry about Alpha Brock’s condition. He and the doctor both assured me that he was OK, and the mark was slowly fading as it healed. Word had begun to spread over what occurred between the three packs, and Alphas were calling in to meet me. Some were calling to try to strike up a treaty and others to intimidate me into one. While I’m not exactly a pushover, I was grateful for Alpha Jack’s advice and guidance. About 200 pack members had decided to move and join packs they either had family in or joined Blood Song. Beta Henry helped organize all the moves. Blood Song only accepted about 30 new members. The others had to find a place in a different pack.

I finished sorting the paperwork and began to input all the data into a computer I bought for pack business. The computers in the conference room were old and didn’t even have excel installed. My father’s computer was even older. I replaced the existing hard drives with new ones and had a clean copy of Windows installed and placed in the basement, where teens liked to hangout after school. I kept the old drives to peruse for useful information later. My oldest friend Cody showed up two days after Jesse left. His mother was Olivia, the head Omega, and she mentioned finding me in the middle of the floor among paperwork to him, so he came running. Cody works as a data analyst for a company in the city and decided to take a few days off to help.

I was still sleeping in my old room, not able to go into my brother’s room, but Alpha Jack suggested that I remodel because an Alpha needed to sleep in the Alpha’s quarters. When Alpha Brock finally woke up and went home, he seemed to be more at peace without the mate mark haunting him. I really hoped that he would find his mate someday. He seemed to deserve some happiness.

A week after that, I had finally collated all the data and made some startling discoveries about the financial status of the pack. In short, we were broke. We were more than broke. We were on the verge of bankruptcy. My brother and Eric had managed to spend almost all the money the pack had on parties and extravagant purchases. When the money had begun to dry out, they decided to gamble to try to make it up, but ended up not only losing what was left, but going into significant debt. I spent the better of the following week setting up appointments with banks and trying to set up ways in which to save our assets. The money from the business was still coming in, but it was barely enough to cover interest rates and bills. Alpha Jack offered us a loan, but I didn’t want to exchange one debt for another. We paused our training for a week as I holed myself up in the office to try to find a way out of the current situation. I set up a list of all our pack assets and my brother’s assets which had been left to me. After a while, I added my own assets. If I was smart about this, we might just make it out.

I set up budgets for the next year; something that seemed to be completely missing from any of my brother’s paperwork. I collected the fair market value of the cars he’d bought; I met with Olivia to see what she needed to feed everyone for the next year. On my tenth day in my office, Alpha Jack came thundering in, startling me.

“Talk to me. You’ve been in here for three days, you’re barely eating, barely sleeping. This isn’t healthy, Ethan.” He growled.

“I’m almost done. Give me one more day. I promise I’ll explain everything. I just need to keep on track.” I said, pointing down at the mass of spreadsheets on my desk. Alpha Jack harrumphed but left.

The following day, I walked into the office to see Alpha Jack and Luna Emma already waiting for me. I smiled, despite my stress. Alpha Jack brought out the big guns. Anytime he dealt with us as kids, if he couldn’t get through to us, Luna Emma always made an appearance. “Wipe that grin off your face. We are worried about you.” Alpha Jack grumbled.

“I know, but I’m done. Here.” I said, motioning them over to the computer. “I’ve categorized all the assets, their importance and need and potential replacements. If we sell these items that are never used and if we sell these, and replace them with more practical ones, we should be able to make up a portion of the debt.” I switched to another spreadsheet. “I collected the budgets needed in order to keep the pack going with as little disruption as possible. I averaged our bills for the last few years and set up projections for how much we need to spend over the next twelve months, allowing for some emergencies. If, and that’s a big IF, I can get everyone on board with the budgets. We should be able to cover about half the debt before the end of the year and then we should be in the clear. I also found a few accounts receiving funds from members who have been deceased. I set up an appointment with the banks to try to recoup some of those misplaced funds. My brother didn’t really seem to touch financials other than the credit card to spend.”

“What about the other half of the debt? You said you are clear, but half is not clear?” Luna Emma asked.

I got a little flustered at this part. I knew they were not going to like what I said next. “I had some savings from work and my share of the business. I caught up on all the outstanding bills and paid off some of the more pressing debts.”

“And how much of your savings are left?” Alpha Jack growled. I shrugged. There was none left, and he knew it. But I didn’t have any personal debts and if I kept working, I would eventually begin to regrow it. “I see. And how much of your budget did you set aside for your paycheck?” He asked. Again, I shrugged.

“I have my work and my and Jason’s shares of the company. I will be OK.” I said.

Alpha Jack growled but simply turned to pace the office when Luna Emma put a hand on his arm to try to calm him. “Sweetie, I know this is difficult, but you can’t give up your entire savings for the pack. I know the pledge you took only a two weeks ago said you should put your needs behind the pack, but the truth is, there are limits. One day, someone will take your place as Alpha, and you need to be able to continue living without it. You can’t let it consume you.”

“I’m not.” I said stubbornly.

She raised an eyebrow at me and grabbed the budget plan. “Tell me that this budget doesn’t include your shares of the company and your paycheck as part of the incoming assets?” She asked. I blushed. I hoped leaving that out would spare me the lecture. “I thought so. You can’t not have a salary when you’re working yourself so hard for the pack and you can’t give up all of your money.”

“I… I didn’t. I am only giving the business share. I’m keeping the money from my accounting gigs.” I lied. I had already added that to it.

“Ethan Matthew Wright. I may be old, but I’m not blind. I can see you added that on here too.” She said using her mom-voice, and I felt Hugo cowering in the back of my mind.

“It’s only for the first three months. I will be fine until then. After that, I should be able to get us floating above the waters enough to keep my paycheck. Please, I need to do this. I can’t let this pack die with me.” I implored her. Her eyes softened, and she came around the desk and hugged me. I held her softly, despite hearing Alpha Jack trying to suppress a growl.

“Oh, you hush. You know he’s like a son to me.” I held her tight at her words. My mother left days after my father passed with only a note saying she’d done her duty to the pack and now she deserved to be happy. I knew she wasn’t happy with dad, or us, but it hurt to have her confirm it in such a cold manner.

“Sorry dear,” Alpha Jack said. Luna Emma finally let me go.

“I don’t want you to lose yourself to this title. Keep being the same wonderful Ethan I’ve seen grow up, or I will make sure you are put in the proper time out.” She said before she walked back to Alpha Jack. “We’ll let you do this your way, but I expect to know the moment you start keeping your money again and if it’s more than the few months you promised, we will have another chat.”

I gulped and nodded. Luna Emma does not play around. “Well, alright, now that we know you’re not in here being unhealthy, we have to talk about something.” Alpha Jack said. He still didn’t look happy.

“Yes, sir.” I said, relieved to have that over.

“I’m going to be blunt, son. Your fighting sucks.” Alpha Jack said.

“Jack! You said you were going to be nice!” Luna Emma chided and motioned at my blushing face.

“That was before he pissed me off.” Alpha Jack said.

“It was one hug.” Luna Emma retorted.

“Not that! The money. He could have just taken a loan from us and instead he used all his hard-earned savings.”

“Oh, yes, I agree with that. I’m still a little pissed.” She agreed.

My face went from red from embarrassment to one of joy. It’s been so long since I heard their banter. It would almost make me miss my parent’s own banter if they ever had any, but my mom had always been cold to everyone, including her own mate. I hoped one day when I found my mate, we would be able to have this kind of love and relationship. They’ve been together for almost 30 years now and you could still see their love as clear as when I was a child.

“Anyway, as I was saying. The training you need. It’s too intensive for me to do on my own and your warriors, if we’re being honest, would not make it very far in a real fight. I’m an old man. We need someone to come down and teach them.” He explained.

“Who did you have in mind?” I asked.

“About three years ago, we took in a woman and her mother. Her mother has a problem with alcohol, and she got kicked out of her last pack. Hell of a fighter. She’s beaten just about every warrior in our pack. Jesse has been trying to convince her to lead some warrior training, but she is not the friendliest person.” He said. “Understandable, given her mother’s reputation. I talked to Jesse. He said he’d be willing to ask her about training you and perhaps training your warriors. There’s one catch, though.” He said, scratching his nose. A nervous habit.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Where she goes, her mother must follow.” Ge said.

I nodded and thought about it for a moment. The truth was, I knew Alpha Jack was right from the moment I accepted Alpha Brock’s offer to become Alpha. I was not a fighter. I did basic training and worked out regularly, but after that, I spent all my available time playing video games and working. I loved it. But now I needed the training and if Alpha Jack and Jesse thought she would be the best one for the job, we could accommodate them.

“Tell him to ask. I’ll make arrangements for a couple of suites to be ready for them.” I told him. Alpha Jack’s face lit up, and he pulled out the phone.

“Ask.” was all he said before he hung up again. “Excellent. Now, let’s go eat breakfast.”

After lunch, I got a call from Jesse.

I answered, “What’s up, man?”

“You OK to take a small trip?” He asked.

“To where?” I asked, before almost slapping myself in the head.

“Here. Hannah wants to meet you before she accepts. I talked you up, so dress nicely.” He said.

“Am I meeting a trainer or a blind date?” I asked.

“You’re interviewing.” He said.

“For a trainer?” I asked, getting more and more curious about this woman.

“Look, just do as I say. A nice shirt and pants. If she likes you, you’ll have the best trainer in the area. If she doesn’t like you, you’re liable to get your ass kicked and your ego bruised.” He said and I could tell he wasn’t joking.

“Wha-“ I started.

“She’s the best there is. Trust me.” He cut me off.

“Fine, fine. Let me shower and change and I’ll head over.” I grumbled.

“Great! You can stay for dinner. I miss you, man. You need to log on once in a while. Remember, all work and no play…”

“Too late for that. I’m already grumpy.” I laughed before I hung up.

I found Alpha Jack still at the lunch table talking to some pack members. He came over to me when he saw me. “You mind holding down the fort? I have an interview with Jesse’s trainer.” I asked.

“Of course, but son, remember your assignment this month.” He reminded me.

“Right, find a Beta and Gamma,” I mumbled.

“Perfect, now. When you’re home, make sure you tell Jesse to send over those items Emma wanted or we’ll both be in the doghouse.” He slapped me on the shoulder before he left to keep talking to people. I laughed at how serious his face looked and went to get ready. Hannah. I thought in the shower. While she sounded like one scary she-wolf, something about her name just sounded sweet to me. Like a meadow in the summer. Maybe Jesse just exaggerated her roughness. I found myself getting a little nervous the more I thought about meeting her. I chose a shirt that brought out my green eyes and brushed my hair back into a half knot. I looked at myself in the mirror. Ready, buddy? – I asked Hugo

Ready. Let’s go grab us a hot trainer. – Hugo wagged his tail.

How can you even think it’s a hot she-wolf when we don't even know what she looks like? – I chastised.

She’s fit, she’s strong. She beats the crap out of men on a daily basis and her name sounds like cold dew melon on a summer day. Of course, she’s going to be hot. – He wagged his tail.

Just keep your horny ass in check, OK. Clearly, she’ll be able to beat our ass too. ­– I reminded him.

You’re no fun. We haven’t gotten laid in almost a year. – He grumbled.

I sighed - I told you, it’s just not fun anymore. I want our mate.

So do I, but I also have needs. – He whined.

You’re going to get us killed – I groaned.