But no, there had been nothing, she’d not driven back in a rush from picking him up. Taken it easy, and stopped to fuel up and eat too, seven hours it had taken to get back here, and he’d just slept like a baby for at least six of that. Knew he didn’t need to tell her; knew she would drive into this pack and see it.
Likely that mind-link he’d gotten was his father reminding him, they were all lined up on the packhouse steps, a full display for her to see, already announced even. They’d not even let her go and pack up her things; move out of the Beta suite, nooo, that had been done for her.
Not even her own parents had told her, no call, or text while she was picking up the future heir. She even knew they were happy about it, they’d had Hayden very quickly, so that he could take her place.
She was the firstborn but had always been the second heir in their eyes. Never seen as the actual Beta Heir to them.
Betrayed from birth by her own parents. Hell, she wondered if she was betrayed while in the womb even. Betrayed by her own Alpha, and now betrayed by her friend, no…not her friend, the future Alpha was all he was to her now. She felt those tears burn down her face, betrayed by the freaking father of her own pup.
She sucked in a breath, she had to get a grip on herself, dashed her tears away. She was going to lose it completely, and she knew it, understood she was barely holding it together, her rage was still seething and swirling around inside of her. Was just staring down the pack road at the woods at the end of the street. That part of the woods led to the pack border and out of the pack.
She felt a very light hand touch her arm, and turned to see who it was, felt her whole body stiffen and knew it was because if it was one of them back there, anyone from either of those Alpha Units, she was going to just explode into a complete rage, that they had the hide to touch her.
Ori found herself looking at Lindal, and those tears that she was desperately keeping at bay, brimming in her eyes, had been blurring her vision now for who knew how long, but had refused to let out in full, were suddenly rolling down her face as she looked at the pity she saw on the woman’s face; it was how everyone here was going to look at her now, and she knew it.
Heard the words “I’m sorry, Ori,” an apology and not even from any of the ones that had stabbed her in the back, hurt her, “I wasn’t allowed to even tell you after the announcement was made, we were told that Slade was going to tell you, he wanted to do it himself, on the drive back.”
“Well, he didn’t,” she stated, “slept like a baby in the passenger seat. Got himself a Goddess Gifted and fucked her stupid for hours in his dorm. I had to wait for him, knowing that was what he was doing. Then he just slept, didn’t care to tell me about it.” She grated out.
Lindal was frowning at her now, she was part of their social group, and likely didn’t think he would do that to her, any more than she herself had done, “So, you didn’t know at all coming home?”
“No, not until I saw them all lined up on the packhouse steps, my brother all dressed formally, standing right where I would be…He chose Hayden himself, over me, told me himself, as we pulled up.”
“I’m sorry.” She heard Lindal sigh.
So was Ori. He was all happy and getting everything he wanted, and she was getting nothing, had even not told him about that pup she was carrying, because she’d wanted him, her loyal friend, who she’d thought was getting screwed over like she was, to be happy. To not complicate his life with that pup, while he was so happy, she had opted herself, to let him go back to Audrey and see her on the full moon, scent her, Mark and Mate her without anything to ruin that.
To let the two of them, her future Alpha and his Luna, stay in that happy love bubble for as long as it took for her to give birth. A couple of months of blissful happy loved up Mate Bond goodness. So that they could really bond with each other.
Slade
His father mind-linked right to him as they crossed the pack border “Slade, did you tell her yet?”
“Not yet.” He answered the man.
“You son, had plenty of time to do so. I’ve already announced the new leadership to the pack. I suggest you do it quickly.”
He couldn’t bloody believe it, his father had already announced it, he could bloody kill him right this minute. He’d said before he went back to Alpha College, that didn’t bloody mean before he got home.
The moment he saw them all there on the packhouse steps, he sighed heavily. This was it. He could barely look at her, to tell her what he’d done, it was hard enough having to think about it, knowing he’d made the decision himself. Let alone having to tell her, and now like this, this was not how it was done.
He’d also had a plan for how he was going to tell her, tomorrow had been that time for him, he’d wanted to have tonight with the four of them, happy back together as a unit, one last time before he ruined her life, and likely their friendship, if she didn’t understand why he did it.
He had been planning on sitting her down and telling her why he’d made the decision, to save her family from being banished. In the hope that it would lessen the hurt she felt over it, maybe keep their friendship intact.
And now for her to drive into the pack and find out, by way of her brother, standing right there on the packhouse stairs being presented to him, in that pack suit. Everything was now all fucked-up, because his father was too Goddess damned impatient to wait for him to do it himself.
He’d never once seen those beautiful eyes of hers look at him like that before, to have to see the hurt and then the betrayal she felt, right there in her eyes directed at him. Before that look. of accusation and anger took over, he didn’t want to hurt her, his hands were tied, he got out of the car and could have punched Hayden, for the smug ass look on his new Beta’s face.
He didn’t even really like this boy, and this was the very reason, the way he treated his sister, that little asshole was getting a beating. As the new Beta, he should have stood there and not let his sister see how much he thought that position of hers was his. That smug smile on his face had said it all, he was happy and lording it over her, that he’d gotten her position just like he’d wanted.
He could also see Palmer and Yuri were just as pissed off as Ori. Then to hear that Hayden had moved into the Beta suite already as well, he knew it was going to be bad. His eyes moved to Ori, she was going to kill that boy, and he knew it, all hell was about to break loose. This was not the right way to tell her about what was going on, was in fact not the right way to tell anyone that was being demoted, for any reason, regardless of rank.
Let alone to have that smug bastard stand up there and look at her the way he was, use that tone with her.
It did surprise him to see her just stalk the hell away from them all. He’d seen both Gammas move towards her, they’d felt the rage likely knew it was coming, and he heard Hayden snort with amusement even, as he watched his sister walk away and moved his eyes right to that boy “what the fuck is so funny, Beta?” He snarled and stalked over to him, stood there staring that boy down.
“She’s such a girl.” He had the hide to laugh as he looked at Slade finally, and only then did he realise just how angry his new future Alpha was, blinked up at him in surprise and then was taking a step back away from him.
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