The hunters were not the only ones reacting to the aura blast. Inside the territory of the wolves, a young man was drinking heavily while holding a bottle in his hands.
"Boss. What do we do?"
He stopped drinking and looked in a certain direction, "Did whatever happened in that region reach us?"
"No…"
"Then we do nothing. Just observe. See how things develop before reacting."
The woman who had received the order opened her mouth immediately, wishing to say something at the sight of her leader drowning himself in alcohol.
He was a werewolf which consequently meant that… from the start, the quantity of alcohol he had to drink to actually get drunk was astronomical.
Right now, she was even wearing her most enticing clothes and displaying her scent as a signal for him to easily understand her intentions.
This gesture should have been enough for him to push her down as he did many times to her in the past. But he was not even sending her a single glance today and kept drowning himself in more and more liquor.
'The Young Master changed.'
She knew what he did very clearly. She knew that he killed the previous boss. At least she could imagine it.
In fact, everyone did and while many were sad or even angry, no one rejected his supremacy for this was the way of how the wolves lived. A new alpha always took the place of an old one.
It was a way of life for them. Since the Young Master had rightfully beaten the previous leader then he was worthy enough to stand tall as an Alpha with honor.
"Young Mas — Boss. Please calm your grief. The pack needs you right now."
It was admirable that he still grieved for his father but they could not continue walking with a leader who did not show his power. Uneasiness was spreading and unscrupulous people – both within and outside– were stretching their claws.
Stopping his drinking spree, the young man looked at his most loyal servant and lover. She was not his mate in the truest sense but she was considered as such by many, "Are the pups barking?"
She choked a little. While there were indeed many young wolves eying his position, calling them pups was a little too much. Most of them had been stronger than him in the past after all.
Though she gave no verbal answer, this was more than enough for him. Sometimes silence was worth a thousand words.
A sneer crossed his face, "Heh. I guess this is normal. They must think that I am an easy prey compared to the old man."
Alphas were strong. But the fact that a young Beta could beat an old Alpha was proof enough that they were not invincible.
Logic clearly dictated that even after becoming an alpha, he would not be that strong or would not have the time to assimilate and understand his new power.
'How funny.'
He swung the bottle and drank everything until no alcohol was left then simply threw away the bottle on the side, delivering it on the mountain of empty bottles he had already finished before now.
Standing up, he approached her and gave her a smile. His breath was filled with the scent of alcohol but his bright red eyes were filled with utter clarity and feral hunger that only an apex predator was capable of wielding.
"Tell them that for the next few days, I will accept a duel for any and all who may think they would make a better alpha."
"Young Master!?"
She looked up in surprise. "You can't… This…"
"I see. You must also think that I will lose."
He covered his face and giggled but there was no remonstrance in his laugh. The fact that even the woman closest to him thought he was weak was nothing but a statement of how fucking pathetic he had been his entire life prior to this moment.
'Truly…How sad and funny.'
In the eyes of everyone, he had always been nothing but a clown.
Even though he had obtained the power of alpha, the impression of a useless Young Master that he had shown over the years was so powerful that no one believed that he was able to become strong after becoming the Alpha of the pack.
In fact, he had received a few reports and knew that many said that the only reason he may have beaten the previous leader was because he was old and because the old man had let him win.
'I was really stupid.'
"Don't worry."
He patted her shoulder and began to walk away from the room drenched in the scent of alcohol.
"I became very strong. Strong enough that no one will ever think of crossing me."
He looked at her body as he spoke in an indifferent tone. No lust shone in his eyes but, he was wondering if sex could help him forget the pain that was reverberating in his chest, constantly gnawing and eating away at his mind, body, and soul.
In the end, though, he simply started walking away once more, "Prepare for the funeral. Invite all clans in Las Vegas and even in the nearby territories. This will be the last honor I will offer for my dear father."
"Understood."
She stood up and looked at the back of the Young Master she had been serving in body and mind for as long as she could remember.
In her memories, he had always been a boisterous young man filled with pride and lust. Someone who had great aspirations but neither had the talent nor the mentality necessary to reach those aspirations.
Now though… She could quite clearly feel just how much he had changed from his previous self.
'The Young Master has grown up.'
She should have been happy. A mature leader was the only way for a pack to not get wiped out.
But… For some reason… Seeing his lonely and despondent back, she could not summon the slightest bit of happiness.
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