Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 185

Ana

The room was nice, almost as nice as those she knew to be up on the top floor, where the leadership resided. Ocean seemed fine here inside the pack, in the suite, was off looking about it with Londyn.

Both she and Londyn appeared a little on the disappointed side about what a pack looked like. She didn’t know what they had been expecting, but realised now that she nor Maddie or Zara had ever actually explained that.

Though that was simply because none of them wanted to talk about their old lives, she supposed. Both Londyn and Ocean seemed to just understand that about them, and had never asked what a pack looked like.

They were all out on that balcony looking out at the forest beyond the packhouse, after settling into their rooms, choosing which room they wanted for themselves, though Ana’s was already predetermined due to having a bed in there for Ocean.

It was Londyn that pointed out movement off to their left, and they saw Slade and his unit all dressed in pack suits, she knew; walking with one of the council members outside of the packhouse. They walked several meters from the packhouse and just stopped.

She nearly sighed at the sight of them all dressed like that. She’d once had a suit just like that herself, had refused for it to have a skirt, and be distinguished as a girl, so had pants to make her look just like them down there now.

She leaned on the railing, curious as to what was going on down there with him and his unit. It wasn’t often one wore a pack suit; for formal occasions or ascension, usually.

They were all leaning on the railing watching now and Ocean was tugging at her pant leg “I can’t really see mum.” She stated.

Ana looked at her and then nodded, grabbed a chair from the balcony they were standing on and pulled it up for Ocean to stand on and see what was going on. She could hear what was being said down there and was more than surprised by that council woman’s words.

She also felt the change in the land as it went from Pack to Rogue territory. Smell the moment the entire pack turned rogue as well, and she felt Ocean’s hand squeeze hers tightly as they stood and watched Slade’s blood flow freely and unchecked from the cut across his hand, it wasn’t a few drops; It was kind of like a tap had been turned on.

His wolf Hail ripped out of him after a few minutes and howled long and loud, and a shiver ran through her body, through Ocean and her sisters all registered it; a new Alpha had been created, and he was claiming the land for himself. Hail turned and looked right at all of them up here watching on, and again she felt Ocean squeeze her hand.

This was the first time she was seeing her father’s wolf. Then he was trotting away. She looked down at Ocean. Her eyes were still on Hail. “His name’s Hail.”

“Hail?”

“Mm spelled the same as when rain turns hard like ice and becomes hail.” Ana nodded.

Ocean stared up at her. “His name means water, like mine does.”

Ana thought about it for a moment, “I suppose it does.” She nodded. “Do you understand what just happened?” Ana asked her.

“Not really.” Ocean shook her head. Her little girl didn’t have wolfen hearing like they all did.

“Well, from my understanding, the entire pack just got revoked back to the human world. It’s now rogue territory. But the wolfen king also approved the same land after it was revoked to be reinstated. Slade now reigns over the land, though it still feels like rogue territory to me.” she frowned.

“Let me,” Ember stated from her place, leaning on the railing like the rest of them “The land is still binding itself to Slade, then it will bind to his unit. This will take some time. Once it’s done, he’ll be able to initiate

the wolves living here back into the pack. A whole new pack just got created. Out with the old and in with the new.

“I saw it was also a new pack blade, not something many get to see. This place is now a new pack to be renamed by Slade himself.”

“A new pack?” Zara asked.

“Mm, from my studies over the years, even the pack borders can change now, shrink or grow and expand.

A packs territory is not predetermined by the wolfen council or the king. It actually comes from the strength of the original Alpha connected to the land as we just witnessed.

“Any and all land expansions after that are done with full formal requests to the council, and the king has to approve of it himself as well. He’ll never let a pack become larger than Nightingale, that would be seen as a threat to his own power and reign. Why, it all goes through him.”

Slade returned in a pair of black slacks and nothing else. She noted he was bigger and had more muscle definition than when he was 18. Though she noted it was all lean muscle not bulked up, he had broad shoulders and a tapered waist, but wasn’t as big and bulky as the likes of other Alphas she’d seen or even the ones on the council.

Though she didn’t think that would denote a lack of strength, it just meant he didn’t weight train like others did to build solid muscle. One didn’t have to be full of muscle, to win a fight, it was all about technique and skill on the battlefield. She knew that; she had never bulked up but had still been good and strong, hard to take down.

“Go back to your home,” Slade told Terry.

Zara was wrapped around Londyn; a full embrace and Palmer had yet to let go as Londyn crumpled onto the ground sobbing. Yuri looked more than confused about what was going on around him. And council members were flooding out of the packhouse a moment later.

Had likely heard her angry roaring at the she-wolf and understood it was an Alpha, they’d all heard what she’d said about Londyn scenting out her Mate. Probably understood what had happened, and her scream a moment later had been filled with pain, they’d have put two and two together.

“Sweet Goddess,” Maddie murmured “Pains of betrayal.”

“Terry, is one of the she-wolves Yuri used to sleep with in this pack even when I was here.” Ana sighed, seems nothing had changed in all the years.

Ember was standing there now, along with Ocean. “What happened?” they both asked.

Londyn was on the ground clinging on to Zara; she was sobbing “What happened to me?”

She could see that both Zara and Palmer were down there trying to calm her, but she also knew that a Gamma’s Charm couldn’t stop the pains of betrayal from being felt. It could likely ease it but not stop it altogether, or at least Ana didn’t think so.

“This is not good.” She stated and found Slade’s eyes right on her questioningly.

“Just take him away from Londyn for now.” she told him, only Zara would truly be able to tell him what to do about all of this, but she was busy right that minute.

“Come downstairs please Ana.” He stated, “Leave Ocean up there with Ember.”

She could only nod her head, looked at Ember. “Go,” she stated, “I won’t leave Ocean.”

She looked at Maddie, this was what they had all feared would happen all along, because Yuri didn’t know and couldn’t be told about the mate bond between him and Londyn. That was considered coercion.