Chapter 13
As soon as Marcus had made his decree, everybody was silent. No one had the ability to dispute Marcus's decision. This showed the power which Marcus possessed as the Alpha of the Driftwood pack.
"This order…" Marcus continued. "... Is to be carried out by my Beta, Xeno. This decree should spread henceforth so that every other person in this pack would learn and take note. Also note, that I am being this easy on the high doctor because of his previous good doings in the past. If the high doctor attempts to be rude again, he will be promptly executed for contempt of those in power. I rest my case now. Let my order be fulfilled."
"Yes, Alpha Marcus!" Xeno answered instantly. "Your servant, Xeno, would do just as you have said. The word would be spread all over the pack and others would learn not to imitate the high doctor or be rude towards the Alpha in their lifetime. I will leave to fulfill this order in your specific chosen time."
Marcus was glad for Xeno's prompt response and he replied. As this conversation ensued, other people simply watched. The high doctor was in a daze and he seemed not to be himself. The high doctor's assistant was shocked as well. He probably thought that his master was invincible and he wasn't able to be tamed. Here and now, the Alpha's order had tamed the high doctor and his pride had left him. The sad thing was that it was too late already. He couldn't help the situation right now.
"Thanks for the timely response, Beta Xeno. I have already gave my order and I want to have everything done within an hour. Let everyone in the Driftwood pack know that the high doctor of their pack had been rude to their Alpha and that he would be punished vaguely," Marcus said carefully. He was looking very happy while he said this. Without asking any questions, one already knew what was happening. It was going to be hard or even impossible to overturn this decision.
Xeno couldn't give a response. He looked at Marcus closely then turned to look at the high doctor. The manner which he gazed at them was swift to tell Marcus that something was wrong somewhere. The arena seemed quite unsettled.
"What is wrong, Xeno?" Marcus asked tenderly. "Is there anything wrong?"
Xeno sighed deeply.
"No, there is no problem whatsoever," Xeno said slowly.
"Then why are you hesitant to go obey my order? In case you don't know, this is an act of insubordination. You can get arrested for this act if you aren't careful enough," Marcus said simply. He was beginning to get angry. The reason was not because he harbored any hatred or malicious intent for Xeno. The reason was because Marcus obviously knew something was wrong but he wasn't able to decode it. This wasn't just anger. It was anger mixed with frustration.
"I understand, Alpha Marcus," Xeno began. "... And I hope you know that I would never try to be insubordinate? I am your servant and it's my duty to respect your opinion and follow your order at all times."
"Exactly!" Marcus said while nodding his head approvingly. "That is the reason why you are my assistant. That is why you are the Beta while I am the Alpha! I make the rules, you ensure the rules ain't broken. I make the orders, you ensure that the orders are compiled with!"
"I understand that, my Lord. Obeying your orders is part of my responsibility but not all, Sire. I will like you to give me the permission to advise you in this matter. I have an input to make and I think it will be relevant," Xeno said slowly. He meant every bit of what came out from his mouth.
Marcus didn't want to accept this input from Xeno but on a second thought, he decided to. Xeno was the second-in-command in charge of the pack so he was eligible to advise Marcus.
"Cool! I wouldn't want you to waste words. State your input as fast as you can," Marcus told Xeno carefully.
Xeno beamed a smile as he heard this. As he tried to open his mouth, he glared at the high doctor and the other people in the room.
"Sire, how about we let others out of this room? It will be very appreciated if this is kept as a one-on-one deliberation between I and you, Sire," Xeno said carefully. He was still gazing at the high doctor and those that remained in the room with him.
Marcus thought about this. It might not be so favorable for the guards to hear their Alpha being berated, humbled, and corrected by the Beta. It was better if it was made a personal issue.
But wait…
Did Xeno mean to be informal? Was he trying to hurt Marcus without caring about his feelings?
Thinking about this made Marcus to change his earlier decision. Whatever Xeno was going to tell him was going to be in the presence of the onlookers.
"Alright Sire!" Xeno began to say. "Actually, I don't have any problem with carrying out your instructions over the high doctor but the part about publicizing it to the world doesn't sound so well to me. According to what I think, it would only do harm and no good to the reputation of this pack. It would only make people belittle you the more, Alpha Marcus."
This outburst caught Marcus unawares.
"What do you mean?" Marcus asked carefully. He was managing his anger at this point.
"People would only say, 'even when the high doctor disrespected the Alpha, he could do nothing serious to him…'" Xeno said slowly.
"So, are you telling me to give the high doctor a serious punishment?" Marcus asked Xeno carefully.
"Not really, Alpha Marcus…" Xeno replied slowly.
"It's enough!" Marcus told Xeno. "You have succeeded in making no point. Go and do as I have said. I am taking my leave now!"
No one talked.
Marcus stood up and walked outside the room. He was escorted by the remaining guards.