Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 115

Maddie

She watched them duck into her café to get out of the falling snow that had started just a few minutes ago, the moment the door had opened she’d smelled it. An Alpha and his Beta.

She’d nearly sighed out loud, had managed to hold it in as she looked at that platinum blonde hair on that Alpha. It was the same as Ocean’s blonde hair, and she was willing to bet that man was Alpha Slade Southerland of the Highland Hills pack.

She stepped Londyn out the line of sight and mind-linked to her ‘Does he smell the same as that Delta from the other night?’

‘I don’t know, it was only faint.’ Londyn answered her.

‘Don’t stare at either of them. she’d murmured and cut the mind-link. It wasn’t all that often they got wolves in this café, and sometimes Londyn stared curiously at them. She was the only one of the four of them to have never lived inside a pack, and was curious about it at times, though mostly it was the way they interacted with each other.

They were actually all aligned to Londyn, as much as she hadn’t wanted that, Sloan had talked her into it, and they were now a full female rogue Alpha unit. She knew Londyn wasn’t afraid of wolves, never really had been, always had that Alpha mentality.

But she also didn’t truly understand the hierarchy of wolfen packs because she’d never seen it. Ana was actually kind of the leader, both Zara and Londyn looked to Ana as their leader, but weirdly enough, Ana looked to Maddie. She had simply stated once ‘You’re the oldest Maddie, though she thought Ana was the most sensible one of them all.

They were allowed to look at new people in the café, with open curiosity but never actively stare at wolves. That could be a dead giveaway for anyone looking for any of their own kind.

Though that man, flirting openly with Zara, had said his name was Vance, and she knew Ana’s brother who had taken her place from her, his name was Hayden, so that wasn’t him. She supposed anything could have happened to that pack, to see her brother replaced or maybe even be dead.

It was too much of a coincidence that Ana had come across her old pack’s Delta, and now here was an Alpha and a Beta, though she’d not gotten his name. She stood polishing glasses while Londyn busied herself with filling the coffee machine with beans. He looked right at her and smiled at one point, before turning his attention to the street.

People watching, she thought, listening to the conversations of those others here in the café as well. Maddie took the order from Zara she would make it herself. Not once did that Beta state his Alpha’s name, it wasn’t on the cup either, seeing as they’d opted to sit inside to drink it and not get a takeaway.

Zara had just allocated the order to the table they were sitting at. Though that Beta, he’d given up his quickly, he’d taken one look at Zara, and was likely interested in bedding the girl. He was all smooth-talking charm. Though Zara had not been swayed into giving out her number to him.

It was Maddie that walked the two coffee’s over and placed them on the table. “Visiting or passing through?” she smiled at them striking up a conversation. She was naturally friendly and talked to all her customers, though she kept her eyes on Vance, not that Alpha. No human would understand the ranking system, so she could talk to whoever she wanted to, in any manner she chose and have no backlash.

“Visiting.” Vance answered her, though she watched his eyes move to Zara.

“That’s my little sister your checking out.” she commented, and saw his eyes move right to hers, she smiled right at him and his disbelieving look. “Different mother.” she clarified for him “Me and my sisters own this café. Londyn is also my sister, I’m the eldest.” she informed him and walked away.

Maddie heard who she could only think of as Alpha Slade snort “Oh, you just got warned.” he sounded quite amused.

He was right, it was a warning, he had no idea that the three of them were she-wolves, and all ranked members in their world. That Ana had been training them all how to fight for years. Just in case they got

into any kind of trouble. Zara was only one rank below this Beta, being a Gamma herself. He’d also find Zara quite the challenge to obtain.

She did know how to use that Goddess-Gifted Gamma charm on both men and women, did it often to help settle disputes within the school, or here in the café, occasionally intervened in fender benders with angry roadrage filled humans. Helped out lost children to keep them calm, while a parent was searched for during the busier months.

It was quite amusing to watch at times. Zara looked so sweet and innocent to all those around her, had that naive, wholesome country girl look, and the accent to go with it. She had retained it on purpose. She was originally from Texas. She could not only play that sweet and innocent card, could do it damned well.

Maddie had learned something about Gamma’s after meeting Zara, that female Gammas could charm everyone, men and women. Zara could willingly charm the socks of whoever she liked, and it was something Zara found fun to do at times.

She was the one to handle all the café ordering and deliveries, was also the one that got Ana her modelling jobs, and made sure she was paid in cash, and for those that appeared more interested in Ana, that they kind of forgot about who she was as well. A female Gamma was way more useful than a male Gamma, she thought.

She watched those two walk away down the street. The snow had stopped falling once more, they’d only come in here to get out of it, not on purpose, she thought. They were smiling and chatting, blending in and

she knew it. She waited until they were out of sight and stepped outside, stood there and stretched her arms up above her head and breathed in all deep like she was just getting some fresh air, and let Tawny scent for other wolves in the area.

There was nothing, and she wondered just where that man’s Gamma and Delta were right that minute, not here in the town, or the main street or local to the café. She walked back inside after clearing a few tables and checking the out-door heaters were all on and working. Walked herself along those photos and plucked the ones with Ana or Ocean in them off the wall, only four of them.

‘You’re thinking trouble is brewing! Zara asked her down the mind-link, and she could feel Londyn was also attached to it.

‘Yes.’ Maddie stated simply. She looked at the empty place where the frames had been. ‘Londyn, get me four new photos to put up there in these frames’

‘You think they’ll recognise something is missing from the wall.

‘Yes, I also believe they’ll recognise her with us and likely understand she works here, or we all know her, be surveilled. I think they are likely more observant than they look, and will notice if they come back in, if pictures are missing off the wall, even if they didn’t look at them. So replacing them before they come back is a good idea.

‘On it.’ Londyn nodded and took the frames to her photography business a few blocks away.

She came back just 20 minutes later and gave her photos, of Maddie and Zara out hiking, one of the town’s New Years celebration’s fireworks, over the big Christmas tree that had been erected in the towns square. One of the lake under a night full of stars, one of her own actual pictures, with her company logo and everything in the bottom corner, and one of herself and Maddie snowboarding at the local resort.

‘Good thinking.’ Maddie smiled at her ‘Zara, I’ll get you to pick up our munchkin an hour early and take her home. She’ll be out of school for at least a week. Ana and I will discuss it and come up with a reason later tonight.’

‘Alright.’ Zara nodded.