DAVE
Natural Order
"You're not our alpha."
The words hit the air before I've even reached the podium. Richard Remington stands in the front row like he owns the oxygen, flanked by brothers who wear their entitlement like expensive cologne. Behind them, three hundred men wait to see if their old order will hold or shatter.
"You're right." I let the admission hang, watch confusion ripple through the crowd. "I'm not your alpha. I'm the alpha. The one who defeated your previous leader in sanctioned combat. The one recognized by federal oversight. The one who's going to drag this pack into the twenty-first century whether you help or hinder."
"Our father—" Kyle starts.
"Poisoned his blade and still lost." I set my tablet on the podium with deliberate calm. "Currently facing federal charge
