Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 24

Slade

His father mind-linked right to him as they crossed the pack border “Slade, did you tell her yet?”

“Not yet.” He answered the man.

“You son, had plenty of time to do so. I’ve already announced the new leadership to the pack. I suggest you do it quickly.”

He couldn’t bloody believe it, his father had already announced it, he could bloody kill him right this minute. He’d said before he went back to Alpha College, that didn’t bloody mean before he got home.

The moment he saw them all there on the packhouse steps, he sighed heavily. This was it. He could barely look at her, to tell her what he’d done, it was hard enough having to think about it, knowing he’d made the decision himself. Let alone having to tell her, and now like this, this was not how it was done.

He’d also had a plan for how he was going to tell her, tomorrow had been that time for him, he’d wanted to have tonight with the four of them, happy back together as a unit, one last time before he ruined her life, and likely their friendship, if she didn’t understand why he did it.

He had been planning on sitting her down and telling her why he’d made the decision, to save her family from being banished. In the hope that it would lessen the hurt she felt over it, maybe keep their friendship intact.

And now for her to drive into the pack and find out, by way of her brother, standing right there on the packhouse stairs being presented to him, in that pack suit. Everything was now all fucked-up, because his father was too Goddess damned impatient to wait for him to do it himself.

He’d never once seen those beautiful eyes of hers look at him like that before, to have to see the hurt and then the betrayal she felt, right there in her eyes directed at him. Before that look. of accusation and anger took over, he didn’t want to hurt her, his hands were tied, he got out of the car and could have punched Hayden, for the smug ass look on his new Beta’s face.

He didn’t even really like this boy, and this was the very reason, the way he treated his sister, that little asshole was getting a beating. As the new Beta, he should have stood there and not let his sister see how much he thought that position of hers was his. That smug smile on his face had said it all, he was happy and lording it over her, that he’d gotten her position just like he’d wanted.

He could also see Palmer and Yuri were just as pissed off as Ori. Then to hear that Hayden had moved into the Beta suite already as well, he knew it was going to be bad. His eyes moved to Ori, she was going to kill that boy, and he knew it, all hell was about to break loose. This was not the right way to tell her about what was going on, was in fact not the right way to tell anyone that was being demoted, for any reason, regardless of rank.

Let alone to have that smug bastard stand up there and look at her the way he was, use that tone with her.

It did surprise him to see her just stalk the hell away from them all. He’d seen both Gammas move towards her, they’d felt the rage likely knew it was coming, and he heard Hayden snort with amusement even, as he watched his sister walk away and moved his eyes right to that boy “what the fuck is so funny, Beta?” He snarled and stalked over to him, stood there staring that boy down.

“She’s such a girl.” He had the hide to laugh as he looked at Slade finally, and only then did he realise just how angry his new future Alpha was, blinked up at him in surprise and then was taking a step back away from him.

“Slade.” He heard the warning tone from his father, who knew he was ticked off, in a rage himself, “We have an agreement, son.”

“We do.” He grated out, but punched that little shit for good measure, right in the chest with all he and Hail had and watched him go flying backwards, stalked his way over to him laying on the ground, a couple of meters away. “Insult your sister once more, and see what you get.” He and Hail snarled down at him, put a foot right on that boy’s chest, where he’d punched him and pressed down on it, heard the ribs crack and saw the boys eyes go wide “you might be the Beta now, but you lack discipline and respect. I’ll enjoy…” He found hands on him, hauling him off the boy, didn’t care, roared anyway. “teaching you, beating it into you good and proper, how I expect my Beta to behave.”

He was hauled away by the current Alpha unit with three sets of hands on him, his eyes moved down past the stairs to Ori. She was still stalking away, was way off down the hill now and, had he knew punched Palmer right in the face, the man had a bloodied nose as he was coming back this way. She didn’t want a bar of the Gamma touching her.

He looked at Palmer an unspoken question and knew the man would understand what he needed to know ‘Rage, unchecked rage.’ Palmer muttered down the mind-link.

‘What else?’ He asked. He knew there was more to it, he had seen those eyes of hers for a moment before the rage.

‘That’s all I’m getting, there is nothing else, that’s not the problem.’

‘What is?’ He asked as he was hauled to the Alpha’s office.

‘Dad thought bloodlust, it didn’t evolve though. What did you say to her? She was angry at you before she got out of the car. I was already feeling for her, warned I’d better be on my game by my own father.’

He cut the link as he was shoved into a chair and found Anders glaring right at him now. He hadn’t liked him beating his son, it seemed. But the boy bloody needed it for all that disrespect, and he thought Ori was irresponsible, but it was Hayden who was the irresponsible and disrespectful one. And right now that boy had just shown all of them he was not ready to be a Beta.

“You were worried about Ori being irresponsible.” He grated out “that little shit is 10 times more irresponsible, has no respect, gloated out there ‘I’ve moved into your suite’ what the fuck is that, does he not understand respect at all?” He shoved himself up from the chair.

“That bastard son of yours, you want to know why I wouldn’t agree to this before, had to have my hands forced, because he’s a smug little asshole, with no respect for anyone or anything, and he just proved how he’s not suitable to be my Beta in less than 15 seconds of me getting home.”

“We need him as the Beta,” Anders grated.

“You might think that, but I don’t. Never bloody will, he’ll pull his head-in Anders, or I’ll roll my aura at him every day I have to have him as my Beta. I don’t like him, he’s an asshole to his sister. And you raised him to be like that.” He grated himself.

He could see the anger in the man, he didn’t really care right this minute. He turned away from Anders and looked right at his father. “You all fucked this up so badly. I told you I would tell her when I found the right time and I would have.”

“Oh, we got that.” Palmer sighed, “that whiney baby, is crying about you punching him one, right now, down there in your father’s office, apparently he doesn’t understand why you would punch your own Beta.”

He closed his eyes, “this shit show, was not supposed to go down like this. I was going to hang out with you guys tonight, and tell Ori myself tomorrow, try and explain it to her, the right way, father fucked it all up.”

“How long have you known?” Yuri sighed.

“A few days only, like three.” He muttered.

“Your dad and her father want to talk to you, said it’s very important.”

“I don’t really care to be honest.” And he didn’t right now, his eyes moved to Palmer. “It’s too late, isn’t it?”

“I’d say so.” He nodded “though…”

“Though?”

“Not many can stop a bloodlust. That’s unusual.”

“Ori is patient, calm, and has always known there was going to be a power struggle, also expecting it, why she’s been withdrawn, has been cutting herself off from all of us in preparation for this, she just…” He sighed heavily “wasn’t expecting me to give her up for her brother.”

“You told her that?” They both gasped.

“Part of the deal I struck.” He muttered “I thought it would be better coming from me, but father has royally screwed it up now.”

He sat down on his couch. It was late, 10pm already. He pulled on that tether that was Ori, to find out where in the pack she was, and she was just standing in the middle of the pack; stationary. It was odd to him, then he realised she must be fuming. “When did he announce it officially?”

“After lunch,” he was told.