The Beta's Arrival

Chapter 9

James' POV

She got away! They stopped me from chasing after her. I looked down at their dead bodies. Blood was splattered over the walls. Father may be angry, but it would be easy enough to explain that I had come over to see Helen, and they had threatened me. That alone would result in death. I walked over to her room and peered around. She had taken nothing with her. Then I smelled it, Diane. She had taken Diane. How could I have forgotten about her? She needed to go as well. If Helen had any reminisce of a family, I would not be able to persuade her so easily. She needed to be orphaned. She needed to be utterly alone. Then and only then could I have her all to myself.

Right now, I have two options. I could go after her and leave this mess to be found by someone who doesn't know the story, or I could report it back to my father. As much as I hated it. The ladder option would allow me more freedom in movement later. So, I left the house and went straight to the packhouse without shifting back. My fur was undoubtedly soaked in blood. Once I came to the packhouse, I found my father and mother both standing outside as though they had been waiting for me. As soon as my mother saw me, she gasped and raised her hand to her mouth.

"What happened? We have received several reports of a fight happening at the Miller residence and, by the looks of it, you more than likely, were a part of it," he said, as he crossed his arms.

Before I could answer, Mother had called over two Omegas to give me clothes as I shifted back. "Yes, I had gone over to see Helen," I began.

"How many times have I told you to stay away from her?!" my father growled at me.

"You don't understand. She is my mate, and they are trying to keep her from me," I tried to reason with him.

"Then she would be fighting to be at your side. They wouldn't be able to stop her," he shot back at me.

He was right, but then a brilliant idea came to mind. "They have been using magic. I found out today. That's why I went over. I was trying to help her. But her parents got in the way and threatened me." I watched as they both took in what I was saying. It wasn't unheard of for parents to call on a witch to cast a spell on their offspring if they did not agree with the match the Moon Goddess had made.

"They would never sully the mate bond," my mother interjected. She had been fond of Helen's mother. They were friends of sorts.

"Mother, I had to save her," I repeated, trying hard to sound desperate.

"What happened after you went to their home?" Father questioned. He wanted facts, not feelings.

"They threatened me and so a fight ensued," I explained.

"Have they been injured?" I heard Mother ask, her voice shaking.

"They will not need medical attention," I responded.

"Then I will send the warriors to clean the home. What of the daughters?" Father asked, cutting straight to the point while my mother sank to the steps, sobbing. She despised violence.

"They are on the run," I answered.

"Clean yourself up and come to my office. I want a full report on what had happened," he instructed. I knew better than to argue with him. He had no intention of letting me race off after Helen, not without a proper report. This would have to be announced to the pack, and he needed all the details so as not to seem biased in what had happened.

"Of course," I said with a bow and walked into the house, passed my parents. Mother was still in tears while Father comforted her to some degree.

He seemed to believe my side of the story, but if anyone who had reported on the disturbance came forward with a story that countered my own, I would be in trouble. He already doesn't completely trust me, especially when it comes to Helen. I went upstairs, showered, dressed and then was in his office just under twenty minutes later. I recounted what had happened once more to him, adding in more details to make it believable. I also informed him that they had attacked me. That would solidify their standing as traitors and the need for death to be swift without a judge or jury.

"I see. The reports I have received seem to coincide with what you are saying," he muttered, more to himself than to me.

"What shall I do now?" I questioned. I didn't want to appear in a rush, but the longer I stood there waiting for instructions, the farther she would be able to run.

"I will organize a group of our best trackers. You will accompany them. When you catch Helen and her sister, they are not to be harmed. If magic was indeed used, she would be confused. Diane, it seems, has had no hand in anything traitorous, and so she will also be left unharmed." Just as he finished, a warrior stepped through the door.

"Do you understand your mission," Father asked as he redirected his attention to the warrior.

"Yes, Alpha. We are prepared to leave as soon as you give the word," he responded with a respectful bow.

"Take my son with you and depart immediately," Father ordered.

"Of course," the warrior said, and bowed once more. Then he turned and was out the door in a matter of seconds. I followed close behind.

"Young Alpha, my trackers have already surmised that she has made her way off packlands. Please be wary of your surroundings," he requested of me.

"You do not need to worry about me," I responded confidently.

"Of course not, young Alpha," he nodded as we left the packhouse and headed out to the yard.

I stepped outside to see the trackers had already gathered and were ready to set out. The head tracker gave out orders and then everyone shifted. I followed as they raced through the packlands, stopping here and there to sniff around or find something that would give us a hint as to where she had gone. We were getting closer. I could feel it.

Helen's POV

Every step was painful. I wanted to stop, but I had a feeling that we were soon going to be discovered. I needed to push harder. I needed to move faster. Just as I was running out of energy, I ran straight into something hard. I had turned for a moment to look over my shoulder. I shouldn't have. Diane slid from my back and I stumbled. Quickly, I put myself between her and whatever or whoever I had hit.

It was another wolf, but they didn't smell familiar. They weren't from my old pack. However, that didn't mean I was in the clear. I may have just walked into something far more dangerous by accident. "Helen..." I heard Diane's shaky voice from behind me.

The wolf in front of me didn't move and didn't appear to be ready to fight. Instead, they appeared confused or maybe concerned. In the blink of an eye, they shifted back to their human form, reached into a nearby bush and pulled out clothing. Once he was dressed, he turned to face me. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" he questioned, still keeping a far distance between the both of us.

"We are rogues," muttered Diane from behind me.

"Where are you coming from?" he asked, his tone was soft. Kind even.

"Silvertooth," she responded.

"Why are you running?"

"Ummm... we... our parents..." her voice broke as she spoke.

"Why don't you come back to my home. We'll get you something to eat, some new clothes, and maybe we can all have a civil conversation," he offered as he directed his attention to me.

Diane didn't respond right away. I could feel her gaze on me. I nodded. "Okay," she agreed.

"Follow me," he motioned as he turned around and started walking away from us.

Carefully, we followed him. I was exhausted. I knew I needed time to recover, so I could take care of Diane and myself. We also needed somewhere to hide before we were found. I hoped that we were following someone that would harm us. Soon we came up to a large house, possibly a packhouse. There were warriors stationed around the house and surrounding area. They all seemed to stiffen as the man in front of us approached, and then their gazes shifted to us. They appeared to be sizing me up, Diane going unnoticed.

He stopped at the doors and turned back to face me. "Can you shift back to your human form?"

I huffed back at him. "I can see that something terrible has happened, and you are worried about what I might do because you don't know me," he tried to sound understanding.

I looked back at Diane, trying to assess how she was doing. "Please, I think he is being honest," she whispered.

I nodded and turned to face the man, waiting. "Clothes," he called.

A few seconds later, someone popped out of nowhere with articles of clothing. I shifted and pulled on the clothes given to me. I watched carefully to see how he would react. He turned his head away, giving me a moment of privacy. The other wolves followed his example. "Done," I informed him.

"Come with me. I'll have someone prepare us something to eat and drink while we have a conversation," he told me, and then he went inside.

We followed him inside and into an office. A few moments later, someone came in with food and drinks on a tray. She set it down on the coffee table between the couch and chairs. The man had taken a seat on one of the chairs while Diane and I sat on the couch. We both wanted to eat, but worried about what might be in the dishes in front of us.

He smiled and took a cookie from the tray and a cup of tea as well. Taking a bite, he smiled at us. "The food is safe. I promise," he told me as he took a sip of tea.

Still, Diane and I remained still. We couldn't trust him, not yet. "I understand you both are distrusting of me," he said as he leaned back casually in his chair. "Now what brought you onto my packlands?"

I glanced at my sister and she nodded. "Our parents were murdered by the future Alpha of our pack," I answered.

"Was it justified?"

"No..." I whispered.

"What was the future Alpha's reasoning then?" he pressed.

I swallowed down my tears and sadness before answering. "He wanted me to be his mate, but I didn't agree. I wanted to find my true mate."

"I see, and so he decided to eradicate your family?"

"Essentially, but I managed to get my sister out before they found her."

"I usually don't do this, but I want to offer you asylum here. You won't be trapped here. So, you can stay as long as you want and leave as you want to," he offered.

I looked over at Diane to see what she thought. We needed a place to stay. A place to hide. She nodded ever so slightly, still shaken up. "Thank you. We would like to take you up on the offer."

"Good. I will have a room prepared for you both unless you wish to remain in the same space."

"Together for now," I told him.

"The room will be prepared for you both here in the packhouse. Dinner will be served in a few hours. You are welcome to join myself and the other pack members that tend to eat here," he explained. "If there is anything you need, please let me know."

"Thank you so much. We are very grateful for all your help, but before I completely accept it, I need to be upfront. He isn't going to give up. If anything, he has already gathered trackers and is on his way now with a team to retrieve me and kill my sister." I hoped that this new information wouldn't change his mind, but I would understand if it did.