Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 80

Ana

Maddi was yelling out to Ana through the door of the house that led to the yard, laughing excitedly“Ana, she’s walking.”

Ana’s head whipped around, she’d only been outside all of a few minutes, and Ocean had been sitting on the floor playing with her toys, didn’t appear to be going to get up and try to walk. She’d thought it was okay to go and hang out a load of washing.

She turned and ran inside to see her daughter, and there she was taking wobbly steps towards Maddie; she’d freaking missed it, due to doing a simple household chore, because the morning was clear and bright and the day was predicted to be warm.

Ocean was smiling up at Maddie, came to a halt and clapped her hands, then reached out her little arms towards Maddie and took another step and then another. Until she was touching Maddie’s hands held out to her to encourage Ocean to come to her.

Ana smiled and hunkered down. “So cheeky, Ocean, to wait until I was out of the room.” She chuckled at her daughter and tickled her little girl.

“Go over there.” Maddie pointed to it a place across the room and Ana went sat herself down on the floor. Maddie turned Ocean around and stretched her feet out so they were touching Ana’s. “Walk to mummy.” She encouraged Ocean as Ana held her hands out to her daughter with a happy smile on her face and coaxed her to walk over to her.

They watched as Ocean took more Wobbly steps, her hands outstretched towards Ana now, and made her way across to her. And her in for a big hug and a few kisses all over her little face. Making Ocean squeal and giggle.

“I’m so proud of you,” she told her as she looked down at her.

“Hey, I want kisses too.” Maddie laughed. “Send her back.”

Ana chuckled and turned Ocean around “Go to Aunt Maddie.”

“Maddie, mad Maddie.” Ocean clapped her hands and went right back to Maddie’s waiting and outstretched hands.

11 months old and she was walking, they had not been in a rush for it, and Ana wanted Ocean to do things in her own time. Achieving everything she did, her own way, and letting her reach these milestones on her own was the best way to do that, she believed. Knew she herself had walked at 9 months old because her parents had coached her into it, stood her up and held her hands and walked her about all over the place, so she would walk early. She’d done everything early because of her bloodline and coaxing.

“You know Ana,” Maddie smiled at her. “Little Ocean is going to need new shoes now.”

“Oh is she?” Ana laughed, her little girl had shoes already, plenty of tiny little shoes to go with the outfits she had.

“Yes, good grip shoes, to help her keep her balance and soon run around everywhere.” Maddie laughed herself, “We don’t want her slipping over, now do we?”

“Oh, is that how you’re going to phrase it? You just want an excuse to go shopping. I know you well, Maddie.”

“A full day trip.” Maddie grinned at her. “We can all have a little splurge, get some new clothes for ourselves as well. What say you?”

Ana shook her head. “Not till the housework is done.”

“Spoil sport.” But then Maddie got up. “I’ll help with that, and we can take the day off tomorrow.”

They did just that, cleaned the house and danced and with little ocean as they went about their day, until it was all clean. Headed out just after breakfast the next morning, packed the car and headed down to Portland Main for some shopping, decided to spend the night there and make it an easy day for Ocean, not too much travel in the car, she fussed a bit after two hours in the car seat.

Maddie had left Joshua their chef in charge of the café, so they could take the two days off. They didn’t leave Greenville all that often. Only every five or six months would they head out of Greenville altogether, though sometimes it was just off to markets on a weekend for a half day.

‘It is likely, though my first time out of a pack was when I went to university, those humans all

stared at me, and made me nervous as hell, but I also had a bodyguard the entire time I was there.’

‘Really?’

‘Mm, I only had to go for certain classes, one day a week for just a few hours. My bodyguard was never outside the classroom, always in the back of the room. Even if I went to the bathroom, he was in their standing guard, very annoying!

‘Not protecting you, stopping you from running away.’

‘I know that now.’ Maddie nodded ‘only ever allowed free rein inside the pack. But that was because I wanted them to trust me and think I was happy, and accepting of my position, did everything to create trust.’

‘Smart.’

‘Yes, otherwise I think I’d have been locked up or had that bodyguard 24/7 inside and outside the pack.’

Not one of those children or adults even batted an eyelid at her, Maddie or Ocean. They were of no interest to the wolfen society at all. They got home and put their shopping away and Maddie sat down in her workshop while Ana cooked dinner for them all.

Nothing in their lives was difficult, everything just kind of moseyed on casually and happily for the two of them. They had human friends to eat dinner with and barbecued with their neighbours at times, it was a nice place to live.