Not just, the Beta

CH 20

Oriana

Ori mind-linked to Roman the night before she was to go and pick up Slade, to ask him that very question, she’d still not heard if it was still her going or if he’d told Hayden to, and she wanted to know. If he’d picked Hayden to do it. She was going to s***h all of that boy's car's tires during the night and then just get in her car and go herself, would leave a nice note on his window to state ‘It’s my f*****g job, I’ve gone to get Slade.’

‘Yes, Ori, you’re still the future Beta, Slade will be expecting to be picked up by 3pm. Drive safely...though, you should come down and have breakfast with all of us before you leave.’

‘Probably.’ She stated and closed the mind-link. That wasn’t going to happen, not with two bloody Gammas at that table, a freaking Luna that was obsessed with babies and pregnant she-wolves. Elise actually took time every day, spending an hour sitting drinking tea and having cake, chatting in a group with all the pregnant she-wolves of this pack. Not to mention Alpha Ramon himself and his unit would also be at that table.

She also didn’t actually want to be at a table with her family at all right now. All her life they’d wanted Hayden to take over her position, and now they were getting it. It actually hurt, caused heartache to know they would be happy about this.

And laying her actual eyes on them right now? She had no idea if she could hide how she felt; the pain of her own family’s betrayal that she felt, where they were all concerned; from two Gammas.

One she was actually closely bonded to, was to her, like Slade and Yuri, her closest friend. Palmer also knew that she was ticked off about all that was going on with Hayden, and could well be feeling for her every time he was near her. So no, breakfast was not going to happen.

Ori was up and gone from the pack by 6am that morning, to avoid them hounding her or hunting her down, to come and have breakfast with them all at 7am. Breakfast for the Alpha and his unit. The future Alpha’s unit was always after training, which started at 5am and went for two hours.

She actively made the choice to leave smack in the middle of that training session to avoid them all. Knew neither of their families would come down until 7am as well, sleep in till like 6:30. So she was good to get up and leave without everyone knowing about it.

Ori strolled downstairs in a pair of blue jeans, a singlet top with a men’s dress shirt over the top, knotted at the front, it sat neatly over her lower abdomen. She didn’t actually know how today was going to go down with Slade.

That group chat that she was still a part of, and she did have some interaction within it, so neither Palmer nor Yuri would hunt her down and realise what was going on. Had seen Slade send more happy pictures to them, of Audrey, and then over the last few days. A lot more had come through from him, he was really happy, and there were actual pictures now of the two of them together, smiling, happy, selfies of them. She was mostly always on his lap in them.

Lots of fun, happy pictures as well, that obviously his new friends at Alpha College had taken and sent to him. Audrey and Slade looked very happy, and in the last few days, the closer it got to the full moon, the more she realised just how truly happy he did look with that girl on his lap. She wondered if he loved her? If Audrey was going to turn out to be his Mate?

He might already know that’s what she was, scented her, and that’s why things in the photos had changed. Why the emotions she could see between them were coming across loud and clear, she thought. Things today might not go as she planned. Today might not be the day to tell him after all.

She had a long drive out to New Mexico and the Alpha College in Sandia Heights, plenty of time to think and figure out what she was going to do. Though she was going to arrive early, and she knew it, by lunchtime. A full 3 hours ahead of schedule.

Ori arrived just after 12pm and was let in through those gates. Pulled up in the pickup zone and was about to get out of her car to go inside and let the College Dean know she was there and wanted to collect Slade early.

When she saw him, well, them, Slade and Audrey, his hands were on her hips, and they were kissing as he walked her backwards across the front of the main building, towards the dorm to her right.

She could tell from the way they were both moving, quite hurriedly, he was taking her back to his dorm. She sighed a little as she watched them, he didn’t pick up her tether or smell that someone from his pack was here, and barely 200 feet from him at that. He was all consumed with Audrey.

It was clear to her that they were headed off to have s*x. She caught some of their conversation. “I’m gonna have you all afternoon, till I have to leave, baby.” Slade told her.

“I’ll miss you so much.” She heard Audrey sigh “Can’t you beg to stay here for the full moon?”

She’d stopped listening at that point, and just stayed inside her car, she didn’t bother to get out, or call out to him, just left it alone. She was nearly three hours early, because she’d left the pack at 6 instead of 8, and she’d not made a single stop on the trip out here to talk to him. There wasn’t even a time limit on her drive today, she could cruise at will as long as she was here by 3pm to pick him up. It didn’t matter.

Her eyes followed them all the way to his dorm, watched him pick Audrey up right before they walked in those doors and the girl wrapped her legs around him, was grinding herself on him already. He really did like the girl, and they were openly talking about the upcoming full moon. Wanting to be together on it; they, she realised, either knew they were Mate’s or were expecting it.

Could she ruin that? Their happiness? Right when they were to scent each other out for the first time. A baby with her when he clearly thought that he had found his Goddess Gifted. Hell, for all she knew he could have, he might have scented Audrey out and her him even, just couldn’t do anything about it until the full moon. They were both alpha-blooded, it was possible.

A baby to Slade, her future Alpha, right when he was finding his Goddess Gifted Mate, it might ruin the man’s bond, ruin his entire life. He’d likely hate her forever if that happened.

Ori sat there in her car, not knowing what to do anymore. She still wanted to tell him, but didn’t want to ruin his happiness at the same time. She sighed as she sat there and tried to think things through. He was only going to be home for a total of three days, today, tomorrow, and then back here the next day.

So, really, by the time they got back to the pack it would be like 9pm, so only one actual full day inside the pack, because he would leave the next morning at 8am, and she was damned certain Hayden would be taking him back to Alpha College.

He wasn’t going to be looking at her, in that one day, his attention would be on Audrey from what she'd just seen and heard, likely on the phone to her all night when he got back. Hell, he could be talking to her all the way back to the pack even.

Then tomorrow, with his family and prepping for his little sister’s shift, she was actually unlikely to see him at all bar this drive home. Maybe she should just wait? And leave well enough alone. Not tell him now, let him be happy here at Alpha College with Audrey, scent out the girl on the next full moon, claim her and be happy.

Leave it alone until the day she gave birth, and his mother, Luna Elise, came to see the pup for the Luna's blessing and smelled it, recognise the pup as her own kin. Demand answers, inform Alpha Roman himself, and she knew that man would want to see the child himself.

Likely order answers out of her to get to the truth of why she’d not said anything. They’d all know she’d gotten pregnant before he went to Alpha College, so she knew about the pup before Slade, marked and mated Audrey, even.

That in itself was likely to cause an issue, because they would want to know why she hid it, from Slade, from her own family and her Alpha for that matter. Would rant about the ramifications. Likely still to cause trouble with Slade and Audrey’s bond even; something she was actually trying to avoid.

She closed her eyes as she sat there in the car, she didn’t exactly know what to do with herself right that very minute. Would she or would she not tell Slade, was now or later the better option? Or not at all.

She had plenty of time to sit and think, he was up there in his room with Audrey, likely mating the hell out of her. She sighed, there was nothing she could do but wait for him to come down here, and get in her car for her to take him home.

She would nap while she waited; that was actually easy for her to do nowadays, because she got tired due to just being pregnant.

Her eyes snapped open, and her head whipped up suddenly, and she saw a very happy Slade, drumming his hands up along the bonnet of her car, and then both his hands were on the windscreen and his face was pressed up against it, grinning through it at her. He looked all stupidly happy, she realised.

“Hey you.” he grinned down at her and then was just round the car and getting in, he turned and smiled right at her, so very happy and excited. “I’m pretty certain I got me a Mate.” He burst out.

That happy excitement was not at seeing her, it was all about Audrey, even away from the girl he was hopped up. He really did love Audrey, she realised.