Chapter 111 Selection

Nikolai

"I'm going to announce the Councilmen today in the Court. This is not the right time to party so the official announcement ceremony will be on hold till peace is established. I will however expect everyone to start their jobs without delay." I told the people seated in the throne room— half of whom were my family. "I need people that I can trust and there is no one I trust more than all of you."

There was an atmosphere of anticipation in the room. The future of the entire Kingdom was at stake. History was about to be written.

The two most important thing I needed to keep in consideration when I made a choice was that I could trust the person and that the person was worthy of the position. The next thing would be fairness.

And there was no one I trusted more than my family. "Mikhail, step forward."

He did with a bow.

"I proclaim you to be the Lord of Foreign Relations." He was the best scout I had ever seen, he knew every language there was to know, he was good with formalities and I trusted him with my life. He was the most worthy for this position.

He graciously accepted with a grin and another bow. "You may take your seat again." I motioned towards his throne.

"Those interested in the position of Field Marshal and Army General, step forward."

Andrei stepped forward and so did a man and a female vampire. I was surprised that Natalia didn't.

"Stand in the order of your strength." I said and they rearranged themselves. Andrei was naturally the first, then the woman with a scar down the side of her face and then the man. I had seen her before and knew that she was a part of the rogue pack.

"Andrei, I proclaim you to be the Field Marshal and the Lord of Warfare." He graciously accepted with a bow.

And then I looked at the other two contenders.

"A war is coming up. Your thoughts and what you would do." I demanded.

"Mystic Lupus has always been a trouble for us," the man started. "But I believe that not everyone in a pack is bad. We should target those who work for Alpha Adrik and those whom we know are our enemies. But in any case, we should be ready to kill if it comes down to protecting our own. First, I would increase the training hours of our pack members and then draw strategies to kill our opponents." He gave the standard reply.

"What would your strategy be?" I asked.

He faltered. I knew this was too short of a time to come up with a strategy but a good warrior works best under pressure. "Mystic Lupus is a traditional pack and doesn't have guns. We could get train our army with more guns. And we could ask the help of the other Alphas and Kings."

"Humans are already suspicious. Ordering so many guns will do nothing but create more problems." I said and his head lowered in shame. "But it was a good answer, thank you." It was a generic one as well. Not what I was looking for.

"I agree with Smith, King Nikolai. Not everyone in a pack is bad. We should target our enemies and not warriors who are simply following orders. Targeting and killing only those people will be difficult, if not impossible. But with the right strategy, collateral damage would be minimum." The vampire answered. "A true warrior follows orders above anything else. So as for what I would do— I would follow the orders given to me by my King and the Field Marshal." This was as good as an answer could get.

"What if you disagree with the order given to you?"

"I will follow it. I would only be thinking of the situation I am in. My superior would be thinking of the entire Kingdom." She replied with the perfect answer. But I didn't need a mindless machine as the Army General. I needed someone who knows how to follow orders and can think for themselves. If this doesn't go well, we will need to keep searching.

"You've been assigned to look over a case where you need to retrieve five kidnapped children. Your team goes to the location and you get the news that it's an ambush just before they are about to enter. What will you do?" I asked.

She didn't hesitate. "Call back the team and find another way to retrieve the kids."

"If you're ordered to come back? Because getting twenty full grown trained warriors killed in attempt to save five weak little pups isn't worth it." I leaned forward with interest. I wanted to know id she will speak the truth or lie too.

She took a minute. "I will save the kids. My team would have the liberty to choose if they want to come with me, save five lives and get punished for disobeying orders, with the possibility of getting killed in the process , or follow orders and leave with life in their body." Right answer. And she spoke the truth too.

"Very well. Your name?" I asked. She was almost six feet tall, dark skinned, broad shouldered and strongly built woman. Her eyes had the look that she had been through quite a lot of dark days—the scar running from her hairline down to her chin was a proof of that. And most of all, she had the steely glint in her eye—the glint that only those had who wanted to change the world for the better.

"Chiara, King Nikolai." She replied.

"I proclaim you, Chiara, to be the General of the Army of Soare-Luna." Her face remained impassive but a flash of pride and happiness passed her eyes. "You are under probation for the next three months during which you will work closely with Andrei. Your work will determine if you deserve the title or not. You may take your seat." With a deep bow, she took a seat which was next to Andrei's.

"The ones interested for the position of the Treasurer, step forward."

Three people stepped forward and bowed in front of me.

"Rise." I allowed and they stood tall.

"What is the GDP of our pack?" I asked the most basic question. They should know this answer like the back of their hand.

Two gave the right answer immediately. I motioned the one who answered a little late to leave with a jerk of my head.

"We recently took over Poziarne. How much profit will it earn for Soare-Luna?" I asked.

One started calculating in his mind, I could see the gears turning in his eyes. That's the second he lost.

The second one simply smiled. "Nothing. Poziarne is a part of Soare-Luna now, King Nikolai. Poziarne won't earn us profits. We will get tax, sure, but a lot of it will be spent after them too. So no, we won't earn profits. But tax, yes." Correct.

"You can leave." I told the first guy and then turned to the vampire who gave the right answer. "What is your name?"

"Algebrus, Alpha King." He bowed deeply before standing upright again. The name rang a bell but I didn't remember where I had heard it.

"Where are you from?" I haven't seen him around here. Where did I hear this name?

"I was from the Montana Pack but ever since Emmanuel took over, I left and have been traveling ever since. I recently got the wind that Emilio was killed and there is a new King now. I came back home to see for myself." He replied.

There was an air of knowledge around him, like he has seen a lot of things, been through a lot of things. Like all of my brothers. And I decided that I liked him. He had light brown hair and ocean blue eyes that contrasted with his tanned skin. He was a little above six feet, the same as Mikhail.

"What made you decide that you want to stand up for the position of the Treasurer?" I asked.

"I want to make a difference." He replied honestly. "Both my parents died protecting Alpha Javier." I saw his eyes darken with sadness before they cleared again. "It is from them that I learned that good leader can change the world and it is our duty to help the leader be a good one."

"Wise words," I murmured. "I proclaim you, Algebrus to be the Lord of Treasure of Soare-Luna." He let out a breath of relief and bowed before standing up again.

"Also, Javier is alive." His eyes flared with shock but his face remained neutral.

He gulped and remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "Can I see him?" His voice was controlled.

"He is in Voda Kingdom. He is expected to return in a couple of weeks." I replied. "You are under probation for as long as I say otherwise. Dimitri will hand over you your duties and brief you about the pack. Good luck." I told Algebrus. "You may take your seat."

I motioned towards the throne dedicated to the Lord of Treasure. With another bow and a smile, he turned around and took his seat.

"The ones interested for the position of the Lord or Lady of Societal Welfare, come forward."

Only Symon came forward.

"To choose the one eligible for this position, we had taken the votes of the people. He won unanimously." Dimitri explained.

I nodded. Symon was the most important factor that helped us reach Montana in time. He had also helped many people by smuggling food and other essential items in the pack. It was illegal but it was the right thing to do. The people clearly remembered that.

"Very well. I proclaim Symon to be the Lord of Societal Welfare," I announced and he bowed down before standing straight again. I motioned towards his new throne and he took his seat.

"Those interested for the position of the Hand of the King, step forward."

"Damn, that sounds to much cooler than Beta." Dimitri grinned and stepped forward.

"And it will sound much more cooler after my name." Natalia stepped forward too, much to my surprise. I didn't know she was interested, I hadn't even considered her. I had thought she would try for the Field Marshal or the Army General maybe. When she didn't, I simply thought she didn't want that kind of responsibility or something.

Dimitri's head snapped to her and his eyes narrowed upon the sight of competition. He had expected to win the title without having to contend. This changes things and it's going to be a good challenge.

All this while, Max was standing on the sidelines, looking at us with slightly narrowed eyes before he feigned disinterest. I had initiated him into Soare-Luna months ago but, Max wasn't officially a part of the workings of the Kingdom. He was just working under me, doing what I told him or what he thought was right. He didn't have a post but he was doing all the work of a Beta. And he knew it. But I guess the past was catching up. Maybe that was the reason he didn't want to stand up for a post. But Soare- Luna is not the Rogue Pack anymore. It has equal place for both Werewolves and Vampires. And I'm not the old Nikolai anymore, I knew my mistakes and wouldn't ever repeat them again.

I didn't say anything yet. I wanted to see if he would say something first.

"...I would like to be the Hand of the King too." Natalia sneered at Dimitri and then looked at me. "I've been training my whole life and I have been training harder now more than ever to apply for the position." She looked determined and then turned to look at Dimitri. She gave him a once over. "I can take him."

Dimitri looked amused.

I'm not sure about that but I'm sure that she will give him a tough fight. Especially if Max is training her.

"Being the Hand of the King isn't just about being the strongest." I said. "It's about being the bravest and the smartest too. Which, without doubt, both of you are. In all the things that matter, you both are equals. So I will make the decision by asking you both one question."

"Whom would you choose between me and your mate?" Your King is where your duty lies and your mate is where your heart lies.

Both of them started thinking, not knowing what to say.

They can't say they will choose their mate instead of their King, least of all in front of me. And neither can they say they choose their King instead of their mate because their wolf won't let them, nor will they truly want to.

When my eyes fell on Max. The slight tilt of lips told me knew the answer. I raised my brows at him, challenging him to answer. Say something, brother.

"The answer is simple. There is no choice. A true King will not make you choose between him and your soulmate, just like a good mate won't make you betray your King." Max answered correctly.

I looked at both Dimitri and Natalia who lowered their eyes. They should have known this.

I looked at Max. "I would have offered you the position of my Hand but I have a better position for you, if you are up for it."

"What is it?" He asked.

"My Advisor." I smiled at my older brother. I think he is the best person for this job.

His eyes gleamed and I knew I got him. I wanted him on board. Because if he wasn't, there would be no reason for him to be in the council meetings. He would not be allowed to attend them. And Max has insights about things that most supernaturals don't. It's one of the major reasons why I respected his opinions. Max is wise.

But I will shoot myself in the ass before telling that to him. The asshole will never drop it.

He dipped his head, silently agreeing to it. "For the first advice as your Advisor, I suggest you select both of them as the Hand. The King and Queen are equals so both of them should have their own Beta. It will also help you administer the Pack better. One will be the hand of the King and the other will be the hand of the Queen."

I took a moment to consider. He was right.

"I proclaim you, Dimitri, to be the Hand of the Queen." He was tied to Avalyn with blood. He will always be more loyal to her than to me, and I know there were times when torn up on whose orders to follow. This will be good in the long run. "I proclaim you, Natalia, to be the Hand of the King." They bowed deeply with huge grins.

"And by the way, you totally would have lost if we were to fight." Dimitri poked at her.

"Oh yeah?" Natalia grinned at the challenge.

"Not now." I said, stopping their banter. I actually wanted to see who would win. Dimitri had muscles but Nat was fast as hell. I guess I'll make them spar later. That should be fun. "Dimitri will start handing you over everything, starting tomorrow morning. You will remain under probation and Dimitri will help you with anything you need. Once I deem it fit, I'll lift the probation period—it should take about three months at the most. But it would be better if you pick things up quickly because Dimitri will start his new duties from tomorrow itself." I told her and she nodded, her eyes determined.

"Dimitri, I want you to help Ava with the business with Kingdom Prajini. She wanted to set up Redressal Courts in all the towns and an well structured Initiation system for those who wants to join our pack, especially now that Vladimir isn't here. She also wanted to do something about the slaves. That will be the main things you will be working on as far as I know but you need to talk to her."

He gave me a sharp nod. "As you command, Alpha King."