Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 195

Ana

She looked at Ocean, knew she wanted to go and look around the packhouse. She had been curious when just walking through it yesterday afternoon, and Slade had just offered to show her around so she could see what was here.

“What do you want, Ocean?” she asked her simply. “To go and look around with your father, or with aunts and Yuri, Londyn’s Mate?”

She watched as Ocean looked from her to Slade and then to Yuri before looking back at her. “You’ll not come with us?” she asked right back.

“I need to go and speak with Ember.” She smiled gently at her.

“Dad says he wants to show me,” she stated.

“I know that’s why I am asking what you want to do.” She nodded.

“Ana, are you angry with me?” Slade interrupted her conversation with Ocean.

“Why would I be angry?” she shook her head. “Did you do something wrong?” she asked right back.

“I don’t know, it’s why I asked,” he commented.

“To be honest with you, I know that you do want to show Ocean around the packhouse, you just stated as much. But then you just dropped it without a second thought, to step into a meeting with myself and my grandmother. I think you argued with her during that mind-link…or maybe put your foot down on her, and you’re insisting on being there… I don’t understand what it is you want right this minute.” she sighed, because if she was confused, then Ocean certainly would be.

“I get that this is now your pack, and you can make your pack members do what you want, when you want. Because that’s what Alphas do. But that, what you just did was actually very rude and inconsiderate, to not only Ember, but Ocean as well.” she told him.

He was sitting staring at her with a frown on his face. “What I want is both,” he stated.

“Well, both are going to happen at the same time, so you can only choose one to attend. Ocean, I know, wants to look around, and you want to show her, yes? You, yourself, not have someone else do that?”

“Of course.” He nodded “But…”

“No buts, just take Ocean and show her around. I’ll go and speak with my grandma. You can’t be in two places at once. It’s that simple. Ocean should be your priority.” She told him, as much as she was hers. Ana looked at Ocean. “Go with your father and have a look around. You’re the Heir after all,” she stated and stood up to leave, only to find both Maddie and Zara on the move with her.

“Ana,” Slade stated, “I don’t understand what just happened.”

“Nothing happened, Slade. I’m giving you time with Ocean. I said that I wouldn’t get in the way of the two of you spending time together. I meant that.” And she wouldn’t be, that would just cause more guilt. “So, please go and do that. Ocean was inside the suite all day yesterday. She’d like not to be stuck in there today.”

Slade was right there in front of her. “I’d like.”

“We’ll go with Ana.” Zara stated “As her sisters, this I believe is family business. It’s not Alpha related. You may be related to Ocean, but not to Ana. This discussion with Ember is not of your concern.” Zara stared right at him for a long moment. “Or do you think that all of your pack member’s family’s business is also your business, and you have the right to listen to it all?”

Ana sighed now as she looked from Slade to Zara. “I don’t want anyone to fight.” She shook her head,” Slade spend some time with Ocean, it’s what you initially wanted to do before Ember came down here. Neither Ocean nor Londyn have been inside a pack before. You should show them about. It is your pack, and she is your daughter.”

“I wanted to do it as a family.” He stated, looking right at her.

She didn’t really say anything to that, because she wasn’t his family, they weren’t a family at all, just two wolves that happened to have a child together was all. She was trying to give him time with Ocean and didn’t understand why he was arguing about it.

She turned and looked at Ocean, watching them, “Your family is right there, Slade, waiting for you.” she told him “Don’t disappoint her, you won’t like how it feels to do that. I understand how that feels from both perspectives. From when I was a child; to have a parent say one thing, but then do something else altogether. And as a parent; who has hurt their child by not letting her father be part of her life… It’s not a nice feeling, I assure you. Don’t do that to yourself or to Ocean.”

He took a step back from her. “I’m nothing like Anders.” He stated flatly.

“I didn’t say that you were, I know that you’re not. But if that’s how you took that, maybe you just saw something in yourself you don’t like. May I go?” she asked simply.

She hadn’t meant to imply that at all, she was simply trying to get him to understand that when he tells someone what he wants to do, that he should follow through, not change his mind in less than five minutes.

“I don’t mean to appear to fight with Slade,” she sighed. “I can simply understand disappointment. It’s how I felt 90% of the time where those that birthed me were concerned. I don’t want Ocean to feel like that where Slade is concerned.”

“We know,” Maddie stated. “He has that Alpha mentality now. Got himself a pack and claimed Ocean as the Heir to it, for all in his pack to hear, right away, he didn’t even ask our munchkin if she was okay with that.”

Ana had heard him but left it alone. Ocean had been asleep when it happened. “That’s what he wants, Maddie.” She murmured. “Stated it at dinner the other night.”

Now that they were all here, he’d taken it upon himself to just announce it before any discussions had been had or decisions made. Claimed Ocean, and now she couldn’t take her daughter with her if she didn’t stay, it would be considered kidnapping the Alpha’s Heir.

Ocean was being made to stay here regardless of what she wanted, to be raised by him, and Ocean didn’t even know it, didn’t get a say in it. He’d done what all Alphas do, claim what was his by bloodline right, without caring how Ocean might feel or herself for that matter.

They were inside the pack, and he now just expected them to stay there. That was what she’d taken from his announcement last night. Maddie and Zara had also taken it this way from the words she’d heard both of them state today.

Zara was awfully quiet on the subject she realised, and looked at her questioningly.

“I don’t much like Alphas and their I’m in charge and can do what I want attitude. It’s not nice to have your life controlled by one that gives you no say.” She muttered “Been there, done that, don’t want it ever again. I also got that from him at the table this morning.” She sighed “He feels he has the right to be here in this meeting and his words to Ember, though I didn’t hear them. I think he told her as much. I got the sense that he was the Alpha now, an Ember would be falling into line with his way of thinking.” She sighed “He’s different inside this pack, then out there in Maine.”

“He got what he wanted.” Maddie muttered “Though I didn’t agree to move here, neither has Ana nor Ocean. He’s of the opinion we’re here, so we’ll stay. That’s my take on it… I think he forgets we’re all of rogue status, and he can’t actually make us do anything we’re not willing to do or ready to.”

“Its simple pack mentality is all.” Ana nodded “Let it go, it’s kind of to be expected and not just from him, but his whole unit. Breathe.” She told them. It seemed they were both having issues being inside a pack once more.

They were so focused upon her being able to handle it, that they’d forgotten they too had issues being inside a pack. She was actually doing alright being here, didn’t have the same feelings about this place that she’d had when leaving it.

But her reasons for leaving were very different to Maddie and Zara’s, and no one was taking into account how they would feel about an Alpha or his unit telling them, or their family, what to do. When both of them had not had good lives inside their own packs due to Alpha’s taking over and hurting them.

They probably needed more consideration than she herself did. She took both their hands. “It will be alright.” She told them, “Try to relax. If you don’t want to be out and about inside the pack, you don’t have to be.”