Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 192

Ana

Once again, she and her sister were inside a pack territory. She’d heard Slade’s wolf Hail and his entire unit do so as well. The rogue territory had been claimed and the new land and pack belonged to Slade.

It didn’t exactly feel the same to her, it didn’t smell the same either, the old pack scent of desert sage that represented Highland Hills was gone. It was now kind of sweet like a melon.

Breathing it in, she realised it was the scent of Saguaro Blossoms, nothing about this pack was the same as the old one. Sloan had explained it a bit more to them, that things like borders and pack scents would all change due to the newly appointed Alpha’s blood. That the pack could be bigger or smaller, though all the pack businesses would be transferred into the new pack’s name once it was chosen.

The human world would see it as one conglomerate taking over another, and that was why the change of name. It would likely take a few weeks.

Londyn had come back to the room marked and mated, Yuri right there with her, she’d been wearing only a long dress shirt, and he pants, come from the mudroom she supposed. Londyn was all smiles as he kissed her right there at the door for all of them to see.

Had growled all low and desired filled for her, even as she stepped back from him, and it had made all of them chuckle, as Londyn had bid him farewell and closed the door, leaned on it and sighed softly to herself.

Ocean had giggled “He’s got it bad.” Something Londyn herself stated about Vance, where Zara was concerned. Then she’d run over and asked if she could see her Mark, she’d was apparently curious to see if it was like Sloan and Austins. It was not, it was simple silver filigree that 95% of wolves got when claiming a Mate.

Ocean had smiled “It’s pretty… like an apple tree, aunty Londyn.” Ocean had told her, but knew better than to go and touch it. She was not wrong either, it did kind of look like a tree. She’d watched Ocean hug Londyn and then run back to herself and smile up at her “I got an uncle, umm… Uncle Yuri, right?”

“Yes, you do.” She’d nodded, could actually see that Ocean was happy to have this knowledge, liked that Londyn was happy and that she, herself, had gotten another family member.

Londyn had showered and changed, told them about the right of initiation that was going to happen down there. That Yuri had told her she could and probably should go down and pledge loyalty to Slade, only to have her ask him why she had a family, asked outright if Slade was going to pledge loyalty right back to her and her family.

Apparently, Yuri had left it alone after that, just frowned at her when she’d stared at him. He might be part of the leadership of this pack here, with Slade being the Alpha, but Londyn technically outranked him.

She had told him as much; told him, that she thought Yuri should be the one pledging loyalty to her and her sisters because they all outranked him. They’d all looked at her, even Sloan had, before she’d headed for the door to go downstairs to see the pack pledge and had asked her directly “Why do you not want that? Yuri is your Mate now. You should pledge loyalty to him and his pack, seeing as you’ve claimed, marked and mated him. Want him. I know you understand the rules of Mates and packs.”

Londyn had looked at Sloan and shrugged “Why should I when I’m an Alpha, and he’s a Delta.”

Sloan had stared at her for a long minute and then just sighed and left the suite. Londyn had always been a law unto herself, that wasn’t about to change just because she had a mate.

Ember had also excused herself for the first time all afternoon to go and pledge her loyalty to Slade. She had stated “I will pledge loyalty to the man that never stopped hunting for and found, and brought my granddaughter back to me. A good Alpha he will be. Loyal and trustworthy.” Then she’d stepped to the door and looked at her “You and I need to talk properly, tomorrow will do.”

“About?” she’d asked right back.

“Our family,” Ember had stated.

“My family is all in this room.”

“I understand, but there is something I want to discuss with you. It’s very important, actually.”

Ana had just nodded, though she was not going to be drawn into a conversation about those down on the shaming posts, she actually had no feelings for them at all, at least that was something. Walking past all of them had seen her not really care that they were out there. Could actually not concern herself with them at all, it seemed.

She’d thought it was going to be hard to be back here, but it wasn’t, not really, she’d changed over the years, let them go and dismissed them from her life, and they were just people she no longer had ties to. She’d been worried about that, having to see them for the first time, but in the end, she’d really just not cared at all.

Londyn was leaned on the balcony all smiles as she watched Yuri walk out there to wait with Slade and his unit. They were dressed in simple black slacks and white dress shirts. No pack suit because she understood there wasn’t one yet. Zara was still undergoing surgery. It was slow-going having to heal one bone fragment at a time.

She watched as those she’d grown up with all showed up and smiled and shook Slade’s hand, Palmer, Yuri and Vance’s hands as well. It was her social group down there, the very first to arrive, and they all turned and looked up at her when Slade told them where she was.

Lindal smiled right at her, and she had a bunch of little ones around her, and was pregnant. Standing there next to Beckham, he too looked up at her and nodded to her.

“Who are they?” Londyn asked her.

“They were the social group I hung out with when I lived here.” She answered.

“Seems to me, they are happy to have you back.” Maddie stated, “Still your friends, I see. That must be nice.”

She nodded, “It wasn’t the pack I had an issue with, just the leadership.” She stated honestly, that was also probably why she didn’t really have an issue with being inside the pack, she realised.

“A leadership that is being punished right now and severely so.” Maddie nodded “I think Ana, this new pack could be a nice place to raise Ocean.”

She looked at Maddie with only a slight frown, understood why she said it even. Londyn was now mated to Yuri, she was likely attached to Palmer, and this was Ocean’s birthright. Slade had stated that at the dinner back in Maine, that she was the heir to the pack.

Though she also felt it was odd that Maddie would state it so simply. Was she willing to give up all she’d built and move here so easily? She’d not thought Maddie would do that, had created a life for herself in a place she had chosen as well.