Demonic Regime

Chapter 6: Surprise!

"Come on, Rudy. Come here." Hector held out his arms.

The ten months old let go of the side of the couch and immediately crawled the small distance to the alpha.

"You're supposed to walk." He picked the child up. "Dominants can't be crawling through the dirt. Look at your pants." The alpha wiped the boy's pants, though little dust was on them.

"He's still a little young."

"A bit more time and he'll be running." Hector sat down with the boy on his lap.

Rudy climbed up his grandpa's side and grabbed his ear. The alpha wiggled them, making the toddler giggle.

"Do you want something stronger to drink?"

I shook my head. "This is plenty."

Hector picked up his glass and Rudy reached for it. "No, no, young man. You're way too young for any of this." He put the toddler on the ground.

Rudy quickly pulled himself up and started doing laps around the coffee table.

"Look at that. Now, if he'd learn to let go." The alpha motioned toward the boy.

"He does great only when he's holding onto something."

We watched him for a moment before Rudy dropped to the floor and crawled to me. I placed the boy on the couch beside me and gave him his bottle. He flopped right over and had a drink of his own.

"Don't take this the wrong," I said, "but when do you think you're going to—"

"Retire," said Hector. He shrugged. "We're started on making arrangements."

"Oh, wow."

"I'm not going anywhere as much as Andreas would like that. I need to make sure he's not going to fuck anything up," Hector muttered. "I know he's capable, but he needs to learn a few things."

"Have you told Andreas?"

The alpha shook his head. "He's been going around to talk to the alpha of the sub-packs. I plan to do it when he gets back. We have a dinner date, you might say," he chuckled. "He'll probably already know. Hannah is ready for a less stressful life until I remind her that it's our son who will be taking my place."

I grabbed Rudy's foot as he continued to try and kick me. "He's ready."

"I know," said Hector with a sigh. "Andreas was born to be alpha. I want him to take the pack further than I did. But it's still hard to give up my rank, even as old as I am."

"You'll always be an alpha."

"Yes, but retired is a part of the title," chuckled Hector. "Andreas will do fine. At least, that's what I keep telling myself."

Rudy threw his bottle on the ground and crawled into my lap.

"What about you?" I used his shirt to wipe his face. "Are you going to learn how to shift?"

He grinned at me before yipping. He did it again and then laughed.

"What is that?" said Hector. "That weird noise."

"Marcy has been taking him to the play center so he can be around some other pups. He thinks it's funny, so he started doing it."

Rudy did it again and laughed at himself.

"Silly, pup." I tickled his stomach.

"How do the other pups treat him?"

I shrugged. "They're still too young. If they can talk, it's not like Rudy knows what they're saying. Marcy says he does love puppy piles. The kids that are tied will snuggle together, and Rudy smashes himself right in the middle."