The mere thought of being in a pack, trusting people once again gave chills down my spine but I was also aware of the pros.
Cadman pack was one of the most powerful and influential packs in the world. It was a symbol of strength, integrity, and ruthlessness.
Its ties and connections with other packs were too strong. Strong enough to destroy a whole pack but with good reasons.
It would be stupid of me to ignore such an offer. Being the Alpha of such a pack with a ruthless army behind me is going to be a beneficial and advantageous move on my part.
Ignoring the inner turmoil in me on being a pack's part, I closed my eyes taking a deep breath. Apart from my emotions of dread and anxiety, there were also my wolf's emotions, quite different from mine.
He was feeling hopeful and ecstatic on the prospect of joining a pack. He was an Alpha wolf and leading a pack was what you call a basic instinct for him. Although we were doing quite well as a rogue, surviving to the best of our abilities but it can not be denied that he was a pack creature.
That sense of belonging was what he craved deep in his heart. And now when the opportunity has presented itself, I can't turn my back on it.
It would be utterly cruel of me.
I looked at the Alpha in front of me and asked,
"And how do you plan to declare me as your heir when Aadolf Evans is dead to the world?"
Theodore Evans, after kicking me out of the pack, had already declared me dead in Annual Alphas Meeting in which alphas from all over the world participated. He had said that his son, Alpha Kai Evans had died along with his mate, Alexandria Evans, and grandson, Aadolf Evans in the rogue attack.
I looked at him expectedly wanting to know the answer to my question. If I were to do it, be the Alpha, I wanted to know all about what was going through his head. He had a well thought out plan.
It was crystal clear by the glint of determination in his eyes and by the way, he presented his proposal to me. I wanted to be aware of it by all angles. I had no intention of being a pawn in other's game, whoever he may be, I will be the master.
"Inheritance is not the key to being Cadman's pack alpha, son. You will have to challenge me and defeat me in front of the whole pack thereby proving you are capable of being their Alpha.
You will have to prove your worth by shedding blood. You will have to show that you are capable of taking care of them, strong and brave enough to lead them.
Then they will follow you, on their free will. Respect you, for everything you are. Then they will die for you if asked so."
I raised an eyebrow at him in surprise. This was the first time, I had heard of any such tradition.
Usually, the alphas declared their firstborn son as their heir who overtook them after turning 25 years old, the appropriate and acceptable age of being an Alpha. Werewolves lived for centuries, aged very very slowly after hitting twenty-five years.
They can only reproduce with their mate who is hard to come across. They could be anywhere in the world. And then even harder for them is to reproduce, to have an offspring. So they are really attached to their child as he/she was considered the moon's blessing to them.
To know, that the Cadman's pack alpha is decided by his abilities and courage is an astonishing fact for me. No doubt, Cadman pack was the strongest one out there. By these traditions, I am sure it has reserved its spot for quite a long time in the future too.
"And how would they react to me being a rogue? Won't they question my bloodline, my parentage?" I asked him finally, the thought which has been swirling in my head for a while.
"They would recognize you, Aadolf. By your name, by your eyes, and by your behavior, and, and courage which is very much similar to your mother. You are so much like her. But they would respect your privacy if you will wish so. They will still test your worth but they will also accept you as their leader wholeheartedly. Just remember that for them to trust you with their lives, you would have to trust them as your pack first."
He said, something shifting in his eyes. Flickers of nostalgia showing through them. I was left speechless.
For once, my head was free of doubts about it. It was like a realization had dawned that this was it. It was what I was meant for.
Something in my expression must have conveyed my answer to him as he exhaled heavily, his shoulders sagging as if a heavyweight had been lifted off of them. He was looking at me with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes on being gotten his way with me.
On accomplishing what he had come for. It was the first step for him too. A significant one. One towards the common goal which seemed more closer and more promising than ever before.
"Your training starts at 5 AM tomorrow morning. I will pick you up from your apartment and I have already talked to your dean about arranging notes for you from today's onwards for the rest of the session. I guess you have about 15 days left of this session, we will look into your training and basics of my pack during this time and then after giving your Exams, you can come to Maine with me."
I analyzed his plan in my head. Everything was good enough except for the fact that the old man thought I needed the training to defeat him.
"How old is he by the way?" I asked my wolf, not expecting him to answer. I had a sense of dark humor.
"Not more than two centuries, quite young if you ask me." My wolf responded, his voice laced with sarcasm. I guess we had something more in common.
Amused, I just shook my head at Lorenzo and said, "Sure."
The following day, he picked me up and took me in a clearing deep in the forests covering the neutral territory. We changed into our wolf forms, shredding our clothes in the process, eyeing each other, observing each other for the strong points and weaknesses.
And then in a matter of seconds, we attacked each other in full speed, the air whizzing past us.
I still remember the flicker of shock in his eyes when my wolf clamped down my bared teeth on his neck within the first 10 seconds.
Years of being a rogue have definitely taught me the art of survival and directly going for the kill without a second's hesitation. But what it hadn't taught me was the tactics and precise techniques of fighting mastered by an experienced 130 years old werewolf such as himself.
So, I was thoroughly surprised and stupified when he lifted off his front paws and scratched my belly drawing out blood. He pushed me off himself with another paw with such precision that I was astonished at.
Raising my head and looking him in the eyes, I charged at him. I clamped down my bared teeth on his hind leg while scratching out his belly with my paw, embedding my claws deep in his flesh and drawing out blood. He let out a little whine but kicked me back using his front paws, jumping ahead he turned around and faced me quickly. The match was just getting started.
We fought for two and a half hour straight and by the end, we both were covered in blood and wounds all over our body.
His hind leg was broken and dangling at an awkward angle whereas my two to three ribs were fractured and one was broken.
My speed was my best asset and I was able to dodge most of his attacks whereas strength and endurance were his. At the end of the fight, he pierced my belly over the broken rib with his claws and pressed down his claws deep. He pressed my head with his other paw and clamped down his teeth on my neck.
I growled at him, trying to throw him off of me but he tightened his hold on my neck drawing out blood by his teeth and causing a burning sensation. He let out a deep rumble from his throat. The message was clear.
He wanted me to submit to him. I was defeated, for now. I tilted my head sideways accepting defeat this time.
He shifted back in his human form and said,
" You are not that bad, Aadolf. You have got agility, presence of mind, awareness of surroundings, strength and most importantly, courage and the wish to prove yourself. But you still need a lot of work and a whole new set of fighting skills. Nothing that can't be managed with time and efforts. It would be nice to watch you emerge out as the strongest alpha of all alphas."
He walked away leaving me on the ground. It's been a long time since I was defeated by anyone, over here among the rogues I was ruthless and vicious, I tore them apart like they were fluffy soft toys.
And I was expecting my wolf to be blinded by anger on being defeated by a 130-year-old man. Sure, being alpha blood, his ego was tarnished and ripped into shreds but he was more anticipatory and excited over proper training.
He was acting like a pup on being given the opportunity to learn new techniques and moves. It feels like everything would be turning for best now.
The next 15 days were hard. I cut down all those logs for firewood for winters we were never going to spend here until my forearms gave up. I ran around the maze of trees at full speed for agility and focus.
I swam across the river with a boat tied across my back with tons of weight in it and combatted with Lorenzo first in human form and then in wolf form.
And then completed my daily's MBA assignments at night. It was as much exhausting as it was thrilling.
All of it gave me a rush of adrenaline which I thrived on, it was like I was on a mission to prove it to myself that I was capable of doing it. I was worthy enough of being the alpha of Cadman pack and strong enough to seek my revenge.
Lorenzo brought out the best of everything in me, he taught me to channelize all of my anger and frustration in the right path, to anticipate my opponent's moves instead of going in the battlefield blindly.
Apart from everything else, he taught me how to be a warrior instead of a soldier.
After one month, I was a new and better version of myself. I was more confident, more strong and more determined than ever before. The fog in front of my eyes had cleared, the way ahead looked like a straight one instead of zig-zagged one.
Everything was clear. Everything decided now. Every single step. My destination was not that far all of a sudden.
I moved to Maine with Lorenzo, challenged him in front of the whole pack, won the title of Alpha loud and clear. The feeling was exhilarating.
My wolf's happiness knew no bounds. Being part of a pack brought a sense of calm. Mental peace and relaxation. No longer I had to fight with myself constantly, battling the urge of succumbing to madness. Everything was still and the scattered pieces had fallen into their place. The calmness felt foreign.
I was now Aadolf Cadman, the new alpha of Cadman Pack. With one thing clear in my head, my revenge. It was clearer than ever before.
It was a hot topic in the werewolf world that a rogue, who is Alpha by blood, his heritage, and ancestors unknown, had overthrown Lorenzo Cadman, the wisest and most terrifying alpha out there. He has become the new alpha of Cadman Pack.
No one knew I was his grandson, the rightful owner of the title, both by blood and talent. To them, I was just a threat to their pack, their alliance and their business.
A rogue who became alpha of the strongest pack overnight might be mad and crazy enough to attack all the packs for their land. Might have some hidden agendas about rogues ruling the world.
Might be the one who wanted to be the ruler of all supernatural species. They didn't know me, my past, my intentions so they assumed.
They created rumors. They named me 'The Bastard Alpha'. That one gained a lot of popularity within a short span of time.
From the starting point, I focused on making the pack superior to all other packs financially and strength-wise, the pack was already best. They had good strategies and techniques.
Lorenzo loved keeping them on their toes and whipping their asses in shape. So, he was in charge of the pack's training. It was like their worst nightmare coming true.
I focused on business as my century-old man was not able to keep up that well with the changing prospects of the business. I improvised the pack's family business of Security. Cadman provided the best security to all the big hotels, industries and even to high profile government officials and celebrities.
Being a werewolf, it was an easy job because of our superstrong senses and strength. It didn't need a lot of improvisation but didn't get us a large margin of profit needed to support such a large pack and maintain large savings at the same time.
So I opened the Cadman Aeronautics. Here, we worked with aircraft. We were primarily involved in designing aircraft, military hardware and systems, and propulsion systems. We studied the aerodynamic performance of aircraft and how to make it better.
We also supplied construction material for some very high profile race car companies. We were flourishing and strongest pack in the werewolf world.
The most ruthless and vicious ones too, as rumored.
It took me and my pack, three whole years to accomplish this. To achieve all this, fame, success, and respect. Somewhere amidst, I found a sense of belonging in here. My pack members and I, we formed a mutual respect for each other.
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