Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 86

Slade

He sat in the pack’s nightclub with his social circle; all there for his birthday. Vance had arrived yesterday lunchtime, and they’d already trained with him. Just this morning even.

His father had called Vance’s Alpha and questioned him about Vance, as to if he did actually go off to other packs to train with them, and learn from them. Vance had texted him “Jeez man, your dad asked a lot of questions about me, not only to the Alpha, but my own dad.”

Slade had rolled his eyes, “Yeah he’s like that. Sorry.” Was the only response.

Everything had been confirmed by not only the Alpha but Vance’s own father, including that the boy was only ever in their home pack for a few months. His gypsy bloodline saw him want to wander about, instead of settling down, and he was hoping that Vance would find his Mate while he was out there, and bring her home to settle down. It was apparently the only thing that made a gypsy settle.

He was more gypsy than the rest of his siblings, took after his grandfather more so than anyone else, though that made his grandfather happy to hear. Sybil was more like the rest of his siblings.

Right now he was sitting watching them all out on the dance floor. Sybil herself was out there dancing, she hadn’t been inside this pack before, even though their two packs were allied, she was a fourth heir and barely 18. There had been no need for her to go out to other packs.

They would be staying for the full moon in two weeks, though Sybil had already stated in a no-nonsense tone, “If I scent out a Mate while here, Alpha Roman, he’ll be coming back to the Cloudless Sulphur. I’m aiming to be a War General there, my own father and the Alpha are happy with my plans, for my future. If he, whoever he is, scents me out and doesn’t like it, he can issue a rejection.”

So very brazen, Vance had snorted, fully amused by his own sister, and then just shrugged it off when Roman had looked at him. “It’s her life.” Was all he’d said.

Sybil was out there dancing along with all his friends in the club, he was sitting at the bar with a glass of chilled water in his hand. He’d had his one beer and that was it. Though as he was handed that water he’d asked Kent, about Ori that last night she’d been here, as it had occurred to him as he’d watched Kent pour shots from a tequila bottle for a few of the wolves here. That Ori, that night, had been doing shots, and then had downed a heap of tequila in front of him. She’d been pregnant at the time. “Hmm, human alcohol, something about wanting to get shitfaced, but didn’t want to at the same time.” Kent told him now. “I did double shot her a wolfen loaded tequila sunrise when she came it. I thought she could use it, but she didn’t drink it.”

So the bottle he’d seen her with was human alcohol. She’d still been sober that night. Though he’d believed she’d been drunk, hadn’t known about his pup then, and hadn’t considered what she was drinking wasn’t wolfen loaded, had thought she was down here getting blindingly drunk. Would have been if she’d not been pregnant and he knew it.

Now he knew she had not been, she wouldn’t do that to her own pup, responsible even when upset with her life falling apart around her, feeling betrayed by him even, and still she hadn’t harmed his pup, it wasn’t in her and he knew it.

Hayden was not in here tonight. Although he had been with him all day, he’d advised him not to come tonight solely because all of Ori’s friends were going to be here and getting drunk, that he couldn’t predict what they would say or do. Had looked right at him and sighed heavily even, “Sorry Hayden, probably for the best is all. I don’t want you and them getting into a drunken fight on my birthday, you know some of them still have issues over it.” He’d even clapped the boy on the back.”

It’ll settle at some point. We always celebrated together so…”

Though that in itself hadn’t gone down so well with his father, excluding the future Beta from his birthday celebrations. Slade had reacted much the same way he had with Hayden, just nodded and sighed heavily, his father had been there when he’d talked to Hayden.

“Father, I can’t tell them how to feel, it is getting less from what I see. They’re not as bad as they used to be. Just let it pass, maybe next year. I’m not doing it on purpose, just trying to stop a fight if something is said is all.”

His father had just frowned at watch him and muttered “They have to get over it, like you have.”

He, however, wasn’t over it, wasn’t likely to ever get over it, was just letting his father think that he was, he’d simply nodded at the man’s muttered words and stated “It takes time, everyone is different.” Hadn’t denied that he was over it, wanted his father to think that, keep thinking that.

He had done everything he said he would to his father, kept his word, as had Palmer and Yuri. “Yes, there was still some distance between them at times, that depended on how he was feeling on any given day, would likely always be until Ori returned, and he saw the boy apologise to her and mean it.” had been his only comment about his father seeing distance between him and Hayden, sometimes he just couldn’t hide it. So, he openly admitted to it being there.

It had been two years now and his father, even Anders, was of the opinion that she wasn’t going to be found. She had runaway but had found a new pack to align herself with, likely over there on the other side of the country, well away from this pack,

That she was living her life somewhere they were not likely to ever go, or be affiliated with. She had found herself a pack that did not run anything like theirs, wouldn’t even have a single thing in common. That, as unfortunate as it was, he too should let her go.

It was too late, and she’d never be found unless she wanted to be, because she simply had no plans to come back to this pack. She’d not told anyone she was pregnant, so as far as she was concerned, she and his heir were free and clear to move on with their lives. Would think they were none the wiser.

That the girl could look after herself and so, unless there was some unforeseen dire event in her life, where she needed to protect her child, they no longer saw her ever returning to this pack. He knew deep down it was likely what she had done, hoped she had done even, because he didn’t want her out there, a lone rogue female with a small child to protect as well.

‘You fit in well here.’ Slade texted him.

He got a raised eyebrow from Vance at the text, not a real conversation. Looked at him for a long moment and then texted him back ‘What’s going on, exactly?’

‘Nothing at this point…would you be interested in a private off-pack chat, say a lunch or dinner with myself, Palmer and Yuri?’

Vance’s eyes moved from him to the Gamma and Delta and then back to him ‘My curiosity is peaked, name a place and time.’

‘After you leave, in a week or so, Slade sent

‘Hayden?’ Vance questioned right back

‘Won’t be attending it.’ Slade sent back.

‘That is interesting to me, Vance sent, and stood up and stretched himself out “I’m headed for bed,

got an early start,” he drained the beer he was nursing and then strode away. But Slade got a text from him even as he walked off ‘I’ll wait for your text, give me at least a full day’s notice.’

‘Will do.’ He sent back. That was easy enough done.