Chapter 49 Close As Brothers
Greg had intentionally increased the portion size. As an Alpha, Zion was larger than the average wolf, and his body demanded more food to sustain both his size and power. Alphas possessed incredible brute strength, but that strength came with a cost—it consumed an enormous amount of energy. If Zion didn’t eat properly, he wouldn’t be able to perform at his best on the battlefield.
The meat used in the soup had been either smoked or sun-dried—preservation methods necessary for their current circumstances. To make it more palatable, it had to be either boiled longer or soaked before cooking; otherwise, it would be too dry and tough to eat.
Still, they had little choice. Their meals had to rely on ingredients with long shelf lives likepotatoes, flour, preserved meats, and other hardy supplies that wouldn’t spoil easily.
With limited ingredients, they had no choice but to get creative with their meals, using the same basic supplies in different ways. Fortunately, Addison had anticipated this and made sure to send a variety of goods with each shipment.
If she sent flour one time, the next delivery might include rice. If they received beef jerky or smoked beef in one batch, the next might bring smoked bacon or cured pork ham. Thanks to this rotation, Zion and his people could enjoy some variation in their meals, unlike other packs who had to swallow their dissatisfaction and make do with whatever they were given.
Still, the improvement in supplies did little to stop the bullying of Beta Greg. In fact, he grew more resentful. He hated the other packs—and he hated Addison even more. In his eyes, everything was her fault.
He believed that if their former Alpha hadn’t died, none of this would have happened. He wouldn’t have been humiliated, and neither would the others. Not even once.
Beta Greg had turned a blind eye to everything Addison was doing for the pack, not because he wasn’t aware, but because he was drowning in his own suffering and didn’t have the time to understand others. Aside from his Alpha, only his Alpha and himself mattered; then, his pack and Addison were the last of his concerns.
Zion couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of guilt, knowing that his Beta had suffered in silence, and that he, too, had unknowingly allowed it to happen.