Lessons in Love

Chapter 9: What Fresh Hell

POV: Beta Ben Westlake

I smiled politely and showed Marcus to a comfortable chair, eyeing my mother as I did. She seemed as genuinely surprised as I was. I went to the kitchen and grabbed another glass. My mom joined me.

“I’ll add another place setting.” She said softly.

“No, please,” I said. “I can do it. You sit and relax.”

“Don’t talk back to your mother!” Came my father’s booming voice from the living room. I rolled my eyes, and my mother just smiled at me.

“I’ll keep an eye on dinner.” She said sweetly.

I came into the living room and handed Marcus the empty glass, which he mechanically held out to my father. Marcus had bathed since I’d seen him this afternoon. There was no smell of silver on him. He still looked defeated, upset even.

“Where’s your glass?” Marcus met my gaze.

“I’m good, thanks.” I smiled politely, taking a seat.

“He thinks drinking is beneath him.” My father shook his head in disgust. It took everything in me not to react. “Grab a glass and toast with your Alpha.” My father glared at me. I wasn’t sure if it was his words or his tone that sent the shiver down my spine. I stood up mechanically and went to get a glass. My mother was standing by the door already holding one. Her face conveyed how much she wished there was something – anything she could do to stop this night from continuing. I took the glass from her and smiled at her. I turned around and returned to my seat. I wasn’t even in the chair, and my father was already pouring the fowl smelling liquid into my glass.

“I want you both to know that I’ve considered my succession plan carefully.” Marcus said flatly. My father seemed too excited, and my stomach twisted from the smell of the drink in my hand. “You and Rick have been very good these last months, through the war and … after.” I saw the shadow of loss cross his face as he said it. “Your father and I discussed this, and we think you and Rick should be the next generation of leaders for this pack. I know Arthur would have agreed, too. He always believed in the two of you. He had this all mapped out for the pair of you.”

Arthur was Rick’s late father and the former Delta. It was a bit strange that he was harping on Arthur’s wishes when I knew in my gut it was my father’s wishes about to come true. There was going to be some kind of catch. This was all too easy. Marcus seemed to force a smile to his face.

“For right now, though, I’m making your father acting Alpha, just until we feel you’re both ready.” He said.

I heard a plate crash in the kitchen and started to get up to help my mother, but my father barked at me. “Sit! She can handle her own messes.” There was a dark growl to his words that made my palms sweat. She was going to be beaten for eavesdropping tonight. I could see it in his eyes, and I glared at him.

“To our acting Alpha,” Marcus raised his glass slightly, trying to cut the tension. My father smiled and tapped his glass against Marcus’s with a c****d eyebrow. He was daring me not to participate.

I buried my rage deep in my stomach and put a smile on my face. “To our Alpha and our acting Alpha.” I said firmly, adding my glass to the toast. My father would have growled at me if Marcus hadn’t been there. I could practically feel his hate for me in the air. That was fine with me, I hated him more than he could ever hate me.

I swallowed the whiskey in one shot and felt it burn the whole way down. I kept my face neutral, even though I wanted to throw up. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of watching me choke on it. “Gentlemen, I’m going to check on our dinner. If you’ll excuse me.” I said politely and left the room so there would be no argument. I took my empty glass with me so it wouldn’t be refilled in my absence.

By the time we sat down for dinner, my rage was barely containable. It was a constant hum so close to the surface, I was afraid my aura would explode and knock them all out of their chairs. Deep down, a part of me recognized I shouldn’t be this angry. Still, the rage swam around in my veins, making my blood boil.

I had one of the maids bring up more whiskey. If I could get my father drunk enough, he’d be too drunk to hit my mother later, and he’d just pass out. By the end of the night, Marcus was stumbling upstairs, and I basically carried my father home. I got him upstairs at their house and poured him into bed. He was snoring before I got his boots off.

I went downstairs in search of my mother. I swung the kitchen door open. The poor woman practically jumped out of her skin. She turned to face me, sobbing silently. I put my arms around her and let her sob into my shirt. All the rage I had been feeling shifted abruptly into sadness. My mother had always been the kindest woman. She was helpful and sweet. She would give you the shirt off her back if it meant she could keep you warm. She had stood between my father and I and took so many beatings without so much as a whimper.

This was different to her. She knew my father was going to make mine and Rick’s lives hell for as long as it took for Marcus to die. And knowing my father, he’d find a way to get Marcus to make him Alpha instead of me. She knew he’d just started a war with me, one so full of landmines, I would have to be incredibly careful if I was going to survive. This was one beating she couldn’t take for me.

Mom pulled back from me and cupped her shaking hands around my face. “I love you, my brave boy.” She whispered.

I nearly choked on the lump forming in my throat. ‘Brave boy’ was what she used to call me when dad was at his worst. “I love you, too, mom.” I managed to keep my voice steady. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, wiped her tears, and said goodnight. I locked their door behind me as I left and mind-linked Rick. He needed to know what had happened tonight, and we needed a plan.

POV: Riley Campbell

Rick had escorted me to the hospital after the patrol. It was annoying, but sweet. I knew what the doctor had been going to say, and sure enough, he told me “This will heal fine on its own. The cuts aren’t very deep.”

I had given Rick a look, and he had just laughed at me. He was being cautious with his newbie, and I had understood that. Still, I had found myself unnecessarily angry about it. I had chalked my reaction up to adrenaline and walked home from the hospital with Sam. The letter Rick had given me still had the faint smell of rosemary and apples to it. I sniffed at the envelope as we walked, garnering a strange look from my companion.

“Do you usually smell your mail?” He asked with a laugh.

I blushed and shook my head. “It’s just that this smells like apples.” I said.

Sam laughed at me as we came to a stop outside my house. “Riley, the whole territory smells like apples.” With that, he headed home.

I’d been here two weeks, and all I’d done was train. Not that I minded it, I loved training. But I was eager to start my job teaching. I looked at the pile of books on the table in my breakfast nook and promised myself I’d do some work right after a hot shower. I tossed the letter down on the books and headed upstairs.

Twenty minutes later, I was clean and ready to focus. I put the kettle on for a cup of tea and stared at the scented letter. From what I gathered, three people had handled the letter before it got to me. The Alpha, who was mated, the Beta, who I hadn’t met yet, and Rick. I’d spent too much time with Rick to not have noticed he was my mate. There was no way it could be him or the Alpha, I mused.

I didn’t know much about the Beta; other than the mostly offensive questions he’d asked during my interview. If he was my mate, I’d done a stellar job of avoiding him so far. How long would that last, I wondered. I pushed that thought aside. I had bigger questions. Never had I ever heard of someone finding their mate off a scent on stationary. It was supposed to be an in-person thing. You catch the scent across a crowded room and boom! You’re in love.

The kettle whistled, pulling me out of my head. Weirder things have happened, I supposed, but it felt wrong somehow. I took my mug back to the table and picked up the letter. I couldn’t stop myself from sniffing at it one last time before I opened it. Apples, rosemary, and thyme, maybe? The smell was truly delicious. The rich savory notes of the herbs mingled with the ripe apple and made my mouth water. I gave my head a shake and tore open the envelope.

Before I had left Forest Pines, my mother had told me it was proper etiquette to send a letter to the Alpha and Luna thanking them for the opportunity. I hadn’t expected much more than a stock letter on the Luna’s stationary welcoming me to the position. That’s what my father had said I’d receive. The letter I was reading through was on the Alpha’s stationary and was hardly the welcome I had hoped for.

It read:

Dear Ms. Campbell,

Welcome to Sapphire Lake Pack. I understand you’re from Forest Pines, where women are trained in combat, but those skills are ones you can thankfully put behind you. The war here is over, and the young women here need guidance on life as mated women and nothing more.

Nothing more, my anger blossomed anew. What was this? 1952? I continued to read:

I’ve included a list of books specially curated to assist in this education, which I expect to see as centerpieces of your curriculum this fall. Only our young men are encouraged to go to college, so they might find mates to bring home to Sapphire Lake.

I tried not to shred the letter before I finished it, but to be honest, the low hum of anger that had been with me since the attack in the woods was making it hard. It was an antiquated notion that men should be allowed to go out and find mates. It was intended to bolster numbers in small packs, but it had proven to be a bad model more than 40 years ago. I had no idea people still used that system. The letter droned on:

I feel it very important that you keep tales of your college adventures to yourself and not get our young women in an uproar over something they simply don’t need. Not all young ladies get to be spinsters like yourself, after all.

Regards,

Alpha George Westlake