I showered and dressed in jeans and another t-shirt for lunch and the inspection meeting afterwards. Jared was waiting for me in the hall and we entered the dining hall together as many heads turned towards us.
“Good afternoon Alpha Damon, I’m Winston,” the young man said as he stood up and shook our hands.
“You can call me Damon, how was your training?” I asked him as he led us back to the Alpha table.
“Is that a trick question?” he asked me and laughed.
“Who is in charge of training?” I asked him.
“I am together with the Gamma, Bruce,” he said and nodded his head to a man sitting at the end of the Alpha table.
“Your border guards are lax and unprepared for an attack,” I said to him as his eyes darkened.
“They’ve reported the matter to me,” he said.
“A suggestion if I may,” I said and looked at him.
“Of course, that’s why you’re here right,” he said and I knew he didn’t like this. Alphas liked to think that they were mighty rulers and nobody could teach or tell them anything.
“Border patrol should include all your warriors, rotating shifts every day so that no warrior guards the same border more than twice a week interloped with training in between,” I said to him.
“You think that will make a difference?” he asked me.
“As soon as a warrior gets used to his area he becomes lax especially if nothing ever happens, you should stage surprise attacks on your guards at the border, switch them on a roster, one day patrolling one day training, the next day patrolling another area,” I said to him.
“I will take that into consideration,” he said and turned his attention to his future Beta as Jared gave me that look that said, no he won’t, he was too proud to admit defeat.
Jared and I moved to another table when Max and Justin walked into the dining hall and we sat apart from the rest of the pack as Alpha Carlos glanced over at us every now and then. We spoke in hushed tones and they reported their findings to me.
“Border patrol is a joke,” Justin said as I nodded my head.
“We also found that,” I confirmed.
“We came across a few Omegas being punished by the Gamma,” Max said.
“What was their crime?” Jared asked him.
“We’re not sure, he dismissed them the moment he caught our scent,” Max said.
“I don’t like random punishments, it should be done in front of the pack. Omegas have a right to counter the charges against them and punishment should be decided by the Alpha, nobody else,” Jared said.
“We’ll bring it up in the meeting,” I said as we finished lunch.
“See what else you find and mind link me with anything,” Jared said as we stood up. Alpha Carlos and his son Winston walked over to us as I nodded to Max and Justin.
“Shall we?” Alpha Carlos asked.
“Lead the way,” I said.
We followed them up the stairs to the first floor where he had a small meeting room and two Omegas waited to serve us drinks before leaving the room. I could see Winston was sleeping with one of the two Omegas and Jared and I exchanged looks.
“These are member files, all up to date,” Carlos began and Jared stood up and pulled the pile over to where he sat as he began to scan through them.
“I’d like to discuss security with you, your border patrols are too relaxed. I’m afraid if you’re attacked by rogues your pack won’t survive the onslaught,” I said as I looked at Winston.
“I thought we already discussed this,” he said to me.
“And I can tell that even though you said you’d take my advice into consideration you won’t,” I said to him.
“I assure you Damon, your advice will be adhered to, I want my pack to be safe,” Carlos said as he glared at Winston.
“Winston, you’re still young, but you have a lot to learn before taking over as Alpha, it’s not about being in charge, being the Alpha means you work for the pack, not the other way around,” I said to him.
“What’s that supposed to mean,” he asked me.
“It means keeping these people safe is your first priority, they all rely on you, second is the pack finances, you don’t live like a King if there is even one member suffering in poverty,” I said to him.
“Our people are well taken care of,” Carlos interrupted.
“Your Omegas are on the threshold of pack earnings, working sixteen hours a day just to be able to survive, that’s not being taken care of,” Jared said as he pushed a few files towards me.
“Omegas are workers,” Winston said.
“Yes and also the members of your pack that knows everything,” I said to him.
“Every member is valuable no matter what their rank or status and should be treated as such,” Jared said and I could see the underlying disgust on his face.
“Tell me Alpha Damon, how are Omegas treated in your pack?” Winston asked me.
“First off we don’t have a pack, we’re a clowder and Omegas earn the same as warriors,” Jared said before I could answer.
“My men also reported a few Omegas being punished by your Gamma,” I said.
“I wasn’t aware of Omegas being punished,” Carlos said as Winston looked away.
“How does punishment normally work here?” I asked him.
“If there’s a complaint it goes to the Gamma and he oversees it all,” Winston said.
“You need to restructure your hierarchy, Omegas have rights too, a complaint must be laid and the Omega or member being accused should have a chance to state their case, you cannot just dole out punishment as you see fit, that’s equal to abuse,” I said to him.
“The overall feeling of your pack members are that you are strict but fair Alpha Carlos, there aren’t many problems in your pack and overall you’re doing a great job, it’s just a few things that need to be changed and you’ll see a remarkable change,” Jared said.
“Our pack members spoke to you?” Winston asked in disbelief.
“No, we have certain abilities as Enforcers,” Jared said.
“Another thing to consider Winston is to stop sleeping with the Omegas,” I said and his father turned to look at him.
“What I do in my private time is my own business,” he said as he looked at me.
“True, but when your bonded half joins you as the future Alpha female and she realizes that you’ve slept with all the Omegas serving her, what kind of respect do you think she’ll have in this pack?” I asked him.
“Is that a rule?” he asked me.
“No, it’s just some advice. Women don’t like to be surrounded by other women her mate has slept with, it will only complicate things for you going forward,” I said to him.
“Your business income looks sound and our general observation is that pack members are earning according to their positions, except the Omegas, that needs to change,” Jared said.
“We will implement all the recommendations sent to us in your final report, as for the punishment, Bruce will join us momentarily to explain,” Carlos said.
After ten minutes Bruce knocked on the door and entered the meeting room. He gave us a look I couldn’t really decipher and sat down next to Winston. I had an uneasy feeling as he sat down and he kept looking past us.
“Gamma Bruce, please explain the process you were following in the punishment of two Omegas in the woods earlier,” I said as I looked at him.
“It does not concern you as it’s related to pack matters,” he said to me.
“This is an official inspection by the Enforcer pack and you are required to answer any and all questions posed to you,” Jared said.
“Let’s make this easy for everyone, I don’t like my time being wasted,” I said as I felt Axel push forward and my aura took over.
Bruce was fighting the submission and I could see that Winston didn’t like this one bit. He was hiding something that the Gamma was trying to protect.
“Submit Gamma,” I said as he went down to his knees.
“I wasn’t punishing the two Omegas, I was warning them,” he said as sweat broke out across his forehead.
“Warning them about what?” I asked.
“Omega Three is pregnant and she was hiding it with the help of Omega Seven,” he said and Jared turned to look at Winston.
“I assume the baby is yours,” he said and Winston looked away.
“I was busy commanding her to have an abortion,” Bruce said and I could feel the anger emanating from Carlos.
“You impregnated this Omega and tried to hide this fact?” Carlos asked angrily.
“There are two options here Alpha Carlos, either Winston takes her as his chosen mate and future Alpha Female of this pack since she is pregnant with his heir or he relinquishes all responsibility and we will take her with us,” I said and Jared gave me a look.
“We will?” he asked me through our mind link.
“Yes, the moment we leave here he’ll command her to get rid of that baby in order not to have to mark her,” I said to him.
“She’s an Omega, I can’t take her as my mate,” Winston said.
“But she was good enough to have some fun with,” I said.
“Our men has already made her submit and the truth of the matter is that you made certain promises to this young girl, told her you loved her and that she was your mate since she is still only fifteen,” I said to him.
“Alpha Damon…” Carlos said but I interrupted him.
“Have her pack her belongings, she will be integrated into another pack and Winston will be charged accordingly. He will pay a monthly allowance to her equal to an Alpha Female’s salary so that she will be able to care for herself and her baby, whom she wishes to keep,” I said as I stood up.
“If it’s a boy…” Winston said and his voice faltered.
“You will have no claim on this baby, whether it is a boy or a girl, you will have no further contact with her and you will not be made aware of which pack she joins, your actions in this regard tells me that you are nowhere near ready to be an Alpha,” I said as Jared and I walked to the door.
“Our final report will be sent to your Council and we will not be staying the night at your pack,” Jared said.
“You have a lot of work to do Carlos,” I said as we left the meeting room.
I sent the Omega, whose name was Catherine, with Max who would take her to the Council for relocation and also inform them about our recommendations with regard to the pregnancy and the penalty I had already imposed.“You were very lenient today,” Jared remarked as I drove towards the next location on our list.“Not in the long run,” I said to him with a smile.“What do you mean? You gave him a pass,” Jared said.“Did I? He’s going to pay for the next eighteen years and if that baby’s a boy he can challenge Winston for the Alpha seat one day,” I said as Jared looked at me.“Do you think he realizes that?” he asked me.“Not yet,” I said“Are you going to tell the Omega that?” he asked me.“She has a name Jared. I will most definitely be seeing Catherine again and I might even extend her the courtesy of visiting our pack to train that baby if he’s a boy and reaches the age of ten,” I said to him.“You really don’t like this guy, do you?” he asked me.“Not in the slightest,” I said.“Nei
Two weeks later…We had visited almost all the assignments on our list and we had one last pack left to visit. We were tired and irritated and by now both Jared and I just wanted to go home. I had left Max and Justin with Catherine to help her get settled with the Council and help her choose a new pack.We were driving down a wooded lane but Axel suddenly flicked his tail and sat upright in my head. I caught their scent a moment later and I turned to Jared who had fallen asleep with his head against the window.“Jared,” I said loudly.“What?” he asked me with his eyes still closed.“I’m going to pull off in a clearing up ahead, get ready to shift, we’re being tailed by rogues on both sides of the forest,” I said to him.“Shit,” he said wide awake.It was seven pm at night and we were about five miles from the packhouse of the Goodwin pack. I had no idea why rogues were following us and if Goodwin’s pack had already been attacked. I took my shoes off as I kept driving and threw them on
Iris and Charlotte stood on the steps in front of the packhouse as Jared parked the car. Charlotte ran down the steps and into Jared’s arms as she hugged him tightly and he’d barely had a chance to get out of the car.I walked up the steps as I looked at Iris. Today was her eighteenth birthday and acceptance ceremony. She didn’t look like someone who hadn’t seen their bonded half in three weeks and I wondered if something had happened.“Happy Birthday Iris,” I whispered as I reached her and she finally smiled at me.“Welcome home Alpha,” she said and then she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me hello.She followed me upstairs to my room where I unpacked my suitcase and then lay on my back on the bed next to where she was sitting. I was utterly exhausted and I knew Jared was too. We hadn’t slept much the last week as we rushed to finalize things to be back in time for tonight’s ceremony.“You should rest before tonight,” she said as she gave me a kiss on the cheek.“I’m plann
“Good morning Alpha,” Jared said as he breezed into my office looking a bit surprised to find me there. Usually newly mated couples didn’t leave their rooms for at least two days as they became acquainted with the strength of the bond.“Morning,” I said somewhat rudely to him. What happened wasn’t his fault, but Iris was his sister and I had to wonder if he knew about this other guy.“I’m surprised to find you in the office already working,” he said as he picked up the landline and ordered coffee for both of us.“Work waits for no man,” I said to him.“Damon… what’s going on?” he asked me.“Did you know?” I asked him. He was my best friend and I had to know the truth even if I had to make him submit.“Know what?” he asked me with a frown.“That your sister is in love with someone else,” I said to him.“Bullshit,” he said with a laugh.I kept quiet and just looked at him trying to read his emotions and the expression on his face which was one of disbelief. I wanted so badly to believe
The following morning I felt like a different version of me, the me I used to be before imprinting on Iris and playing nice for a year just to be duped. I had a smile on my face as I got dressed and so far I had successfully ignored Iris’s phone calls and texts.I walked to the Council Headquarters again and this time the man behind the counter just waved me through and I took the elevator up to the nineteenth floor again. Natanya stood on the other side and welcomed me to the Council.“Good morning Alpha Woods, Miss Catherine is in Conference Room One awaiting your arrival,” she said like we hadn’t done a few inventive things the previous night.“Thank you Natanya,” I said as she showed me to the conference room.“Miss Catherine, Alpha Woods is here to see you,” she said as I followed her into the room.She gave me another smile and then left us alone. Catherine was standing by the windows looking out over the city of New York and I could tell she was very nervous.“Good morning Cath
“Tell me about your pack,” Catherine asked me.We were driving out of New York and it was eight am. The Council had tried to stop me but in the end with Catherine saying that she wanted to go with me, it sealed the deal.“Firstly, we don’t have a pack, we’re called a clowder,” I said to her.“Sorry,” she said and I laughed.“Don’t worry about it. You already met Jared, my Beta, and then there's Connor who’s my Gamma, the rest of the clowder are warriors and members. We don’t refer to people as Omegas and we function just like a normal pack would. People have jobs and houses and our territory is enclosed like a gated community,” I said to her.“And what about the Alpha family?” she asked me.“My mother’s still alive, her name’s Sara and then I have a younger sister Kat,” I said to her.“I’m sorry,” she said.“For?”“The loss of your father,” she said as she quickly glanced at me.“It was a while ago, but thank you,” I said to her. “What about you?”“I don’t know who my parents were, I
Iris never came back that night and I fell asleep alone feeling like shit. I had blamed her for something that actually had nothing to do with me and then I went and hurt her in the worst way bonded halves could hurt each other.“Who ate your porridge?” Jared asked as he joined me at the table in the dining hall.“Iris and I spoke last night,” I said to him.“And?” he asked me.“I was an idiot,” I said to him as he laughed.“So why do you still look like this?” he asked me.“Because I was so hell bent on what she did before we imprinted that I wanted to hurt her back,” I said to him.“Did you sleep with someone in New York?” he asked me his voice changing.“Yes,” I said as he stood up and took a swing at me, his fist connecting with my jaw.The whole dining room fell into deafening silence as I stood up from the floor and Jared readied himself to take another swing.“The first one was fair game but come at me again and I won’t hold back,” I said to him.Jared lunged for me as I grabbe
Four months later…Jared and I had just parked the car in front of the packhouse after an assignment and we had spent three days in a forest sleeping in our cat forms tracking rogue wolves. We had found nineteen and killed them all after getting the information from them that we could.“Welcome back,” Iris said as we walked towards the steps.“Did you miss us?” Jared asked her.“Maybe,” she said as she looked at me.I walked past her into the house and up the stairs to my bedroom. Iris had started talking to me but she hadn’t moved back into our room since that night but slowly she was warming up to me. Her mark had long ago faded now but I could still feel the bond when I was in her proximity.I had thrown the duffel bag on the floor by the foot of the bed and started undressing as I opened the faucets of the shower. I stood under the hot water as I felt the wounds from that morning burn as the water cleansed them. My right arm was completely covered and I had ten new marks on my lef