Page 19

Sally needed the most help and would get the least. The other females were already giving her a look, trying to decide if it was worth challenging her, even though they had already been told that beating her would not earn them the pack alpha. He doubted that any of them knew that she was a good fighter because she had been trained by Tyne. The only one in a position to challenge would be the previous alpha bitch. That was, unless she passed on the opportunity, in which case it would go down through the ranks until someone took it or the last persondecided against it. He feels sorry for any female who chose to fight her if it wasn't the fact that he'd resent the hell out of them.

He had no idea what Sally would be doing first, but he had to establish some kind of hierarchy.

“Do you know who the number two is in this pack?” He asked a teenager standing nearby.

"The top three ran off when you beat the alpha. Their positions were kept out of fighting," the boy said.

Xantos looked at Damon. “That’s not unheard of if the positions require special education or training.”

“Why would they run?”

"They were probably involved in the bad things that happened here. Without Elias to protect them, they are running scared." Damon observed. "Don't worry. Wardens are already searching for them."

“Who is next in the hierarchy?”

“Tom Hacket.” The boy said.

“Could you go get him?”

“He’s right over there.”

“Are you Tom Hacket?” Xantos asked the wolf.

“I am. What did you need?”

“You are now my number two. Are you familiar with the duties the top three did?”

“I’m not, but I know who would be. Do you want me to take charge?” Tom asked.

"Yes, and tomorrow, I'll want you to walk me through the pack-owned businesses."

“I can do that, Alpha.”

“What should I do now?” Xantos asked.

"That's a good start. Let's find Elias's office and review some paperwork. You may need to hire a forensic accountant. Sally can help with that."

He didn't ask why Sally would be a big help with that. He just assumed that Damon probably knew more about her than he did. He would discuss that with her tonight after they went to bed. Damon and he headed to the house to try to figure out where the pack alpha's office was.

It was an important room for any pack alpha, as it held the information necessary to keep the pack running. A secretary and a personal assistant were needed. Whoever had been doing those jobs had probably run away with the other three.

Xantos wished the teenager was standing around somewhere so he could get more information out of him. Instead, he and Damon were on their own, and that would make it harder to get anything done. They started in different places and began reviewing the paperwork to see if they could find anything they needed. Damon enjoyed this a lot more than he did. All the information he was finding was about everyday bills and the secretary's name because Elias didn't seem to have a personal assistant. It was tough to keep up with the pack this size without a personal assistant to keep you on track.

“I found something," Damon declared. “This is a list of all the pack females that are trained in anything secretarial. Just having the secretary take phone calls and other tasks might be a helpful start. You'll need to get someone who is trained and experienced to be a personal assistant. I hate to suggest you go outside of your pack, but maybe Ariel could suggest someone. If someone in your pack is capable, she might even suggest them.”

He'd heard plenty about Ariel, and he felt odd calling her when he really didn't know her well. Xantos had met her once, but he doubted she'd even remember him. Damon stopped what he was doing and turned to look at him.

It was time to call Ariel, so he dialed the number that Damon had sent him. “Is this you, Xantos? I have a personal assistant I can send you. I recommend that after she gets settled, you train someone to fill in for her when needed and possibly replace her if she decides not to stay. She'll be there in three days. Everyone else that you need is in your pack.”

That was freaky the way that she had known who he was and what he wanted. Everyone knew that Ariel could be like that. He had never seen it in person before. It was different that way than when you just heard about it. They continued searching through the paperwork, finding a few items that were important enough to set aside for later examination, but most of it made no sense to him. He would need some context to understand it.

“Something else we will have to do when Harry is through with whatever she is doing now is hunting for bodies," Damon observed. “Two wardens are supposed to come to move the bodies once Harry reveals them.”

“I'm not sure how any of the other new pack alphas managed to make it. You've told me that my pack is in better shape than any of the others were, and it already seems overwhelming to me.” Xantos admitted.

“It will get easier day by day, and the retired pack alpha and his mate are coming in tomorrow morning. He is the perfect one to train you, and his mate will be helpful to Sally.”

“I'll take any help I can get. Do you think that I should have a manager to help with the businesses?”