Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 114

Slade

It had been three days now and there was just nothing. He sighed he’d arrived on Friday midday and had been tired just like all his unit had been, and now three days later they’d scented nothing, had listened with their wolfen hearing to people’s conversation as they walked about. There were no sightings of other wolves here either. Likely being the middle of winter, they were all housed within their own packs.

Yuri and Palmer were going to walk around the lake this week. It was large but nothing for them as wolves. It would be no different to walking the pack border or running it on a pack run. Only this would be at a casual stroll. That would take them a couple of days and Vance or himself would drop them off and pick them up come sun down.

They did not need the locals watching and reporting two large, strange men, prowling around their neighbourhoods at nighttime. These townships were small, and it was likely everyone knew everyone. So even though there were tourists about, they would only be in the central parts of town, and not in the middle of the night. When it could drop below freezing.

This would also give them a chance to see the local towns. He was glad it was high on the list for tourists, other wise the sheriff’s department would likely be all over them right now.

They’d had that happen before and learned the best way to deal with them was to be polite, respectful and apologetic if their presence had scared a few of the local residents. He also used his human world profile and claimed they were on holidays.

They headed into the town south of them, a place called Greenville, though he’d taken a drive through some of the coves and looked at the housing along the way. Some of the homes were quite well spaced out, away from each other, and isolated, others were clustered together.

Though he didn’t really know what he was looking for, only that if he actually laid eyes on his child, that kin bond would kick in instantly, Hail was up inside his mind looking for his pup, all attention. But he couldn’t hover or have his men hover about or around the schools either. That would definitely bring unwarranted police attention to them, and not the good kind.

He needed the town’s folk to smile at him and his boys, talk like they normally would and not think they were a pervert of some sort. He also knew small towns had folks that liked to gossip. So they were keeping their ears open for the name Brianah and anyone stating that they would be surveilling, until they either found Ori or found out it was not her.

They were going to keep a relatively low profile this week and then increase it next week. If she was here somewhere, he needed her to relax and think they weren’t looking for her, or had left even. The trucks, two Cadillac Escilade’s both black with tinted windows, had hire car logos on the back windows, so people wouldn’t think anything of them other than that they were tourists, or perhaps businessmen.

They never drove cars that looked like they were related to the pack any more. He’d left his car behind in the pack when home for Dimitri’s shift, after Lindal had pointed out to him that Ori would know what his

Audi looked like.

He’d actually sat and thought about it, created a rental car company but not attached it to the pack, had spoken with Alpha Gretta about that, and they knew of it and 10% of the revenue it made, went to the Wolfen Council as per required, but she understood he was trying to keep anyone with hacking abilities from knowing it was part of the pack.

He’d opened branches in 20 of the states, and it was actually doing quite well, so a good investment, though he had humans managing it all. His name was in no way attached to it. Hacking into a company or the transit authority to check a number plate and see who owned a vehicle, was one of the first things a tech learned.

In wolfen society, they had back doors into many of the human government businesses, not to rip them off or destroy them, just to be able to help them out of trouble, and search for things like missing wolves. He himself only had to make a call to Ralph, back in the pack, one of his techs, and he always picked up, regardless of the time. And he would look into whatever it was Slade wanted of him.

He had pretty much the entire pack at his disposal, his social group was also Ori’s, and they were all happy to help him if he needed something. After finding out the truth that she was actually carrying his child, and he’d been honest about that with them. Not really remembering. They’d been happy to help out.

Hayden, he knew was still in the cells, hadn’t been let out once, he sat bored shitless in the cell waiting on the day to come when Slade returned home, had been in that dingy cell now for five long years. He didn’t talk much anymore, had ranted and raved for a few months and then just stopped, when he realised no one would listen to him.

Slade pulled up in Greenville and he and Vance strolled along the main road, smiled and nodded to the town’s folk, and stopped and looked at the real estate windows. He and Vance chatted like they were looking for a home on the lake for summer and winter vacations.

They were actually going to house hunt as well. That was a good way to check out the surrounding suburbs and listen to the indistinct chatter of the locals. It would give them a legit reason to be out in the suburbs without arousing any suspicion. They were hoping to pick up her name or perhaps wolfen talk.

They walked by the school off the main road, a big brick building and everyone was inside, the bell had already rung and classes were in attendance. It started to snow, and they ducked into a café to get coffee and wait it out. He smiled at the woman behind the counter, she looked from him to Vance and her smile

kind of faltered, though only for a moment, and then it was back in place.

He was nodded to by Maddie, and he returned his attention to the world outside the café, all women running the café. That was nice, and they were from all walks of life. He’d picked up Londyn’s southern accent as she talked to Maddie. Zara had a Midwestern accent, and Maddie sounded like she was from here.

Vance finally sank down at his table and smiled at him “You get the girls number?” he asked.

“No, but that won’t deter me. She’s lovely, don’t you think?” Vance commented.

“Mm, likely has one very protective father as well.” Slade stated “What did you order me?”

“I was recommended the Zara and Maddie specials, so that’s what I ordered.”

“Suckered by a pretty face I see.” Slade shook his head.

“I was.” Vance smiled and leaned back in his chair, turned to look at the girl. Despite being on the search for his missing Beta, Vance was clearly in the mood to find himself a woman, and had it seemed, found one he liked, he wasn’t at all concerned about losing his position when they found Ori. He was of the opinion she wouldn’t want to take it up once more, or she would be Slade’s Mate and, therefore, to be the Luna, she was also the mother of his child.

So, if not his mate, Vance was hedging his bet that if she could be swayed into coming back to the pack, once she learned the truth, she still wasn’t going to ask to take up her mantle. She would simply be a

regular pack member if not his Mate, the mother of the heir to the pack, and nothing more, would live in a house somewhere inside the pack, not in the packhouse.

He was comfortable in his position as Slade’s Beta. Not only did he believe it was fully secured, he fitted in well with the unit. He believed Ori would even like him, though Slade had glared at him for the implication in his tone of voice, that he’d bed her if she wasn’t his Mate. Had been tormenting Slade with those words and tone, trying to get him to lighten up. Just ticked him off mostly. Which made the man laugh out loud.