Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 85

Ana

Ana walked down the side of the café, from the car park, and she could hear Maddie shushing everyone in there. She’d been off attending to a meeting with the local sheriff’s department.

There had been a few homes broken into of late and a lot of them only when the wives were home, or single females lived on their own and a few attacks had happened on a couple of the teens, girls out running on the tracks in the woods. She and Maddie had scented out rogues themselves and couldn’t risk themselves to them.

It did appear to be a roaming band of five or six of them, and no matter how strong the two of them were, or how well trained, they couldn’t take on five or six of them, likely turn out very bad, and they’d have to leave Ocean on her own to do that.

So Maddie accessed Alpha Austin’s pack and actually emailed him, ‘Alpha Austin, there is a band of five or six male rogues harming human women in Greenville, please give us your assistance, your un-trackable friend.’

He’d not turned up, but within 3 hours of sending that message there had been a full Alpha Unit and a bunch of Elite warriors from another pack here in Greenville. He’d gotten the sss and sent help as requested.

It was, however, a little too late for some of those women, and the town was on edge and a meeting had been called. She’d volunteered herself to help teach self-defense classes and been stared at by many there at the meeting. Including those from the sheriff’s department. To which she’d simply stated “I can fight exceptionally well.”

Today, that meeting she’d been in was to show the sheriff and the town Mayor what she could do.

She had been pitted up against the sheriff’s own men and won, no real surprise for her, but for them quite a shock. Not once in the two years she’d been here had she ever been seen at one of the local gyms or training in any way.

They saw her run all the time, as they did Maddie, but never fight. Today she’d explained how she would help to train the towns’ women and teens if they liked. To organise self-defence classes to be taken at the high school and in the town’s community hall as well. She’d advised them of two days a week for both the adults and teens.

Two hour sessions and had produced a schedule, a complete training session. The process of how to increase them from basic self-defence to proper active fight training. So they could if they wanted to. Step up and in, to help others they saw in trouble. It was a good plan and all the moves were laid out, pictures of them were already added to the training schedule.

A basic explanation of the moves and training had been written in as well. She’d also stated she’d have booklets made up for all those that wanted to participate, so they could look at it, and decide for themselves if it was something they were interested in.

She’d then had to explain to everyone that she’d grown up doing martial arts and had been training in it since she was a little girl, still actively trained in the privacy of her own home, that Maddie herself could also fight and was willing to run classes if Ori couldn’t attend for some reason.

She and Maddie had filmed themselves sparing in their backyard, and she’d let them all watch it, they’d gotten right into it, though no wolfen assistance, to show them that they were actually capable of doing this, helping the women of the town they loved to protect themselves.

She’d left them to discuss it after stating she wouldn’t be charging a fee for the classes, it would be considered a community service that anyone could come and attend on the allocated days.

Now as she headed for the cafe, she knew what was going on in there, it was her birthday and Maddie insisted on celebrating it. She had a bunch of people in there trying to surprise her, she thought. It was never going to work, but she could act all surprised just like their human friends would expect of her.

But she’d been able to pick up Maddie’s shushing of everyone from the moment she got out of the car in the parking lot. She kept her eyes down on her phone as she came round the front of the café, as though she was texting or googling something on her phone and would be completely unaware of what was going on inside the café.

She pushed into the café without looking up, but stated “I’m back.” As she normally would when returning to the café after going and getting something, or being away for one reason or another.

Everyone yelled “Happy Birthday Ana.” And there were party poppers going off and streamers thrown out at her.

Ana gasped in shock, and dropped her phone as if frightened by them all, then stared at all of them, her eyes going wide, and she watched Maddie burst out laughing, though it was very funny; the play-acting that they were both doing. For this surprise event for all their friends.

“We got her good.” Maddie laughed.

Ana laughed now herself, and retrieved her phone. “Lucky you got me a shockproof case for this.” She waved her phone at Maddie. “Give me a bloody heart attack is what you all did.” She laughed herself, and pointed at all their friends.

There was food laid out on many of the tables, and a big birthday cake was brought out for her after a while, and they all sat around and chatted and drank coffee, ate cake, and had a really nice time, just hanging out together for a few hours.

Ocean was happy running about the café playing with the other kids that were there. So very cute in a pretty yellow dress and her blonde hair up in pigtails, she loved being around the other kids. Enjoyed her two days a week in daycare, and was always excited about being there, that wolfen part of her that loved to socialise with others on full display.

She ran over and hugged into her leg, gave her a big cuddle and smiled up at her, then was off to play with the kids once more. It was a good afternoon, and though the café was still open there was now a sign on the door that read ‘take away coffee’s only, private function being attended.’

She nearly burst out laughing when she saw Alpha Austin and his unit step into the café. They were heads and shoulders above most here, he certainly was bloody tall. It was funny to watch the women in here all go very quiet as they turned and laid eyes on him and his unit.

He looked from Maddie to Ana a little surprised and Ana nodded. “I hadn’t even picked out a name, it seemed.” She shrugged “Appropriate, I went in to labour in the actual ocean, barely made it to the shore line.”

“Wow, that fast?” he looked down at Ocean.

“Hm, seems that way,” Maddie stated. “I think we just didn’t know she was in labour. Looking back on it, she had back pain and was uncomfortable for nearly 12 hours prior to our little munchkin arriving.”

“Ah.” He nodded and put Ocean back down on the ground, then gasped out loud as Ocean yanked that bead from his dreadlock, in one hard motion and ran off to play with the other kids.

Ana bit her lip and watched him rub his head. “Hmm, must have been a bit loose.” He muttered.

“She got a good grip, I see.” Maddie snorted and Ana turned her eyes away and tried to cover the laugh, trying to escape her, as Maddie handed his coffee’s over.

“Certainly seems that way.” he nodded though even his own unit had laughed at it, “Have a nice birthday…” his eyes moved to Ocean, “She can keep the bead.” He stated as he saw Ocean looking at it, turning it around in her hands smiling at it. Appeared happy she’d ripped it from the man’s hair.

Ana looked to Maddie after he and his unit had left, and she shrugged it off, mind-linked to her ‘ Alpha-blooded pup, what can you do.’ And chuckled.

They knew why Alpha Austin was there in town as well, on clean-up duty, of those rogues or passing through on their way to that Alpha’s pack to collect them. He was on official council business. There kind wasn’t to harm humans, the way those rogues had it was actually against the wolfen laws.

“Mummy.” Ocean tugged at her skirt, and then held that bead up to her “In my hair.”

Ana smiled and took the bead, “Alright but when we get home, I’ll keep it safe until then.” She put it in her handbag and Ocean was off to play once more.