Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 40

Ana

She was standing looking at Maddie as she gave instructions to her employee, Dylan, about closing up the Café. She’d pulled a young man in for the evening shift that would cross the dinner rush to replace her, and he was like 16 or 17, Ana thought, a casual employee, one of the local teens.

She had made the decision to trust the woman. Ana had spent the afternoon watching her, the way she was with her employees and the customers, both the regulars that lived here as well as the holidaymakers, here for the summer.

Maddie had just gone about her regular day, talking to everyone that she served, and she did seem nice. The people that lived here in this town liked her, smiled, laughed and chatted with Maddie as if they’d known her for a long time. Ana could see she did need to hire someone for the summer rush, and the influx of tourists she was getting.

Maddie was the only one on the serving counter, making coffee, tea, hot chocolates and what was known as the Maddies Special. A gingerbread flavoured cappuccino or latte. Even Ana had tried that one out of curiosity. She liked gingerbread, and she liked the Maddie Special. It had a unique soft ginger flavour with a real hit of nutmeg.

Ana had taken the time to try and decide if it was wise to trust this woman, who claimed to be a rogue she-wolf but didn’t smell like one at all, didn’t look like one either, she’d sat at a corner table where she could view the entire café. Maddie didn’t ask her to leave, so others

could sit down. And she was too busy to pay too much attention to Ana.

Though Ana thought it was more that Maddie wanted Ana to assess her and come to the conclusion that she wasn’t trying to dupe her, or find a way to kidnap her. Likely Maddie also understood that Ana herself was a pure-blooded Beta ranked wolf, she would be able to pick that up under the scent of rogue.

Maddie was a tall lean woman with black, very curly hair, tight little ringlets that were pulled up into a mass on top of her head, her skin was a lovely shade of brown, that practically radiated sometimes when it caught the light. She was beautiful, her skin was flawless. She was wearing nice clothing as well, a blue, slim fitting off the shoulder top, that hugged its way down to her hips and a pair of nice fitting dark blue jeans.

She wore a pair of chunky black lace-up boots that added two inches to her height, not that she really needed it, was already Ana thought five-ten. Maddie certainly didn’t dress like a rogue or act like one either. There was no hiding for this woman, nope, she was out in the world acting like a human. Living her life how she chose to from all appearances.

She actually kind of dressed like a fully ranked member would inside a pack. Those clothes were brand-name clothes Ana realised. She also wore bare minimal make-up, just nice soft pink lipstick to keep her look natural. Though she had black eyeliner and mascara with golden eye shadow, which made her chocolate brown eyes really pop.

Though she did wear a pair of blue Ralph Lauren reading glasses, kind of matched her outfit, she didn’t need them if she was a wolf. Their eyesight was keen, wore them just to make her look more human, she supposed.

The girl moved with ease around her Café, and she was still trim taught and terrific, she did have all the markers of a she-wolf, even though she didn’t scent like one. This intrigued Ana to no end, and she was curious as to what her bloodline was, where she had come from and what her story was.

Not that it really mattered, just simple wolfen curiosity, Maddie had stated she’d been there for three years, so if that was the case, she had run away at 17. It was kind of sad to know that, leaving before she’d become 18 could only mean she’d come from someplace not so nice.

Though Ana had run away, and from a pack that was actually well liked by all those around them. She was just the one that didn’t fit in. So maybe this was what happened to Maddie, it didn’t look like the woman was suffering from any kind of deep-seated trauma.

She’d opted to believe the woman, who’d told her she smelled different, and even picked up that she was pregnant; she wasn’t showing yet, though she didn’t think it would be long now; no human could do that just from looking at her a few times when she came in to eat.

Humans didn’t detect other worldly creatures, they didn’t have the senses to pick up anything like that, were oblivious to them all walking about amongst their own world. Looked just like them in their human forms.

A part of Ana still wondered if it was okay to trust this woman, but Maddi had approached her, after a few days of likely watching Ana herself, stood back and waited to see if she was a threat in all likelihood, just as Ana was now doing.

Everyone seemed to like the woman, and that had to say something about her. Ana was also very curious as to how Maddie had hidden her werewolf status and possibly a rogue status on top of that. She actually did smell human to Ana. Nothing about this woman gave off the feel or scent of a werewolf or otherworldly creature.

So, Ana had decided to risk it. She was, after all, a pure-blood herself; and just because one turned themselves rogue, didn’t mean that it null and voided their bloodline, or negated their strength and speed. A rogue kept all of that, they just lost their pack scent was all.

Maddie turned and smiled at her. “Come on Ana, my car’s out back.” She waved at her and Ana fell into step with her. “I bet you have a million questions for me, huh?” Maddie chuckled softly.

“A few.” Ana nodded “Though only one that ticks at my brain.”

“I bet I can guess which one it is.” Maddie stated as they walked round the back of the café, and she unlocked her car, a dual cab Ford Ranger.

“Likely so.” Ana nodded “Why don’t I recognise you as one of us?” she asked, getting in the truck. It was pretty nondescript for a car, simple silver and not the latest model either, a couple of years old, she thought.

“It blends in.” Maddie stated, indicating to the truck, “our…people tend to drive big flashy over-the-top vehicles, that are unmistakable to the trained eye. This is simple, a few years old, and I even got a few well-placed dings and scratches on it to make it look less like.” she shrugged “You know, something that would catch their eye.”

Ana nodded, though inside it was clean and immaculate, it even had the latest technology, “I modified it quite a bit on the inside, but old and unnoticeable on the outside. It’s also good to have a truck in the winter. We get lots of snow. I can also take it into the woods to go for late night runs as well, you know, to let my inner beast out.” She chuckled softly.

“You seem pretty happy for someone who’s…homeless.”

“I’m well settled, and a long way from that shitty place I came from, you…are you far enough. away do you think?” Maddie asked.

“It’s likely,” Ana nodded.

They drove for about 20 minutes up and around the lake, heading north away from the town, and into a place called Beaver Cove, where Maddie pulled up and parked in a garage that was separate from the house itself.

It was a large 4-bedroom house, that sat a little away from the other houses that were out here and was on the edge of the lake, had its own jetty even. “How’d you get this place?” Ana asked. Couldn’t fathom a rogue living in a lake house.

“It’s not mine, I rent and pay a fortune for it, but it’s quiet and out of the way, and that’s how I like it. I’m…also not short a quid.”

Ana looked at her, “I’m on limited funds to be honest.” She sighed.

Ana thought about that for a long moment and nodded her head slowly “Protect each other.”

“Yes, and your child too.” Maddie nodded. “What rank will it be?” she asked.

“She’s,” Ana sighed herself now, as she spoke the words out loud for the very first time, “The future Alpha of my old pack’s, pup.”

Maddie was just staring at her now, “You’ll need protecting then, and so will she.” The woman sighed “He’s going to hunt like the devil to get that pup.”

“He won’t, doesn’t even know about her, and he’s now got himself a Goddess Gifted, is none the wiser about my daughter.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t concern yourself with it, Maddie. It wasn’t bad, it just came from a stupid drunken one-night stand, that he doesn’t even recall. Is not my Mate, and I wasn’t in love with him or anything. It kind of just happened.” She shrugged.

“You were his Beta, weren’t you!” Maddie stated.

“Was, I got demoted by him for my brother, and so I left. I didn’t tell anyone I was pregnant. They wouldn’t think I would be either. I was still a virgin until that one-night stand.”

Maddie nodded “Oriana to Ana it is then. What did they call you inside that pack?”

“Ori, You?”

“Madeline was my mother’s name, so Maddie it is. I was once, Sabrina.”

“Nice to meet you Maddie,” Ana extended her hand.

“Welcome Ana.” Maddie shook her hand. “My home is your home if you want it.”

“I’d like that.” Ana nodded.

Oriana was no more!