Not just, the Beta

CH 5

Slade

He pictured himself sitting up as his father mind-linked to him, focused right on that very memory, which was the first clear memory he had, since being in the pack’s nightclub. It was all hazy even in the club after a certain point. At one point, he’d just been too drunk to recall even what he did there.

Focused himself on his living room and the actual moments after he woke up, sat there in that chair and tried to recall every single detail and there it was, he caught the faintest scent of blood, that was what had struck him, that he smelled blood.

Ori was a virgin, she’d never even looked at a boy, wouldn’t, her father would see it as a distraction from her duties and tell her it was irresponsible, so she’d never, not even to his knowledge, kissed a boy.

So, if they had hooked up last night, and it had been her first time, then he should have smelled her blood, from when he broke that hymen of hers. It wouldn’t be much, a small amount only.

From what he recalled of the smell, it wasn’t a strong or overpowering scent, slight, and he’d nearly missed it, so not a lot of blood. He didn’t recall seeing any in the room; his carpet was pale blue, and blood, dried or fresh, would have been noticeable. Slade knew if he’d seen blood in his suite, he’d have asked a butt-ass load of questions of her at breakfast. Hell, he’d have actually smelled it real good to find out whose it was, the questions would have been to find out why it was there.

He couldn’t recall if it was his or her blood, he hadn’t really paid that much attention, what with his throbbing head and hangover and his father telling him to get up, and going on about being all packed and ready to go.

‘Hail?’ he asked, waking his wolf. The bloody beast was still sleeping it off.

‘What?’ his own wolf growled at him.

‘Whose blood did I smell?’

‘I don’t know, you smelled it, not me.’ He was told.

‘Did I sleep with our Beta?’ he asked his wolf. He’d been drunk on wolfen loaded alcohol last night, which also meant his beast was affected as well. If he was drunk, so was his wolf unfortunately, but he might know or have some memories of the night he did not have himself.

Hail had been sleeping if off still, till Slade asked him that question, but he needed to know the answer. He couldn’t just assume that could be very bad, especially if he said they did, and they actually didn’t.

‘I don’t know, I was sleeping, don’t recall even going to our suite,’ was the reply.

Just bloody great, neither of them knew ‘There was blood right though, I smelled that, yes?’

‘Likely if you think it, then there was, stop yabbering at me, you drank. I now suffer for it, don’t drink so bloody much if you want us to both remember things.’ His wolf sounded more than annoyed with him, nothing much he could do about that though.

He sighed he did know that wolfen loaded alcohol affected both the human and wolf alike, but it was the only way to actually get drunk for any wolf. He’d also just turned 18 and was legally allowed by wolfen law to go and drink it, not sneak around to do that.

He was finally allowed to drink of his own free will, and so was his entire unit, so they had all gone out together, the four of them to do just that, celebrating their turning 18 all together. Even their fathers, all of them, had stated they could go let their hair down. Though they had also told them to drink responsibly.

One night of partying with his unit before he was off to Alpha College for an entire year. So, a night out with them was pretty much a given. Though he wasn’t going to be home for the full moon after his birthday, it was only three nights away, but nope. Once you turned 18, you went off to Alpha College the next day. He’d gotten two days' leeway so they could all celebrate their 18ths together was all.

His father believed, and had told him at 17, to prep him for this very day. “Son, if someone inside this pack is your Mate, you’ll find out the full moon after you get back at 19. She won’t go anywhere if she’s a pack member.”

Then he had told him, “It’s best you just go and get Alpha College out of the way, and before you find your Mate.” He’d not really understood that and had his father further explain it to him to try and understand it himself.

“If you scent her before Alpha College, it’s delayed again because then you’ll have to wait for her heat to come, which could take a week or more for that to happen, and a heat goes up to 7 days, so again Alpha College is delayed another week. And then you’ll be separated from your Mate while you're away for an entire year. You’ll actually feel that, son. It won’t be pleasant.”

He'd sighed “Even now I don’t like being away from your mother, it hurts, you actually feel physical pain with distance, son.” He’d shaken his head.

“It’s why most packs just send their heirs the day after they turn 18. Things can get screwed up if delayed, you’ve got all of that to contend with and then there's the possibility of a pup coming from the heat as well. It doesn’t always happen but can do, and then you're either away for the birth of your heir, or come home from college in time for it, if you’re lucky; to see your pup born. Then, son, you don’t get to go back to Alpha College at all, never finish it, due to being a parent.”

He’d stared at his father and sighed, a lot apparently could go wrong if it was delayed, he’d finally understood why it was best to go before the full moon after you turned 18, saw the logic in it. He did know that no one wanted to be separated from their Mate for a whole year. So, he’d stopped asking and just accepted that he’d be going.

Though he was now coming back for the full moon after next any way, for his little sisters first shift, she was born in the same month as him but the week after him, he was on the 10th, and she was on the 17th and the moon this month set on the 15th. So, she had to wait until the moon after next, for her first shift.

They’d not really realised it, and his father had sent in his admission papers without looking at the moon cycle, and he was expected to attend on the day his father had originally allocated it to. Then he had realised what was going to happen, and their pack laws had come into play.

Their pack laws state: that all family members who already had their wolves must be in attendance for any and all siblings, getting their first shift. So they could bond properly as a family. Run together as a family for the first time. So, he was coming back for his little sister Dariah’s first shift in just over a month.

Apparently, that was acceptable to Alpha College rules and regulations, they upheld each pack's traditions, and some time-off could be granted. It just meant for him that each time he came home he had to add those days to his year at Alpha College was all.

He was only going to be home for three days and two nights. It was no big deal in the grand scheme of things, and he only had one sibling to shift for the first time while he was at Alpha College. So nothing else should affect his time at Alpha College unless there were serious issues arising within the pack itself.

He was a bit restless in that car, couldn’t really get comfortable and his mind was ticking away, as he tried not to think too much about everything. He had no proof he and Ori had hooked up. It was just his thoughts, though he was mostly convinced now that they had.

The problem was how was he to get her to admit that they had. Why was she so stubborn in not saying anything? He’d waited until they were alone in the car, off pack territory and actually away from it, a good 10 minutes away even. So that there was not a single iota of a chance that anyone could overhear this conversation.

They could normally talk about anything and everything, another reason why he believed he was right. She rarely ever lost memory when drunk, didn’t drink to excess like he and the boys did, was way more sensible; responsible and reliable. He corrected himself. Because that was what her father expected of her at all times.

The girl never rebelled at anything, she was going to explode one day. All that pure Beta blood she had running through her veins was going to burst out of her at something; likely her father said, or her brother did. She was so controlled all the time, had to lose it at some point over something.

He was hoping it was not at him, likely going to be at her brother. They’d come to blows a few times over the past year, more so of late, he was an annoying little s**t that wanted what was her actual birth right. Regardless, he didn’t put in the effort she did.

He glanced at her, under his lashes and nearly sighed out loud. She was just driving, one hand on her steering wheel and the other arm leaned on the door, she actually looked bored to him. Normally, on trips they would just chat, not today she was definitely avoiding talking to him.

There was no actual reason for that unless they had, had drunken s*x, and she was annoyed he didn’t recall it, or ticked off she’d lost her v-card while drunk. It could also be that it was to him as well. He didn’t bloody know, not unless she actually told him, and it was clear she was not about to admit anything to him, about what he thought had gone on, but had no bloody proof of it.

He couldn’t actually refute her words, and she could just be pissed off about Hayden trying to sabotage her car, to get her position. Hell, he knew she was mad about that, of course she would be. He wasn’t so happy about it either, though there was no proof of that yet either. He was certain if something was wrong with her car, Lindal would find it and tell Ori.

Maybe nothing had happened between them like she said, and she was just mad about Hayden, and was stewing over there thinking about it.

“Ori.”

“I thought you were going to nap.” She replied.

“What do you think Hayden did to your car?” he asked.

“I don’t bloody know. But definitely something. He smirked right at me when dad told me that last time not to mess this up. Stopped smirking the moment dad turned to look at him.”

He sighed “I missed that.”

“Most do, he’s good at making sure dad never catches him.”

“How bad do you think it would have been? Cause you actual harm?”

She sighed now. “I don’t know, I doubt it, because that would mean the possibility of you getting injured, and I’d report what I thought, if you were injured, and your father would order the truth out of him.”

“Agreed.”

“So, nothing drastic, just something small that would make my car die, or play up, need to be repaired is my guess. Lindal will source the issue and tell me, and I’ll likely go put a beat down on him.”

He smiled at that, it seemed she was back to normal. That was a good thing, she could just talk to him, likely it was just Hayden that had her on edge, as well as this trip and that clock that was ever presently ticking away. “I’ll nap and stop bugging you now.”

“Good.” She murmured.