Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 77

Ana

She was standing excitedly watching Ocean, she’d pulled herself up onto her feet by the coffee table in their living area, like she’d been doing now for a week, getting ready to walk, and Ana had a feeling that today was going to be the day. Ocean had let go of that table twice now and was standing a little on the wobbly side holding a toy block in her hands smiling and babbling to herself.

‘Maddie.’ Ana shot down the mind-link all excitedly ‘I think Ocean’s going to walk.’

Maddie came running down the hallway from her room, and Ana pointed to Ocean as she aimed her phone’s camera at her little daughter. Was going to capture this moment for posterity.

Both she and Maddie knelt down and Ana called her name gentle, and she and China watched her eyes so like theirs turn and look at her, she heard Maddie clap her hands together, “Come to aunt

Maddie.” She called to her encouragingly.

Little Ocean smiled and clapped a hand on the block she was holding and one foot kind of lifted up and was put back down, she wobbled a bit more and promptly fell on her bottom, then laughed up at them.

“Ah, nearly.” Ana murmured.

“It won’t be long now though.” Maddie smiled as Ocean rolled on to her hands and knees and discarded the block, to crawl over to them, went right to Maddie who picked her up.

“I don’t think so either.” Ana smiled and tickled her little girl in Maddie’s arms. “Though what are we going to do with all your electronics and lab gear she’ll be reaching for?” Ana asked as she watched Maddie take up a seat in her tech lab with Ocean on her lap.

“Ha! She already does that.” Maddie chuckled “even likes sitting here with me while I design and create.” She smiled down at Ocean “Going to be just like me aren’t you?”

Ana chuckled herself, it was entirely possible, she thought, as she looked at Ocean happy on

Maddie’s lap in the tech lab.

She’d crawled only a month ago and when not sitting and playing with her toys and building with her blocks, she was in the lab with Maddie, and Maddie did talk to her about what she was doing, the names of the things what they were used for. Not that Ocean could understand, but her little girl seemed to like it. She was happy in there with Maddie.

She was put down a little while later and sat happily playing with her toys, had seemingly given up on trying pulling herself up and trying to walk. It would happen only when she was ready. They didn’t particularly go out of their way to encourage her, called out to her if she was up on her feet of her own accord but were letting her walk in her own time, as they had done with her crawling.

Ocean could pull herself up on the furniture and move along it, reach from one piece to another, but had yet to take a step on her own without the aid of anything. Ana was hoping that she’d be able to catch it on film, take footage of it or that Maddie would. They’d managed to catch her crawling and had many pictures now of her outside on the grass or here inside the house.

They even had photos of her out in the woods with China, sitting next to her, Climbing on, and sitting on China as she lay on the ground. Ocean, though, wasn’t yet steady enough to ride China, but China loved to play with Ocean out in the woods in wolfen form, rolling around on the ground for their daughter. Belly crawled along next to her as she crawled about and pounced and pranced about around Ocean, making her laugh.

She also got to play with Tawny like this, and a few times both wolves had been out playing with her at the same time. Both China and Tawny would push forward in human form and play with her at the house or out in the backyard. And China had pushed forward to settle Ocean, sometimes

during the night when she would just cry for no apparent reason. China would lay on the bed with Ocean in human form and just pat Ocean’s chest gently as their little girl drifted off to sleep.

Though Ocean really liked it when she could rest her head on China, and she purred softly for their daughter. It made Ocean giggle if China purred loudly, Ocean could feel the vibration of it, and liked it. But softly in human form, actually helped Ocean fall asleep some nights.

China liked knowing she could settle her own pup, it made her wolf happy, knowing that she was going to be able to hold onto China by herself soon, as she trotted around it was exciting for China.

She could hardly wait for that day.

Currently, Maddie had a hand on Ocean when she was sitting up on China, as her wolf walked about with their little girl on her back, China itched for the day, Ocean could just ride on her back freely, then she and Tawny could walk about the woods together with Ocean happy and smiling on her back. A happy family moment in wolfen form for all three of them. That was something China itched for.

Life was really good for the three of them now. They lived in a nice town, that was bustling in the summer and winter, with the lake and a ski resort nearby. Maddie’s online company was doing well. Ana had offered to help her start a Japanese language programme for little kids. And they were working on that when at home. The words and letters along with cute child-friendly pictures.

The café which was now in both their names. Maddison and Ana Forester. This also gave the impression they were human sisters. That sign on the café window stated The Java Hut owned by Maddison and Ana Forester, and the logo was a volcano exploding coffee beans out of it up into the air.

A local potter had created a few coffee cups shaped like volcanoes for them, and they were on display on a shelf. They’d seen them when out at a weekend market and had loved them, so they had ordered six of them. People could read the potter’s name and details on a little plaque on the shelf which gave the man’s name and business details.

Their life was settled and good, and they were mingling well with the town. Ana was getting to know lots of people. She was considering offering Japanese tutoring to students that wanted to study it. Maddie thought it was a good idea. But Ana wanted to wait until she had the qualifications, so she found a university that she could study her language degree online and signed up for it.

She was out the back staring at the lake as she realised what today was, and found Maddie hugging her from behind, as she stood staring aimlessly at nothing in particular. “What’s wrong, Ana?” Maddie asked her.

“Today is the day I left that place.”

Didn’t have to try and measure up to anyone’s expectations. No, Maddie didn’t expect anything from her. Just wanted her to be happy was all. jobnib.comIt was nice to know she had such a loving sister, one that truly cared about her being happy and only wanted that for her.

They went on their trip to Roque Bluff and picnicked and barbequed, waded in the water of not only the ocean but the freshwater pond as well. They followed the hiking trails, but it was really busy down here, packed with humans at this time of year. The summer crowd was here and so there was no shifting for China or Tawny, but they still had a good time, they saw a few teenage wolves down here camping, ranked members children and the secret guards they had, likely thought they were down here on their own, free from the pack. Not so much, though those guards they were trying to go unnoticed by the teens. Didn’t stick close by and were scent masked all the time, how she and Maddie had picked em out, didn’t smell of anything at all.

None of them batted an eyelid at her or Maddie, not Ocean either. ‘Those two are too obvious.’

Maddie mind-linked to her as they sat to eat fish and chips, could see the warriors.

‘Agreed’ Ana nodded ‘They should have sent lean wiry warriors, not big buffed up male warriors like that, or females, easier to blend in.’

‘Also less likely to be noticed by other packs.’ Maddie agreed.

‘Yep, girls can laugh and muck about, go unnoticed by other wolves at times. Be dismissed as human college students on summer vacation. But bulky men like that, she shook her head ‘they stand out way too much.

‘I think the muscles are nice, but draw too much attention to themselves…If it was my pack, Maddie mused ‘I’d want my wolves to be strong and fit, but nicely fit, not over doing it.’

‘Explain that to me?’ Ana asked her now.

‘Hmm, a nice v-line and good muscle tone, but not big, bulky, and buffed up like gym junkies.

Maybe I guess, like an athlete’s body, say a swimmer or runner. Leave the real muscles to the Alpha and his unit, something they can’t really help having, in their genes and all to be big and strong.’

Maddie smiled at her.

‘Sounds like a good idea, those types of warriors would pass for regular humans.” Ana nodded.

‘Yep, just ones that take pride in their appearance, but don’t overdo it and draw female’s eyes to them constantly.’