Chapter 4

Nathan’s POV     

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I mean I could. But I couldn’t believe it.   

Dad must have acted so quickly. We only had that argument a few days ago. He must have submitted the paperwork that day. What a total douche! I still wouldn’t wish him dead. But what a damned douche.      

“We have to talk,” I tell Kris as we leave the pack house. Council Member Clayton has made it very clear I am never to be the Alpha of the River Valley Pack. I want Kris to know that I will support her in her role as Alpha. If it’s not me, then there is no better alternative than Kris.   

I feel bad for my friends. They have been preparing for the day I became Alpha. They have practically been preparing for the positions of Beta and Gamma. “Yes, we certainly do.” She answers me.      

“Can we discuss it after Emily has gone to bed? I think this is a conversation we need to have.” I asked Kris. She nods her head at me and grabs my hand. “We can do anything as long as we stick together.” She says, putting on a false smile. I know then she doesn’t want to be Alpha. But she won’t allow a stranger to take over our pack. I know this.     

     

Kris’s POV       

I prepared a drink for me and Nathan. I sat at the table sipping away at my hot beverage when I felt his arms wrap around me. Taking a seat, I saw a worried look on his face. “Are you okay Kris?” He asked me.     

“Me? Are you okay?” I responded.     

“I have Emily and I have you. Nothing else matters.”     

I love him. It didn’t matter to him what our father did. All he cares about is that he has his family. That right there is our mother’s influence. I cried, thinking about her. Nathan consoles me, asking why I am so upset.     

“It’s not my destiny to be Alpha of the River Valley Pack. I should be off somewhere being the best Luna ever. Just like mom was.” He smiles at me. “Sorry, Kris. Mom was the best Luna any pack could have wished for. You could have been a close second. But never first.” I wiped my face. He is right. Regardless of what our dad thought or felt. She was the best. “I guess you will just have to be the best Alpha River Valley Pack has ever had then.” He added on.     

I scoffed. “That won’t be too difficult.”      

We carry on talking for a while before he asks me if I would consider making his friends Rylee and Dillon, my Beta and Gamma. I have known his friends for a long time and I know they are perfect for the roles. But would they want the position with me as their Alpha? That is a question only they can answer.     

Emily wakes us up in the morning. We must have both fallen asleep on the couch. “Get in touch with Rylee and Dillon,” I told Nathan. “I need an answer.” He smiled at me. “Thanks, Kris. I was worried I messed up their chances.”     

“If you tell me, they can do the job. I know they can.” I told him. He may not be able to receive the title of Alpha. But he is the Alpha’s brother and I trust and value his opinion more than anyone’s.     

Nathan must have told them to come over urgently, as they were at my house within 20 minutes. Looking like they rolled straight out of bed.       

Nathan tells them about what our father did and his wishes. That Nathan will never take over the pack and the Wolf Council is honoring that request. I guess Nathan never told them about what our dad did. Rylee and Dillon are both shocked and disgusted.  

He also tells them I am taking over the pack as Alpha. That the Wolf Council demands that if I do not have a mate by my 21st birthday, they will choose a new Alpha for the pack.     

Emily started crying after hearing about Dad again. I don’t think she can believe that Nathan picked love instead of power. For many, it would have been the other way around. It goes to show how special my brother is.         

Rylee and Dillon reassure Emily, telling her it wasn’t in any way her fault. “In fact, it was Alpha Steel’s fault and the Wolf Council’s for being sexist and stupid,” Rylee states.        

This was an appropriate answer from them. If it had been anything else, I would view all of them differently, especially with what I was about to tell them. Once Emily settled down, “Now that I am to be Alpha, I need a team to help me lead the pack, and I need them as soon as possible. Nathan, who I trust with my life, has recommended you both. There are a few conditions, but would you be willing to help me?” I asked them both.    

They looked at Nathan, who smiled and nodded. He knew they could do it. He knew they wouldn’t let me down. They both stood straight and declared their loyalty to me just like they had done to my brother, once upon a time.    

I told them I would have to travel to other packs, and they would need to escort me. “It’s unlikely my mate will come waltzing into the River Valley Pack. Even if I chose a mate, how would I find him if I remained there?” Nathan agrees with me.   

“I have the extra issues I will face.” Nathan looks confused at me. “If I found my mate, would he accept me for who I am? Not just see me as a quick route to becoming the Alpha of the River Valley Pack. There is no chance of me taking a mate that would treat me the same as my dad treated our mom.”    

“Not a chance in hell would I let you, either,” Nathan states.    

I went to my room for a few hours, had a shower, and composed myself. I don’t think I have had a moment to myself for a while.   

Before I make things official, they should talk things over. When I came downstairs, my friends Isabelle, Lacie, and Erin were there. Nathan called them. Figuring I would need their support.      

Erin told me if I was going out there looking for my mate, they were all coming. “A female Alpha needs her entourage,” Lacie says, laughing. They have decided that it will be a girl’s trip. Well, almost a girl’s trip, as either Rylee or Dillon would have to come.        

“Sounds like a plan, sort of anyway, but for now, let’s get my pack in order.”       

I went and spoke to the pack house and spoke to Council Member Clayton. Completed the paperwork, naming my Beta and Gamma. Then I begrudgingly agreed to the terms set out by the Wolf Council. I still think it’s sexist. Being in a position of authority is necessary to make changes.     

Council Member Clayton tells Dwight and Reggie to inform the pack of the upcoming Alpha Ceremony. It is to be held as soon as possible, as we do not have a reigning Alpha to protect the pack.       

That night, my Alpha Ceremony took place. Council Member Clayton puts a massive emphasis on the fact that I am a Female Alpha, as well as the conditions set out by the Wolf Council. It shocked me he announced it in that way at that time. Surely, it was my place to tell my pack.   

I really hate him and the Wolf Council. “One day, I am going to screw them over,” I tell Nathan through gritted teeth. “I will be right there with you sis,” He states.    

On the pack run that night, Siren noticed how much taller she had become. I never even thought about how becoming Alpha would affect us physically, but it had.       

I am expected to move straight into the pack house. They want me to take over the Alpha suite. The suite had so much sentimental value for me. I was raised there. There are so many memories here. I was told I should take over the Alpha’s bedroom as well. I couldn’t help but laugh at that thought. I was probably conceived in that room. It was also the room where my father’s corpse lay. “No, thanks,” I told Dwight. “I think I will stick to my childhood bedroom.”    

Meanwhile, Nathan and Emily take over my house. He works with Dwight and Reggie on a consultant basis. He knows as much about this pack as anyone, and I always trust him to have my best interests at heart.         

We got into a good routine, and the pack thrived under their new Alpha. Things were going well. Or as well as they could be with the Wolf Council interfering constantly. Reminding me I had a deadline to meet! Clayton also informed me they discuss my situation regularly at their meetings.   

This made me extremely mad. I wanted to punch Clayton right in his smug face. But that won’t help me. It doesn’t stop me from dreaming of the day I will. Because one day I will.    

A few months later, I received a request from an Alpha a few hundred miles away. He requested me to visit them, specifically his sons. He hopes to form an alliance with River Valley and the new Alpha.        

“The Yellow Forest Pack had never allied with our dad previously,” Nathan explains to me. “Unless there is something he wants now?” He says while wiggling his eyebrows.       

“Gross,” I told him, but it would be in my best interest to make myself known as Alpha. So far, I have never left the pack. I agree to meet with Alpha Gunner, but I will travel to his pack sometime next week.     

It would be an excellent opportunity to travel around to meet some of the other packs, especially as my 19th birthday is a few months away.