Chapter 9

                                    

                                          
King Eric is as passionate about his kingdom as Jackarse is. Listening to him talk about his duties and how he runs the kingdom is very interesting. Especially since I'm not in a coma listening to it. I knew the basics of how the kingdom works from Jackarse but King Eric went into more details.
                          
He even asked for my opinions and how my pack runs things. I really enjoyed talking with him. His son didn't seem to like the fact I got along with his father so well but luckily he didn't say anything. In fact, he hasn't spoken to me since our run-in last night which I'm thankful for.
                          
Loralie came in at some point to talk with Jackarse. King Eric and I chose to ignore her and continue talking about his kingdom. Jackarse seemed a bit bored talking to her though and she picked up on it. So, she decided to try and join King Eric's and my conversation.
                          
King Eric became less talkative and more annoyed when she started talking. It was clear she didn't have any idea how to run a pack let alone a whole kingdom. I was actually worried for Jackarse. How can he marry someone who literally has no clue how the kingdom works? Has she even tried to figure it out? Judging from her conversation with King Eric and me, she hasn't put much time into figuring out how the kingdom is run. Even some of the simplest things she didn't know.
                          
Fortunately, she seemed to get bored and left. The attitude in the room seemed less tense and we carried on as if nothing happened. King Eric showed me a map of all the different packs and explained the different rules each of the packs created. An alpha can make their own rules as long as it doesn't contradict the royal rules. If a pack member thinks the rules go against the royal rules or violated the pack's basic rights, then they can ask for a meeting with the King. If he decides that the rule shouldn't exist, the rule will be taken to the Council who will vote on it. 
                          
This made me curious about the rules in Alpha Black's pack. I was a slave so I didn't know any of them, however, I did know that his pack was terrified of him. The only time someone stood up to him, they were instantly killed. I cringe at the memory of her lifeless body on the floor. She was a great person.
                          
"Are there laws about prisoners? I knew when I punish people, I try to keep it as humane as possible. My punishments can be intense but I make sure they are well-fed, have water, a bed, etc," I said.
                          
The King nodded and grabbed a book off his giant bookshelf. "This book has all the rules for punishments and keeping prisoners. They've been the rules since the kingdom was made. The first Council wanted to make sure that even the prisoners had rights. Most are obvious like feeding prisoners at least twice a day, make sure the punishment fits the crime, sexual assault is strictly forbidden, allow them to go to the bathroom, etc. Then there are the less obvious rules: no driving anyone insane, no trading the prisoner, no killing the prisoner without permission from the Council and no cruel punishments," he informed me.
                          
My body tensed as he spoke. Alpha Black broke almost all of the rules yet nothing happened to him. There was a flaw in the system which is to be expected. Nothing is perfect. However, this flaw led to me be broken and even though I survived, others might not. There may be other victims of this flaw who might not be able to survive. 
                          
Some of my pack members were even victims of this flaw. Luckily, they survived and are safe now. And, as much as I love my pack, they shouldn't feel the need to run away from their pack. I wanted to figure out how to fix this flaw. I knew it wouldn't be easy but it was necessary. The first step is pointing it out. Acknowledging it.
                          
"What if an alpha is breaking the rules? Not just with prisoners but with pack members as well. No one would want to speak up because they are terrified of the consequences," I inquired. 
                          
Jackarse replied, "An alpha is unlikely to do such things. To earn the title of alpha is a huge honour and most of them know that. It's unlikely that they would risk losing it."