Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 196

Slade

He was trying, he thought, to show Ana and her sisters that he wanted to spend time with both Ana and Ocean alike, and yes, he knew he couldn’t be in two places at once; no one could be.

Those words ‘You’re the Heir after all. Had alarm bells going off inside his mind, something was off.

He didn’t understand what he’d done wrong, and then Zara and Maddie stepping up to Ana. He’d definitely done something wrong. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was. He’d barely had time to spend with any of them, but those words that came from Zara herself about they were her sisters, and it was family business. Not the Alpha’s business, she was taking a full shot at him about how he thought he had a right to be there, for their family’s business.

She had to have been switched on at the table, which meant she’d actively felt he did believe he had the right to be in that room for that conversation, between Ember and Ana, and she hadn’t liked it either.

He wasn’t anything like Anders, which was what she had just implied. He would never treat Ocean the way Oriana had been treated; not ever. But he understood right that minute it was his sudden change of plans that she’d not liked.

That he’d offered to show Ocean around and then changed his mind to attend a meeting instead. Something he’d not actually been asked to join either. Ember had not asked him to attend it, neither had Ana. He’d put himself in it. Because he thought he had a right too.

He had been all Alpha with Ember, and he shouldn’t have been. It was likely he’d find out from Ana herself in time, what had been said. But he’d gone and pushed his way into that meeting. Where he clearly wasn’t welcome from what he’d just gotten.

Ana had also just asked him permission to leave the room, and he, as the Alpha, had told her to ‘go’. But what else could he do? And even that he now realized, he’d dismissed her as if she was a pack member.

He ran a hand through his hair and turned to look at Ocean. Her eyes were on her mother and her aunts, as they left the room. Londyn was now sitting right next to Ocean as well, she had moved from her place next to Yuri.

“I’m sorry Ocean.” He stated “I guess I’m still getting used to being a dad.”

She looked at him and nodded “If your busy, I’ll go with aunty Londyn and uncle Yuri.” She stated simply. He could pull his own hair out, but didn’t. He smiled a little at her. “I’m not busy right this minute,” he told her and sat back down at the table. “And I want to spend time with you, I also wanted your mother to be with us today.”

“Why? She’s not your mate!” Ocean stated and turned back to her breakfast, though she was just pushing the last of her waffle around on her plate.

“Ocean, she could be.” He told her gently, “Your mother and I have never come across each other on a full moon.” He took in a breath and bit the bullet, stated to his daughter what he wanted. “I would like that, if it happens, for your mother to be my Mate.”

Ocean’s eyes turned right on him now, and she stared hard at him for a long time. “You shouldn’t state things like that.” She muttered “It might see you think someone is your Mate, when they’re not.”

Slade sat staring at his daughter. He’d hoped that by telling her how he’d felt, she might understand what he wanted; for them to become a family. For her to be happy about hearing that from him. Maybe smile and state she’d like that too; but no.

“Ocean.” He sighed.

“Isn’t that what you did before?” Londyn stated “Why, Ana left in the first place, because you told her you had a Mate, when you in fact hadn’t scented anyone out.” She was staring right at him. “That is what Ocean means.”

Londyn, though now mated to his Delta, was still completely aligned to Ana and her sisters, to Ocean even. She’d not come down to be initiated like any normal Mate would to join the pack her Mate belonged

“I suppose it was.” He murmured a little on the unhappy side.

How could he even refute that statement? It was the truth, and he’d openly admitted it. It was also likely they had all read that file he’d given to her as well. He was going to have to let it go, it was all he could do. Both his daughter and Londyn had him dead to right on that.

But it answered the question of why they thought Ana had left, because she was pregnant, and he had a Mate, “If you’re both finished with breakfast, why don’t we take that walk, and I’ll show you around the packhouse. There’s a full entertainment zone.” He told them “Though we’ll stay inside for the moment due to what’s going on outside. Pack punishment I don’t think is suitable for Ocean to see at such a young age.

Ocean nodded and stood up, and the whole table, including himself, got up, and he held his hand out to Ocean. She looked at it for a moment and then took it. She was still upset, he thought, about him changing his mind a moment ago.

He had to remember that children saw and heard everything. She might be just seven but was old enough. to understand the things going on around her. Even if she didn’t say anything about it, it was likely she understood. Her mother had been in a relationship for two years prior to him turning up, and so she likely did watch the interactions between her mother and that man who had not been her father, or wolfen for that matter.

She was probably watching the interactions go between him and her mother now. She was also included in family meetings and told what was going on. He was going to have to watch himself, he realised, alienating her mother or upsetting her might well see him cop backlash from Ocean.

He walked them down the hall off the end of the dining hall because if he took her through the foyer, which was all glass, she might just see what was going on out there. She’d been preoccupied yesterday when arriving, but not today. She would be actively looking around at everything, and he didn’t want her to see that.

Growing up here and seeing things like that was kind of the norm for pack children, but not for those that didn’t grow up inside a pack. They were used to doing things the human way, seeing humans get arrested and hauled off to jail and not seeing the punishment side of things. The wolfen world was very big on what a human would call public punishments, which consisted of corporal punishment, public humiliation, and public executions. Something most countries had abolished, but it was seen as effective for their kind, because they could heal from the punishment and be shamed, which allowed for others to think twice or not commit the same crime at all.

“I thought we’d start with the fun stuff. There are two games rooms, one for under 12’s and one for teens and adults, or there was when I was last here.” he smiled down at her.

Mind-linked to Palmer ‘How is she?’

‘Fine, is a bit nervous, this is the first time interacting with you without Ana around. I don’t think you’d have gotten it if Londyn wasn’t here. She’s not entirely ready for that.’

‘Ana’s comment this morning?’ he asked.

‘Honest.’ Palmer told him ‘Ocean and Ana are not the problem right this minute.’

‘What?’

‘Zara is unhappy, and Maddie, I can’t suss out, but I dare say is also unhappy, something is going on with them.’ Palmer sighed.

‘Ana’s not fine, she argued with me.’ Slade muttered.

‘No she didn’t, you argued with her. I believe you tried to put your Alpha foot down on her, forgot she’s still a rogue, that they all are. I get it Slade, they don’t smell like it, and so its easy enough to forget.

‘Don’t think that just because they are here now, they’ll stay here. They weren’t convinced by you or brought here by you. Made to be here by the Wolfen Council. Try to keep that in mind.’

‘Londyn is now mated to Yuri.’ He murmured.

‘Mm and that’s your mistake right there, she is mated to him, but also out ranks him and refused to be initiated, will not either at this point. She is still loyal to her sisters, I think they come before Yuri in her mind.’

‘That’s not how a…

‘She did not grow up inside a pack, Palmer interrupted him, ‘grew up human, remember. Had human relationships; is all she knows. And they come and go. Her sisters, however, are a constant.’