When we got back to the Alpha house, the brunette girl I'd met before lead me to the room I'd be staying in.

Once I set my case down I turned back to the girl with a smile.

"Thank you, Oh but I've been so rude, I'm Alexander Janson." I resisted the urge to hold out my hand to her in greeting when she held out her own hand.

"Oh, I'm Marylyn." She smiled. I blinked at her in surprise, she wanted to shake my hand? But I was supposed to be an Alpha.

A bit sheepishly, she lowered her hand.
"S-Sorry, habit." She cleared her throat, but I was curious.

"Habit? You mean, you shake your Alpha's hand?" I asked raising a brow.

"Y-Yes! Oh she's a very good Alpha, really. She's just started but she's done such a good job so far. She's helped the farmers near the border protect their cattle with better fences. She's been helping the black smith with his wears, and has even volunteered at the-"

"Volunteered?" I asked, stopping her. She shut her mouth a bit sheepishly.

"I-Um, Yes?"

"You mean she's been doing these things herself?" I asked with a frown of confusion.

"Oh, not by herself no. She gathers others and they all help out with the bigger jobs. Though she does act a bit like a manager rather than like other Alphas doesn't she?" The girl hummed.

"Not that there's anything wrong with the way other Alphas run their packs!" She said quickly, but I held up a hand to stop her.

"Where is she now?" I asked with a full on frown. I was acting upset but really, this pack sounded a bit like, the camp.

But this girl was an Alpha, she was supposed to be pushing everyone around, not doing all these things like she was a mid class.

"S-She should be in her quarters at the moment." She told me and I walked past her out the door.

"W-Where are you goin?" She asked as I headed down the hall.

"I'm going to have a chat with her, that's all." I waved the girl off and continued down the hall.

I could just follow the scent of grime she'd had on her from the blacksmith's, I'd find her room easily.

Just then, someone stepped into the hall from another room and I nearly stumbled.

The tall blonde smiled at me, her hair up in a bun, which hid her defining red tips.

I straightened my back just a bit as we walked passed each other.

The woman didn't say anything to me and just headed down the hall with a few towels.

But once she was out of sight I felt my heart calm, what was she doing here? Phoenix never followed others on their missions.

The importance of this mission was starting to sink in. But I brushed it off and continued through the house. I couldn't be pressured, my best work came from me naturally, if I pushed too far too fast, I'd grow sloppy.

I found the Alpha's room as easily as I'd predicted and I knocked firmly.

Who opened the door looked quite different from the grimy girl I'd met at the blacksmith's.

This girl's black eyes were even more piercing in comparison to her fair skin, and the freckles that lined her cheeks crawled up the left side of her face almost like a galaxy trail in the sky late at night.

Her hair was a rich red sea of curls that surrounded her face. Yet, her figure was petite, her hips bigger than her chest and her hands looked soft. She looked, like a kid still, but something about her commanded respect, perhaps it was just her face. Her face seemed more mature than the rest of her.

"Yes?" She asked raising a brow. I blinked myself out of my stupor, realizing I'd been staring at her.

"Um, I have some questions for you." I said, folding my arms.

She blinked at me blankly.

"And your questions couldn't have waited a few more minutes?" She asked and I realized she was still cleaning herself of the grime and soot from the chimney.

She'd gotten most of it off, but there were still a few spots around her face and some bits still stuck in her hair.

"No." I answered anyways.

Instead of shutting the door in my face like I'd assumed she would have, she let go of the door, leaning against the door frame with her arms folded.

She was actually going to listen to me?
I faked a pleased face.

"First off, your servant told me that you have been running around your pack fixing fences and cleaning chimneys since you became Alpha." I told her, I didn't really have a problem with these things, but I wondered how she'd react to criticism.

The girl simply nodded.

"I have been." Well, at least she was honest.

"What for?" I asked as if surprised. "What about the alliances you have with other Packs? Shouldn't you call them for help if you're needing so much of it? Alphas should not be getting their hands dirty with such substantial work." I told her, though, I admittedly barely knew what I was talking about.

The girl blinked at me, waiting until I was finished.

"My parents didn't ask for help from other packs when they had a few hiccups, I'm not going to be asking them to send a few wolves over, because I already have the wolves I need. As you said, I am an Alpha, but I am also a part of this pack. If I'm not willing to work alongside the other ranks to keep it going, then I'm not an Alpha, I'm a human King." She told me and I stared at her in amazement.

She'd said it with bite, yet her posture was so calm, her hands twitched as she gripped her arms, and her eyes were very tense as she stared at me, but other than this, she didn't show too much of the conviction she had for her own words. She believed her words whole heartedly, but the problem was, so did I.

This was bad! We weren't supposed to be agreeing!

"I disagree." I said, a flat out lie.

"Why? Is that how you run your pack?" She asked raising a brow, I grappled for something to say, barely managing a weak sentence.

"Packs need organization! That's what Alpha are for."

"Bull crap!" She snapped, almost making me jump. This is when she straightened.

"You can tell me all I need to do is organize until the moon rises hundreds of times, but you can't deny the truth. Packs need more than just some organization. They need grit, heart, and hard work to keep them together. The closer we bond with our pack, the stronger we are as a whole."

I stared in her black eyes a bit differently now. I'd thought she would be a privileged brat, like the way I was acting. I mean, she was a brat, but she was also a brat who knew what she was doing.

The red head grabbed her door again as if to close it, and I found I'd backed up to the other side of the hall.

"Is that all you wanted?" She asked, her tone calm, yet uninviting.

"One, more thing." I said, stepping towards her. She simply stared at me, waiting for me to continue.

"I'd like to challenge you to a game."