Dave -
I still find it hard to believe, I agreed to become an Alpha, what was I even thinking, I can't do this. I mean I know why I said yes. I agreed simply because I didn't want Jack to have to take on a crumbling pack on top of his own pack right after finding his mate, but jeez, what was I thinking? I'm still not sure that I made the right choice, I mean, don't get me wrong, I knew that Jack made it look easy, I knew it had to be a tough position and I knew that I would need to work hard, that I would need to work my ass off to bring this particular pack up to scratch. I've never been one to shy away from a challenge either, but this pack has been hit hard by a few wolves that think the world owes them something, it isn't just a fixer upper pack, this pack needs emotional support as well as an actual leader. Thank the goddess I worked as closely as I did with Jack and thank the goddess he is only a phone call away for advice.
Ace may have only been in charge for less than a year, but without proper structure and training a pack can crumble in that time, the fitness levels required need to be strictly maintained, the produce thoroughly tended, everything hangs in the balance and having a sick Alpha and a shitty piece of work take over can result in the pack imploding within a matter of months, no matter how strong they are to begin with.
I always knew being an Alpha came with a lot of responsibility, but I truly never fully understood all the things Jack handled on a day to day basis. I know that not having your Luna by your side makes the work that much more difficult and having spent the last month in the Alpha position, I can honestly say that I am so happy for Jack that he has finally found his mate, he deserves her and so does the pack, it does however make me long for my own mate more than I ever have before, I don't know how Jack coped for so long without Cassie, but I am in awe of him. This pack has had a tough time of it of late and needs a solid presence to help build it back up to its former glory and I have decided that I will be the man they need, the man that with the help of family and friends will bring this pack back from the brink that Ace was dangling off of. I will do right by these wolves and I vow, right here, in this moment that I will make Alpha Sven proud.
So here I am, sitting in my office before the sun has even had a chance to touch the lakes. I am taking a look at the notes I made hastily last night of all the things I want to work on today. We are slowly climbing out of the mess Ace sunk the pack into, working hard to repair the damage inflicted upon the pack, lands and our members, but, first things first, I need to get the warriors and tracker here to brief them on the new plan, since this is our most pressing concern at the moment.
Our top priority right now is Ace, we have been here for a little over a month and we can't find a trace of him, though we know he is nearby. The plan was already in motion, Brian and Mark were on their way to the mountains, they would be crossing our border within the next 15 minutes or so and would begin making their way up the mountain towards the area where we know the caves to be. I called Daisy 5 minutes ago and asked her to come down to my office. I want her opinion on some things and her thoughts on others while we wait.
Daisy throws open the door at that moment and enters my office in the same fashion she does every other room she goes into, like a damn whirlwind. I instinctively, almost unconsciously, grab for the papers spread across my desk as though she were an actual whirlwind threatening to spill all of it onto the floor, but they don't stir, as she is, thankfully, only a theoretical whirlwind.
"Good, you're here, we need to go over the plan again, we had to make some changes last minute" I say as she flits about the room, opening the curtains, turning the lights off, rearranging the stuff on the coffee table, "the others will be joining us shortly, they will be here any minute and I wanted to go over it with you first, once they depart we can go over schedules for the day and then go from there."
I honestly don't know how I would have managed these giant changes without my twin sister by my side, she may be a whirlwind but she is as organized as they come and giving her the Beta position was an easy choice for me. Now all I need is to capture Ace so we can have him relinquish his aura so we might properly secure her position and so that we can be confident that Cassie and both our packs are safe.
Now that all the paperwork has been handled regarding the pack businesses Alpha Sven and Luna Lily had set up I know where we stand financially and I am incredibly grateful they recently went out to oversee and update the companies. There is only one thing that I am still unsure of, there seem to be some significant discrepancies between the payments we were sending and the agreement that we have with Forest Haven, it seems that extra payments were always made when Alpha Sven and Luna Lily were off pack lands, so I plan to send Daisy out to Forest Haven pack soon to check on things and learn what she can from them. There is the added bonus of the fact that they have had a similar situation to what we have now, it was about 50 years ago they had a member of their pack betray their own, but there are bound to be pack members that remember, us outside packs remember the stories that came through word of mouth, but though they resolved the issue their actions are not clear, so I am hoping they may be able to give us some useful advice on how to handle this thing with Ace.