Chapter Ten – Betas Between the Lines
1075 Words
The first session of the Alpha Summit ended just before midday.
The council chamber slowly emptied as Alphas disappeared into private meetings, strategy discussions and quiet conversations in the castle gardens. The atmosphere had remained respectful throughout the morning, but anyone paying close attention could feel it.
The tension.
The shifting alliances.
The careful choice of every word.
Betas noticed those things before anyone else.
They had to.
---
Rowan
"I had a feeling I'd find you here."
The voice came from behind him.
Rowan looked up from the castle balcony overlooking the training grounds.
A broad-shouldered man carrying two mugs approached with an easy smile.
Blackwood's Beta.
Elias.
"You guessed correctly."
"I usually do."
Elias offered him one of the mugs.
"Tea."
Rowan looked suspiciously at it.
"Actually tea?"
"I've heard stories about your version."
Rowan laughed.
"My reputation travels faster than I do."
"So does your Alpha's."
The two men leaned against the stone railing in comfortable silence.
Far below, warriors sparred while servants crossed the courtyard preparing for the afternoon's events.
Finally, Elias spoke.
"So..."
"There it is."
"What?"
"The dangerous word."
"You've only just met me."
"And yet I already know 'so' means you're about to ask something."
Elias smiled.
"You've got me."
---
Elias
"I'll ask the obvious question."
"Please don't."
"You've noticed them."
Rowan didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward the gardens below.
Where Carley stood speaking with one of the western Alphas.
Across the courtyard...
Ryker was doing exactly the same thing.
Except...
Every few moments...
Their eyes found each other.
Even from opposite sides of the castle grounds.
Rowan sighed.
"I noticed."
"They're hopeless."
"They've spoken for approximately four minutes."
"I know."
"And somehow..."
"They're already looking for each other."
Rowan nodded.
"Exactly."
---
Rowan
He should have been worried.
Instead...
He found himself smiling.
Carley had spent so many years carrying everyone else's burdens that she'd forgotten she deserved happiness too.
She'd never admitted it.
She didn't have to.
He'd watched her put her pack before herself every single time.
If anyone deserved to be loved...
It was her.
"So..."
Elias nudged him gently.
"You approve?"
Rowan laughed.
"I barely know him."
"But?"
"But..."
He watched Ryker stop to thank a servant carrying firewood.
"...he keeps accidentally proving he's exactly the sort of man she deserves."
Elias smiled proudly.
"That's Ryker."
---
Elias
"And Carley?"
Rowan looked genuinely surprised.
"You don't know?"
"I know the stories."
Rowan snorted.
"The stories are rubbish."
"So I've discovered."
"My Alpha..."
His expression softened.
"...would skip her own meal if it meant someone else wasn't hungry."
Elias blinked.
"Really?"
"She has."
"More than once."
He chuckled quietly.
"The children back home think she's incapable of walking through the village without being hugged."
Elias laughed.
"Ryker has a similar problem."
"Does he?"
"The stable dogs follow him everywhere."
Rowan stared for a second before bursting into laughter.
"I was expecting something much grander."
"So was he."
---
The laughter faded naturally.
Both Betas watched the courtyard.
Watching everyone.
Listening.
Just as Betas always did.
---
Rowan
"The politics worry me."
Elias nodded.
"Iron Crest."
"You've noticed."
"He spoke far too little."
Rowan raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
"Most people think he spoke too much."
"That's because they're listening to the words."
Rowan smiled.
"I was wondering how long it'd take you."
Elias folded his arms.
"He wasn't trying to win today's discussions."
"No."
"He was measuring reactions."
"Exactly."
The two Betas exchanged a knowing look.
Different packs.
Different lives.
Same conclusions.
That was reassuring.
And concerning.
---
Elias
"There's something else."
Rowan looked at him.
"I've had reports."
"So have I."
"Unknown faces among the servants."
"Same."
"Late-night movement outside the eastern wall."
"Same."
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Finally...
"This summit is already compromised."
"I think so too."
---
Rowan
His smile disappeared.
"If Iron Crest is planning something..."
"They won't move yet."
"No."
"They're still gathering information."
"About Carley."
"And Ryker."
Rowan's stomach tightened.
That worried him more.
Feelings made people vulnerable.
Carley rarely had vulnerabilities.
Until now.
---
"You know," Elias said quietly.
"I've never seen Ryker distracted."
"I've never seen Carley blush."
They both looked across the courtyard.
Almost on cue...
Ryker glanced toward the gardens.
Carley looked up at exactly the same moment.
They smiled.
Neither realised they were doing it.
Then both looked away again.
Rowan covered his face with one hand.
"Oh, this is going to be exhausting."
Elias laughed.
"They're not subtle."
"They think they are."
"They're terrible at it."
"The absolute worst."
---
The laughter settled.
Then Rowan became serious once more.
"If this becomes what I think it is..."
Elias already knew what he meant.
"The law."
Rowan nodded.
"I won't let anyone use it against him."
Elias looked him straight in the eye.
"And I won't let anyone use it against her."
Silence followed.
Not awkward.
Resolute.
Two Betas.
Two protectors.
Two men who had spent years standing behind remarkable leaders.
Now...
Those leaders had found each other.
Which meant Rowan and Elias had inherited an entirely new responsibility.
Keeping two stubborn Alphas alive long enough to admit what was becoming increasingly obvious to everyone around them.
Rowan smirked.
"We're going to need a lot more tea."
Elias laughed.
"I was thinking something stronger."
As they pushed away from the balcony, neither noticed the hooded figure watching them from a distant corridor.
The stranger had heard only a few words.
Enough to understand one thing.
The Betas had begun comparing notes.
And that made them far more dangerous than either Alpha had yet realised.
Both Betas knew they had to come up with a plan. however they also knew something was afoot and they had to cover tracks.
they knew that others were watching and they had a job to do.
They mind linked eachother quickly as they went separate ways.
"we have to give them moments so they stop making it so obvious" said Rowan
"do you really that's going to work" Elias jokes
"if we don't everyone will figure it out and that's just going to cause more issues if it hasn't already"
"I can't argue with that logic"
"so it's agreed, we need to give them time together but away from prying eyes"
"Elias I'll get you carleys schedule you know the grounds
servants
everyones schedules"
" my pleasure Rowan" Elias chuckled
"I serve with the pleasure "
"ill have it delivered to your room by morning"
- Writer
