Chapter 13 ~ No More Mr. Nice Guy

Matthew’s POV ~

We’re all gathered in the conference room. Uncle Damien asks me “What have you decided to do about the five traitors?” I sighed and said “Mel dies. Tonight. He orchestrated the whole thing. He arranged for the others to be paid. They have taken eleven females and handed them over to Fred.. who in turn takes them to the hunters’ camp. I intend to make a spectacle of Mel’s execution. The pack thinks I am not as strong a leader as you are, Dad. That is going to change. I tried ruling with compassion.. Making myself approachable. I think our pack needs to be reminded.. There is a reason to fear the Alphas Landon.. It’s time for a firm hand.”

Ella smiled at me and said “You are a fair and just Alpha. Everything I know about wolves could probably fill a thimble.. but I know people. And always.. with respect, comes a modicum of fear. These people don’t fear you.. because they know how much it hurts a healer to cause harm.. and they have taken advantage of that. I love you, Matthew! Let’s show them how it’s done!”

Mom tells me “She’s right, son. You would heal flies that the cooks would swat. Much to their dismay. But Ella is right, inasmuch as your heart hurting for anything in pain. The pack knows that. They grew up with you.”

Dalton started laughing “Dude! Five years old! You cried for three days over a roadkill possum. You remember?”

I chuckled “Okay. Point taken… glaringly obvious fault acknowledged.” Ella said “Oh Hell to the No! I need to hear about the roadkill possum!”

Matthew, shaking his head, ruefully.. and Dalton tells us “Cindy and Tammy Bellows.. they had to have been.. what eleven.. twelve, maybe..at the time. Just starting their mean girl phase. Something they never seemed to outgrow, by the way. They had, for some reason, zeroed in in Matt.. One day, we were wrestling in the backyard, and they showed up.. crying.. acting a fool.. with a box. Said they’d found a poor injured possum and would Matthew help him.”

Matthew grimaced “I tried. I tried everything I could.. To the point I exhausted myself. I cried myself to sleep.. I woke up and remembered I had failed, and cried more.”

Dalton said “Poor kid was crushed. What he didn’t realize, the possum had been dead for over an entire day. The girls thought it was funny to watch a five year old lose his shit. I got pissed.. so I waited until Matthew could handle the fact there was nothing he could have done.”

Maverick said “That’s when I had an idea. We hadn’t buried the possum..we were waiting on Mattie. The damned dead thing started doing that bloat thing.. and I was afraid it was going to blow all over Matthew’s room. He wanted to keep trying to save it.”

Dalton nodded “I tried explaining and finally, on the third day, Matthew accepted there was nothing he could have done.”

Maverick chuckled “So.. following through with my idea.. I took that old dead, bloated possum.. and hid it, in Cindy and Tammy’s room. Sometime, during the night, it ruptured. Exploding that nasty shit all over their room.. them.. their clothes.. Good times!”

He and Dalton were cracking up and Matthew looked shocked. Dad lost his shit.. “The girls came to my office with their dad. Filed a complaint.. nothing ever came of it, though. It wasn’t important enough to investigate.. and neither girl claimed to know anything about it.”

Mom grinned and mumbled “Sometimes, Karma needs a helping hand. They’re so lucky I didn’t know about it. I would have shaved their wolves asses and made them walk backwards.”

Ella busted out laughing and asked “What?” I grinned and told her “See? Mom talks to herself, too. Thinking she thought it silently.. but it’s what she calls outloud thoughts.”

Ella laughed harder “My spirit animal! I’m not the only one! Thank the Goddess!” Dad laughed with her and said “Oh no! There’s two!”

Matthew then said “In all seriousness, after Mel dies.. We are going to raid the hunter’s main camp. I am rescuing the she-wolves and getting them home. This will not stand. I am only hoping they are keeping them there.”

Damien grinned.. an evil grin.. “If they aren’t all there.. we take some hunters alive. We can convince them it’s in their best interest to tell us where they keep the women.”

Dad laughed and looked at Mom.. she smiled “I will heal them enough to get them talking. Just be sure not to damage major organs when you’re doing your convincing.”

I laughed that time. Mom knows the men in her life well! I stood and said “The pack has gathered.. Mel is being brought up from the cells. Time to let this pack know I am done being their friend.”

Standing at the podium, I tested the microphone and started speaking “ Bear Creek! It has come to my attention that some of you believe it is okay to circumvent my authority. Forming little groups of followers to do your bidding.

You have all failed to realize the one fatal flaw in your pack within my pack! And that is The man being held to my right.. is a traitor. He not only betrayed me. He betrayed this entire pack. He has been selling shewolves to hunters. He even went so far as to single out two of our own omegas, as his next victims.This is indeed MY pack! I am ALPHA! You have mistaken my kindness for weakness!

By my command, any one of you dissatisfied with your life in this pack.. any one of you considering betrayal of this pack.. will be executed on the spot. No reprieve. No mercy. I will not tolerate traitors among us.

I turned and decapitated Mel.. in front of everyone. Frost roared out his anger and I growled “This is your fate! I will not hesitate. This bullshit ends now!”

The entire pack looked shocked. I didn’t care.. I am done being the Alpha who believed ruling in kindness was best. They will no longer be able to take advantage of me. I never relied on my physical strength.. that’s all changed now.

I will be the Alpha my mate deserves.. and Goddess help the fool who crosses me.. or tries to bring harm to her.. or my pack!

We left for the hunter’s camp, less than an hour later. And a little over an hour after that.. we were storming the compound’s gates. Only to find the place deserted. We had missed them by just a few hours.

Damien said “They knew we were coming, Matt. We have more traitors to ferret out.”

Frost roared out “I am done! Before this week is done.. I will know who stands against us! They will all die by my hand! No more Mr. Nice Guy!”