Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 182

Zara

She shuddered going from rogue territory to pack territory, she didn’t have many nice memories of the last years inside her home pack and didn’t really know how to feel about being back inside one. Not many saw the scars she had, and most of them had healed over after her beatings.

Though she still had a few on her ankles from where she’d been held down and the cruel wolves that had wanted a piece of her and weren’t allowed to, had bound her with silver wire, put it on so tight that when she’d tried to walk it had cut into her skin, leaving her scared in many places.

She’d also been put on those shaming posts when the Alpha had been away from the pack, beaten and harmed by those who couldn’t do anything to her when he was home. Because she had to be un-marred and still intact for that one to buy her.

She looked at those on the shaming post and cringed a little at the memories she’d had of them, though she’d always been released right before the Alpha came home, so Jetta could heal her up, and it not be known what they’d done to her while he was away.

The silver wire, however, left her scared for life, she rarely didn’t wear socks and shoes, and on a modelling set for beachwear the make-up girl would do her best to cover them or the photographer would use a program to rid them from the pictures. No one knew her skin wasn’t flawless.

She’d had her ankle broken more than once inside that place, and some days it still ached. The bones were scarred even though Jetta had healed them. Too many times they had been broken in the same place, her right ankle was much weaker than it looked.

Her eyes turned from those out there glad they were being punished for their crimes, so many Alphas got away with so much and all because they were Alphas, and considered untouchable to the rest of the pack.

They walked into the packhouse, and she looked around, hadn’t been inside one in a very long time, had never had the inclination to return to pack life, and with Londyn never having grown up inside a pack, there was no need to. None of her sisters had considered going back to pack life, and this was going to be hard on them all being inside one, each of them bar Londyn had their own reservations about their own Kind, and being inside a pack once more.

The foyer of this place was grand, showing off the wealth of the pack she supposed. There were several sitting areas down here on either side of the double entry doors. There were stairs down off the foyer on her right past two separate seating areas that led up to the other floors. They were floating stairs, and she could see beyond them to other seating areas and what looked to be several rooms off the left off it, likely where the Alpha’s private dining room was and probably his private bar and retreat.

To her left was an open area walkway with seating on either side. Further down the foyer there were four steps that led up to what looked like a restaurant or large café of some sort, with a sitting area behind a few glass panels. She could smell the coffee from here; a dark roast was being served down there. There was more seating by the windows that overlooked the front of the packhouse.

Then a hallway that led off down and away beyond that, to other sections of the packhouse that would likely contain the gym and entertainment zones for the pack’s wolves.

As she looked up she could see that the first floor was open to be viewed from down here, just a glass railing that ran along a fair chunk of the packhouse, allowing for viewing of the foyer from up there.

There was she could see a library up there, and the hallway up there she saw many other hallways branch off it and disappear. It was grander than her former pack but, from her knowledge, it was also much larger than the 450 they’d been. Likely many large packs had packhouses that looked like this.

She could see there was a hallway that led off through the packhouse behind where Slade was standing and knew it would go to the dining room, could smell food coming from down there, and as she took in the foyer itself she could see the Alpha’s office not that far away as well as the Luna’s office, and what she thought must be the war room.

This place had taught her to do that, and opening herself up to it once more was not something she actually wanted. She would have to wait and see. She understood Ana would stay until the full moon, to see her sisters pair up, but after that, she had no idea of what Ana was thinking.

In Greenville, she’d simply thought they’d all leave her and move here, and she’d stay there and run the café. Though with Ocean now bonded to her father, Zara didn’t know if Ana would do that. Or would she opt to leave still if she didn’t find her own Mate, leave Ocean here with them and her father.

It would be a hard decision, but taking Ocean away from Slade now, she didn’t know if Ana could do that. But she also didn’t know if Ana would stay there. The woman was confused, so Zara couldn’t read her at the moment. There were no decisions made on her part is all Zara could think.

It was all going to come down to the full moon setting. Her eyes moved to Slade, and she wondered if he would get what he truly wanted. Would Selena gift him the mother of his child? She didn’t know, though she did know Ana had never considered it, that she could be his Mate. He’d had Goddess-Gifted as far as she’d know for the past seven and half years.

So she’d never thought about it was all. Still didn’t actually think of him like that, he was just Slade, Ocean’s father. She didn’t look at him with desire or any kind of wants. Wasn’t looking to be mated off to him at all, if they paired up, and were gifted to each other, things would likely change.

All four of them, Ocean even, were of the opinion it was Goddess-Gifted or nothing at all. None of them would accept a Chosen Mate. Ana had liked Peirce a lot, but she’d never have married him even if he’d asked, and not because she didn’t like him or want that, it was simply because who knew when a Goddess-Gifted would come along and take you away from your human lover.

She could only hope that the full moon brought a mate bond to all of them here in this pack. Otherwise, their loving family was going to be torn apart. A part of her saw it already happening, as did Maddie, and they were both concerned about Ana being left out and feeling abandoned. Or abandoning them, so that they could be happy here in this place, when she didn’t feel like she fitted in.