Resistentiam

Chapter 6

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Grayson's mind swirled with anger as he made his way down the corridor, his feet slamming against the wooden floor. His heart pounded beneath his shirt, the blood in his veins simmering with vexation, but also apprehension. What would the Alpha say? His responsibility as the Beta was to ensure law and order within the pack, yet here he was having to admit that some of the humans were becoming a problem. He ran a hand over his forehead to wipe away the building sweat before running it through his blonde hair in frustration. The Alpha relied on him and he had let him down.

He had finally made his way to the mahogany door that protected his Alpha from view, sighing before knocking. "Enter." A voice called. Grayson made his way into the room before facing his Alpha. Elliott looked up at him in question, and Gray had to swallow down his worry. Elliott had only been the Alpha for little over six weeks, and he didn't need Gray bringing him another problem to add to his already mounting ones.

"What is it Gray? You look stressed?" Elliott questioned him. The pair had struggled with their transition from best friends to Alpha and Beta, this new formality something neither wished to impose on their friendship. Elliott had put his foot down and said they wouldn't be using each other's titles in private, they were too good friends for that. They had been close long before they knew of their responsibilities, both to the pack and to one another, and they had agreed not to let that change. "I have the most recent report on the human statistics. I have over 30 attempted human rebellions in the past six months."

Elliott looked up at him, a mix of wonder and irritation on his face. "Well, surely you can deal with this Gray?" Whilst Grayson respected Elliott both as his friend and as his Alpha, he was very aware that if Elliott had it his way he would not be the Alpha at all. His dad, the previous Alpha, had died suddenly, leaving Elliott with no time to prepare for the mammoth task of being head of a pack. This meant he was unsure, indecisive, and very quick to pass off whatever he could to Grayson. Grayson felt for Elliott he really did, but this needed to be dealt with and fast.
"I don't have the resources for this. I need you to sign off on more patrols, I need the humans watched more carefully." He spoke, and Elliott considered it for a moment. He sighed before resting his head in his hands, Grayson swearing he heard a growl. "I hate this fucking job sometimes." He muttered to himself. Grayson didn't react, it wasn't his place, Elliott needed to resolve his issues surrounding his new Alpha title on his own.

Composing himself, Elliott sat up straight, pulling his shoulders back. He let out a deep sigh before looking straight at Gray, the epitome of serenity.
"You're right, I apologise. I didn't mean to dismiss you." He sighed loudly before continuing. "Right, 30 in sixth months you say? Okay, okay, I say double patrols on the streets, all patrols can stop and question anyone they believe may be suspicious and make sure they are extra vigilant. We need to make sure all workplaces are reporting absences within the hour, absences from here on out need to be authorised, same for schools. We cannot have a situation like within the South, humans can't be seen to be able to outsmart us. We're the superior race here, we need to control this." Elliott growled, and Grayson smiled. "There's the Alpha's son." He grinned, Elliott giving him a small smile in return. "If any of these missing humans turn up or any are shown to be rebelling against pack law I want them severely punished, we can't seem to be allowing insubordination." Grayson nodded in response. "I don't know what the humans think they are doing trying to rebel or escape, they have no where to go. And it's not like they can survive without us at this point anyway." Grayson responded laughing. Little did he know, he was wrong.

...

The next few weeks were rough for Emery's family. Their supplies were dwindling, the meals becoming smaller, the entertainment becoming boring and overused. The kids wanted new toys and books, and no amount of explaining changed that.