[Rockwood Pack, Oregon Woods]
The weather was the same as usual, cold and dry. The frost from the mountains and hills surrounding the settlement made the atmosphere even colder. However, this did not pose a problem to these people. Because, they were… Werewolves
“Gather up, now” A blue-eyed man with an authoritative voice spoke up.
He was tall and handsome, having dark hair and a well built body.
“Lord Asher is not present at the moment, so I’ll be taking charge of the routines… Again” The man spoke.
There was a low murmur among the group of men that gathered around him, making his eyes dart all over the crowd.
“Any objections?” He asked, slightly glaring at the group.
“N-No sir!” They sharply responded.
As the Beta of the Pack, it was this man’s duty to lead the Pack and oversee its affairs in the absence of the Alpha.
“Good. I’ll be sharing your tasks for the week, so pay attention!” He said.
They all tightened up, knowing what his words weighed. While he didn’t possess the title, as of the moment… He was basically their Alpha.
[Moments Later]
“… And that’s about it.” He said, concluding a matter which required him to allocate nearly half of the entire workforce.
The temporary leader was already feeling tired from taking care of matters, even for such a period of time.
“Shit, Asher! When will you come out already?” He asked himself.
“Lord Dax…” Someone interrupted his thoughts, causing the Beta to look in the direction of the voice.
His eyes were met with the expectant looks of the Werewolves who awaited further instruction.
“Ah, yes. There’s also getting more supplies from the human stores, right?” The Beta, known as Dax, let out.
“We’ll have our usual Omega team go instead. Perry is the leader, just like always, and-”
“B-But, Lord Dax… Perry is currently ill.” A voice emerged from the audience.
A low murmur resumed, as they all considered the matter brought up.
“Shit! Not at a time like this…” Dax reasoned to himself.
“Looks like we’ll have to add one new member to the Supply team… Is there any Omega here without any assigned roles?” He asked, scanning through the audience.
No one raised their hands.
“Ah, what am I saying? Of course, there’s no free person, especially among the Omega!” Dad said to himself in frustration.
Suddenly his eyes caught a figure and widened his eyes as realization dawned on him.
“Larry, come forward!” Dad yelled, locking eyes with the frail looking Omega among the crowd.
“Yes, Lord Dax?” He said, nervously approaching the Beta.
“You’ll be joining the Supply team. They’re in need of an extra man, and with Lord Asher currently unavailable, there’s really not much for you to do” Dax said.
Larry’s eyes showed a sense of uncertainty as he appeared flustered by the sudden order of his Beta, Dax.
“I-I understand, sir…” He mumbled.
Dax smiled as he watched Larry look nervous.
“It’s fine. It’s been a while since you left the village, especially… Since your mother died. But, we really need an extra man… For everyone to have supplies in their homes. The pack needs you, Larry.” Dax added.
The Supply unit had a total of 6 members, each we’re useful for various things, and even having one missing could ruin the entire operation.
“After the Christmas celebration we had some days ago, we’ve been running low on food, and our reserves will not be sufficient!” Dax mentioned in his calm tone.
He had to let them know how dire the situation was.
“Yes sir. I understand!” Larry spoke, having more conviction than before.
“Good” Dax smiled.
“With that settled, it’s time to move on to other engagements…”
After the Task Assignment, the werewolves went their various ways. Some left for their posts, some returned home to prepare for the responsibilities that awaited them.
However, wolves like Larry had to meet up with the rest of the members of the Food and other Supplies acquisition unit in order to commence the journey on time and return without wasting too much time.
With everyone gone, Dax remained on the mount as he looked at the small houses beneath him and smiled softly. He could see his own home from a distance and imagined his wife in the house, wearing her usually sleazy outfit due to the warmth enveloping their home.
“Ah, Rita… This is so tiring” He moaned to himself, feeling exhausted.
This would be the first time he would have the Aloha role temporarily thrust on him, and the sudden weight of the responsibility he carried weighed heavily on him.
The winds blew, allowing the cold to sleep even deeper into his body.
“How long until this ends… Asher?” He muttered, in deep thoughts concerning his best friend.
It had been days since Roxanne left, and Asher was still unable to do much else but wallow in thought concerning Roxanne. Dax had thought going for the ‘Convergence’ of the Oregon Woods Alphas would return his Wolf King to the usual form he exhibited.
However, ever since his return he had become even more fixated and obsessed with Roxanne, refusing to do much else.
This made Dax have no choice but to take up his role within the Pack and organize the community in order to ensure their continuing survival.
Slowly, his fists clenched and his eyebrows furrowed.
“I’ve had enough of this!” He growled to himself.
It was fine for him to cover for Asher since they were friends, and he also took on his duty since it was part of a Beta’s responsibilities, but Asher still remained the Alpha and he needed to act like one.
Taking heavy and frustrated steps, he marched straight for Asher’s house on the hill he stood on.
Within a moment, he was already in front of the door, looking at the door which creaked alongside the whooshing sounds of the winter breeze.
“Asher” Dax let out.
There was no response.
Dad wasn’t surprised. He just had to be persistent. He didn’t know whether Asher was still sleeping or ruminating about Roxanne, but even he couldn’t withstand Dax’s so called ‘annoying banter’ for too long.
Of course, Dax could not use his superhuman senses since the house was designed to block off any heightened interference. However, Asher could still listen to anything going in outside his home.
“I know you can hear me, Asher. Come out now. We need to talk!” Dad spoke, a little irritated.
There was still no response.
“Come on, Asher. You’ve had enough time to heal. Now is the time to do your job… As Alpha, and as the Wolf King!” Dax sighed in frustration.
Still, his words were greeted with an overbearing silence.
Dad couldn’t take it anymore.
“If you won’t respond, I’m coming in!” He said, opening the knob of the door.
Dad expected the door to be locked, and exerted much force in opening the door.
To his surprise, it unlocked easily, causing Dax to nearly lose balance, stumbling into the house.
Quickly twisting his body, he returned to an upright position and made a surprise look. Now within Asher’s large building, Dax looked around and took in the ambience. He had been here so many times that it wasn’t a new thing to him. Yet, sometimes it was odd.
“W-What is the meaning of this…?!” Dad muttered to himself.
His ears singled as he tried picking up sounds within the dreadfully silent place.
“No way… That idiot, don’t tell me he-”
With hurried steps, Dax raced around the house, searching every room in seconds.
As he dashed from room to room, thoroughly searching every nook and cranny, he found nothing. Returning to the parlor, he gritted his teeth and kept darting his eyes everywhere with a panicking expression.
His search proved fruitless. The owner of the house was no longer around… His location, undetermined.
“Shit Asher! Where the hell are you, now?!” He groaned.
Larry walked for some time, heading to the edge of the Pack settlement, and from his distance, he saw the five other Omegas who would be with him as they journeyed to get food and other supplies for the Pack, as was necessary.
With a sly smile he approached them and as he drew closer, they all noticed his presence.
“U-Uh… I’m so sorry I’m late… T-This is sudden, but I’ll be replacing Perry as a part of your team…” Larry muttered nervously.
The group all looked at him strangely, then slowly their faces began to change. They held it for as long as they could, but finally the group all burst out laughing.
“Oh shit, Larry! That was good acting!” One of them stated.
“Did you fool them with that?” Another one asked.
“With you being here, I guess we succeeded then?” One of the five asked again
The innocent and shy expression of Larry vanished, replaced by a sadistic and malevolent grin.
“Of course… They were all fooled, just according to the plan.” Larry smiled.
“As expected of our future Alpha” One of them said with a smile.
“We’ll follow you forever!”
Upon hearing the loyal tone of the five of them, Larry’s grin widened even more.
“Good. Now then… Let us proceed. I have some urgent business in the Human world, so it’s perfect”
With the statement, he stepped forward and moved toward the opposite side of the village. The group nodded and followed Nathan’s lead, heading to the human world for Supplies… And to carry out their leader’s wish.
“… It won’t be long now.”