Chapter 65 - Loyalty ...

Ezra

I GAVE ORDERS and when my pack hesitated, I growled and they moved like lightning. It was strange to hear my own voice with the alpha tone! This was one hell of an eye-opener. If this was how alpha’s felt all the time, damn! I suddenly understood why they fought so hard to stay in their ranks.

My beta and I followed the guard to where the rogues broke through our border and the guards quickly found all three rogues. This was going to be where the difference between the kingpin’s style of leadership and mine were shown. I ordered the guards not to kill the rogues. They were brought before me and I gave them the opportunity to join the pack or die.

Knowing rogues, they would probably prefer to die, but two of the three surprised me and asked to join the pack. My beta ripped the head off the one who refused and that was that. We had two new members who had to be brought into the fold. That was a fold I wasn’t even sure of just yet, but I had to make some moves to get rid of the guys who weren’t going to be loyal to me.

This was what I was trying to avoid by being a rogue in the first place, but after my date with Lilith, I was willing to do whatever I had to so I could win her heart. My beta brought the new guys into my office and I carefully watched their every move while they were being questioned. I needed to know how many of them were in their little pack and where they came from.

I had to know if any more were coming for us. By the time we were done questioning them, it was early morning and I needed some serious sleep. I wanted to take Lilith out on another date, but I also didn’t want to show her what I looked like at my worst. I needed to give her a little bit of time between dates to miss me, right?!

I woke up mid-morning and it felt strange to think that this was my life now. This was my bedroom and everything in it belonged to me. I wouldn’t be able to carry it all if I ever had to run and I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts. I won’t have to run ever again. I wasn’t going to. I had to build this pack for a respectable group of people for Lilith.

I had to make sure she would be safe there. I had to make sure we would be able to have a good life and I was sure that a lot of the wolves here would want that as well. If I gave them the choice between finding true happiness and living the life of a gangster and a rogue, I was convinced most of them would choose a happy life.

With that in mind, I had made my decision. We had to have a proper alpha ceremony for a start. I wanted all of them to pledge their loyalty. It would give me some indication of what most of them were thinking and once I had a better idea, I would give them all the choice. If they didn’t accept me as their leader, I had to exile them.

I suddenly understood how Carlo must have felt when I walked into their lives. If Blanca chose me, not only would he have had to exile me, but her as well … It wasn’t a great position to be in, but being the alpha meant taking care of your pack and your people. My people now include my very beautiful Lilith. My first call was to Carlo, since I knew he would be able to tell me exactly what the procedure was for all of this.

He and Blanca were together on the call and she was so excited she offered to help me arrange everything. I was grateful for the help, but I didn’t want Carlo to think I was taking any of her attention away from him, so I made sure to include him in as much of it as possible. The ceremony seemed simple enough. Blanca helped me to plan a very simple barbeque menu for afterwards and that was that. All I had to do now was inform my beta and get the ball rolling. I decided to save myself a lot of time and called for a pack meeting.

Standing on the porch, I looked out at the gangsters standing in front of me. Soon they would all become family people. Men and women who only knew one life would soon know what it meant to love. They would know what it meant to live a life without fear.

“It is time we had an alpha ceremony. The kingpin never gave you the chance to choose your own fate. I want to give you this chance. I want to give you the opportunity like we gave the rogues earlier today. Pledge your loyalty to me through a blood pact and you can stay. Refuse, and I will cast you out! From this day forward, we are going to find happiness for all of us. We are going to live honourable lives!” Most of the wolves cheered, but the fact that my beta was frowning didn’t go unnoticed by me. I was right about him. He was still loyal to the dead kingpin, and he probably thought when the man died, he would take over control of the pack.

I wasn’t going to give him the chance to take away my happiness or the happiness of anybody else who was willing to follow me. The time for change had come. The time for change was now! I told the omegas to get the food ready while some of the warriors gathered wood. My beta’s job was to find their pack blade and bring it to me. What he didn’t know was that I already had it, and I wanted to see if he would tell the truth or if he would give me a fake blade!