Becoming Alpha

Chapter 6

Dagger

"Welcome back, cousin," I greeted Ice. It had been just a few days, but it felt like longer. It was never the same without him.

"It's good to be back. I really like our trips, but there's nothing like being back home," Ice smiled.

"So, how was the trip?" I only knew the basics, an Alpha had killed another and taken over the pack. Most of the time we didn't bother with things like that, but after what had happened with Menace's pack, we needed to make sure everything was by the book.

"It seems legit. The Alpha had gone mad and the new one challenged him as a way to save the pack. It was the previous Alpha's son who asked him to do that. So it was done correctly and for a good reason. The pack seems happy with the change."

"I don't know," Risk interrupted. "There was something off about the whole thing. I felt like they were keeping something from us. And the previous Alpha's daughter? She looked really uncomfortable. Like she wanted to tell us something, but was holding back," her eyes were unfocused, like she was looking at something in the past.

"But you heard her brother, they did it for her, she was practically a prisoner under her father's control," Ice replied, dismissing the comment.

"And still, she didn't look that happy or that free for that matter. Did you notice how she was always being followed?" Risk asked, staring at her mate. "That first night, the warrior that escorted her back to the Pack House looked more like he was dragging her back inside, than like he was just making sure she was safe."

"If she was treated as a prisoner before, maybe she was being reckless about being outside and they were bringing her inside for her own protection?" I suggested.

"I don't know. I never got the chance to talk to her alone," Risk said, and she sounded sad about that.

"I didn't see the need, to be truthful," Ice added.

"We can go in a few weeks and see how things are going. I don't think there's any need to worry," I said.

"I'll go debrief with our parents and grandma, then we will see what to do. What are you up to?" Ice asked me, leaving Risk concerns behind. It was not that he didn't care about his mate's opinion, just that sometimes he worried she was too worried about everything.

"I'm thinking of going to visit some packs, maybe attend a Full Moon ceremony," I said, trying to sound casual.

"Looking for your True Mate?" Risk asked.

"Yes, I'm starting to feel a little lonely," I had to agree. "But I know that if it's destined, it's going to happen. Like with you two."

"Yes, it will," Ice agreed.

I walked away, it was hard to be around them when they were looking at each other like they were each other's world. Besides, it was my turn to train the warriors. I loved the energy and the chance to be with others. And it distracted me from the fact I still didn't have my True Mate with me.

The UberPack is full of alphas, the kind of people that can't be in other packs because they are too strong to follow a weak leader. But my family is not weak, and we need to keep reminding everyone of that, to keep the peace in the Pack.

"Boss, what's up?" Karla, one of our youngest greeted me. "It's true Ice is back?"

"Yes, he is back from his mission."

"I wanted to go with him," she pouted. I bet she thought it was sexy, but in truth, it was kind of annoying.

I wasn't sure what to think about her, she was always trying to get closer to me and Ice, but it felt like she was only following us for a chance to climb the ranks. It was not the way it worked, and it was time to remind her and the others about it. I let my Alpha aura out, as strongly as I could. To the stronger ones, it would only be uncomfortable, for others, like Karla, it was unbearable. I could see her almost collapsing to the floor, others were also reacting. Once I had everyone's attention, I dialed it back a little, but not cutting it completely.

"Hello, everyone. Are you ready for today's training?" I asked but didn't wait for anyone to respond. "Well start with a run through the forest in our human forms, and then, we will change back to our animal forms, and do a little tracking. I'll race you all to the lake," I say, before starting to run. I needed to burn some energy, and this was a good way to do it.

I was fast, but I also knew my limits and how to push them. At first, some of the others were running along with me, one even got ahead for a while. But the distance was long, and soon most of them got tired and started to fall back, some went all the way to the group in the back. Others were able to maintain their speed, but no one could keep my pace. By the time they started to arrive, I had already been there for a few minutes and had been busy preparing everything for the next step.

As wolves, hunting was a very important part of our lives, when we were in our animal forms, our instincts were very strong. It was important to train in both forms, to help them become better warriors. As part of the UberPack, we also needed the training to keep our places in the pack in check. We were full of alphas, most in here could have their own packs if they wanted, and because of that, it was important to help them burn their energy, and show them their place. Only a few of them were truly unstable, but for the sanity of everyone, it was important to keep everyone aware of who was stronger than whom. And it was important for me and my family to show them we were on top, or they would stop listening to us.

The betrayal of one of our own a few months before had shaken us all. It wasn't like we were going to start mistrusting everyone, but it made it clear how important it was to maintain the status quo. Even grandma had made a visit to the training grounds and shown some of our strongest warriors why she was still the Alpha of the Pack. I knew that my parents and my aunt and uncle had done something similar, just to remind everyone who was in charge.

I also noticed that since we had started to take a more active role in policing the rest of the packs, we were all happier. It gave us a purpose, something to do without time other than focusing on ourselves.

"I set a few things for you to find in the forest," I said once everyone in my group had arrived and had a few minutes to rest. "First, you have to change to your animal forms, and then get the scents from here," I pointed to three rags with scents on them. "With this, you must track the scent and bring back here what you find."

I didn't need more explanations, it was something we usually did as exercise and they already knew the routine. They didn't waste any time shifting to their wolves' forms and going after the prize. The winners usually just got bragging rights as a prize, and for most of them, it was enough. And I liked that this was more about their abilities and not their strength. We did plenty of sparring and ranking fights, but we also needed to keep other talents. Some of them needed better incentives, but for now, all they needed to do was to follow my orders and do what I asked them to do.

Sooner than I expected, a cream-colored wolf ran back into the clearing where I was waiting. It was being followed closely by five others, but he reached me before the others, with the rag I had hidden in the forest.

"We have our first winner," I announced, to the annoyance of the rest of them. The second and third ones took longer to arrive, but they all returned before sunset. The rest were already in the water, playing and relaxing, and soon everyone was there, letting off steam and just being young.

I was happy with the results, they all looked relaxed, and more secure in their positions, and without bloodshed, which was always a plus. I knew that soon I was going to have to schedule a tournament, but for now, exercises like that were enough to keep the peace.

I went to join them, being careful to keep my Alpha aura in check to not set anyone off. It was time for comradery.

While I was there, I couldn't help but think about Ice's last mission. Some of the settings reminded me of Menace's circumstances, and it was odd to me that the children of the former Alpha were okay with the new one.

How terrible did you have to be for your own children to be happy you were dead? And not only accept, but encourage another Alpha to take over your position?

It was definitely an odd situation, one that I would have to go and investigate. It wasn't fair that Ice got to have all the fun. I wanted some of it for myself.