Chapter 93 FINANCIAL PRESSURE
Raphael’s Pov
I was in my office the morning after the ceremony when my beta Marcus knocked on the door and entered looking more serious than I had ever seen him. He was carrying a thick folder of papers and his expression told me this was not going to be a pleasant conversation.
"Alpha we need to talk about the pack finances," Marcus said.
"Can it wait? I need to check on Medea and make sure she is resting properly," I said.
"No Alpha it cannot wait. This is urgent. Very urgent," Marcus said.
Something in his tone made me freeze mid-action, every instinct snapping to attention. Marcus was not a man who panicked easily; calm and calculated were practically part of his nature. If he said something was urgent, it wasn’t idle exaggeration or fear—it was a signal I couldn’t ignore. I stopped everything I was doing, every motion halted, and focused entirely on him, letting the weight of his words sink in. Urgency in Marcus’s voice meant danger, and I knew better than to dismiss it.
"Alright. What is going on?" I asked.
Marcus opened the folder and spread several financial reports across my desk. I looked down at the numbers and felt my stomach sink. There was a lot of red ink on these pages.
"The pack reserves are severely depleted Alpha. We are in a much worse financial situation than I think you realize," Marcus said.
"How bad?" I asked.
"Very bad. The ceremony yesterday cost us over two hundred thousand dollars. That includes the decorations, the food, the musicians, the gifts for visiting dignitaries, and the payment to the Elders. And that is on top of the ongoing medical expenses for your son which run about fifty thousand dollars per month," Marcus said.
I stared at the numbers trying to process what Marcus was telling me. Two hundred thousand for one ceremony? That seemed excessive.
"Why did the ceremony cost so much? I approved a budget of one hundred thousand," I said.
“Luna Medea made several last-minute additions,” Marcus said, his tone measured but tight with frustration. “She wanted the best of everything—more flowers, finer food, more expensive wine. Nothing was good enough unless it screamed perfection. She kept saying it had to be flawless because everyone would be watching, judging. I tried to talk her out of some of the additions, explained it wasn’t necessary, but she wouldn’t hear it. She insisted on every single detail, no compromise.”
Of course she did. Medea always wanted the most expensive options for everything. She never thought about the cost or whether we could afford it.
"What about Medea's personal spending? How much has she spent in the last three months?" I asked.
Marcus flipped to another page in the folder and pointed to a line item that made my eyes go wide.
"Approximately three hundred thousand dollars. That includes her wardrobe, jewelry, spa treatments, and various other purchases. She has been spending at a rate we cannot sustain," Marcus said.
"Three hundred thousand in three months? That is insane," I said.
"I know Alpha. I have tried to speak with Luna Medea about reducing her spending but she does not listen to me. She says you approved all her purchases," Marcus said.
"I approved some new clothes and jewelry but not three hundred thousand dollars worth. She never told me it was that much," I said.
I felt anger rising in my chest. How could Medea spend that much money without even discussing it with me? Did she think pack funds were unlimited?
"There is more Alpha. The medical expenses for your son are also increasing. His condition is getting worse and he requires more frequent treatments and medications. The doctors estimate his care will cost closer to seventy thousand per month going forward," Marcus said.
Seventy thousand per month just for Asher’s medical care. The number hit me like a physical blow—almost a million dollars a year, vanishing into treatments, specialists, and constant monitoring. And we were already running low on reserves, the coffers thinning faster than expected. Every payment chipped away at the safety net we had painstakingly built. I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of responsibility pressing down, knowing that sustaining this for long without drastic measures would be impossible. Every thought of how to stretch the funds made my chest tighten, the pressure of the situation suffocating.
"What are our current reserves?" I asked.
"After accounting for all expenses we have about five hundred thousand dollars left in the general fund. That might sound like a lot but at our current rate of spending we will be bankrupt in less than six months," Marcus said.
Bankrupt. The word hit me like a punch to the gut. How had I let things get this bad? When had I stopped paying attention to the pack finances?
"We need to implement austerity measures immediately. Cut all unnecessary spending. Reduce expenses wherever possible. And I will talk to Medea about her personal spending," I said.
"I have already prepared a list of recommended cuts," Marcus said and he handed me another document.
I scanned the list, my stomach tightening as I took in the proposed measures. Reducing pack events, cutting staff salaries by ten percent, delaying infrastructure repairs, and even eliminating the monthly stipends we gave to elder pack members—it all felt brutal. Every line was a necessary sacrifice, a painful compromise, yet each one carried consequences. Morale would drop, trust would waver, and resentment could fester. Still, the alternative—running out of funds for Asher’s care—was unthinkable. I exhaled slowly, knowing that leadership meant making decisions no one else wanted to make, and accepting that some would hate me for it.
"These are going to be very unpopular decisions Alpha. People will be upset about the salary cuts and losing their stipends," Marcus said.
"I know. But we do not have a choice. We cannot continue spending money we do not have," I said.
"There is one other option we have not discussed," Marcus said carefully.
"What option?" I asked.
"We could ask for a loan from the Lycan Kingdom. King Lucian has the resources to help us and given his relationship with Celestia he might be willing to assist," Marcus said.
The suggestion made me angry immediately. Ask Lucian for money? Ask the man who was trying to take my son away from me to bail out my pack financially?
"Absolutely not. I will not go begging to Lucian for help. We will handle this ourselves," I said.
“Alpha, I understand your pride,” Marcus said, his voice calm but insistent, “but we need to consider every possible option. A loan from the Lycan Kingdom would solve our immediate problems—cover Asher’s medical expenses, keep the pack stable, and give us time to rebuild reserves. Pride is admirable, but it can’t put a child’s life or the pack’s survival at risk. Sometimes we have to swallow it and act strategically.”
"No. End of discussion. We will cut expenses and find other ways to increase revenue. But we will not ask Lucian for anything," I said.
Marcus nodded but I could see he disagreed with my decision. He thought I was being stubborn and prideful. Maybe I was but I could not stomach the idea of owing Lucian money on top of everything else.
"I will talk to Medea today about reducing her spending. That should help," I said.
"I hope so Alpha. Because if we do not get this under control soon we are going to have serious problems," Marcus said.
He left my office, and I remained seated, staring blankly at the financial reports spread across my desk. Numbers and charts blurred together as a sinking feeling settled in my chest. How had I let things get this bad? I had been so consumed with political disputes, threats to the pack, and protecting Asher that I had completely neglected the finances—the very foundation that kept everything afloat. Now, the gaps, the shortfalls, and the looming debts stared back at me, impossible to ignore. The weight of responsibility pressed down, heavy and suffocating, reminding me that failure here could cost more than money—it could cost lives.
I thought back to when Celestia was Luna and realized she had always been on top of the finances. She would review the budget every month and make adjustments as needed.
I had not appreciated that at the time. I thought it was just part of her job as Luna and did not realize how much work went into it. But now that she was gone and Medea had taken over I could see the difference clearly.