Part of the Pack (Book 1 in the 'part of' series)

Chapter 17 Alpha duties

Chapter 17 Alpha duties

Randall seemed to get a kick at the fact Ralph was doing his chores. It was something simple and easy to do. In fact, I tried to help out the best I could. I found out that they made most of their own tools. I was able to fix a slight issue that they were having with their mop and I informed them about different materials which could be used. They also taught me some things. I hadn't thought about using things such as lemon juice to clean surfaces. It was a little bit more of an adult conversation then I had in a while. It was nice. The majority of people at my university lost their sensible frame of mind as soon as we exited the classroom.

"Lathen." I heard Eben say as I was sitting outside with the rest of the pack. All the children had come outside. Now the adults have finished their training. It was time for the little pups to have some playtime outside. It was about three or four pm. I had quickly learnt that the clocks int he pack's home were not at all accurate. There were three clocks in one room and yet none of them were correct, all saying a different time. Yet if I were to ask, I was sure the pack members would know the time. "How did it go?"

A tall man came through the door. He looked in his mid forties with short dark hair and light eyes. He had a rather long beard. His eyes scanned the group, staying on me for a few moments before moving on. During those moments I could feel him analysing each and every aspect of my face, I felt like he would know my zodiac sign with a simple look.

"Stressful." Lathen said simply as he took a seat in the grass, he was wearing rather smart attire. If I wore anything like that and then sat in the grass I would never hear the end of it from my parents. "We're safe for now. The agreement still stands." He rubbed his neck and thee pup's bounced over to him. He chuckled slightly. "But we can discuss that later." He threw a ball and Melina's wolf immediately darted after it. "You must be Aiden,correct?"

The feeling with being suddenly addressed sent a shiver down my spine and startled em slightly. "Yes, sir." I said nervously. It seemed the pack found it amusing as they shared smirks and sniggers amongst themselves. Lathen stood up slightly and walked closer. Each step silent yet rather loud in my mind.

"Sir...I haven't been addressed that way in this house...at all before." I could now see how tired he looked, he had bags under his eyes and he had a few more wrinkles then I had seen on other's, along with stress lines. "Usually the others call me Alpha, apart from Eben. Yet you can just call me Lathen. I understand that is what you are used to."

He didn't phrase it like a question. I guessed that he had more experience with human communication and customs. I nodded quickly. "Yes but...I don't mind Sir either...if that would make you more comfortable..." It was clear I was a little bit nervous. I was talking to an alpha, From what I had seen and learnt, Alpha's are the heads of the pack. They're the ones in charge and they are basically the leaders. They were treated with respect by the other members of the pack, I should be no different.

Lathen gave another slight chuckle. "Aye, You're one of respect. I like that." His eyes moved from me to Ralph and then back to me again. "Lathen is just fine, thank you." He nodded and then walked back over to where he was, sitting on the grass by himself. Some pups walked up to him and lay down next to him. I wasn't sure who it was, I could tell that it wasn't Melina, she was quite a bit smaller than the other pups. "I noticed that everyone did their chores today, even Randall."

"Aiden is a good influence." Eben chuckled as he ruffled his oldest son's hair, the action causing a rather harsh glare. I chuckled and blushed slightly, waving the comment off. I didn't really agree with it, all I wanted to do was see the way they tackled the task of doing chores. It seemed like something boring and mundane, yet they did it so differently to how I would do it. "He is very eager to learn how we do things."

"Is that so?" Lathen raised an eyebrow, the rest of the pack had moved into the kitchen. Once again, I wondered if there was some sort of telepathy between them all. "If you're interested in an Alpha's duty. I would be more than happy to show you." His eyes looked up to Ralph, who seemed to want to look away. "Both of you."

Ralph didn't seem eager, but I was. I was incredibly interested in what Alphas do in order to run the pack properly. I didn't quite understand why Ralph didn't seem so eager as I did. Perhaps he had been shown how to do it before. Or perhaps it is boring if you lived in a pack all your life. Either way, I nodded excitedly. "That would be really cool." I said with a smile. I was facing away from Ralph now, I didn't quite catch his reaction. The slight narrowing of Eben's eyes made me wonder how he reacted.

"Alright then." Lathen nodded and stood up, stretching. I heard a few cracks and pops as he lifted his arms above his head. "We have a lot to do." He gave a slight smile and started to walk back into the house. I gave Ralph a questioning look but I found him already on his feet and holding a hand out for me. I gladly took it and We followed him. The pack gave us a few curious glances, some of which held humour in their eyes and others did not. "We will start with important paperwork."