Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 45

Slade

Slade stood there in the middle of his room and just let it all out, roared with all his anger and frustration about his life being completely in ruins around him. Then he just unleashed all his anger at himself, for his own stupidity, out in that room. He and Hail tore that room apart, tossing everything about and breaking all that was in there as they unleashed utter fury into that room.

Then he just sank down among the debris of the room, his life had fallen apart around him and in just two months’ time. A month really, this here was just extra crap dumped on him; likely punishment from Selena herself, for Ori’s treatment and what had happened to her.

He saw the door to his burst open and all four council members rush into the room. He looked up at Gretta and felt it, the first tremble of his lips, and he knew he was going to lose all of his self-control.

“It’s alright Slade.” She said softly, and he felt it, the first sob as the door to his room closed, and it was just her and him alone in his room. She knelt down in front of him and just enfolded him into her arms, as he felt his tears fall. Just sat there on the floor and cried, really just lost it completely, sobbed and clung on to her.

He didn’t even know for how long he sat there in her arms, crying like that. Only that when she looked at him and brushed his hair back, she stated softly “It will be alright.”

“It won’t.” he whispered; sadness etched his words “Ori is gone.”

“I know.” She murmured.

“She’s pregnant, Gretta.” He half sobbed.

She sighed a little, hadn’t known that, and he knew it, it was on the hush, hush side.

“Why’d you all come here?” he asked, and she lifted his wrist up for him to see his moonstone band. It was all mottled black and grey.

“Full distress, is black. It’s not just a mating band, though we don’t tell students that.”

He stared at it, and realised that it looked exactly like he felt.

His room had to be gutted, and he’d been given a new room to live in while there, and his Moonstone band had been removed by Gretta that night, and replaced with a new one. She told him he had to wear one, like everyone else here did.

Though due to all the yelling he and Audrey had done, there had been rumours the next day about him and his so-called despicable behaviour, getting a girl pregnant and not wanting to take responsibility for it. No one here seemed to be on his side, most believed Audrey, and he was now a piece of trash. Only a few he knew in his class had just sighed and told him they heard or smelt nothing; were on his side.

Those that had been in the hallway of Audrey’s dorm had told others what they’d heard, and it spread pretty quickly. He was apparently not the wolf they’d all thought he was, some even stated he’d used Audrey to get his rocks off, and dumped her the minute he’d gotten her pregnant.

There were some pretty rude and crude things being said about him, but he’d ignored them. There was nothing he could do about it. He knew it wasn’t actually true, but it did show him just how one’s friends or acquaintances could turn on you so very quickly. In the space of just an afternoon.

Though the afternoon after everything happened, he was called to Alpha Gretta’s office along with Audrey herself. The Alphas that ran the college had now heard what the rumour was and wanted answers to it themselves. They had a responsibility to keep their charges safe.

Apparently, Audrey was a sullen, sulking she-wolf who’d refused to even attend classes that day, and had holed up in her room. He’d been called to Alpha Gretta’s office mid-class and had simply closed up his books, and gotten up and walked there without issue, he knew he’d done nothing wrong.

He was also already in Alpha Gretta’s office when Audrey had been brought into the room. She was wearing one of his dress shirts and smelled like him a little bit, her eyes were glassy as though she had been crying, and the minute she saw him in the room she burst into tears and tried to leave the office.

He’d said nothing, and she’d been made to stay in the room. He knew that everything would come out in this room. Gretta had looked at him as he’d walked into her office, and he’d stated simply as he’d sat himself down, “She’s not pregnant, I heard nothing, and she doesn’t smell different to me.”

Though he wondered just how many other wolves came into this office; which he was becoming a regular of. If there were others going through things he knew nothing about. Seems the Alpha Council had to deal with many a problem while they were in charge of unruly 18-year-old Alpha-blooded wolves.

Gretta herself had said nothing to him, though watching Audrey try to leave this room and not be allowed to, he understood why, and did believe she had been trying to coerce him into believing he was her Goddess Gifted Mate. To get him to Mark and Mate her prior to the full moon; now just two days away, and she was about to be found out and be punished for it as well.

He didn’t really like knowing she’d done this, but it was likely going to be the truth of the matter. Her plan was falling apart by the minute, and she was, he thought, wearing his shirt to try and make herself smell like him, to convince everyone she was carrying his child. Likely didn’t actually understand it was not his scent that would be on her.

“Now, I hear Audrey, you have said your pregnant, and it’s Slade’s pup.” Alpha Gretta put to the room.

“Yes, he denies it.” She burst into tears “I was in so much pain, that I lost the pup last night.” She sobbed, “Miscarried my own pup out of sheer heartache.”

He watched as all four council members’ eyes glazed over for a private chat, and it was Alpha Hailey that walked over to her with a heavy sigh and touched the girl’s face. “So distressed, you miscarried? Why didn’t you call for help? It must have been very painful, there is a pack doctor here. You know this, Bella would not have let you suffer.”

“It was.” She sobbed “I’ve never felt so much pain in all my life, it was agony.”

“Slade, care to tell us?” Tyler commented.

His eyes moved to Audrey, and she stiffened. “She states I’m her Mate, can feel the sparks on her skin, tried to Mark and Mate me the night before last, and yesterday claimed she was pregnant and told me to claim what was mine.”

All eyes were on him now. “That’s coercion, Slade.”

“I believed her,” he sighed “She didn’t tell me, kind of tried to hide it even. I saw things that made me curious and then believed she knew but was not saying anything because she wasn’t allowed to. I asked her, in the end. She nodded, even bit her lip and played she was nervous to tell me.” He told them.

“Nothing gets passed the band.” Hailey stated, “If she felt the sparks, that band would have turned blue regardless of if she scented you out or not.”

He saw them all look to Audrey. “Coercion is punishable by all Wolfen Laws.”

“I didn’t break any of the College rules, he willingly bedded me,” Audrey stated.

“Yes, we all saw it.” Patrick nodded “However, coercion is a Wolfen Law, mandated by the Wolfen King himself, it is not needed to be in place or mentioned here inside the college. It is punishable, and we will deal that out, harshly so.”

“What?” she half whispered, “I didn’t coerce him.” She rushed out “He’s not marked or mated, nothing happened.”

“But you tried to do that to him.” Gretta sighed, “also have ruined his good reputation as well, but managed to keep yours intact, and really it should be the other way around now, shouldn’t it?” She shook her head “On the shaming post for all to see, for now.” Gretta stated, “Until we get to the very bottom of this.”

“My father made me do it.” Audrey burst out. “To get attached to his pack.”

Slade watched her be removed from the office, and was walked himself out there, to see her being put on the shaming post out the front of her own dorm. Where Alpha Gretta announced to the rest of the students that Audrey had lied about being pregnant in order to get Slade to try and claim her as his Mate, prior to the full moon.