FANGS OF LEGACY

My boots were silent on the stone steps as I emerged from the cellar beneath the packhouse. Falk was waiting outside the door. He simply gave me a wet towel without saying anything. As we passed through the hallway and into my office, I cleaned the blood from my face and arms. "How'd it go?" Holding onto the towel to prevent me from throwing it on the ground, Falk asked. I smiled. "Disclosing." Falk's eyebrows went up. "It appears that a small raid is on its way." I took out my phone and sat down in my chair. Put on your earbuds. leaned back. Once, it rang. Viktor's voice, keen and eager, said, "Alpha Dietrich." "Got anything useful?" Lacing my fingers behind my head, I said, "Good news, bad news." "Good news? He broke. Bad news? North of here, they are attacking the fey camp. A pause. Then Viktor sighed. "All right? "Now what?" I grinned. "We struck them initially." Take a copy of that. I'll seize anyone I can. We'll meet north of the border. The call ended. I pulled out the earphones. I yelled, "Falk!" He quickly stepped back in. "Yes?" "Get the warriors together. Alpha Erich Braun is our next target. I have everything I need to effectively silence him. He gave a nod. "On it." I saw him go. There was silence once again. The silence was almost complete. The yelling from earlier had long since subsided, giving way to the strange, eerie calm that occasionally permeates structures like this one. I enjoyed it. Compared to the chaos at home, it was preferable. The pack house was something Helena detested. Helena claimed that the screams upset her stomach. She had no desire to live close to this location. I therefore constructed a large, hygienic, and soundproof house off-site. In any case, marriage was a political decision. She was the sister of Falk and the daughter of the old Beta. On paper, it is flawless. I still don't have a partner. After all these years, Neuburg had only one faint scent, which vanished before I could trace it. I stopped searching. I signed the Weiss bloodline's demise. It mattered once. Right now? Right now, it doesn't matter at all. I signed the final document more forcefully than I should have, causing the ink to smear. Fantastic. I placed it in the left pile after dabbing it with a tissue. Weiss, Alpha Dietrich. The signature appeared too polished for my background. In all the other stories, I was the villain. It's okay. Do you want your family to be safe? You fulfill your obligations. torture. Blackmail. Violence. To me, it's all the same. I achieve outcomes. "Alpha, Helena is waiting for you out front." Falk was mind-linked. She is, of course. After packing my papers into my briefcase, I left. I bought her a ridiculous pink designer bag last week, and there she was, blonde and polished. "How many times must I say it, Helena? Don't just show up here." She rolled her eyes. "Please. It is silent. Don't yell today. Before you become too comfortable behind that desk, I thought I'd take you home." "I'm working." "You can use your desk at home to work. It is identical. For her, I held the door open. She walked around as if she owned the place. "This must not be about what I believe it to be." "The fortieth birthday celebration of my beloved husband? It is, of course. I snarled. "I'm cutting ten years off my life just to avoid the party if you bring that up again." As we crossed the street, she laughed and put her arm through mine. Members of the pack respectfully nodded. "Dietrich, calm down. Let people have fun. You constantly breathe down their necks. "Who says I won't do that at the party?" "Obviously, the open bar." I gave her an arm squeeze while laughing. "So you do know me after all." "Our anniversary is approaching as well." "Should I buy you a nice vacuum cleaner?" She gave me a nearly painful glare. "If you try that, I'll bury you." "Oh, that's wonderful. Next year, I won't have to buy you jade." She didn't lightly slap my stomach. "If you continue like that, Alpha Weiss, you're going to end up in trouble. Don't challenge me. I'll throw a party so big you'll wish you hadn't been born." I tilted my head in her direction. "Noted." For a while, we enjoyed the gentle breeze as we walked in silence. White picket fences, spotless brick sidewalks, and a gazebo in the center made our tiny town appear like something out of a postcard. Visitors adored it. What's behind the charm? We conducted our business quietly and sharply. "Alpha!" My Gamma, Dieter, was leaning out of the real estate office when I looked up. I unlinked my arm and said to Helena, "Hold on." "What now?" I questioned Dieter. "Well, we've fully booked reservations for the upcoming months." We also have reservations for June through August. Last summer's festival was a giant success. "You can't have stopped me for just that." "No, uh, actually..." Anxiously, his eyes darted. "The Mohr property has an offer." "Who?" "A person. offered in full. Although I am aware that humans are not typically permitted to purchase in pack land, I wanted to make sure. "Full price?" "Yes. even showed them how trashy the place looked. didn't halt them. I massaged my jaw. For years, that place had been decaying. It was located far up north, a half-hour's distance from any amenities. No one in the pack desired it. No one patrolled the area anymore. "Allow it to pass. In any case, I was going to move the border north. It will facilitate patrol. Believe me, they will disappear in a month. With a nod, Dieter vanished back inside. I went back to Helena, and she arched a brow. "What was that?" "You have nothing to worry about." Open bar, then?" She smiled. "Yes. Food. Dancing. "The works." I let out a groan. She gave me another slap on the arm. "Don't begin." "My birthday is today. Shouldn't I have a voice? "We'd be in the basement while you yank teeth from some poor soul if you had your way." I chuckled. "Exactly." She let out a sigh. "You'll be there. You'll be delighted. You'll act as though you're content. And that f*****g bar will be fun for you. Or I'll contaminate your cake." I squinted. "Luna, are you giving me orders?" Her shoulders were squared. "Alpha, are you defying me?" Before our smirks betrayed us, we looked at one another intently. When we arrived at our gate, I put my arm back through hers. With its flawless lawn and white pillars, our house was a sight to behold. It was museum quality inside. renowned artwork, antique furnishings. The second floor, where my twin office mirrored the one at the pack house, was reached by two spiral staircases. The restaurant serves dinner at six o'clock. Don't try to solve it. "Yes, ma'am." I gave her a cheek kiss. Her nose wrinkled. "Yet again, blood is on your collar." I glanced down. Indeed. "I'll tidy up before the kids get home."