The Beta’s Alpha Mate

Twelve

Daniel’s POV

I folded another pair of boxers and put them in my simple brown canvas overnight bag. Three nights’ worth of clothes were equal to about half of my clothes. A small voice in my head told me I should just pack everything in case I wanted to stay with Sierra, but I ignored it. I had to keep Sierra safe, and something told me Red Oaks Pack was my home now.

I had put all that at risk last night, and now I was worried that my secret had been exposed. I had always been cautious about letting Grayson mark me in any way when we hooked up, knowing what could happen if he did. I told him I was trying to keep a low profile, which was true, but not necessarily for the reasons he assumed.

But last night, I had gotten so carried away. I’m usually responsible, but I’m also a 19 year old guy. I got so caught up in the moment, I let him bite and scratch me everywhere. He’s always so sweet and protective, and takes such good care of me whenever we hook up, that I just let him do what he wanted while I laid there in a haze.

I know what my blood can do to people, and I don’t think I even realized Grayson had tasted it for the first time until right before I shoved him off of me. I don’t know if he even realized how much he took. He certainly didn’t know how addictive it could be, and I doubt he knew he was impervious to magic now.

I had lied to Gamma Kade when he asked about the rare wolf the rogues were hunting. I knew it was me, and not just me, but my sister, Sierra. No one else knew Sierra had magic-resistant blood, not even her. She only just turned 18 last month, and she was too young to pay attention when our Nana explained it to us 15 years ago.

Our parents were murdered because of my dad’s blood, ambushed by vampires who scented him. My parents were both pack warriors, and my mom sacrificed herself to defend my father, but in the end they captured and killed him anyway. They weren’t even after him because his blood was useful; just because the taste was irresistible and addictive. They were monsters.

Sierra and I had been staying at Nana’s house that night, and we never left. Someone from the pack retrieved our things from our parents house, and we spent the next five years living with her. She taught me a little about my gift, but the primary lesson was to never speak of it, because the rare blooded wolves are always hunted.

When Nana died, I had just turned 10 and Sierra was 8. The Clear Lake Alpha told us we would move to the packhouse orphanage and work to earn our keep, changing our status to Omega. Life was miserable, but at least Sierra and I had each other.

Then last year, the rogue attacks started. I heard of them from other Omegas, who talked about them in hushed tones. A servant gone missing here, a cook missing there, a nanny disappeared elsewhere. Someone let slip that the rogues were searching for magic blood, and I knew they meant me. No one knew about Sierra, and in the past, my dad’s line had only produced male children, so there was no record of a female inheriting the gift.

I wanted to stop all of the innocent rogues from being killed, as well as protect Sierra, so I did something risky. I contacted a witch, one I knew could be bought. I asked her to test her magic on me. When her magic failed to work on me, I pretended I was just now confirming a myth about male children in my family line. I knew the witch would easily be bribed by whoever sought me. Knowing her reputation, she had probably had a buyer for the information before she even arrived at the borders of my pack’s land. Once that rumor was set in motion, without telling anyone, I fled Clear Lake alongside a couple of other Omegas who were looking for a better life and picked a random, faraway pack to go to. Sierra could be safe, and maybe I could be safe, too, for a while.

My plan mostly worked. The rogues attacked Clear Lake, my last known pack, but no Omegas were harmed once they got word that I had left. The other rogue attacks stopped. And then they came to Red Oaks, where I am now.

Somehow, Sierra’s new pack got on the radar of the rogues, so I needed to go there and show myself as a member of Red Oaks to throw them off. I couldn’t tell Grayson my plan, or even Gamma Kade, because I’m sure they would refuse to let me leave the safety of our packhouse. Sierra was much more important than my own protection.

And I certainly didn’t want to tell Alpha Julien. He might deliver me to the rogues himself, I thought. He was usually a good man, but I got the feeling he didn’t like me very much, although I wasn’t sure what I had done to upset him. At least his sister was kind.

Grayson kept being the one most impacted by my plans to keep Sierra safe. I did love him, so I felt terrible about it each time it happened. Since I joined Red Oaks, he showed me how kind ranked members can be, and taught me quite a bit about myself. Our relationship was fun, and sweet, and beneficial for both of us. I’m going to miss him, but it’s just too risky to continue our arrangement now. A rare wolf’s blood can drive people crazy if they aren’t careful, and our encounters are usually not particularly careful.

Slinging my overnight bag over my shoulder, I stopped reminiscing and headed downstairs. Keely and I were riding with Gamma Kade and his mate, Brea, on the way to Clear Lake. I wasn’t invited to any of the planning meetings, and it was pretty clear that I was tagging along as a favor to Grayson, so I didn’t know what exactly to expect. Especially since I had slept in another wolf’s room last night, covering my scent with herbs so Grayson couldn’t find me before the trip.

“Yo, Danny!” Kade greeted. That man was always loud. Also, he calls me Danny, which I hate. Grayson told me Sierra called me Danny when they met her at Clear Lake and she asked them to look for me, but she’s my sister so it’s different.

Grayson also told me Kade used every double-entendre he could to embarrass Grayson, and my poor, sweet, innocent sister thankfully didn’t understand a single word of it. Goddess keep her that naive forever.

“Hi Gamma Kade,” I smiled at him and bowed my head slightly.

“Nah, none of that Omega s**t this weekend, Danny, you’ll be their Gamma’s guest, so just call me by my name. And no bowing, okay?” Kade grinned, like we were best friends. He lowered his voice and conspiratorially added, “Besides, I like annoying Grayson, but I want you to feel free to tell me to shut the hell up if I cross the line about you two, alright?”

I laughed. “I can do that.”

The pack warriors who were traveling with us were already outside their cars. Grayson came over to say hi, but he seemed tired. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked stressed. I had my mindlink blocked, and he shot me a look of annoyance. Luckily, Keely appeared next to me, giving me a way to avoid speaking out loud with him. Kade and Brea were leaning against the SUV and making out like teenagers now, so we all just tried to ignore that.

“Morning, Daniel. Morning, Grays,” Keely acknowledged, nodding at each of us. She tentatively put her hand on my lower back, just for a brief second, but it felt comforting. “Are you okay?”

Her question was directed at Grayson, and he just ran his hand through his hair. I’ve seen him do that before, when he’s taking a phone call that upsets him.

“It’s fine. Just your brother,” he said, apologetically. “We’ll work it out.”

Keely sighed. “I love you both, you know that. If I can do anything, just let me know. And let Daniel know, too, right?”

I nodded, even though internally I was thinking there was no way I could help them without further endangering myself.

Grayson ruffled her hair. “Thanks, Keels,” he said. Just as she opened her mouth to complain, he reached out and ruffled mine, too. “There, now you both match, so no whining. Safe travels.”

We both rolled our eyes. “He always does that,” I complained.

“Psh, try growing up with him for 18 years!” She giggled. “I’m lucky I don’t have a bald spot on top of my head at this point.”

The pack warriors straightened up suddenly, and we watched, fascinated, as a furious-looking Alpha Julien stormed over to his SUV and flung his bag into the trunk.

“Let’s go, head out! It’s already 6:05, people,” he barked, as if he was not the last one to arrive.

Keely frowned. “He will not talk to people that way.” “Brother,” she said as she approached him. “Good morning to you, too.”

Alpha Julien’s face softened a bit when he saw Keely. “Hey, Keels, you ready?”

“No. Come here,” she commanded. He did as she ordered, and she grasped his hands and rested her forehead on his chest. A white glow appeared where they were connected. She was using her healing gift, channeling her energy to make him feel better.

After a minute, I saw her legs begin to tremble, and I rushed forward to pull her away. She was weak, but fully conscious.

“Daniel, please take me to our car, I’m going to sleep for a bit,” Keely instructed. She had used too much of her gift for someone under 18, all to calm down her raging older brother.

The Alpha no longer looked angry, only guilty and concerned for his sister. I scooped her up and carried her to the car, seatbelting her in place before getting in myself. Soon we were on our way, with Keely’s head resting on my shoulder the whole way there.