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Third Person POV

It was highly inappropriate for a servant to walk in when something like that was going on. It left David and Matilda deeply embarrassed, even though the servant probably saved Matilda.

"Who the hell do you think you are to walk right in here? Would you mind giving your alpha a little privacy when he's doing his private business with his wife? Do this again, and I will have your head," David said.

"Forgive me, my lord. I yelled and knocked several times, but no one responded. Eventually, I decided to come in and simply tell you. After all, I did not believe anything bad could be going on. The elders have requested this urgent meeting, and I did not want to keep them waiting," the servant said apologetically.

"Well, next time make sure you stay outside until you have been told to come in. Now leave us at once," David said dismissively.

The servant did not hesitate to scurry out, and in the next instance, Matilda and David were alone once more. David stepped away from Matilda, giving her more room to move around. There was an awkward tension between them now, thanks to the events of the past few minutes.

"I should probably go to this meeting the elders want me for. Make sure you have something ready for me to eat when I return. I am starving," David said.

"Just go, all right? I think I'll be able to get work done with you out," Matilda said, clearly indicating that David was annoying her.

David wanted to say something, but he knew he couldn't keep the elders waiting, so he decided to set it aside and walk into the bathroom for a quick shower. After taking a shower and getting ready, he walked right out of the room and headed straight for the conference room where all the elders were waiting for him.

The pack had become quite scanty ever since David took over. Guards got sick of him bossing them around and using them for his own personal use, and a lot of them formed small factions that eventually left. Group after group and maid after maid, the pack lost people, and it was in a sharp decline.

At one point in time, David decided to rule with an iron fist and executed anyone he caught trying to run away.

But when about 150 guards and another 100 maids were caught planning to run away, David could not execute them all. If he were to execute so many people, he would have no one to rule. Therefore, he had no choice but to let them go, and that action seemed to earn him some respect among the rest of the guards. However, as David showed more and more incompetence, the guards grew to despise him.

The only reason they still followed his orders and accepted being his subordinates was because he was married to the coronated daughter of the former Alpha and was coronated as the Alpha. As per the laws of the pack, so long as one lived in the pack, they would have to respect their Alpha.

The former alpha, Graham, was getting old, and in recent days, he simply preferred to live his life the way he wanted and spend it with his wife, Patricia. He had done what he could in his youth, and since he passed down the mantle to his daughter, he simply left it there and did not interfere. He was growing old, and he did not need any stress to cut his life short. Therefore, although he observed what was going on in the pack, he chose not to interfere.

David strolled down the many hallways that led to the conference room, and he was heartbroken at just how scattered the pack was. Physically, the pack was well-arranged and even organized, but the number of people had reduced by more than half, and it looked like a pathetic community paling greatly in comparison to its previous greatness.

If such a place were to be under attack from a rival pack with which they had been fighting for centuries, every single person would be murdered because the security levels were low.

As David got to the conference room, he placed his hand on the doorknob and took in a deep breath. In every meeting with the elders, they told him ways to run the pack, but he did not listen to them because he always felt he knew what was right. He neglected the experience of old men and wanted to add more modern innovations, but the modern innovations led to the pack being split.

David opened the door and walked in, and as soon as he did, every single elder had their eyes on him. They did not have a hint of respect in their eyes, but they did not voice it out in any way. They simply had casual looks, as though a regular man had walked in.

Even though David was the Alpha, they all respected former alpha Graham more and were ready to follow his orders at any time.

David saw that there was an empty seat at the head of the table, and without wasting any time, he walked over and sat down. As soon as he did, the meeting was immediately started, and Elder Gabriel began.

"Alpha David, the economy of the pack has been in serious decline, and I think it's because we are not exporting as many goods as we used to. When you cut back on the salary of farmers, they found it difficult to support themselves and their families; therefore, they defected to other packs. The crops harvested can only be used to feed the people here, and even that is in decline. We need to find a way to get more farmers so that we can not only feed ourselves comfortably but also export and make enough money through our goods. If we do not do this, then this pack will be nothing more than a barren wasteland in no time," Elder Gabriel said.

Elder Gabriel's words came as a direct offense to David. David had yet to even settle in, and he wasn't even greeted with courtesy when he walked in. He was bombarded by his own incompetence immediately as the meeting began, and this was already off to a bad start.