43. Alpha Dex

The days were as boring as possible. If Luna Gwyneth was trying to hide the more interesting features of her pack from me she certainly succeeded. I found nothing but grey, owl-eyed accountants willing to argue down to the last hundred grams of grain.

Boring bastards. Still I told myself that Father expected me to get a result. So I played hardball. For three days I argued back, pointed out deficiencies and miscalculations. I rose up, threatened to head south to Alpha Frank’s Juro Pack for all our comparable resources and be done with his foolishness.

As my boots clipped smartly along her wooden floorboards, my hand resting on the ebony carved door handle he squawked, calling me back. We came away with the best rates in years. The grey, limp man shook my hand with all the enthusiasm of a condemned man on his way to the gallows. I smiled pleasantly and thanked him for his time.

Serves him right for thinking I would sign up to anything.

/Which in the past you probably would have d