TM [Complete ✔️]

10. Betas

Zane's P.O.V

I haven't been able to sit down for the past couple of days. There was something to be done in every aspect of my life, which was completely normal considering I was to pack up and move the entirety of it, but exhausting nonetheless.

Between taking care of Beyla and attempting to pack; sleeping, eating, sitting, and every other need I may have was once again pushed to the back of my mind.

Four days later the entire kitchen and living area had been packed, neither Knox nor his mate able to help since they were too busy interviewing pack members for the Beta position and struggling with my load of paperwork I hadn't touched since before my mate passed away.

With everything happening, the war included, they were severely behind and needed a steady Beta couple to jump into their duties straight away after Shawn and Paisley refused the position, however, they'd been having no luck.

Until a thought hit me out of nowhere mere minutes ago as the clock struck four in the morning, the last of the boxes now sealed shut.

I had the perfect couple in mind, and in a few hours, when the time was normal for me to barge into Knox and Dali's now-joined office, I knew they would, too.

***

I knocked on the heavy door, waiting until my best friend invited me in, his eyes holding a tinge of surprise as he assessed me, though he tried to mask it as well as he could.

"Hey man, you need anything?" He asked, running his hands through his hair just as Dali came in with two coffees in hand.

The two of them looked like they hadn't been getting much sleep either.

"Sorry, Zane, if I knew you were coming I would've gotten you one too." She said apologetically, passing it along to her mate as I waved my hand.

"Don't worry about it," I replied, making myself comfortable in the chair in front of Knox's desk and setting my pup's car seat on the ground next to me. "I know you're busy, so I'll make this short," I began, "I wanted to do one last thing for you as your Beta, so I went ahead and spoke to this one couple I thought would be great to take over. I've been friends with both of them since high school and if you want to interview them, they're currently waiting downstairs."

My friends looked at one another before their gazes switched back to meet mine.

"You trust them?" Knox asked, almost no skepticism in his tone. I nodded.

"Okay, we'll give them a try, send them in." I nodded again and started walking to the door when Dali called my name, making me turn to her.

"When did you even have time to do all of this? It's nine in the morning and you were meant to be packing." At my shrug, she raised a brow.

"This doesn't require emotional strength I don't possess." Was all I replied before the hinges rattled behind me, leaving my pup with them for a moment.

Downstairs, my friends were waiting in the pack house's living room, speaking amongst themselves just as they had been when I left them.

"I told you they'd be down." I shrugged as I approached them, their eyes lighting up with excitement and nervousness.

"Don't get too excited, we're not even sure if they'll approve of us and I'm sure there's many more wolves they'd rather choose from," one of them said, "Still, we're grateful you would consider us."

"Let's not keep them waiting." I led the way without another word.

***

"Alpha, Luna!" They bowed in respect, "Thank you for giving us the opportunity to try,"

"Come on in!" Dali smiled warmly at the couple, pointing to the chairs they now occupied while I lingered by the door.

*Earlier this morning*

I grabbed my daughter's car seat and carried her to the front door of my friends' house, waiting awkwardly on their front porch.

Soon enough, both their grumbling, ever the morning individuals, reached my ears before the door was thrown open.

"Zane, what are you doing here?"

"Francis, Mia!" I greeted them and their shocked expressions.

"Is that?" Mia asked, looking at my little girl.

"Yeah." She gasped, tears gathering in her eyes, though still unable to look away.

"Come, let's go inside." Fran tucked his mate into his side, dragging her inside as I followed.

"So," he started, "what are you doing here?" It was a great question indeed, given the fact that it was barely seven-thirty, yet I didn't think I could wait any longer, needing any distraction I could find.

"I'm moving away," I said, getting the easy part out of the way. "Knox offered me the position as Alpha of Silver Claws and I had to accept."

They were shocked, and perhaps because it was too early, they didn't bother hiding it.

"You're leaving," Mia repeated, nodding to herself, causing me to nod as well.

My pup chose the exact moment to start wailing to be held, immediately getting picked up because the thought of her upset had me unsettled. I pat her back and hugged her close to me, letting Fran and Mia stir in the tiny bit of information I'd provided them with.

"Can I?" Mia asked, staring longingly at my daughter. I got up and carefully passed her over, albeit begrudgingly, Beyla almost immediately starting to fuss again while my friend adjusted her arms like I'd shown her. "We want a pup of our own but," she shrugged, her mate wiping a tear before it could fall down her cheek.

"So you came to say goodbye?" He asked, never taking his longing gaze away from his mate holding a pup.

"Not exactly." I sighed, itching to grab my daughter back as she cried but unable to make myself do it with the looks in their eyes and the statement they'd made. "I came to offer you my position in the pack. Dali and Knox are currently doing interviews for it but haven't been able to find anyone yet. I thought of you two."

Silence stretched around us like a thick blanket, my daughter the only one breaking it.

Finally, Francis cleared his throat.

"I don't know, it's a big responsibility." He scratched his small beard, looking at his just-as-shocked fiancée.

"Give it a try," I suggested. "They'd have to approve you for it anyway. It's a big change - you'd have to move into the pack house and stuff, and a big responsibility, but I couldn't think of better wolves to hand my family over to."

"Well," Mia said, her voice shaking slightly from the shock, "we'd be honored to at least give it a try."

Relief flooded me. I hadn't lied when I said I couldn't think of anyone worthy enough to hand Dali and Knox to. As their Betas, they'd spend lots of time together and would be entrusted to their protection along with Paisley and Shawn's. Despite being away and having my own things to worry about, I was sure I'd never stop thinking of them, just as they'd never not think of me and my daughter.

I let them go upstairs to get ready, all of us piling into my car once they were ready with Francis filling the silence with mindless conversations.

I used to like his easygoing nature and his fun personality, but now all I wanted was for him to be quiet, as horrible as it made me feel.

They loved Rosie and they love me, yet could I still find it in me to love them, my close friends of many years, that had called and sent cards and meals to my suite after my mate's passing, back?

I cared about them, but that was as far as I could go, and I loathed myself, myself and that horrible day, for continuing to take wolves and things from me even a month and a half later.

How much more was there to take before I was all spent out?

The car came to a stop as I parked, once again gathering the car seat as we all filed into the pack house, the cold of late October nipping at my skin without Zion to keep me warm.

"Her hair is just like her mom's," Mia whispered to me as I led them to the couches in the pack living room. Upon her words, however, I stiffened. "I know this must be hard for you to talk about but I see so much of her mom in Beyla." I didn't acknowledge her words apart from a small dip of my chin before I left them to go speak with my leaders.

***

I stayed leaned against the wall, Mia's words echoing over and over again in my ears during the entire time they were being interviewed, however long that was.

My name being called finally snapped me out of my daze, everyone turned to me. I walked over to the desk and sat in the empty chair beside it, noting the relaxed and happy looks on all their faces.

"We've met each other at gatherings before but I'd never really known them." Dali smiled at the two. "Speaking to them now, though, I think both Knox and I would love to have them try and work with us."

New friends, I realized, as I watched her and Mia.

Dali was making the new connections and friendships I'd asked her to back when we were still in Silver Claws. The friendships I'd asked her not to feel guilty about.

Yet why did it feel as though my chest hurt whenever I looked at the two of them? Whenever I looked at them bond over my mate and how they'd gone out together a couple of times, and hated that they were moving on while I was stuck in a constant state of grief and hurt.

"Zane? What do you think?" Knox asked patiently, making me clear my throat as all eyes once again turned to me.

"Yeah, um, congratulations, guys, I'm sure you'd do great things together!" I didn't attempt to smile, though part of me recognized how proud I was of Dali for chasing her life and not letting more of it slip away.

I tuned the conversations out as my friends bid their goodbyes, for now, Dali and Knox saying something about emailing them their schedules and how they needed them to start as soon as possible, only bothering to look away from my pup once Mia and Francis were gone.

"Are you okay?" My Luna asked, the smile wiped off her lips.

I did that - sucked the energy out of every room and wiped everyone's smiles as soon as they saw me.

I wondered how doomed the Silver Claws' pack was to be stuck with someone like me - depressed and grieving - as their new leader.

"Zane, what's wrong?" Knox chimed in at my silence.

"Nothing," I cleared my throat again, "nothing. I haven't been sleeping much with all the packing, that's all." They didn't believe my too-obvious lie but didn't try to get the truth, either.

"Do you need help? I mean we have an entire pack worth of strong wolves to-" I cut him off with a shake of my head.

"I'll be fine."

Dali crouched before my pup, playing with her sock and rubbing her hand down Beyla's small arm gently.

"Well, Blood Moon has new Betas," Knox said, his voice sad. "I never would've thought."

"Me neither." I scoffed. "I had no plans of ever moving away."

"Perhaps it's a good thing then," Dali murmured.

"Perhaps."

A/N

Hi, Treasures! Make sure you join my F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k group Teddy's Treasures for extra content and discussions! Blood Moon has new Betas and Zane is almost ready to move away. What do you think so far?