The Beta's Sister

Chapter 4

Warren

I walk into Alpha Brendon’s office after knocking on the open door and receiving a wave of the hand from him. He is on the phone and seems to be in a deep conversation judging from the frown on his face. I give him a slight bow and make my way to his office bathroom.

Alpha Brendon’s office is huge, about the size of both me and my sister's bedrooms put together with room to spare. He has it decorated in a cool modern style with a sleek desk that sits in front of a huge teal bookshelf. The seating area to the left of the desk gives a more relaxed tone to the space and the love seat he had there looked stiff, but it was comfy enough for naps. I may have indulged in a couple since I started shadowing him.

The modern style is carried over into the bathroom that has a square sink and matching toilet and a decent size shower. I wash quickly and walk out, wrapping myself in the towel I set out before I got in. Being that I have to be in this office three times a week and right after training, I realized early on it was best to leave a bag of clothes here and change them out every week. I head over to the linen closet and grab the bag that I leave on the bottom shelf. I pull out a pair of green khaki shorts and a black and white striped shirt. This is my last outfit in the bag so I need to take everything home with me and replenish my outfits. It doesn’t take long for me to dress and twenty minutes after I had walked in the office, I am stepping out of the bathroom, placing my bag next to the love seat for me to grab later.

I am only slightly surprised to see Beta Stephen sitting in one of the chairs set in front of Alpha Brendon’s desk. He has his own office, but the two are usually in here talking about both business and randomness. Stephen is seated comfortably, but his face looks a little bewildered. I look over and notice Alpha Brendon with his elbow on his desk and his chin resting on his fist. He seems to be lost in thought a bit. I slowly walk over to the other chair in front of Alpha Brendon’s desk, contemplating on if I should leave them to their thoughts or ask what’s up. I decide to let my curiosity guide me.

“Hey, Beta Stephen.” I greet with a slight bow. “Did something happen?” I ask them both.

“The Hunter Organization is starting their investigation into the radical hunters.” Stephen informs me and I nod my head slowly.

There was a treaty between supernatural hunters and supernaturals many years ago. As long as supernaturals don’t harm humans, hunters won’t bother supernaturals. The Hunter Organization helps maintain order, handling broken treaty issues on a case by case basis. Supernatural leaders are in charge of keeping their beings in check. Whoever steps out of line is free game to the other group and not covered under the agreement. The problem right now is that there are quite a few radical hunters who want to take out our kind without any cause. Their goal is to rid the earth of all supernaturals. Usually they are not a real threat, but they have been increasing in their antics and making themselves more noticeable.

“There was another rogue camp that was attacked,” Alpha Brendon starts. “Three of the survivors made their way here from over four hundred miles south.” Brendon shakes his head in disapproval. “As requested I passed the investigation over to the Hunter Organization. I hope I don’t regret that decision, but I have no problem taking the reins back if they don’t get this s**t handled.” Alpha Brendon says, annoyed. I just sit there, nodding in agreement. That is my entire role when I'm here. Listen and stay quiet.

“So the same screening process for the displaced rogues?” Stephen asks, earning him a long sigh from Brendon. “Luna won’t agree to you turning away wolves in need.” He defends casually.

“I know and I want to help, but not by jeopardizing my pack’s security.” Brendon rubs his hand along his eyebrow with his words, his frustration evident. “They stay in the bunker for now. Just make sure they are comfortable. Don’t need my mate going down there and yelling at me about proper living conditions.” Stephen nods and I notice the far off look on his face as he mind links the needed pack members.

I always admire the way that Brendon considers Kamaria in his decision making. Some Alphas couldn’t care less about what their Lunas thought about their decisions. They believe they have the only say that matters in pack business, but I was always taught that the Alpha and Luna role is a partnership and should be approached as one. Even though my mom takes a more backseat approach with my dad, he still keeps a ‘what would Whitney do’ mindset in his decision making.

“Warren?” Brendon’s voice interrupts my thoughts. He looks at me expectantly, but I only return his look with a confused one. “What do you think about the situation?”

“Me?” I stare wide eyed at Brendon for a while, before gulping to quench my sudden dry throat. Usually I just sit here and watch them work. I definitely have never been asked for my input. Of course I have thought of plenty of things to say to whatever task they are working on, but I learned early on that my silence is most appreciated in this office. “Which…uh…which situation? The rogues or the extremists trying to kill them off?” I ask with gaining confidence in my words.

“Either one.” Brendon says, holding a strong gaze.

“Well, if there continues to be an increase in rogues seeking asylum, we would run out of space to hold them eventually.”

“That is a valid concern to take into account. So what’s the magic number that you think we should start turning those seeking help away?”

“I don’t think that is the answer either.” I say quickly.

“You don’t?” Brendon asks with a raised brow. “What is the answer then?” I take a deep inhale through my nose as I drop my eyes and shift them side to side, not focusing on anything specific.

“Even though these are rogue camps being attacked, I still believe we have a moral obligation to help.” I say before bringing my eyes back to meet his. “We should get ahead of this with an optimum screening process so we are not keeping wolves in holding longer than they need to be.”

“And what about those hoping to use a difficult situation to infiltrate our packs?” He asks me. “The alliance that our packs have with one another, that we both have with Silver Summit and Red Rock is not one that is favored among others. There have been plenty of unsuccessful attempts to break our bond.”

“Well that’s the point isn’t it? Any attempts have been unsuccessful. I can only assume any future attempts would be unsuccessful too.”

“You can’t assume anything.” Brendon says pointedly. “Especially when it comes to the lives of the people under your care. The only reason those attacks have been unsuccessful is because we never got cocky with our abilities. Me and your father believe in approaching each situation with a clean slate. You can’t prepare for the next fight by counting your victories.”

“But a reputation can make paths for you.”

“True. It is helpful, but someone is always looking to take the one on top down, and thanks to our status as allies we are on top. In this region. In this country. And we are an common interest on the world stage.

I nod my head in agreement, not having anything else to contribute. He is right. The alliance between our neighboring packs attracts a lot of looks, not all in the best of ways; but we are up against supernatural hunters here. They may have more knowledge about us than the average human, but they are still humans nonetheless. What harm could they really do?

Brendon looks over at Stephen and they share a look before Stephen nods his head and stands up from his chair, heading for the door.

"Wait. So was this some sort of test?" I blurt out and shift my focus between the two of them.

"Just think of it as a critical thinking exercise." Brendon says with a shrug.

"We gotta make sure we know where your head is." Stephen says with a chuckle as he pulls open the door and walks out. I turn my focus back to Brendon.

"So was there really an attack?"

"Unfortunately, yes. And I actually agree with you. We have a moral obligation to protect when we can?"

"So...that means I passed?" I ask with a grin.

"Well, it's not as simple as pass or fail." My face drops with his statement, making him smirk. "But if you need validation, then yes. You passed. I guess you earned your breakfast for today. I’ll ask Ms. Mae to bring you a plate" I can’t even try to stop the satisfied grin that makes its return to my face.