The Duty of an Alpha (Book 2)

Gathering

Chapter 2

Arden POV*

Eva, Andrea, and I spent the next few hours going over what she needed to get started on seeing what could be done for my injured pack members. Their injuries were years old for most of them, so it made things even harder to heal. No pack doctor that I could bring in would ever be able to make a difference for those who had suffered under the cruelty of Robbie and his predecessors. My only hope of helping my pack was to turn to Eva and her magic.

When I took over as Alpha, I tried to make as many changes as I could. Dark Woods Pack was renamed Ash River Pack, in respect for the river that bordered one side of our boundaries and a nod to how I defeated the previous Alpha. I had gained the use of all of my abilities after being t0rtured by him for over a week. When I felt the presence of my wolf return, she taught me how to harness my new found abilities and encouraged me to help take down the Alpha, who just so happened to be my first mate. I ended his life by burning him to ash.

More of the changes I had made within my pack were: she-wolves were allowed to contact their wolves, she-wolves were encouraged to train, lower-level pack members were to be treated the same as everyone else, and anyone who wished to challenge me could, but would be met with death.

After I showed my strength to the pack by taking out 8 different challengers, things had mostly settled down. More members than I had liked were banished from the pack due to trying to create dissent, but the majority were willing to try to work with me.

I felt like I owed it to the staff and other abused members to try to help them heal. All the staff members had gone through the t0rturous process of their tongues being removed, and I could only imagine what other h0rrors that had been done to them.

About a month after I took over, I asked Eva if she would be willing to come here to see if she could help. It took a while for her research to be done, and by the time she found the information she needed, it was just easier for her to wait for my head-trainers to return to the pack and accompany them. None of the staff members knew I was looking into a way to help them. I didn’t want to get their hopes up if nothing could be done.

Once Eva told us exactly what she would need and how long it would take to prepare everything, we left my office to join everyone for a late lunch.

The buzz of excitement filled the room. The whole pack knew of Matt and Katie’s return, and they were all excited to see what the gathering would hold. Unfortunately, my arrival in the dining area quieted the talking, and I could feel the excitement dim a little. It was hard for me to feel the hesitation of my pack, even after I had been their Alpha for the past few months.

I lifted my head and smiled brightly at everyone before making my way to the center of the room. I had restructured how the dining room was set up so that the ranked members could sit in the center, allowing every pack member access to us. The majority of the pack still ate within their homes for most meals, and the dining room in the pack house wasn’t exactly big enough for everyone anyway. However, most people decided to show up for lunch to see if there was any information put out about the pack gathering.

Once I was sitting down, most of the excitement returned. Eva sat next to me and patted my hand gently.

“It will get there.” She reassured me, “Just keep being their Alpha, and they will eventually learn to trust you in the way that they should.”

I smiled at her reassurances, and we both dug into our meals. After we were finished and before any of the pack left, I stood up and cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention.

“Good afternoon, Ash River!” I called out.

“Good afternoon, Alpha.” Everyone responded, some very happy, some excited, and some resigned to my presence.

“As you all know, we welcomed our new head-trainers, Matt and Katie, back from their visit to our ally pack.” A few woops sounded through the room, making me smile. “In a few hours, before dinner, we will be holding a gathering at the training grounds. Everyone is encouraged to come and support them. The gathering will be held sort of like a challenge. Some of our best fighters will go against Matt and Katie, and any who wish to volunteer can also jump in! This gathering is for two reasons, to allow the pack to see why our trainers were sent away to learn, and also to motivate everyone to work hard in the future!”

I saw some eye-rolls at my statement, but decided to ignore it for now. They would probably be the ones to volunteer, thinking they will have the upper hand. But I wasn’t worried. Thad was a hell of a trainer, and I knew he whipped the two I sent into shape.

“Secondly,” I continued before anyone could think I was finished and leave. “after the pack gathering, our staff members here at the packhouse have graciously offered to have a cookout! So, they will need about an hour to set up, but we will have a party here at the pack house around 6.”

Most people cheered at the idea, and I dismissed them with a smile, and asking for them to spread the word to anyone who wasn’t present.

Eva smiled and reminded me to keep doing what I’m doing.

**

Everyone was gathering at the training grounds, and the excitement was palpable, even for those who couldn’t sense emotions like I could. I walked over by myself, leaving Eva to rest in one of the guest rooms at the pack house.

Even though it had been months since the mass challenge, I had a feeling that something was going to happen at the gathering. So as I unfolded my lawn chair, I siphoned strength off the pack’s excitement. I didn’t like doing it too often, since I leaned that the extra energy eventually had to go somewhere, but I had also learned to trust my instincts.

It was hard not to smile when I looked around. Nearly all 250 pack members had shown up. Some brought blankets and were spread out on them, and others brought a lawn chair like me. Children were running around and playing, and the adults seemed to be happy just relaxing. Some tension remained with those who weren’t as happy about the changes, but seemed to be putting it to the side for now.

Andrea and her mate (and former Gamma), Jason, walked over to where I had set up. They were carrying their own chairs, and Andrea smiled brightly. Jason kept his head down, still unsure of how to act around me even though I had assured him many times that I wasn’t holding a grudge against him.

“Hey!” I said as they started setting up. I nudged Jason in the shoulder to make him look up, and he smiled shyly. “Have either of you seen Ashton?”

“I know he will be here.” Andrea answered and started giggling a little. “I can’t wait to tease him about how he reacted to finding his mate?”

“Don’t do that!” I almost yelled. I had almost forgotten that Teo was his mate. I hadn’t seen either of them since he first arrived, and the worry over how things would be between us started to creep in again. “At least don’t do it in from of Teo. I’m not sure how well he would take it, even if you were just teasing. I could feel how strong his fear was, and you don’t need to add any insecurity!”

“Yes, Alpha.” Andrea brought her hand to her bald head and mockingly saluted me.

I noticed Matt and Katie over by the fighters they were going to be going against, and could see how excited they were to show off their moves. Right before I was about to give up on my Beta showing up, he finally showed himself, tightly grasping Teo’s hand and carrying a blanket. The dazed smile he had on his face showed how much he was already in love with his mate.

“About time!” I yelled out, making both of them blush. I carefully avoided Teo’s gaze, still not sure what he would think of how Roman and I were handling things. “Ok, now that you are here, we can start!”

I walked out into the center of the training grounds and motioned for Katie and Matt to join me. They walked over, well Katie more like bounced over in her eagerness. I had to stifle a laugh at the sight, and Matt rolled his eyes at her antics. I focused on using some of the extra energy I had gathered to project my voice loud enough for the whole pack to hear.

“We are ready to start!” I called out, earning cheers from the pack. “The top fighters have already gathered over in the corner. Anyone who wants to join them are welcome to, just as long as you understand that this is ONLY sparring in human form! I don’t want any major injuries or blood loss! If I think it is going too far with no one tapping out, I will call it.” I turned to Katie and Matt, knowing that they probably learned a hundred different ways to break bones. “That includes you two.”

Katie winked at me, and I knew that if I was going to need to step in at any point, it would be for whoever was going against her.

A few more pack members joined the fighters, and everything was ready to go. I had told Katie and Matt that they could decide how they wanted to spar, either together or separately. They had chosen to go at separate times, that way none of the more misogynistic pack members could say that Katie had help. It felt like it would always be a battle to rid the older members of their deep-rooted beliefs.

The group who wanted to join in the sparring was split by who they wanted to go against, and Matt signaled that he was ready to start.

I could feel the awe radiating through the crowd as they watched Matt take on person after person. I looked over at Andrea and saw he mouth hanging open, and I had to fight myself from saying ‘I told you so’.

Matt was a big guy, muscled and intimidating, and a lot of the times, he came off as very clumsy. He often ran into things, or knocked them over, and even getting out of the car is far from graceful for him. However, looking at him sparring was like looking at someone completely different.

Thad had performed a miracle in training Matt. He used to rely on his brute strength to fight, but now, Matt was agile and smooth with his movements. The first few people to go against him were quickly knocked out and dragged out of the way. Nearly 20 men had lined up to go against Matt, and he had gone through over 10 of them before he started to show signs of getting tired. Even then, I watched as he switched to a more strategic approach so he could conserve energy without losing the upper hand.

My pack was cheering like crazy, and it made my heart soar to see how easy it was for them to show emotions compared to a few months before. A couple of the men at the end of Matt’s line of contenders had moved over to Katie’s, thinking they stood a better chance against her.

Only 20 minutes after he started, Matt knocked out the last guy. I could see him breathing a little heavier than before, but he was still standing, without a scratch on him. I felt his pride at being able to take on so many people, but he kept it inside, giving a small smile and a slight bow to the pack before walking over to Katie.

“Holy sh!t, Arden!” Andrea leaned over, nearly having to yell due to all the cheering. “I thought you were joking! How the hell was Thad able make Matt, of all people, look graceful? And he seriously kicked ass...”

“I told you!” I interrupted, knowing how long she could rant if given the opportunity. “Just wait until you see Katie!” I added smugly.

Once the cheering calmed down, Katie made her way to the center. She stretched out her upper body and her neck, pumping herself up for what was about to come. There were 16 men in her line, and she was smirking at them. Once again, she winked at me before turning to show that she was ready to start.

The awe that went through the pack when Matt fought was nothing compared to what I felt when they saw Katie. I siphoned off a little more energy from the strong emotion, still expecting that I would need it before the night was over.

I couldn’t help but laugh as Katie took out 5 men in quick succession. She showed her personality in her fighting, skipping and bouncing around in almost a childish manner, but her skills were definitely honed by the month spent training with Thad.

Out of nowhere, two of the men in her line decided to attack at once. I stood up from my chair and gathered even more energy, getting ready to intervene, but then I saw the wicked smile on Katie’s face. They ran at her before splitting up to attack from different sides. Katie didn’t slow down. She ducked under one of the punches and kicked her leg out in the other direction, catching the man right in his most sensitive area. As soon as he dropped to the ground, she jumped higher than I would have though she could and landed on the other man’s back. With a strong elbow to the nape of his neck, he was out cold. She finished off the other one by a punch to his face.

When they were dragged off the field, two more came at her. I knew that she was good enough to take care of two at a time, but it didn’t stop my anger from bubbling under the surface.

Keep it together, Arden. Fae urged me. She had been mostly quiet since she was mad over the mate bond debacle, so I knew I was getting too close to losing control if she was talking to me.

I forced myself to take a breath and calm down. Katie was quickly taking out her competitors, even as they continued to come in sets of two.

Vanalynn, I want the name of all of these men. I managed to get out through the mind link.

Yes, Alpha. She answered, and I could feel her anger even through the link.

It took Katie only 15 minutes to get through the men in her line, and she ended it without a scratch on her as well. The she-wolves in the pack were cheering like crazy for her, and it helped to calm some of my anger that had built up. I wanted them to see Katie as someone they could rely on.

I tensely walked to the center of the grounds and motioned for Katie and Matt to join me. I could feel the anger radiating off of Matt, but Katie seemed even more bubbly than her normal self. I bled some of the energy into my voice, probably more than I should have, but I wanted the pack to know I was serious.

“These are our new Head-Trainers.” My voice boomed throughout the field, making some shy away. “This is not up for discussion, and frankly, I’m highly disappointed with the men who took things in their own hands. But that is something that will be dealt with later.” I calmed the flow of energy to a more manageable level and continued. “Now, our staff will be going to start food for the cookout! Everything will be ready in about an hour but everyone is welcome to hang around the packhouse until then.”

I walked briskly off the field towards my belongings. Seeing Andrea and Ashton there with their mates left a small pang in my chest, but I kept it in. Katie and Matt had followed me, and they started talking with the others while I gathered everything I had brought with me.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder and turn to find Teo looking at me. He was only a few years younger than me, his bronze skin glowed in the evening sun, and the smile on his face showed no sign of being upset. When I stood up, he threw his arms around me, squeezing as tightly as he could, calming the last of the anger I had been feeling over Katie’s sparring.

“I missed you so much, crazy!” Teo whispered into my ear.

“I missed you too!” I held back my tears at the realization that he wasn’t mad at me. “It’s so good to see you! And you found your mate!” We released each other, and he looked over at Ashton, his smile getting even bigger.

“I know!” Teo gushed, “Ashton is perfect! I though he was going to reject me, but once we got to spend time together, he just proved how much of a romantic he is!”

“I’m really happy for the two of you. Ashton can be a little full of himself, but you’re the perfect person to temper him.” I smiled and touched his shoulder. “Are you ready to become a member of my pack?”

Teo froze, still smiling, but not as brightly as before. I was worried he was going to say that Ashton had decided to leave Ash River and go with Teo, but it was even worse.

“Arden, you know I love you.” Teo grabbed both of my hands and lowered his voice so no one could overhear. “We really need to talk about what is going on with you and Roman.”