Raised Among Alphas

10 - A Pack to Lead

Alora POV

Saying goodbye to Jathred was hard, but taking his place was harder.

The first few days were quiet and gave Kasthor and me time to adjust, but trouble found us as time passed.

One of our main objectives was to build five safe houses hidden throughout the grasslands connected by underground tunnels. In case of an attack, we had to secure our young ones and the most vulnerable members. Kasthor and his squad focused their full attention on the location and construction of the new buildings.

I split my squad in two and recruited new members to take over Kasthor's side of the border. My right hand Roger, led the second squad and prepared the new recruits for their jobs. We set ten permanent posts guarding our most vulnerable spots around the edge of our border. And, we established new schedules to keep at least three guards on each post at all times.

Whenever I wasn't running all around the border, I was supervising the special combat training, which used to be Jathred's job.

Beta Mathias has kept his usual responsibilities. Surprisingly, Jathred didn't allow him to accompany them on their voyage. He wanted to keep a low profile and only took four squad members with him and Leila.

Mathias was on the training grounds 24/7. He and his brother were following orders to train every abled wolf daily. Wolves from sixteen to fifty years old were divided into groups depending on their skills and followed a strict schedule of two two-hour training sessions daily.

The most skilled wolves were placed in guard duties and border security. We needed as many eyes as possible to secure our pack. We concentrated most of our force to the south and west, where the rogue attacks were most common, but we still kept guards in the rest of the land in case the rogues found a way around our security.

On top of all our exhausting duties, we still had to ensure the pack was well provided for. Ensure we had enough supplies and food and that our people were happy and committed to the pack's functionality.

Preparing for war is not an easy task. Kasthor needed all our help to complete the construction plans before Jathred's return. For about three weeks, I took my squad over to the site where the first safe house was built, and I have to admit construction work has been one of the most challenging jobs I've ever had.

Working under the hot desert sun, carrying heavy material around, moving giant boulders, preparing the ground, and setting the foundation of the new place was more complex than I ever imagined. I've never been the kind of girl who has delicate princess hands, but using these tools completely destroyed me. I had blisters and callouses on every single finger and both palms. As soon as my fast healing kicked in, these damn tools wrecked my skin all over again.

"All this time, you've been doing all this hard work on top of border patrol, and I have never heard you complaining once. How do you do it?" I asked Kasthor during one of our water breaks.

"There's something about this process that I simply adore. It's hard work, but when it's finally done, and you take three steps back, you take in the sight of the result. Knowing you created something so powerful from scratch gives you a certain pride that becomes addictive. It is hard to explain, but here is where I find my peace." He replied, staring at the giant pile of rocks in front of us.

I have known him my whole life, but I've never seen this side of him. It felt so intimate. A new Kasthor, a new side of him to admire.

I stopped my daily visits to his sites when the rogues started to wander near our borders.

About a month after Jathred left, we faced the first wave of rogues spying at the edge of the southern border. It was a group of six rogues, spotted right away trying to sneak by our guards. It was around 3 a.m. when our guards mind-linked me. I was lying naked next to Kasthor, laughing about his after-sex messy hair style. In a sharp move, we stood up. We shifted and rushed out of the pack house to find the intruders.

When we arrived, I quickly scanned their minds. Apparently, they wanted to confirm the rumors of our alpha being gone. Five of the rogues were still standing, fighting our three guards. None of them were worthy of mercy. Their desires were fueled by the idea of ripping our pack apart.

"Kill them all," I mind-linked our warriors and Kasthor.

"I'll take the big one," Kasthor said in a murdering tone.

With a swift move, I balanced toward the wolf that had one of our guards pinned to the ground. I aimed for his throat, and we rolled on the floor until I was eventually able to snap his neck.

The wolf dropped dead on the ground, and I ran behind my next target, a grey wolf trying to escape. In less than ten seconds, I caught up to him and jumped on him, digging my claws deep into his skin. Just as if he was made of butter, Thana's lethal attacks stopped him in a matter of seconds.

I rushed back to find a slightly scratched up Kasthor and the rest of the dead intruders. The threat was contained, and luckily all of our wolves were safe. Kasthor walked back to the pack house in his naked human form until one nice girl found him a long robe to cover himself. He growled when he had to pass his arm through one of the sleeves. His left shoulder was dislocated and scratched.

I didn't shift back until we were both in his bedroom. Thana didn't want me to take over until she was sure we were safe. Kasthor laid down on the floor with his back to the ground letting out a deep breath. I went straight for his shoulder and started to asses how bad the injury was. Thankfully it was a quick fix, and his wolf-speed healing process was already kicking in. The scratches were almost gone, and with a quick snap, I pushed his shoulder back into the spot where his bone belonged.

Kasthor barely even growled at the pain.

"Did any of them hurt you?" He asked, examining my body with his gaze.

"I'm fine. They barely touched me." I assured him.

"What did they want?"

"They heard rumors of Jathred being gone. These five had a deep hatred for our pack and wanted to use the opportunity to attack. I'm sure they'll keep coming for us." I told him without trying to hide my concern.

"You should stay on border duty now. No more coming by the site. The second house is almost done. Everyone is working hard and fast. I have 200 volunteers now almost half of the pack is helping. We should be done in a month." Kasthor was right. I was more useful protecting our borders than complaining about the blisters on my hands, thanks to the pick and shovel.

And just like that, in a blink of an eye, a full month passed.

The second month after Jathred's departure, there were three rogue attacks, all of them at night, and all of them were stopped at least 6 miles away from the pack house. I led my squad during all of the attacks. They were getting progressively harder to contain, and on two occasions some of the rogues managed to escape.

During the third attack, we faced twenty wolves, and at least five of them escaped. Beta Mathias was gravely injured, and he had to be on bed rest for a whole week, not that he was too happy about it. Besides that, most of us would leave with only a few bruises and scratches that disappeared in less than a day.

________________

"The last house will be done in a couple of days. I talked to Jathred, and he's somewhere in the mountains. He is extending his trip for another month at least." Kasthor walked into our now officially shared bedroom, with the disappointing news.

"I have a bad feeling about these attacks Kasthor. It's been two weeks since the last attack and I can't shake off this sense of peace before the storm. The next one won't be an easy one. Jathred better be here before that." I told him, pacing at the edge of the bed.

"I'll go back to patrol as soon as the construction is over. Most of our warriors are ready for battle. I'll send them to patrol with you. I know it's not ideal, but we must hold the fort while Jathred is gone."

If I weren't sure that I was a werewolf, I would've thought I was a witch because, just as if I had predicted it, my intuition was correct. The day after our conversation, I faced the worst wave of rogues I have ever seen.