The Beta's Daughter

The Rabbit

As soon as we entered the kitchen Jacob pulled his hand away from my arm. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, trying to see the Silver Shore wolves as they filed in. I stifled a laugh.

However, as they began to fill the room, I realised that my tip-toes would have to come into play. I was much shorter than Jacob – and most of the other people surrounding me – so with a humph I pressed myself up onto my toes.

I could just spot Sharone, who’d mated with a pretty she-wolf from Silver Shore last year. I didn’t know his mate well, but we’d made friends when he’d first turned eighteen and had started being brought along to the Mating Balls. He was an Omega in one of the packs that would be joining us later in the week, the Red Opal pack, and – guessing from his mate’s scars – she was a warrior wolf.

When a wolf mates, they ascend to whatever the highest ranking status is out of the two of them. This was fortunate for me, as it meant that I couldn’t drop lower than a Beta. Some thought that this was outrageous, as on multiple occasions wolves had moved from being Omegas to Alphas or Lunas.       

I’d always put this down to the Moon Goddess knowing they would serve their pack better in a position of authority. Or, when I was in a more romantic mood, I thought that the Moon Goddess allowed wolves to mix and mate with those above their status because love doesn’t see those kinds of barriers as an obstacle.

One lazy afternoon Jacob and I had gone so far as to discuss who would replace me as Beta. We had considered Joshua, Rosa’s boyfriend, as he was the son of the Lead Warrior, and a dangerous, calculated fighter. We’d made no firm decisions, though, and now it all seemed so fruitless.

The Silver Shore pack flooded in, and after a lot of bowing and hand shaking they all took their seats around the table. I waved at Sharone, and he sent me a wicked grin back, then gesturing wildly with just his eyes to his mate sat beside him. She was beautiful, in a bold and stoic kind of way – the complete opposite to Sharone, who was always laughing at something.

I felt like a giddy child. I could feel my wolf prowling around inside of me. Nothing felt different, though, so I assumed my mate was not one of the Silver Shore wolves. Suddenly feeling anxious, I looked up the table towards Jacob, wanting to make sure that he too wasn’t feeling anything.

He was smiling politely at their Alpha. Alpha Ambrus, if I remembered correctly, and Luna… Luna Hanna. They were an imposing couple, with pale white skin and dark eyes that flashed as they moved around the room. Hanna had red hair, and Ambrus’s had once been yellow blonde, but was becoming tipped with grey. His eldest son was yet to find his mate, meaning that his reign had gone on for longer than anticipated.

In some packs it was accepted that when the male heir came of age, they would take over as Alpha. Some Alphas, however, believed that a man could not lead a pack without their mate. Many of the writings I’d studied focused on balance, yin and yang, and I thought that this was where this idea came from. Wolves, unlike humans, have proof that soul mates exist. Whilst I’ve never felt like half a person, the legend is that we are destined to meet our other half – the one who balances us, makes us whole.

I let my gaze flicker back to Jacob. He was looking at his mum, now, as though expecting her to talk. Sure enough, moments later she stood, and the room fell into awed silence.

“Silver Crescent pack, I ask you today to welcome our honoured guests, the Silver Shore pack. We are close in name, but even closer in nature. I’m sure you are all hungry, so without further ado: let the feast begin!”

A frenzy of howling and cheering followed her short speech as she took her seat once more. She grinned at everyone, taking the time to make eye contact with all of us as she looked around the table. The Omegas spilled out from behind the counters, each carrying large, covered dishes. Others brought out wine. I wasn’t much of a big drinker, but it was a special occasion. I smiled and accepted a glass of white.

As Liliana had hoped, the dinner was loud; full of chatter, the sound of old connections being rekindled. The Silver Shore pack were the closest to us, as they shared one of our borders. Many of us had met on border patrols, so the camaraderie came easily.

After dinner we made our way back to the meeting room. We broke into smaller groups, catching up with old friends. Sharone finally had the chance to introduce me to his mate, who I found out was called Brenna. Despite the scar down her face, and her otherwise intense look, she was incredibly friendly. I was happy for him; though I would never have put the two of them together, they worked well.

It made my sliver of mistrust shrink, just a little. The Moon Goddess clearly knew what she was doing. I’d never come across a mate pairing that didn’t work.

I’d been sure that the meeting between our packs was going to happen that evening, but the adults decided to retire and meet first thing tomorrow. Silver Shore would join us for training, and then the young wolves would go on a tour of our reserve – the ones who had just matured, so had never seen it before – while those necessary would join us in the meeting.

There was one pup with their pack, too. A mated couple had very recently given birth, and had, of course, not wanted to leave their newborn pup at home. I wanted desperately to be the one to give the tour – I loved our home, and I knew all of the interesting details that some of the other wolves would skim over.

“Luna?” I asked, approaching her with my head inclined.

“Young Beta,” she replied formally, and then smiled. “Arienne. How may I help you?”

“The tour, tomorrow,” I stuttered. I felt unusually nervous. “I’d like to be the one to give it. I know I should be in the meeting, but I’ve provided all of my notes. I could join you afterwards, if I was needed.”

“I’m glad you volunteered,” she said, soothing my unwarranted anxiety. “I thought you’d be the perfect person to host it, but I also did not want to ask you to miss the meeting – given the events of the previous few days.”

She paused, and gave me a knowing look. “It will also give you a good opportunity to experience the kind of tasks expected to be undertaken by a Luna.”

“Thank you, Luna,” I beamed. I wiped my palms on the thighs of my jeans. “I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will,” she smiled.

I headed to bed early, eager to be well rested for my first training session in a few days. As it would be conducted with the Silver Shore wolves, I wanted to give myself the best chance possible of giving a good impression. I wanted to do Silver Crescent proud.

As I gently wiped off my makeup I eyed myself in the mirror. My freckles were unveiled as I removed my foundation and concealer. I knew I had to do a good job tomorrow. After speaking with Liliana, I’d offered to take care of the young pup while I conducted the tour. Perhaps I was too eager, and had taken on too much responsibility, but I wanted to prove myself.

I slipped Jacob’s worn, brown sweatshirt on and crawled into bed. It was nice to have my dressings off, and I let myself relax into my sheets. The bed felt empty without Jacob there, but the Mating Ball felt closer than before, with the arrival of the Silver Shore pack. I didn’t want either of us to get too used to sharing a bed, when it might be taken away from us soon.

I bid my little wolf carving goodnight, and fell into a turbulent sleep. My dreams were fragmented, a sick cinema of strange images: injections plunging into pulsing veins and monstrous beasts howling, their dead, glassy eyes dark against the light of a yellow moon. All too soon my alarm went off, and I clawed my hand around trying to turn it off.

I dragged myself out of bed. I hadn’t had nightmares in years. Clicking my bedroom light on, I audibly gasped when I caught sight of my face.

My warm brown skin looked pallid, and there were dark purple circles under both of my eyes; so deep that it looked as though you could see their sockets through my skin. I shook myself, and when I looked again I looked more normal – less skeletal, at least.

I still had bags under my eyes, but a quick smudge of concealer solved that. I pulled on my sports bra, shorts, and a long-sleeved cropped gym tee. I wanted to cover up the wounds on my neck and arm until they’d faded into scars.

I trudged downstairs, feeling the swing of my ponytail as it hit the back of my neck with every step. The sun was just beginning to glint against the glass of the windows. I imagined I could feel its warmth on my skin, and I felt a little more alive.

I couldn’t see Jacob or The Twins anywhere when I reached the kitchen, so I sat down for a minute to wait for them. I didn’t usually get up on my first alarm, choosing instead to press the snooze button a multitude of times, so I figured I had a little bit of time to rest before we had to head over to the training grounds.

I’d just let my head droop on to the table in front of me when I felt arms shaking me.

“Ari, hey, wake up,” Ayon said. Aron was stood just behind her, shaking his head and smiling.

“What time is it?” I asked, confused. I felt disorientated.

“Don’t worry, it’s still criminally early,” she reassured me. “We’d better leave soon, though.”

“Why are you asleep down here anyway?” Aron added.

“I didn’t realise I was,” I laughed. “I was waiting for you guys and Jacob, and I must have dozed off.” I stood and pushed my chair neatly back under the table.

“Oh, bless you,” Ayon said. “So you haven’t seen Jacob yet?”

“Not since last night,” I frowned. “I guess we can meet him there.”

“Sounds good,” agreed Aron. He smiled encouragingly at me, and we headed outside.

We chatted as we walked. I didn’t get to speak to them like this much, as they were usually so involved with one another – and I usually had Jacob to keep me occupied. We’d been good friends as children, and I suppose we were still close now, but I didn’t know all that much about them.

“Do you guys ever want to do more than be in the pack?” I asked. I was intrigued. “I don’t mean leave the pack,” I added. “Just – is there anything else you’d like to do?”

Aron shook his head. “I want to be a Gamma. I want to train hard and help lead our pack.” He shrugged. “I’ve never really thought about doing anything else. Except –“ he paused, looking embarrassed.

“Tell her, Aron,” Ayon encouraged. He looked at her; their eyes met, and they both smiled. Usually I would’ve found it creepy, but it was actually kind of sweet.

“I love poetry,” he said, ducking his head. “I mean – look at where we live. How could I not?”

“It is beautiful here,” I said, nodding my head approvingly. “Do you write?”

“I try,” he laughed. “It’s not exactly William Blake or Thomas Hardy, but I enjoy it.”

“I think that’s what really matters. I love to paint with Rosa, but if we’re trying to paint a mountain, say, she’ll paint a mountain and I’ll paint a triangle. I just can’t do it – but I love to try. I’m sure your poems are good, though. I’d love to read one someday, if you felt comfortable with that.”

“It might be nice to let someone other than Ayon read them,” he smiled shyly.

“Well, whenever you want me to, I’m there. How about you, Ayon?” I asked, turning to face her.

“I mean – I obviously want to be a good Gamma. I love this pack. But since school ended I’ve found that I want something more to fill my time with. I really – now, don’t laugh,” she cautioned. I held my hands up.

“I won’t,” I promised.

“I love film photography. I take self-portraits, mostly, and Aron lets me take pictures of him sometimes.”

We rounded the shrubs that came just before the training grounds. “That’s really cool. If you ever want someone to photograph, I’d love to give it a try. I’m open to anything – posing, using props, you name it. If you’d like,” I added hastily, worried I’d got ahead of myself.

“That actually sounds really fun,” Ayon grinned. “It might be nice to take pictures of something other than your pasty white face,” she laughed, sticking her tongue out at her brother. He rolled his eyes at her.

I laughed. They reminded me of Jacob and I. It had surprised me that I hadn’t seen him yet this morning, and my heart panged. How could I miss him? It had been less than ten hours since I’d last seen him. I shook my head slightly. If I wanted to wait and find my true mate, I had to stop thinking about Jacob in that way. It wasn’t fair to either of us.

The training grounds were surprisingly packed when we arrived. I knew we weren’t late – though I hadn’t checked the time for a while, I knew The Twins were always early, and I doubted that today would be an exception. About half of the people warming up and stretching had faces I didn’t immediately recognise; it seemed as though the Silver Shore pack were as eager as we were to prove our worth in this alliance.

I spotted Jacob talking to a bright-looking girl, who had shimmering blonde hair and sparkly blue eyes. She was bouncing as she spoke to him, looking full of energy. My bones ached with tiredness, and I hated her in that moment. How was she so perky? I felt my eyes narrowing, and then I caught myself. I didn’t even know her. I was usually pretty perky, too, so I couldn’t really judge anyone else on that count.

I pulled my ponytail tighter, feeling it move slightly higher up on my head. I felt more myself, and consequently felt more at ease. I was a little saddened that Jacob hadn’t waited for me as he usually would – but, technically, I’d not waited for him, either.

He left first, my mind whispered to me. He could’ve mindlinked you, but he didn’t.

I felt a growl rising in my chest. I didn’t know where these negative thoughts were coming from, and I didn’t like them. Even on a lack of sleep I wasn’t this cranky.

As we waited for the last of the wolves to arrive, I moved through some basic stretches. I focused on my breathing, and after a few minutes I felt much more like my normal self again. I hoped it would last a little longer this time. Grinning, I flipped upside down into a handstand, feeling my legs dangle in the air. My eyes landed on a pair of grubby trainers, and I pulled myself right side up again.

“Hey,” the girl smiled. She was the blonde girl who’d been talking to Jacob.

“Hi,” I smiled back. She was taller than me, but she was hunched in on herself, as though she was embarrassed by her height.

“I’m Ellie,” she said, sticking her hand out for me to shake.

“Arienne,” I said warmly. She was cute. “I’ve never seen you at one of these before. Did you just turn eighteen?”

She nodded excitedly. “Yes, a few weeks ago. I wanted to introduce myself to as many of you as I could while I had the chance,” she said, motioning to the wolves milling around.

“I just matured, too. More recently than you, actually.”

“Really? But – you seem so together,” she said, her tone somewhat awed.

“I’m really not,” I laughed. “Do you want to stay with me, during training? We could partner up for the sparring.”

“I’d love to,” she beamed. “It’s a bit daunting, you know? Nobody else seems excited.”

“I promise you, they are. It’s just a little early for some of them,” I said, my tone light and playful. She giggled.

Alpha Kele clapped his hands, then, pulling our collective attention to him. He stood tall and proud, and his voice boomed out across the field.

“Good morning, everyone, and a very warm welcome to our dear friends, the Silver Shore pack. I hope you enjoy following our training regime this morning. Now, please remember – it is a trade secret,” he said with a glint in his eye and a wink. Both packs laughed.

“We will begin with a run to warm us up,” he continued. “As the Silver Crescent wolves know, the development of a serum which stops us from shifting into our wolf forms has been uncovered. Because of this, we train primarily in our human forms, as many of us are much stronger as our wolves. To start with, we will run as humans. We will end our session as wolves. Now,” he grinned, “follow me!”

As a Beta, I was usually expected to run at the front of the pack, just behind Jacob and his parents. I gauged Ellie’s pace as we began our run, and quickly realised that in order to stay with her I’d have to hang back. I decided that staying back with her was the right thing to do. Besides, I’d had a few days off, so I figured that a slower run could be excused, just this once.

My body relished in the stretch of running, the feel of my muscles working in tandem as we navigated through fields and woodland. I was excited to shift, too; I could feel my wolf prancing inside me, ready to be unleashed.

We trudged through the forest, slowing falling further and further behind. I smiled encouragingly at Ellie, and she waved her hand at me, coming to a halt.

“I’m sorry,” she panted. “We don’t usually train as humans.” She wheezed, her breath coming too quickly. I guided her to a tree, and she slid her back down it, coming to sit at its base. I crouched beside her.

“Hey, it’s fine,” I said. “That’s exactly why Alpha Kele has us do it. It’s a precaution, but it’s better to be safe.”

“I definitely need to do it,” she puffed. Her face was bright red, but she looked determined.

“You want to try walking?” I asked. She nodded, and pulled herself up using the tree. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something.

A wolf was prowling around in the distance, it’s nose to the ground. It was small and wiry – one I’d never seen before. I grabbed Ellie and yanked her behind me.

“Stay quiet,” I whispered. I watched the wolf move. It took short, precise steps, sniffing as it walked. Suddenly, it stopped.

“Come on,” I hissed, tugging at Ellie’s arm. I wouldn’t risk her life over a rogue. “Stay low,” I added, crouching down and beckoning for her to do the same. The wolf would have near perfect hearing, meaning that any wrong move on our part would immediately alert it to our presence.

I surveyed the area. The path in front of us was overgrown, with potentially noisy leaves and thistles standing in our way. Towards the rogue was a worn down track, presumably made by deer and other woodland creatures working their way through the forest.

We’d have to go towards it to get away safely. I wished I could mindlink Ellie; it would make this much easier. I looked at her, and tried to convey my message with my eyes. She looked confused.

“Follow me,” I whispered as quietly as I could. She nodded, her eyes widening. I looked from her to the rogue, and back again, making sure she understand. Her face hardened, then, and she nodded grimly once more.

Keeping low to the ground, we began moving, taking tiny, silent steps. I could still hear Ellie’s laboured breaths, and I worried they would give us away. I snuck a look towards the rogue. It had turned slightly away from us, seeming to have caught a scent.

“Now,” I hissed, pulling Ellie forwards.

She stumbled and fell into the foliage beside us, a tangled web of bracken and thorns.

“s**t,” she murmured, looking towards me desperately, her eyes round and rabbit-like. I brought a finger to my lips, and looked at the rogue.

It had seen us.