"Zack!"

I jumped at the unexpected shout, although with my aura currently strong enough to handle the horror movie on the screen, the other four in the room merely looked at the doorway in confusion.

"I'm in here, Alpha!" Zack called back. "What do you need?"

Sorrin appeared in the doorway and frowned. "It's barely four o'clock. What are you doing watching movies?"

"I was digging in the mines at six this morning. We found two more iron veins and put in another ventilation shaft."

"It's too early to be lazing around. Another session on proper fighting is just about to start at the training area."

"I joined yesterday," Zack replied as he crossed his arms, reluctant to spend another afternoon obtaining bruises after an early work shift in the mines.

Sorrin narrowed his eyes, his Alpha instincts not appreciating the defiance. "And if a band of lawless rogues attack, who is going to defend our pack? I can take on three at once, but I doubt you can make that claim."

Zack grumbled wordlessly but got to his feet, knowing he wasn't going to win this argument.

Sorrin's eyes skimmed over the rest of us. "That goes for you, too." With that, he left the doorway.

"I'm not sure what's gotten into him lately," Zack told our group over a private mindlink, "but he's becoming a real tyrant."

I agreed with him; it was like Sorrin was desperately trying to prove himself, but the pack members weren't used to an Alpha who constantly pushed them to improve their skills. The daily hounding was irritating some people and upsetting the peace within the pack.

"Julie, is there any chance you could mellow him a bit?" one of the others asked, limiting the mindlink to our group to prevent our Alpha from overhearing any whispers.

"Not when he ignores me most of the time," I replied. "I've only been in his office a handful of times in the last week. If he finds his mate, he'll probably settle down."

"He already checked the neighboring packs, so he likely won't find her for months. I'm actually thinking of seeing if a neighboring pack will accept me," Zack quietly admitted. "My parents are also contemplating leaving."

My head swivelled around to look at him, sad to hear another family was so disgruntled with our new Alpha that they were planning on switching packs. I might never see them again.

Zack picked me up and ruffled my fur as he spoke aloud, "Don't worry. I'm giving him a chance. He barely came home before he had to become the Alpha, and he's only had the title for a month. I just wish he would ease up and realize we're a pack, not a military school."

The others also stood up, grumbling about being unable to finish our movie right now. Zack put me down, and I trotted beside them as we went out the front door.

"Have fun," I told them, sitting down at the edge of the porch

"Right," Zack said, rolling his eyes. "You could join us, you know."

"Uh huh. With how my aura breaks up fights? You would never learn anything."

"You could be the treasure we have to protect. It might give us some incentive."

"I have no desire to be stepped on by you massive brutes. I believe I shall go take a nap instead."

"Ugh. Quit tormenting us like this. First you get out of watching that movie, and now you're contemplating a nap while we have to roll around in the dirt."

I turned around and scampered inside the packhouse. "Yep! Have fun!"

If they grumbled or replied, I didn't hear it.

With my tail wagging like a victory banner, I went to go see who else managed to dodge our grouchy Alpha or be sufficiently busy when he appeared.

I asked the Omegas, "Any idea where the Alpha is?" I had no desire to bump into him. He might suggest I go pull more weeds than what I did earlier.

"We're in the forest helping with the mushroom harvest, but I think he's in the packhouse somewhere."

So much for relying on the Omegas' skills. I thanked them anyway and kept checking various areas. The family rooms were all empty, no surprise there.

As much as I disliked stairs, I went down to check the laundry rooms. Sorrin didn't strike me as the type to help fold the clothes, then again, I was much better at unfolding them than managing anything constructive.

A quick shift helped me confirm that the washing bins were dry, so the clothing would be hanging up on drying lines outside already. I investigated the storage rooms, although I only found food and supplies.

The trip up to the second level yielded similar results. I had never seen the packhouse so empty. With a sigh, I headed to the kitchens. There was always someone in one of the kitchens during the day.

The first kitchen had a woman decorating cakes with single-minded concentration. I didn't want to disturb her, so I continued to the other two kitchens.

As I had expected, the other two places were bustling with activity as a handful of people prepared for lunch. I avoided the kitchens during peak times like these. There wasn't much I could do to help, and it would force them to watch where they stepped.

Backing up, I decided to go relax in the side garden instead. I could even pull a few weeds while I was out there, just so I could honestly say I did something productive. As I went outside, I was delighted to see that the garden was empty.

After pulling a few weeds, I lay beneath the edge of a rose bush, stretching my neck so I could sniff a low hanging rosebud that was just starting to open. It would take several days for it to completely open, and I made a mental note to stop out here to look at it each day. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't been out here for days. The smell of the myriad of flowers was relaxing.

"Julie? Where are you?" Beta Merric inquired.

"In the side garden."

"The Alpha is hoping you'll be willing to sit in on an upcoming meeting."

"Sure." It took me a few moments to remember that we had a couple of traders stopping by today.

"Great. I'll come get you."

I shook out my fur and did a quick bit of grooming to ensure I was presentable. It wasn't often Sorrin wanted me sitting through his meetings, so I didn't want to show up covered in dirt. It didn't take the brown-haired man long to open the door.

When I trotted forward, he picked me up without any of the aversion that usually rolled through Sorrin's mind. He carried me up the stairs and into the Alpha's office. Not much had changed since Sorrin took it over, other than that my windowsill basket had been moved to the floor, hidden behind a big potted plant.

The young Beta put me on the floor, and I thanked him before ambling towards the basket. Sorrin wasn't in the room, so he was probably waiting at the border for the traders. Merric exited the room, leaving me to wait. I wished he would have offered me a book like our old Beta usually did.

Already bored, I opened my senses, looking for any strangers who were close enough for me to sense them. All I sensed were my pack members, so the traders weren't near the packhouse yet. I paused and examined the Alpha and Beta Merric's emotions more carefully.

Merric seemed normal enough, just slightly uneasy and tense, although Sorrin had a lot of unexpected anticipation and determination rippling through his mind. Something just didn't seem quite right.

I dug deeper into the young Alpha's mind, glad he wouldn't be able to sense my abilities, and found traces of lingering grief, anger, and ambition with an almost malevolent undertone. With the death of his father, the grief and anger weren't too surprising, but the bitterness leaking into his thoughts concerned me.

I would have to see if I could find the Luna later. Perhaps one of the neighboring Alphas would be willing to help mentor him, or even temporarily take over while Sorrin went looking for his mate. Sorrin was basically alone, and since he wasn't coming to me, the next best thing would be to find his mate, which would also take some of the burden off the Luna's shoulders.

I checked the other pack members, going deeper into their minds than I usually did. It only confirmed that the pack's unity was in greater peril than I had realized. The annoyance was higher than I had ever seen it, and this was the first time I had sensed resentment in more than a handful of people. It was like watching a stained-glass window distorting in the wind – it was ready to fly apart at a moment's notice.