Gael called Kelly, he was his grandson and he was almost the same age as Ashton.
His father was the eldest among his other sons and he at least looked more promising and loyal than the other others.
When Kelly heard that his grandfather was calling him over, he was excited but hid his feelings well.
He could already tell what the call was about.
After all, his good brother has been gone for a long and the pack couldn’t be without a leader.
“Grandfather, you called for me?” Kelly asked as he pushed the door open.
He was tall and built and had a wild aura around him.
He looked sloppy with a careless attitude but Gael knew that there was more to what met the eye that is why he singled him out.
“How is the pack doing at the moment?” Gael asked, he did not go directly to the point.
“The pack is doing well. Everyone is just worried about their alpha, that is all.” Kelly said.
He could not say something bad about his alpha because he wasn’t yet sure about his grandfather’s intention of calling him over.
“But I have heard that a lot of the pack members have started to complain and show their displeasure towards Ashton! Is it a lie?” Gael asked.
He looked at Kelly with an oppressive gaze. Kelly knew that there was no way of playing with words anymore and he had to be honest.
“Actually, they are just rumors and nothing serious,” Kelly said.
“Are you still not going to tell me the truth?” Gael asked.
“No grandfather. It’s just that I don’t want Ashton to lose so much face.”
“Hmmph, does he even care about it anymore? Why else would he have abandoned his pack with a woman of unknown origins? He is not a responsible leader.” Gael said angrily.
“Everyone is saying that Ashton is not as good as he portrays himself,” Kelly stated.
“Although everyone was praying that he will find a mate soon, they did not expect that he will abandon the pack the moment he found one. Now everyone is wondering where their alpha is.” Kelly said.
“Who said that that witch was his mate?” Gael asked angrily.
He seemed to have sensed that he had said something wrong and immediately shut up.
But Kelly was smart and immediately caught up with the main points in his grandfather’s words.
“Grandfather, you mean that woman is not Ashton’s mate?” Kelly asked.
Gael looked at him and said nothing. Although he acknowledged it silently, his gaze was saying that he did not want to talk about it.
Kelly understood and did not ask any further.
“So what did grandfather call me for exactly?” Kelly asked.
“I want you to take care of the pack for the time being at least until your brother returns. If he doesn’t return in two months, then we will have no choice but to find another alpha.” Gael said.
In short, he was telling Kelly that if he worked hard enough for the next two months, he had a high chance of becoming the new alpha.
Kelly left his grandfather’s study room.
The excitement in his heart made his eyes glow.
‘He had finally said it’. He was too excited he felt like jumping up and down.
Kelly did not waste time as he immediately rushed to his parent’s house.
Although his father was a bastard and not of pure blood, he at least lived better than other pack members.
At least Gael, the old man, did not neglect his other sons and took care of them well.
“Father, are you in?” Kelly called the moment he entered the house.
His father was currently resting in his bedroom.
He was among the pack warriors who protected the pack from external enemies.
He seemed to have been on the night shift the other day.
“Son, you better have something important, or else I won’t let you off.” Kelly’s father grumbled.
“Father, it is very important,” Kelly said.
Although he tried to contain it, the excitement in his voice could not be hidden.
“What is it?” His father came out of the bedroom only wearing shorts and a vest.
His legs were long and straight while his chest was masculine…
His body had a lot of marks, probably from fighting.
He had a sharp aura around him and he walked with vigilance.
His gaze was sharp as if it could see through a person with just one glance. It showed how much he had survived on the battlefield.
His sharpness and vigilance were a result of fighting on the battlefield for many years.
“Dad, grandfather called me just now,” Kelly said.
He has always been afraid of his father and would never look him in the eyes directly.
“Is that something worth waking me up for?” Kelly’s father growled, displeased at his son.
Kelly was afraid but he did not back down.
“Dad please, listen to me,” Kelly said.
“Go ahead.”
“Grandfather is just worried about the pack.”
“That is normal.”
“Yes, it is. But you know brother Ashton has been away from the pack for over three months now and some pack members are starting to get restless, even grandfather cannot rest easy now.” Kelly said.
“What do you mean.”
“Grandfather told me to help him take care of the pack since he is old. He said that if Ashton doesn’t come back within two months then he will have no choice but find another alpha for the pack.” Kelly said.
He did not know what his father would think about that.
His father was the loyal type and they only listened and followed after their alpha.
But now that they have been abandoned by their leader, could they still worship him blindly?
Leonard, Kelly’s father looked at his son deeply.
“Are you hoping that when the time comes, you will be made the alpha?” Leonard asked his son.
“No father that is not what I meant. Brother Ashton has been good to me and treated me like his real brother, how can I even think about betraying him?” Kelly said.
“It’s good that you know that. I know that you have your ambitions, but son, a pack’s loyalty is not built on schemes and sneaky attacks. Every alpha has to get the approval from his pack members whether he is worth it or not.”
“Without the full trust of your subordinates, you will never be able to lead anyone,” Leonard explained.
“I understand father. I have no intention of fighting with my brother over the alpha position. Grandfather only asked me to help take care of the pack and nothing else.” Kelly said, but deep down, he was sneering and cursing his father for being incompetent.
“Do you really think that grandfather will appoint someone else as alpha if brother Ashton doesn’t come back?”
“I think that won’t be necessary. Your brother is a responsible person and he knows what is good for the pack. He would never abandon his pack for the sake of a woman.” Leonard said.
“I’m pretty sure he will come back very soon,” Leonard said.
Kelly was displeased. Although he knew that his father was loyal, he did not expect him to be loyal down to the bones.
If he was someone else, couldn’t they be thinking about how to help their son take the throne?
Who wouldn’t want their son to be an alpha?
Or maybe he was pretending and hiding his thoughts well and will devise a plan on how to help him later on.
Although Kelly was displeased by his father’s reaction, he did not show it on his face.
The excitement he had felt also disappeared and after talking some more he left the house.
Leonard looked at his son.
How could he not know what his son was thinking in his head?
He did not fail to catch the faint light that passed through his son’s eyes when he talked about the next alpha.
Since the old man had personally called him, he could more or else guess his decision.
But he did not feel like it was right to betray his leader just like that.
Ashton was a great leader. He was way above his forefathers and no one ever doubted his leadership.
Ever since he became a leader, he had led the pack too many victories. The pack had also grown tremendously under his watch.
He had only gone for three months and the old man was starting to get restless. That was not right.
And for the last three months, nothing major has happened in the pack, why would he suddenly think of revoking his rights as the pack leader?
Leonard thought about it but did not understand why his father would come up with such a decision.
It seemed like he had to talk some sense into his son. There was no need of betraying your leader over a moment of greed.
He knew his son too well, if he seized the throne, it won’t be long before the whole pack gets destroyed in his hands.