The Beta's Second Chance

A Dangerous Plan

Ivy

He was a talented fighter and a great trainer. I couldn’t deny it. Every morning, no matter how early I got up, he was always at the training center first, plans waiting on the edge of the wall for me. They were detailed and well thought out; exercises, drills, sparring. Every other day, we traded progress reports on what we were seeing from the trainees, made notes and passed them back to each other. It was childish, and I was well aware. But after my slip up, I couldn’t risk being close to him, not for a moment.

A wave of heat coursed through me as I remembered what it had felt like to be pinned to my bedroom door, legs wrapped around him, his lips on mine. He was an unfairly amazing kisser. For days I’d fought that memory…and at nights, I came to it.

I shook the thought off, focusing on the pair of trainees in front of me. Barely into adolescence, they were gawky and awkward.

“Neil, you need to lower your center of gravity.” I noted to the nearest, a pale grey wolf with black markings around his eyes. “Your feet are all over the place, your just as likely to fall over as make contact. Your speed is an asset, but not if it makes you clumsy.”

The wolf dipped his head, bending his knees, claws digging into the ground and he darted from side to side, thoroughly discombobulating his partner. I stifled a chuckle. He showed promise. I jotted down a note about his impressive agility on my reports and paced over to the wall, where Khason’s shirt was draped. Mother above, did he ever put on a damn shirt?

It had become our standard trading place. As I moved to his side of the training pavilion, he tactfully maintained distance, circling around the other side. I tried not to find it sweet, his respecting of my limits. I also tried not to look at the sweat trailing down his gorgeously toned back, getting darker every day he spent in the summer sun, and remember how it had felt to run my hands along his skin.

Clearing my throat, I placed my report on the wall, noting his and picking it up. I scanned his notes, nodding along and jotting down a few more observations of my own. Then, at the very bottom…

I’m sorry about how your dad treated you yesterday. You deserve more respect than that. Are you okay?

I swallowed a lump the size of my fist, my eyes darting to him across the yard. His eyes flicked back to the set of wolves before him a second too late for me to miss that he’d been watching me.

I stared at the small note. His handwriting was small and jagged, like he’d written quickly, like his mind moved too fast for him to take the time to write slowly. The thought made me smile. Seeing him with his Alpha and the Gamma…it was unusual. To see them behave so informally with one another. And to see him so…happy. Relaxed. Grinning and joking and laughing. It felt right. Like that’s how he was supposed to be, light-hearted and mischievous. For the last few weeks it seemed like he’d been turning into a bit of a ghost of himself. Dark circles surrounded his silvery eyes, and his face was drawn, like he wasn’t sleeping. He rarely smiled, actually smiled, other than his standard smirk. He scowled most often. Never laughed, never played. Just worked. Worked himself to the bone.

I wondered if he’d volunteered to come here, or if his Alpha had commanded it. He certainly didn’t seem to like being here, away from his pack. I wanted to ask, but it would be foolish to do so.

I picked up the pen and scratched a response.

I’m fine. How are you?

I dropped the paper back on the wall and strode away before I could change my mind. Khason called out across the yard, ordering tag team relays, and the wolves trudged towards my end of the yard to begin running. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as he made his way over to the wall, picking up the report.

“Keep your head up, Liaus, body low, push off your hind legs!” I called, distracted from my work by watching him read. He scribbled on the paper and set it down again. I fought the urge to race over, making myself wait for five whole minutes before I paced in that direction. Slowly. Leisurely. My eyes never leaving the wolves, like I was simply trying to watch from a different angle. When I got close enough, I glanced down to read his response.

Been better. Simple. Short. Telling me absolutely nothing. Nothing except that he was not okay.

Why should he tell me anything? We barely knew each other. And I’d done everything in my power to push him away for weeks. But damn it, I wanted to know. Wanted to help. Wanted to do whatever I had to to make that light I’d seen in his eyes yesterday return. That smile. Make it stay on his perfect face forever.

I folded my arms, muscles tense to keep from picking up the pen, writing back. I knew if I did, it would not be simple pleasantries.

My father’s voice spoke suddenly and unexpectedly into my mind.

Ivy. Bring the Blood Moon Beta and meet me in my office.

I knew he meant now. Otherwise, he would simply wait for us to return to the house.

Father…we are not finished with our training session-

Five minutes. Cold. Quiet. Unyielding. I didn’t know whether to be annoyed or nervous. What had happened that he needed us so urgently?

Alpha. Was all I said in response.

I had no choice. It was too urgent to write in a note. Not to mention that the entire interaction suddenly seemed pathetically childish. Passing notes like puppies. I allowed myself three slow, deep, steadying breaths. We had not spoken since that night…the night he’d made me c*m against my bedroom door…lost himself in his pants, grinding against me…

Three more breaths. Get it together. I told myself. Duty first. Always. It was more important than me, or how I felt. That was the way it had to be if I wanted to lead this pack.

Tensing and putting on a hard mask of disdain, I crossed quickly and purposefully towards Khason.

His eyes locked on me the moment I began moving, widening with surprise with every step I took towards him, my intention clear. Curiosity and perhaps apprehension mingled on his face as I got closer, unsure of what was happening. I slowed a few feet away, close enough for him to hear me, but not the others.

Duty. Make it short, to the point. “My father wants us in his office. Now.” Despite my exercises, my voice sounded shaky…unstable. F*ck.

His frown deepened. “Now? We’re in the middle of a session.”

“Now means now, Kha…Beta. You might not have any loyalty to my Alpha, but I do.” I turned on my heel and started for the training building, to make my way to the pack house.

Khason cursed impressively, and then his voice raised above the sounds of scrabbling claws on stone, calling out to the wolves to go for a ten-mile run and then they were done for the day. And then he was by my side, and I didn’t look at him as he kept pace, all the way to the pack house.

The mood was terse as we walked through the open door of my father’s office, finding him and Beta Forrest sitting with Alpha Dawson and the Blood Moon Gamma around his long table. Khason went to his Alpha’s side without hesitation and the two of them exchanged a familiar glance, the look of two people who cared about one another, assessing each other for well-being. It was simple but made my heart pang. Was there anyone who felt that way about me? Cared about me enough to want to make sure I was alright, even just in passing?

My father didn’t even look in my direction as I entered, reluctantly taking the spot beside his Beta.

“Alpha Dawson has been sharing some ideas with me,” he said, by way of greeting. “And I find them most intriguing. He seemed to think that your opinion, Beta Khason, was warranted.”

Khason stiffened, his jaw tightening with irritation, but said nothing. Such fire. It made me want to smile. But something in my father’s countenance was making me feel anxious.

“Has something happened, father?” I asked quietly. Again, he didn’t deign to look at me. Instead, it was Alpha Dawson who gave me a warm smile.

“No, nothing yet, Ivy. However, I have been in discussion with your father for the entirety of the day and we have come up with some thoughts that might help win your pack an advantage.”

I frowned. Something told me I was not going to like this.

“Alpha Dawson believes we may use our newly surrendered territory as an advantage.” My father mused quietly, staring down at his map, chin resting on his fist.

“The Crescent Moon pack will expect the lands to be emptied out. It creates a small window of opportunity for us. If they take over the lands, as we assume they will, it gives a short span of time in which we could send a few wolves to infiltrate their lands. Recognizance. Learn their numbers, their weaknesses, anything that will give us an advantage.”

I frowned. “Will not Alpha Christiano and his wolves notice that there are some among them who they do not recognize?”

Dawson tilted his head. “We think not. Christiano has been gathering rogues. Bolstering his numbers. I’ve spoken to Alpha Morson in Nightfall. He’s given permission for us to send some wolves through his lands. From there, they will travel west, into Crescent territory, and ‘be captured’ as rogues. They will feed us information until a time when it is safe to extract them.”

“These would have to be skilled and highly trained wolves.” My father murmured. “More than competent at fighting and incredibly intelligent to avoid detection while they get us what we need.”

“This could be our last chance to gain an upper hand on Crescent.” Dawson continued. We all heard what he didn’t say. Before they finish us off.

I swallowed hard. It was a good idea. Likely my father’s surliness was irritation that he hadn’t thought of it first. “It’s a good idea. Dangerous but…worth the risk I think.”

“More than dangerous…” Khason muttered, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the table. “If Christiano suspects there are spies in his pack, not only will he kill them, brutally, to make an example, but he’ll take it as an outright attack and unleash war on Summer Hunt. Are we prepared for that retaliation if these spies aren’t smart enough to make it in without getting caught?”

My father’s dark eyes flicked up at the Beta and I fought the instinct to raise my upper lip, to snarl, to tell him not to look at my mate like that. “It is something we considered, yes.”

“While the infiltrators travel, we will be in preparation here. I have given permission for all children and elders to be taken into Blood Moon for safety. The exodus will begin as soon as possible.” Dawson and Khason shared another glance and given the smirk of approval that flashed across Khason’s face, I imagined they were sharing thoughts. “All other wolves will begin fortifications and preparation to defend Summer Hunt in a final stand, should it come to that.”

All other wolves? Including the females? I understood now. The glance between the Blood Moon Alpha and Beta, the clear anger in my father’s body. Dawson must have refused to shelter the females in this plan of theirs, forcing my father to either let them train, or sign their death warrant. My father was not frequently left in a position of having no choice. But if he was made to lean on Blood Moon’s support, he was forced to accept whatever terms they gave.

Shit. This was a dangerous game. My father was more than angry…he was furious. If we didn’t need Blood Moon’s alliance, I was sure he’d have told Dawson where to go and precisely how to get there.

The Blood Moon Alpha continued speaking. “Alpha Stohn has decided that Beta Forrest will take over training of the pack wolves in the coming days.”

Khason and I frowned in tandem. “What? Why?” Khase looked at his Alpha, confusion shimmering in those metallic eyes.

Any hint of humor evaporated from Dawson’s face and a slight tremor went through his hands. He looked at my father to continue. My father said nothing, still glaring at his map.

“Father?” I pushed, uneasy. An eternity later, he inhaled slowly.

“Alpha Dawson and I discussed which wolves would be best to infiltrate Crescent. Skilled warriors, smart enough not to get caught, to know what to do if they are caught. Independent, ranked, but not invaluable.” At long last, he lifted his eyes to mine, sitting back with a sigh. “And we have made the decision that the best wolves to send would be Beta Khason…and you.”