The Alpha - 7. I Accept

Dorian stood before the membership as they remained on one knee. “I accept your pledge and the faith you’ve placed in me.”

Marshal approached his stepson. “You’ve victoriously survived the challenge, even against four aggressors, and the pack has pledged its allegiance to you as our new alpha.”

“I will do all I can to lead you as Alpha Wagner did. He was a great man like my stepfather is and someone I’m privileged to have learned from. I may make mistakes. Hell, I guarantee I’m gonna make a lot of mistakes along the way. But I’ll do my best to listen well and value the opinions of all. I name as my beta, Levi McKinney. I choose two wolves as my enforcers, Wade Richards and Thaddeus Roslin, since both wanted to serve the pack. And to honor them for coming to my assistance. Do my beta and enforcers accept this call to serve?”

Levi came forward as his family looked on with a mixture of smiles and frowns. “Alpha Jackman, as one of my oldest friends and my new alpha, it’s my honor to serve.” With that, he presented his neck to Dorian per modern custom.

“Your wrist please.”

Looking surprised, Levi nodded and presented his wrist to Dorian who took it in his hand and created an inch long scratch with his claw before doing the same to himself. They clasped each other’s arms as the blood from the small wounds mingled. Wade and Thad both followed suit and presented their own when called to.

“By the sharing of our blood, you are bonded to me and I to you. Thank you for accepting these duties.”

Dorian turned to his stepfather. “Marshal Holms, as we work to rebuild the council, I ask you to stay on and give me counsel during this transition and beyond. Your years of service will be invaluable as we move into this new chapter of our history.”

“It is my honor to serve, Alpha”

“Thank you everyone and have a good night.”

With that the meeting began to break up. People came up to congratulate Dorian. Any doubts some had about his inexperience vanished with the way he handled himself in the ring. The uncertainty felt at not having a leader could be put to rest now. They had an alpha who not only fought for the right to lead, but asked their blessing before accepting the honor.

Wade and Thad waited respectfully as people wished Dorian a good hunt and long life. When the crowd thinned out, it was Thad that addressed him first.

“Alpha, I’m honored by you choosing me as an enforcer but also surprised since we’ve never been close. I’m not sure if we’ve even spoken before. Shouldn’t the position go to someone you know and trust with your life?”

“I may not know either of you well, but I know enough to see you’re good men. In time, the position may go to someone else if you decide it isn’t what you want. What you did tonight is something I want from my enforcer. Not only did you stand up when I asked for people willing to become alpha, but you were the ones who came to my defense when the other three attacked. I think you’ll put the good of the pack first, and I need people like you.”

Both men nodded as they all understood they were on the same page.

“Why don’t you stop by my place after off work tomorrow, and we can go over a few things? We should get to know each other better too.” He clasped a shoulder on each man. “I don’t want you to be yes men. In private I will always want your honest opinion even if it differs from mine. Stand your ground and give me good reason why you’re right on something. I need advisors, not enablers.”

“Yes, Alpha. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

When Dorian and Levi were about the only ones left, the new beta clapped his friend on the back. “I can’t believe you’re the alpha. This isn’t at all how I expected the evening to go.” He punched Dorian on the arm. “This is awesome, bro. Oh, and thanks for making me beta. A bit over the top with the outdated blood bond, but I’m sure it played well to the people.”

“Who else would I choose? We’ve been friends forever and even though we don’t always agree, I know I can trust and count on you to advise me.” He glared at Levi when he realized what his friend had said. “The blood bond wasn’t to play to the crowd and put on a show. It was my pledge to the people I’m asking to be my most trusted advisors. My pledge to the pack that I take all of this seriously. I hope you take your new responsibility to the pack and to me just as serious.”

Dorian regarded his oldest friend for a few moments. “After all these years as friends, you should realize I still believe in a lot of the old ways and traditions, don’t you? You do know these things are important to me, right?” Dorian yawned as fatigue set in from the fight’s adrenaline rush crashing. He knew his questions were more rhetorical than anything, since Levi never cared about tradition. “Okay, I’m heading home. It’s been a long day. I’m tired, I’m sore, and my crew has a busy day tomorrow.”

“Umm… You realize you technically own the company now?”

“Shit… Thanks for reminding me of something I hadn’t considered yet. Well, I still have work tomorrow, and who says the boss can’t run one of the crews.”

As the pair went their separate directions, the commander of the hunters cleared his throat. “Alpha, these four will escort you home. Two will remain with you, and their replacements will arrive in the morning.”

“That’s not needed, but thanks.”

“And what did you say to Alpha Wagner when he said it wasn’t needed? Besides, I can see how tired you are and our new alpha is not going to drive tonight.”

“Fine, let’s go guys.”

******

The following day, Dorian managed to get halway through his shift before he got a call asking if he could come to the pack offices at his convenience. His crew knew what needed to be done, so he left his assistant foreman in charge and drove back to town.

Marshal met him outside the office and walked in with him. Alpha Wagner’s personal assistant jumped to her feet upon seeing the new boss. “Good afternoon, Alpha Jackman. I have a few messages for you and the pack lawyers will arrive within the next half hour. Would you like to meet them in the conference room or in…” She began to cry before she could finish her question.

“It’s okay, Emma. We all miss him. I think the conference room is good for today.”

“Thank you, Alpha. I still need to go through the office and clean out his personal effects.”

“We can do that together. In the mean time, there’s no rush and I can use it with his things in it.”

She nodded and gave him a hug before realizing her error and jumping back.

“It’s okay. I think I needed that as much as you did. Now, is a meeting with the lawyers something you would normally sit in on?”

“Yes, Alpha. I typically attended to take any notes for Alpha Wagner.”

“Good. I hope you’ll consent to staying on in your current position. I have a feeling I’m going to need all the expert assistance I can get.”

The meeting with the lawyers took several hours as they passed him page after page to sign with the first being what would be sent to the Lycan Council. There were dozens of documents to sign transferring control of the pack trust to Dorian, which effectively made him the boss of all pack-owned companies, like Wagner Logging. It was mind numbing as they explained each sheet of paper they wanted him to sign. Dorian read over as much of it as he could in addition to having Marshal and Emma explain some of it.

“One of you could have warned me about all this before I stuck my neck out and became alpha.”

“We might have, but we didn’t want to risk you deciding not to go through with it.” Marshal set a glass of whisky in front of his stepson. “I’d say drink this to soothe your nerves, but in this case it sucks to be a lycan.”

One of the lawyers gave his new alpha a nod. “There are several of us who will provide you with any assistance you may need during and after the transition. All of the companies have good management in place. A few will need a little oversight, since their directors were either killed by the assassin or perished in the ring last night. Unless you have people in mind to promote, we can provide you with a list of qualified candidates to place as interim directors until such time as you make it permanent.”

The other lawyer set his pen down. “If I may suggest, Alpha. Perhaps it would be good to have a meeting of all the company heads and acting heads soon, so they can at least report in to you. The accounting staff in our office will also stay on top of things to make sure there are no irregularities while you adjust to your new position. Our staff does regular audits of management to insure only the best people remain in place.”

“I knew Alpha Wagner ran a lot of companies, but did I just become alpha of the pack or a corporate CEO?”

“Technically, you became both. It’s how most modern packs operate. The companies profits support the pack, and the jobs take care of both the members and the human population in the area. That’s why everything’s in a trust. Alpha Wagner didn’t own things so much as managed the corporation. Your position comes with a salary to support you, and you’ll be listed as CEO or company president once we finish the legal filings. You also have the authority to change or dissolve the trust at any time and take full ownership. Your predecessor had it setup this way to protect the pack in the event of his death. Everything easily transfers to the new alpha rather than having to go through court, deal with purchases, and everything else.”

Marshal placed a hand on Dorian’s shoulder. “Try to look at it like this. You managed a good sized crew and had already gotten fairly high at Wagner Logging. You also made it to captain of the hunters and managed the people under you; now you have a few more people to oversee. If I didn’t think you could do it, I would have never suggested this. You don’t have to be perfect from the start or ever for that matter. There are people whose job it is to help you in this. Be yourself and keep to the mindset this is a duty to all those who count on you. I know you can be a good alpha and not one of those power hungry autocrats.”

“Thanks. All those who count on me. Yeah, no pressure there. I’ll do my best to not go all Dr. Evil on everyone.” Getting a silly grin on his face he shifted the sound of his voice a little while rubbing his hands together. “But could I get at least one shark with a frickin’ laser on his head? Come on, throw me a bone here people.”

One of the lawyers raised an eye. “Okay, I think the Alpha has signed enough papers for today. We can wait on the rest.”

******

The next few days were trying to say the least: meetings with various pack members, reviewing reports on different companies, individual meetings with managers. Levi would join Dorian throughout the day and offer his help. He made sure he was involved in as much of the business as possible.

Dorian tried to make time to get to better know Wade and Thad. They met for dinner a couple times during the week to discuss expectations and duties.

The pack elders made themselves available to their new leader and were happy he was willing to listen to them. They were most impressed he would hear them out and consider the options of what was discussed before making his decision.

Congratulatory cards, letters, and gifts began arriving from surrounding packs. Many offered their hope of continued good relations with Pitt River and its new alpha. The leader of the nearby avian flock contacted Dorian wondering if the status would remain the same or change for any his kind living within the territory. Dorian had long considered several of the flock to be friends; perhaps not close friends, but friends none the less. He assured the flock master they were still welcome, and nothing in their status would change. He hoped they would continue to live and work as they always had and requested a meeting with his counterpart so they could renew their alliance.

The bear clans in the area typically kept to themselves and consisted mostly of a family here or there. The head of one family worked on Dorian’s logging crew. He seemed a little apprehensive following the pack changes until the new alpha approached him.

“You know you can chill. You’re a good worker and none of the bears have given me any reason to think you’re a security risk to the pack.”

“Thanks, Dorian. My apologies, thank you, Alpha Jackman.”

“You can pass on to the others that it’s status quo.”

Dorian thought the initial paperwork was mind numbing until the lawyers began discussing the treaty documents he had to review. He needed to know the terms of any agreements with his neighbors. There were a number of small and medium size packs all around them as well as other species. Each treaty was different, depending on what the needs were at the time they were agreed upon. He wondered how other alphas dealt with all the paperwork.

Emma notified him there were requests for video conferences with alphas the pack did business with, while arrangements for in person meetings with others started to take shape. Representatives from the Lycan Council also wanted to arrange a video call prior to sending a representative to meet with him personally.

During one meeting, Dorian glared at Marshal. “If you weren’t my stepfather, I’d exile you from the pack. At times I feel like I got set up big time into accepting this position.”

“Of course you were, Alpha. We had to make sure we got the best candidate for the job. If you knew about this side of it, you never would have agreed.”