Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 25

Oriana

She had been determined not to ruin the happiest moment of Slade and his wolf’s life, with the news he was having an illegitimate heir, that could see his Goddess Gifted reject him over it, before they had even scented each other out officially. See his father being disappointed in him, and they be at odds when he was supposed to be all loved up, and deliriously happy.

She’d truly wanted that for him, because he was her loyal and trustworthy friend. Now she knew that was not the truth, “I don’t…” she took a shaking breath in “have anywhere to go.” She heard the catch to her own voice. She was trying not to crack and hold it together but had no idea how long she could do it.

“Stay with Beckham and I. I already told him you’d need a place for a few nights. He even made up the spare bed for you, himself.”

She just nodded, and followed Lindal back to her place. It was a nice house, with a pretty garden out the front, “Can I ask a favour,” she murmured as they walked in through the front gate. “I know it’s late but…”

“Ask.” Lindal nodded.

“Do you think you could go and get my things? Apparently, I was moved back into the actual Beta’s family suite. Hayden is already in the future Beta suite.”

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Lindal gasped.

“No, and that smug bastard enjoyed telling me, rubbing salt into the wounds.”

“How’s he still alive?” Lindal muttered. “I’ll go, take Beckham with me, I might need those muscles to get passed your dad.”

“Feel free to tell the pack Beta to go fuck himself.” She grated out.

“Hmm, unlikely to happen.” She heard Beckham state as he came out of the house.

She just shrugged and then sat herself down on the front step of the house, to wait for them. to return. Ori felt mind-links being connected to her, by many. She didn’t want to talk to any of them, cut them all off quickly before they could even get her name out, didn’t want to listen to them, any of them, regardless of rank. She no longer really cared for the leadership of this pack, selfish, chauvinistic assholes all of them.

And really what worse could they do to her, put her in the cells for cutting them all off? She knew it was one of the punishments, as was going on the shaming post for ignoring your Alpha, or cutting him off when he was trying to talk to you. Seen as disrespectful. And she’d cut that man off twice now herself.

She couldn’t cut him off the third time. It seemed he’d had enough of being ignored and was pulling on that Alpha bloodline of his to hold that mind-link open to her, ‘What you’re doing Oriana, is punishable.’ He stated when he finally held that link open and forced it upon her.

‘Go ahead, put me in the cells, or on the shaming post. Cuff me with silver.’ She snarled in a full fury at his words about punishing her, when they were the ones to hurt her. Been disrespectful to her, and just thrown full protocol out the window, she wasn’t the one that was irresponsible and lacking in her duty! ‘See what happens when I get out. I’ll fucking leave the pack altogether.’ She and China snarled at the man that would be the grandfather to their pup, for the threat to lock them up.

There was just nothing from him, he must have been completely shocked by her words. Not many females would just go rogue and leave a pack, regardless of the bloodline, it wasn’t safe out there for any of them. He cut that mind-link himself after about 20 seconds of just saying nothing at all.

He was likely up there in his office trying to weigh up the odds of her actually doing that, how much more it would tick her off to punish her. Likely if it would tick his own Beta off, if his daughter turned herself rogue or just left the pack to find, join and pledge loyalty to another.

What the hell did it matter anyway? Her so-called father likely didn’t care at all for her. Only his son, he’d been the first one to stab her in the back, likely from the day her mother told him they were having a girl and not a boy.

It took an hour for Lindal and Beckham to come back with her suitcase and Lindal looked right at her. “Your mum is not happy.”

“I don’t really care anymore.” She stated, and she didn’t.

They had no idea how she felt right this minute, what was even going on in her life, the pup she carried, because she’d wanted to tell Slade first, so he didn’t hear it from anyone else, do it the right way. The right way?’ she thought. Unlike them, who didn’t even care to do things the right way with her demotion, and removal from her place in the future Alpha Unit.

Her parents, her mother and father had wanted all her life, for Hayden to have been born first, to be the Beta Heir of this pack, uncaring of how it actually made her feel all her life, the pain it had caused her every single day to know that. Something, she’d had to bury and push aside, had learned how to do by covering it up with sarcasm.

The only ones to know it actually did truly hurt her and every day, was the unit. Slade himself understood it. Or she’d thought so, he had actually found her a long time ago when she was 12, just sitting in the woods unable to cope with it anymore; after hearing her family talk about it openly in the Beta’s suite, and had turned away.

She’d let it all out that day, and he’d seen it, actually had sat down with her and pulled her into his lap and hugged her to him, told her she was his Beta. That he didn’t want her brother, had stayed with her, and consoled and comforted her. She’d actually hugged him back, sobbed right into his chest, while he’d rubbed her back and ran a hand though her hair. Tried and comforted her, had listed to her as she confided in him, just how much it hurt, how she struggled to hide that pain every day.

How she felt that her own parents didn’t believe in her, that she was a mistake to them; was actually how she felt. He knew that a part of her still felt that right this minute, she had felt that way because they’d had Hayden so quickly to replace her. She wasn’t needed by them; this pack.

She’d actually felt her and Slade’s bond that day strengthen, had trusted him completely from that day, and now he was just like them, he’d lied to her, just like they had, when had all the deception started? She didn’t know. But really what did it matter? That bond between him and her was gone, obliterated. Her bond to any of the leadership was gone now, and she didn’t even care, couldn’t care right this minute.

She looked at her suitcase. It was large and dark green with black straps, a Rock Vintage suitcase, it was a part of a fully matching set of three. “The other two?” she asked.

She’d been demoted from her position of heir to the Beta bloodline, even if something happened to Hayden, she’d been demoted from that position. Was no longer considered an heir at all to that bloodline.

They would not ask her to step up, would find another in another pack and bring them here. She held no status other than she-wolf, now. Her bloodline was relegated to naught for this pack. Might as well be an omega now.

They had taken everything from her, and still her mother had found a way to criticize her. On the worst day of her life, she could still find a way to compound on her pain. Didn’t even have to do it in person, nooo, put it in writing for all to see and read.

She stood up and stared angrily at that card in her hand, “Yes, it fucking is, appropriate to my status.” She grated out and pulled her clothes off right there, pulled that skimpy out fit on, uncaring that she was completely naked in the front yard of Lindal’s house.

Then she just slammed her suitcase shut and marched herself to the pack’s nightclub, wearing just that two-piece bodycon top and mini skirt that barely covered her breasts or her ass. The white went well with her tanned skin, she yanked her hair out and ran her hands through it to splay it all about her “Fuck all of you.” she muttered as she made her way through the front doors and pushed through the crowd, walked right up to the bar and ordered herself a Wolfen loaded tequila sunrise.

She got snarled at by China instantly. ‘It’s just one.’ she told her wolf ‘I need it.’ She really was going to drink it too. What did it matter, that pup? She didn’t even know what she was going to do about it anymore. It was the future Heirs, heir, and she right at this minute couldn’t give a flying fuck what alcohol would do to that pup of Slade’s.

She saw the bar tender blink as he realised who she was, look her over from her hair to her outfit and then just nod, she sat herself at the end of the bar and watched him make her drink, saw him actually double shot the Wolfen loaded tequila as he made her drink.

Handed it to her and stated, “You look like you could use a double.” Smile a little at her “On the house tonight, Ori, anything you want all night.”

“Does that include your fine ass for the fucking?” she asked.

He actually laughed and then tapped his neck. He had filigree right there, she’d just not looked before she spoke.

“Sorry.” She apologised.

“All good, you’re having a bad day.”

She raised her drink to him, but said no more.