All Chapters of Rejecting My Ungrateful Pack: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Ten thousand dollars.I closed my eyes, remembering the looks on my pack members' faces the first time I handed out the Solstice bonus three years ago.Shock. Pure joy. Then tears.Liam held his newborn daughter, voice choked with tears. "Alpha, with this money, I can finally build a safe nursery for her."Sarah clutched the check, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Her son needed special medication to suppress his feral urges, and it cost three thousand dollars a month.And the young mated pairs. They used the money to buy their own homes in human territory.Ten thousand dollars wasn't just a number.It was safety, in the form of soundproof walls for a newborn’s den. It was life, in the form of alchemical potions to fight silver poisoning. It was a future, in the form of tuition so our cubs wouldn't be torn apart in human schools.It was the only currency that bought us dignity in a world run by humans.I opened my eyes and looked at the comments again."They get nothing."What a

At 2:50 PM, the pack assembly hall was packed.I stood backstage, watching the scene on a monitor.Pack members were gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves, their faces filled with the ugly excitement of a crowd gathered for a public execution.Chloe sat in the front row, center stage, surrounded by a group of young wolves like a conquering hero.Marcus moved through the crowd, shaking hands and getting pats on the back.They thought they had won."Alpha, the livestream equipment is ready," a technician reported. "We already have over fifty thousand viewers online."Fifty thousand.The entire North American werewolf community was tuning in for the drama."Good." I straightened my suit jacket. "Let's start."I pushed the door open and stepped onto the stage.The noisy chatter stopped instantly.All eyes were on me—some expectant, some hostile, some curious, and some filled with a poorly hidden sense of triumph.I walked to the center of the stage, facing the cameras and h

I reached for the communicator.“Alpha!” Marcus shouted, trying to grab everyone’s attention. “This must be a misunderstanding with the Blackstone Pack! We should discuss this internally, not show a sensitive business letter that could cause a panic!”He wasn't trying to stop me. He was giving me an out. He could play the reasonable one looking out for the pack, while I became the hothead. Classic.I shot him a look, a cold smile on my lips. “A misunderstanding? Marcus, I think it’s time everyone saw the real value of ‘tradition’ in the business world.” I glanced at the email's signature. Robert Blackstone. A shark who wouldn’t let a thirty-two-million-dollar meal swim away over a bit of online drama. This felt performative. It felt like a message.I stabbed a finger at the screen.The entire message flooded the giant screen, every word sharp and clear:To Alpha Emilia of the New Moon Pack:Following an emergency board meeting, and in light of your pack’s recent and very public interna

December 21st. The winter solstice.A makeshift distribution table was set up in the lobby of the pack headquarters.No flowers, no banners, no celebratory music.Just a white plastic table and a few cardboard boxes.I stood at my office window on the second floor, looking down at the scattered line of pack members.“Alpha, all the Moonflower Charms are here,” Elara reported, her voice tight with discomfort. “The artisan confirmed a cost of twenty-eight dollars each.”“Good,” I said without turning. “Begin.”Downstairs, the first wolf stepped up to the table.Amy, a young accountant from finance. She timidly gave her name, and the staff member handed her a small, elegant pouch.Amy opened it and pulled out the Moonflower Charm.Even from my window, I could read the emotions on her face: a flicker of anticipation, a wave of confusion, a crash of disappointment, and finally, the blank emptiness of despair.It was a palm-sized woven ornament, with pale silver threads forming an intricate

January 2nd, 9 a.m.The pack headquarters was eerily quiet.I rode the elevator alone, my footsteps echoing in the empty halls.Many offices were dark. Some wolves had taken unpaid leave. Others had simply left the pack.I pushed open my office door. Elara was already waiting.“Good morning, Alpha.” Her voice was tired. “The year-end summary is ready.”I took the file and scanned the data.Turnover: 32%Operational Costs: - 47%Per-Capita Productivity: + 23%“Good numbers,” I said, putting the report down. “Anything else?”Elara hesitated. “Alpha, I need to share some… feedback.”“Speak.”“The pack members are very unhappy with the bonuses,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “They feel the amounts were too low, and… and they miss the old days.”I looked up at her.“Miss them?”“Yes.” She nodded. “A lot of them are talking privately about the ten-thousand-dollar bonuses, the five-thousand-dollar bonuses, all the extra benefits…”“They want to go back?”“I think… yes.” Elara’s voic