Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 91

Slade

He and Palmer drove Dariah to Alpha College and picked a waiting Vance up, leaning on his car by the side of a roadhouse. He was all in, and wanted to know all the details he’d not gotten yesterday, and a drive from Highland Hills to Sandia Heights and back.

That gave them 12 hours of solid driving, plus breaks to eat, get coffee or use the bathroom to discuss everything. He and Palmer had no rules on them where time was concerned, so they could take as long as they liked on this trip.

Vance had offered to park his car one hour away from the pack so he could take the trip with them, and hear all the details. They’d all agreed that was a good idea, because there was no chance of them being overheard. Yuri had volunteered to stay inside the pack and put Hayden through some tracker training, something new to him, and something he should learn how to do, if he was going to be a part of the unit.

He was playing nice with the boy, inside the pack to keep everyone none the wiser, to what was actually going on. Both Palmer and Yuri had made it look as though they were fully bonded to the boy, hung out with him and joked around with him. He looked like he fitted in nicely with their little group. Slade didn’t joke around with anyone at all, so it was seen as his normal, his stoic disposition.

Slade was driving the car because Palmer was in the backseat with Dariah. Art had been on gate duty this morning, and she’d not only cried at seeing him standing there, but had made them stop the car, where she had gotten out and run over to hug the man. Slade had sighed, and he and Palmer had switched seats when Palmer had stated softly “She is heartbroken and trying not to fall apart at the thought of Art being gifted to someone while’ she’s away.” Then Palmer had gotten out of the car and opened the door for her for when she was ready to get back in and leave.

Slade had watched Art kiss his little sister, all soft and slow, and tell her he loved her, that he would release his Goddess-Gifted for her if she asked him to. Only to see Dariah shake her head ‘no’ state tearfully “I want you to find your Goddess-Gifted, and be truly happy with her.” Then she had looked at him for a long moment and then just touched his face gently, sigh sadly and return to the car and cried.

He saw her lean into Palmer as he drove away from the pack, he even understood her. Just because the human part of her loved someone, that didn’t mean their Goddess would gift that person to them. So they were pulled apart at some point. That was what he was seeing, she wanted him to be happy with his Fated Mate when they came across each other. She was letting him go now so that she wasn’t attached to him the day it happened; to see him scent out his Mate, or him see her do that. They both knew it would be over the day that happened.

Their father wouldn’t let her take a chosen at 18, not when she had a year of Alpha College to attend. A place full of Alpha Males where she could find her Goddess Gifted. Though he had heard she’d chosen to be over in the waiting for your Goddess-Gifted Mate dorm.

She had also organised that most of her free time was going to be spent with the Alpha Council’s doctor, Belladonna. She was a lovely woman, calm all the time. A previously Luna ranked wolf, that was also Alpha-blooded and a single mum of one, a pure-blooded son. She’d clearly been mated to an Alpha Wolf.

Though he couldn’t figure out why anyone would reject her, she was beautiful and happy, sweet-natured and always kind. Let alone not claim their child she’d had with them, but that was what had happened. That Alpha had apparently relinquished all his parental rights over to her. He now had no claim on his own pup. It was weird considering the pup was pure-blooded.

Though it was nice for Belladonna, to know she wasn’t going to have to give up her pup to some Alpha out there demanding it because the pup was his heir. To know she wasn’t going to be hunted down or challenged at some point by that Alpha. She had all the rights to it, the council approved and everything. That Alpha was crazy to just let go of his pup like that. Who the hell did that? Didn’t want their child.

He’d had to see her and Gil, the other doctor that worked there, after he’d broken that moonstone band, to talk if he wanted to, and have general well-being checks after all that Gretta had heard.

And what Audrey had put him through. Bella was lovely, surely would have made for a perfect Luna, and he’d told Dariah she was going to be good to learn from as well, very knowledgeable and always willing to help.

Vance hopped into the car and looked at Dariah all leaned into Palmer. “Asleep?” he inquired.

“No.” Palmer had nodded. “Just needs comfort, though she will probably nod off. Is finally fully relaxed.”

Vance just nodded, he’d been there for the full moon, as had Dariah, his father had decided after their colossal screw-up with him and Ori; sending him off before the full moon and not seeing if they were Mates. To have Dariah be there for it, he’d had to call the college.

To speak directly with Gretta about changing her arrival date, he’d been in the office for that call and had heard Gretta state “Hmm, it is probably for the best, though there is a fine to be paid. I’ll send it though, and you’ll pay it within 48 hours, and I’ll move the date to your needs; It had not been a cheep fine either $1000 a day was the penalty for being late to Alpha College.

“So, the rest of the horrid tale I’m sure I need to know, to understand exactly what is going on?”

Vance had interrupted his thoughts as he’d driven along.

“My father and Oriana’s came to the decision prior to the full moon, and without any form of proof, that she and I would be Goddess-Gifted Mate’s. That she would reject me as her Mate, due to the simple fact that it would ascend her brother into her place as the Beta, if she accepted me. A position she fought hard for every day.”

“What! That’s just crazy?” Vance frowned at him.

“Yes,” Palmer stated from the backseat.

“So, they took matters into their own hands, lied to me, got in a fully wolfed out fight, which led me to believe that the Vales were getting banished, which he had no intention of doing. It was all a ploy. So that I would come up with a deal to get him not to banish them. Hayden as my Beta in exchange for not banishing the entire bloodline.”

Slade sighed heavily “It however, backfired completely, because they didn’t stick to the rules of the deal. Which was to allow me to tell Ori in my own way. A colossal fuck up on their end, you know what happened, and well, Ori…she lost it completely.”

“Alright, so you and Ori both got screwed over by the Alpha and Beta of your own pack.”

“Not just them, the entire unit believed it, were in on it, as were all of their Mates, Mother didn’t see fit to stop the plotting and planning and, from what I heard was part of it, stopped that wolfed out fight with Bronnie, Ori’s mother.”

“Right…you no longer think they are fit to reign, but you also want to go and find Ori and your c ” he was quiet once more. “But you still need someone to be in charge of the pack so you can go on the hunt.”

“Correct. Ori is my priority.”

“You know it could take years to fine one missing she-wolf that in all likelihood, doesn’t want to be found by the pack that she feels betrayed her.”

“Yes I know, are you alright with that?”

“Yeah, I like being on the move, got that gypsy lineage.” He nodded “A hunt it is, for your missing Beta and child.”

“Yes and you can’t tell anyone inside your pack, about any of this, not even a sibling.”

“I understand the secrecy now and why.” He sighed to himself “When will people learn not to meddle in the Goddess’ business? I won’t say anything. My decision is made, and my word is good. I can also stroll out of my pack anytime I like, without anyone noticing or asking me questions.

“I’m not part of the pack’s leadership, and no one tracks me or my movements. They are also used to waking up to find I’ve wandered off to go and play in another pack. I’ve been doing that since I was 17. Tell me the details of your actual plan and what you need from me. We’ll schedule everything to your needs.”

“There is another thing I need to discuss with you, Vance, but on the way home is best.” His eyes moved to Dariah, it was the only thing he’d not told her about, that council scroll. Because who knew what investigation techniques the Wolfen Council would use on those involved and what the punishments dealt out to their parents would be.

As much as Dariah was in agreement with him about stepping them down and him taking over, she wouldn’t want them to be imprisoned or tortured over all of this. She was still their daughter, and she loved them as they did her.