The Beta's Daughter

Arrival

I spent the rest of the afternoon working with my mum. We ended up with a detailed security plan for the ball, and a concise note of key points to discuss in the meeting. We then met with the Female Gamma, Ryna, and Liliana, and talked through the rogue situation together. My mum encouraged me to share my concerns that the rogues may have formed a pack, but the idea was quickly shot down. Ryna looked at me patronisingly, as though she wasn’t sure why I was present. “The whole point of rogues is that they aren’t in a pack, sweetie,” she’d drawled. Unlike when my parents or Jacob called me sweet, a rolling ball of anger spat fire in my chest. Ryna was usually nothing but nice to me, so I was surprised by her tone. I shrugged it off, though, and was determined to stand up for myself.                                      

            “I don’t think we can discount anything,” I said, my voice firm and unwavering. “Rogue sightings don’t usually occur in any sort of pattern. These seem organised, somehow. Perhaps they aren’t in a pack, but it definitely seems as though they’re being structured, given order by someone.” I snuck a sideways glance to my mum, to see how she’d taken my defensive position. She looked proud.

            “I agree, Arienne,” Liliana said. She too seemed impressed by my candour. Ryna nodded, but she didn’t say anything else.

            We then took our compiled notes and moved from the Luna’s office to the Alpha’s. He’d been in conversation with Jacob, as well as his Beta, my dad, and his Gamma, Ryna’s mate, Elias. Unlike most of our pack, like their twins, Ryna and Elias both had striking white skin, and matching white-blonde hair. They looked ethereal, inhuman, and it often struck me that they looked strangely similar for mates. The Moon Goddess truly couldn’t have found a better match for them.

            The meeting didn’t take long. Jacob and I were excused early, so that I could get my bandages removed before the arrival of the Silver Shore pack. Jacob insisted that he wanted to come as a form of protection, but I had a feeling that he was bored of being sat in the office all day; it was because of this that I didn’t argue that I didn’t need to be protected on a short walk across the res. Having the company was nice, too, and it was refreshing to fall into our normal banter-heavy patter after being so focused on the imminent threat of rogues all day. 

            We reached the pack hospital quickly, and having my dressings removed was an equally fast affair. The doctor assured me that I was healed enough to leave the wrappings off, and I was left with a number of mostly-healed but angry-looking red welts. Part of me had wanted it to take longer – a strange sense of unease was tumbling in my stomach, brought on by the forthcoming arrival of the Silver Shore pack. I’d not given much thought to it before, having been preoccupied with the rogues, but there was a chance that my mate would be arriving tonight. As much as I was insistent that Jacob and I wait, I was fearful of what one of us finding our mate would mean for our relationship. Would it be possible to stay friends with him? Would it hurt too much? Perhaps I should have taken him up on his offer of mating immediately.

            At that thought my wolf growled, rising angrily in my throat. I covered it as a cough, and shot Jacob a look to see if he’d noticed. There was no break in his words as he chattered away to me, but he did bring up his hand to rub my back soothingly. I sighed. His touch sent tingles through me, a shockwave of soaring pleasure. Part of me was angry, still, that we weren’t mates. Everything was going to change now, whether we liked it or not. I just had to hope that if one of us met our mates, the other would, too. I couldn’t imagine the pain of working closely with Jacob’s Luna, unmated, knowing that I could’ve shared my life with him.

            The story my mum had told me brought me some peace, though. The lady had waited so long, but if she hadn’t she wouldn’t have brought my mum up. She was my grandma, I thought, slightly awed. We never would have had a pack school here on the res, and I would never – or at least, was less likely to – have discovered my love of folklore and its teachings. Maybe that was why my gut was so sure that we should wait. It did little to quell my uneasiness, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

            When we got back to the pack house we split at my floor, both wanting to shower and change before dinner. For the first time in a few days I washed my hair, and styled it in loose waves that hung down my back. I wore a little makeup, too, wanting to make a good impression on the Silver Shore pack. I’d met a few of them before, but never as a mature wolf. I didn’t want to get too dressed up – it was only dinner, after all – but I wanted to look more presentable than I usually did, so I left my gym shorts and baggy tees off for the evening. Instead, I picked out a pair of high-waisted, light-wash mom jeans, a black belt, and a roll-neck white top. I added a gold necklace with a small sun charm on it, and dug around for a pair of sneakers that were less well-worn than the converse I usually wore. I gave myself a quick once-over in the mirror and, deciding that I looked presentable, I headed downstairs.

I bumped into The Twins on the stairs, who were both dressed immaculately in matching outfits. We made our way to the main meeting room together. I wondered how they felt about mating. They were as close as Jacob and I were – possibly closer – but there were of course no romantic feelings there. It would surely sting if one of them had to leave to join another pack. Having grown up with them, I truly felt that it would be impossible for one to live without the other. I kept these thoughts to myself, though, knowing that I was nervous enough about potentially meeting my own mate – there was no need to stir their emotions up unnecessarily as well.

We chatted idly until our parents arrived. The meeting room was large, with floor-to-ceiling windows along the outer wall. There was an enormous table to one side, like the one in the kitchen, and a number of assorted sofas and chairs dotted around the rest of the space. There were bookshelves, too, filled with board games and books. To one side there was a fireplace, made out of warm brick and stone, with a wooden mantelpiece on top. If you looked closely, there were a number of engravings in the wood, of endless woodlands and flowing rivers and, of course, wolves. The carvings told the story of the formation of our pack. As a child I’d loved tracing my chubby fingers across the wood, feeling the shapes beneath them. The early evening sun hit the wood, turning it a deep, golden orange.

Alpha Kele walked in, then, Luna Liliana at his side. Just behind him were my parents, and behind them Gamma Elias and Ryna. The room fell silent, and we bowed our heads in respect. As I looked up again I frowned. Jacob was still nowhere to be seen.

They ushered us around the table, and we sat. My mum smiled at me as I took my seat next to her. “I love that necklace,” she whispered. I reached up to it and rubbed it between my fingertips. Usually wolves tended towards symbols of the moon, but I thought the sun was beautiful, too. The pearlescent shine of the moon was beautiful to behold, and mystical in its power, but I often felt that the sun was underrated. “Thanks,” I whispered back with a grin.

Suddenly, Jacob scampered in. He was wearing black jeans and a collared shirt, and I felt the urge to let my jaw drop. His hair was still tousled, but it looked slightly more intentional than usual. His blue eyes flashed uncomfortably as he realised everyone had turned to stare at him, and a blush rose in his cheeks. He looked cute. Wanting to relieve his embarrassment somewhat, I gave him a tiny wave. He caught my eye and grinned.

Once he was seated Liliana stood. She smiled down at us before speaking. “Welcome, dear friends. Tonight we welcome to Silver Shore pack. As the highest ranked among us, it is our duty to ensure they feel welcome and at home. The rest of the pack will be assembling in the kitchen for what I hope will be a large, rowdy, and fun wolf-pack dinner.”

Jacob let out a howl beside her. I laughed, but I could feel my wolf in my chest, proud to be part of the Silver Crescent pack. I let out a small howl, and Jacob winked at me. Now it was my turn to blush.

The Luna excused us, and Jacob found his way to my side immediately. “You look lovely,” he said. “Really beautiful.”

“Thanks,” I beamed. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“Come on,” he said, taking my arm. “They’ll be here soon. Let’s go welcome our guests.”

            The short walk from the meeting room to the kitchen felt like it took years. Every step I could feel the pull and release of my muscles, the intake and exhalation of breath, the minute movements of Jacob’s fingers where they dug into my arm.

            I was excited to see the pack, but I was consumed with the certainty that my mate – my true mate – would walk through the door any moment now. I desperately tried to pull up mental images of faces of the wolves I’d met in previous years, at past Mating Balls or other events, but my brain felt scrambled and unable to process information.

            What if it wasn’t a wolf I’d met before? That scared me more than anything. It was so opposite to everything I knew with Jacob. I focused on his grip, the warmth of his hand, and used it to steady myself.

            A tiny, selfish part of me hoped that if one of us was going to meet our mate tonight, it would be me. Picturing Jacob in his bed with a faceless she-wolf, lighting the candle I’d given him to set the mood, made my heart clench. A toxic bubble of anger and jealousy swelled inside me.

            Equally, though, I couldn’t picture myself going upstairs with a faceless wolf, clambering into bed with someone, the little wolf Jacob had given me watching over us. So much of him was in there, both physically in the items he’d given me, and in memories. I could see him sitting on my desk, purposefully moving his body so that he was in the way of my work. I could hear my laughter as he tickled me, so much that I’d rolled off the bed. I could see us, both much younger, sat on the carpet playing snap, him gritting his teeth in determination. I sighed.

            I trusted the Moon Goddess, I really, truly did. But a part of me – and I’m not sure how dominant that part may be – felt that maybe, just this once, she had got it wrong.

            The sound of a door opening pulled me from my thoughts. I could hear the lively, warm chatter of someone being welcomed. Alpha Kele’s voice boomed down the hall, though I couldn’t make out what he was saying.

            “Come on,” Jacob said, tugging my arm excitedly. “They’re here.”