“I won’t be asking for that,” he smiled at him, then turned to his parents once more, “But father, you will need to send either Ethan or Colby and their unit over to run business in my stead. Until you allow me to return myself. That is only fair, and it needs a Hayes in charge.” He went on.
Jared could see that Lance was now frowning at him. He’d told him to stay here but then. also stated he was the one that he believed was the most eligible and competent to run the international company. It looked to be his little brother like the compliment, but then didn’t like not having the opportunity to use all his skills now.
He could also see both Ethan and Colby were insulted by his unspoken words, that he didn’t think they were competent or intelligent enough in his eyes to run his business. He ignored that, they may take it how they wanted. They weren’t dumb. He honestly just thought Lance was the better of his three brothers to run his company in his stead.
He looked at his father, who was looking at his other brothers, and their unhappy faces and continued, “Unless, of course, father, you’ll let me return to Europe?” He asked, kind of hoping this would work to his favor.
“No,” his father stated, and looked right at him with narrowed eyes as if he’d just figured out what Jared was doing. “Not until you bring Wynta Morgan into the pack, and she’s been initiated. As I explained to you before, it was your arrogance and disregard for her that changed her mind and gave her a way out of setting foot inside this pack, which would allow me to initiate her.
“You son, will be remaining here until that happens, regardless of if it takes weeks, months or years. I don’t care. If you leave this pack and the country to go back to France, I will see it as you don’t want to be a productive member of the pack and help it grow. That you’re willing to walk away from the opportunity to be the future Alpha to this very pack.
“Something I think that you actually do want, and that is why you branched out into Europe and established an international base for the pack, to show me you have the necessary skills and leadership… Drive to make new growth and create more wealth for the future generations to come.” His father nodded, though his eyes were now on Ethan and Colby.
Jared almost shook his head, two it seemed could play the game he’d started. He’d tried to make it so he would be sent back, and his father was now making it appear if either Ethan or Colby opted to go, they’d look better in their fathers to run the pack, and could be seen as doing what his father had just stated Jared himself had done. A devious old man he had. go, father,” Ethan stated after only half a minute of thought. “I’ve never been, and I would like to also show you that I am a good choice for the future of this pack.”
“Excellent Ethan.” His father smiled at him happily. “Problem solved, Jared.” He smiled right at him.
“Father, I am also willing to go,” Colby stated. “I might just find my Mate over there. There are plenty of packs and unknown she-wolves in Europe.”
“That there are son.” His mother chuckled softly. She seemed happy about this too.
“Let’s have a meeting after dinner, and a decision can be made… Jared, do you have a preference between Ethan and Colby? It is your company, so your thoughts must weigh in.”
Jared leaned back in his chair and looked from one brother to the other, and weighed up what he thought were their individual strengths and weaknesses, as he saw them where his company was considered.
“You could send both of them.” He finally spoke. “Maybe they’ll both find their mates over there, and it’s a large company; I could see them working alongside each other. They get along well too,” something he did know. “I’ll leave it up to you, father, but I will lay down some ground rules,” he stated, and his father nodded.
Dinner was finished and the four of them sat there to discuss it, “If either of you ruin my business, or it starts to lose money because of the deals either of you make, or there is in-house fighting that spills out and is seen by the shareholders. I’ll want them removed and, of course, punished formally.”
“That seems fair, his father nodded. “The punishment you’d want?”
“Hmm, I think them going off to serve in the kingdom for, say… one year for every one hundred thousand dollars lost.”
He was aiming to make sure they actually worked and kept his company in good stead and. earning money, not run it carelessly. Both Ethan and Colby looked very unhappy about his words, and he smiled at them, “That’s my baby, that I built with my unit from the ground up, that you’ll be running, and I’ll not see it ruined by anyone. They are my terms, father,” he stated simply.
“Agreed.” his father smiled at him happily. “Welcome home, Jared. It’ll be nice to have you around all the time once more. Lively and entertaining for me, I imagine.” His father chuckled now. “Just like it used to be. Boys?” his father looked at his brothers and they reluctantly nodded their heads.
He’d kind of been hoping that punishment would see both his brothers back out and his father would have no choice but to send him back to France. Though he could see from the fully amused smile on his father’s face, he was happy with the outcome, and that welcome home. The damned man had been plotting and planning to get him to not only come home, but it seems to stay home.
His father reminded both his brothers around the rules of finding their Mates, that they would have to bring them here to this pack to have a band put on the she-wolf and prove she was their Goddess-Gifted before any claiming was allowed to happen.
Not that any of them could sink fangs into any she-wolf with that mating band on. But a she-wolf could mark them, it was the only way to cheat it, to have them come home marked by that she-wolf, so when a band was put on her it glowed. Because she could scent them as their Mate. His father was having none of that.
If any of them did that, he would consider it that the she-wolf wasn’t their Goddess-Gifted, and they would be removed from the ascension line to the pack due to being deceitful. His father would also request a seer to check it; the man was damned stubborn about who inherited his pack. He’d grown it from nothing himself. He was the first Alpha to this pack; it was considered new compared to some others out there, that had a thousand years of ascension behind them.
Wynta
She’d been returned to her apartment after being discharged, and she’d had a pack physio therapist sent to her every four days, to help with the healing and stability of her knee. Edward had told her two weeks off work minimum, and insisted on her not being able to return until all her bruising was completely gone.
He’d also had her assessed as she’d walked to the office from her apartment, to make sure she could do the walk. It wasn’t so bad if she took it easy, and as long as she wore her knee brace she could manage it without too much trouble. She wasn’t yet allowed to take if off anyway, and still had to have physio, though that was now down to just once a week. That was likely to still happen for a few months, she’d been told after the assessment of her injury.
She’d not argued about that, it still caused her pain all the time. Even just trying to sleep was hard, rolling over in bed was almost a tearful event, and she was on painkillers at night to try and get proper sleep. But a slow, steady walk from her place to the office, that was pretty flat compared to other parts of the city and manageable.
She’d walked into her office this morning, and her whole team had looked at her and smiled, asked how she was doing. She’d told them she was alright, just had a sore knee was all. She’d sat down at her desk, and frowned when she realized the chair was higher than it normally would be.
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