1. Alpha Brax

Brax’s pov

It’s been two years since I took over the Blood Rock pack, and a lot has changed. Not everything I wanted to achieve was accepted right away; it took some convincing and even some shouting and violence for everyone to see eye to eye with me and the vision I have for this pack.

Those that benefited from my changes were more willing to accept them than those that didn’t.

‘You mean all the old and rich folks?’ My wolf, Hudson, replied sarcastically.

Yeah, those. People might have assumed I would rule this pack like my father did. While I had learned from my father, I wasn’t going to follow in his footsteps. I was grateful for what he had taught me, though. I learned from him how not to run a pack.

He thought women were weak and inferior, and I had chosen a female beta to rule by my side. He had valued the rich over the poor, and I was making sure that everyone had equal opportunity in this pack. Ranks still existed, but they didn’t limit my members. I wasn’t basing my decision on what family someone was born into; if an omega wanted to try a job that wasn’t common for their kind, he or she could. Whoever was the best was picked.

I wanted to pick my gamma the same way. Not based on bloodlines or influential families of the pack, but I wanted a gamma that had the respect of the soldiers, had knowledge and experience, and that Elora and I could trust.

When I chose Elora as my beta, I based my decision on a gut feeling, and her mark proved me right. The mark on her neck contained the shape of the mountains we were now looking at.

"I’m pregnant."

Her words shocked me. We had been sitting with her in peaceful silence. I knew Darian and Elora wanted children, but I didn’t expect them so soon.

"This is where you’re supposed to say congratulations," she joked, slapping my arms softly.

"Congratulations!" I choked out. "I didn’t know you were trying."

Elora blushed. "We weren’t. I mean, I did stop the pill, but I thought it would take a bit until the whole thing was flushed out of my system."

I knew Elora and Darian were into some freaky shit in the bedroom. Not that I judged them. How could I, when I had tried most things myself? They could get pretty loud too, but that didn’t bother me either. Most bedrooms were soundproof in the very fancy packhouse my father had built.

"I think it’s time to start building the new packhouse then." I replied.

Elora raised her eyebrow. "I thought other things were more important? The baby won’t mind."

I shook my head, "your child should be raised in a house that feels like a home, not a damn castle made of marble and gold. We’ll need to draw up some plans first. I was thinking a big living room, a giant kitchen, and one wing for you and another for me."

"So we can fill them with kids?" she joked.

The thought of having a kid of my own felt painful, bringing back memories I’d rather forget.

Elora noticed my silence and put her hand on my arm. "Isn’t it time to stop playing around and find someone to settle down with? Your mate is out there somewhere. I can watch over the pack while you look for her or him. At least until I’m unable to shift."

I shook my head no, "we still need to find a gamma, and there’s too much to do. Besides, I like having fun. Last night I had a woman and a man in my bed, you can’t imagine the joy of being taken while taking, -"

Elora stopped me from finishing my sentence by gagging loudly; I knew she would. She might get kinky herself, but hearing me talk about my conquests always had a way of making Elora cringe. It also made her stop talking about my mate, which was the point.

I was doing fine without a mate, and my pack was most important to me now.

"We were thinking of making you the godfather," Elora said, "if you accept, of course."

"Does that mean I get the baby if you both die?" I joked.

Elora shook her head with a chuckle, "no, it means you’re there to help with raising our child and offer support and guidance to him or her. You’ll be like the cool uncle our child can go to to complain about us. If we both die, our baby would probably be raised back at the Iron River pack by my sister or mom."

"You thought a lot about this."

Elora sighed, "I didn’t have any family except for my sister for most of my life. We’re creating a family here of our own, but my family at the Iron River Pack will always be important to me. I want my kid or kids to have what I didn’t. Two parents that love them, safety, and security. I want them to have fun and not be scared all the time."

While I didn’t know what it felt like to be raised at a school without getting love from a parent, I did know what it was like to have a childhood where you were scared all the time. Where you had to pretend. It wasn’t until my mother bravely took us away from our home and to the Iron River Pack that I experienced a carefree youth. I guess that is why it was easy for me to forgive Elora’s dad for taking my father’s life. He had freed us. Mostly my mom, but us as well. Instead of feeling like I needed to protect my mother from my father, I could finally be a child.

Years of therapy also helped.

Like me, Darian had experienced the same thing. His father was the owner of the school where Elora and her sister were raised, and like my evil dad, Darian’s father was also brutally killed by Elora’s father, Alpha Asher. Also known as the Iron Alpha at the time. We had bonded over the years, as had I with his brother and sister. There weren't many people that could relate to having a father like ours.

"How did Darian react?"

Elora smiled, but her eyes looked sad. "He’s still upset about his mother’s death, but he’s really happy."

Darian’s mother passed away a few months ago. The loss of her mate had been too much for her, and while we had hoped the move here would help, it had only made things worse. She often forgot things and got stuck in an old memory where her mate was still alive. She had episodes where she was fine, but in the weeks before her death, it just kept getting worse, and all she would ask for was her mate.

Darian had been burying himself in work to deal with the loss.

‘And apparently burying himself in Elora as well,’ Hudson joked. Goddess, if people could hear him, they would realize my wolf was so much worse than me.

"I’m happy for you both," I said, putting my arm over Elora’s shoulder. "You’re going to be a great mom, and I’ll be the best uncle I can be."

"You know, if you and Airk are mates, you’d be his actual uncle…." Elora said, and I sighed out of frustration. Elora knew that Airk and I had a moment or a few moments when he was fifteen, and she kept suggesting we should meet again. But I had avoided leaving the pack and visiting the Iron River pack on purpose.

He had been the only person I had ever had feelings for that weren’t just lust, and he wasn’t eighteen yet. I wasn’t in the right headspace to have a serious relationship with anyone, and besides, I hardly had time for the non-serious ones. And for us being mates, while he would be my perfect match with his calm and serious demeanor, I was sure there was a mate for him out there somewhere.

"Let’s head back," I said instead of engaging in a pointless conversation about her little brother again. "We still need to prepare for our meeting with the potential council members. I really would rather kick Nigel out of the council, but he seems to have the vote of all the old bastards."

"Elders," Elora corrected me with a giggle. "And yes, maybe we get lucky and Nigel dies of old age. Goddess, that man is annoying."

We were busy creating the perfect council that contained a member of each rank. This way, if a problem within their ranks arose, they could come to me and we could find a solution together. This meant we had an omega, a soldier, an elder, and a member of the elite families, as they liked to call themselves.

I rubbed my temples with my fingers, "I’m still the Alpha, so we could always cancel the council if they get too mouthy."

Elora rolled her eyes, but I saw a tiny smile on her lips. "No, the council was a good idea of yours. We just need time to get used to it, just like the rest of the pack. It’s a way for everyone to feel like they have a voice without you actually having to talk to hundreds of people each day."

"But if the idiot tells me I need a luna one more time…."

"He just means he doesn’t want you to be alone. We all don’t." Elora explained, but while it was nice, it wasn’t the truth. Nigel didn’t care about me being alone. He just wanted me to have a luna so I could produce an heir.

"He wants me to have a she-wolf, not a man. He’s still stuck in his old ways. He isn’t saying I should have a mate—no, a Luna. He knows I'm interested in all genders, not just women. Too bad I’m not dating anyone from this pack, or I’d screw Nigel’s grandson just to mess with him. He’s been eyeing me for a while."

It’s a rule I established for myself when I took over. I didn’t want any exes walking around my pack, thinking they could be my next Luna or mate. Or any people that would get jealous. So I only dated people from other packs, and I always let them know it wasn’t serious.

Elora and I walked back to the packhouse, "you’re a really good alpha. Did I tell you that?"

I laughed, "yeah, but not today, so please tell me how I’m the best Alpha you’ve ever met."

Elora chuckled. "I didn’t say best. But you’re a great alpha and my best friend. I worry about you sometimes; sometimes you stare off in the distance and look sad."

"It’s not my sad face; I just need to fart." I replied with a wink. Elora was always so observant, but I wasn’t willing to talk about it. Instead, I used humor as a way to deflect, or if things got too much, I would lift some weights or box with someone until I felt better.

Elora shook her head, "no, it’s not. But when you’re ready to tell me what’s going on inside your head at those moments, just know I’m here."