Chapter 80 – Not Just The Beta (Oriana & Slade) Novel Free Online by Jennifer Francis

As much as they loved her, and she was cute and adorable at times, there were times when she just didn’t stop crying, and they didn’t know what to do with her. How to fix it? Sometimes nothing seemed to work, it wasn’t fair to Maddie and Ana sent her back to work after just a week. To let her have time away and some peace and quiet at times.

Life with a baby was not all roses, it seemed, and she now understood that if Maddie wasn’t there with her, she might have fallen apart completely. She owed her new life to Maddie, every single part of it, and she now knew it for real.

Maddie had given her a day job, a place for her and now Ocean to live. Even paid her a wage, had helped her to buy the things she needed for Ocean if she was short on funds, helped her set up the nursery and had even delivered Ocean. Where would she be without Maddie? Likely a howling mess in some dingy old apartment, she couldn’t afford or homeless with a newborn is where; and she knew it.

Because she was not going back to that place she’d come from, a place that though she knew everyone. She was worthless to even her so-called biological relations. Her own bloodline had made her lower than all of them. Turned her into nothing inside that pack, and why? So, they could have their son rank up. Finally, they had found a way to discard her, and had done it harshly and for all to see. Had shown her just how much she was worth to that bloodline; which was nothing.

Maddie was amazing, had given her back everything that she had felt she’d lost. Had become her family and in the true sense of the word and feeling. Ana had lost everything in the space of one day and Maddie had shown up in her life, and given it all back to her in the space of a day.

Ana could only think that Selena was looking out for or smiling down on Maddie, who’d been lonely and in need of a family, or that Selena had seen that she, herself Ana, had needed someone just like Maddie. That their own Goddess had brought them together because they had needed each other. Both alone and lonely in the cruel world of wolves they lived in.

It had to be one or the other in her mind, though Ana honestly thought it was more about Maddie, than herself. That girl was a truly good soul, had a terrible life laid out for her, inside that pack, yet she harmed none in her escape and fleeing to her freedom. She’d had every right to, as far as Ana was concerned, but she’d not.

Maddie was also devout where their Goddess was concerned, she not only liked the woman but believed she’d met her that one time out in the woods even. Ana now liked to think so as well. When she thought back on the words that woman had spoken to Maddie, they were the words of one that could see the good Maddie was doing.

Kind of almost like she knew the girl was doing good and would continue to do so even, Maddie was bright and happy, living her life to the fullest now. Her way, she didn’t harm anyone, not wolves, not humans. She liked the humans, liked living among them and pretending to be one of them even.

Their lives were so very different to the wolfen world, they had more struggles out here in their world, it was just as harsh as the wolfen world, a little more so, Ana thought. They didn’t have a solid group around them to support them if things turned bad. No pack to turn to for help.

Not that she or Maddie had that anymore, they just had each other and even just that, was good for both of them. They had a family now, a wolfen connection that helped them. Wolves were social creatures and being alone was never good for them. Now they didn’t have to be alone at all.

Were blood bonded to each other, had a real family. Family that would never turn their backs on each other. She loved Maddie and knew Maddie loved her and little Ocean as well. Their chosen family was more loving than a real family. They had found solace in each other and brought more joy and happiness to their own lives, by simply opting to become each other’s family. A choice she would never regret and she knew it.

This here, her new life; as tough as it was at the moment, adjusting to being a mother, she knew, she was happier than she’d ever been. There was no looking over her shoulder anymore, no fear that she would disappoint someone, or be told she was irresponsible. She might be a single mother now, but she had a job, a warm place to live and the knowledge of how to raise her little girl to be strong and stand up for herself.

Ana knew she was going to love her unconditionally, never treat her like she was worthless, or didn’t belong. No, Ocean was everything to her, and she would find a way to make decent money, and give her everything, show her there was nothing she couldn’t achieve in this world or their own even. She made sure that the house was clean and all the laundry was done. For the next three months, Maddie didn’t have to do anything around the house at all. This was Ana’s way of saying thank you to her. She got up and made breakfast, had dinner on the table on the nights that Maddie came home for it. Though she often brought home dinner from the caf?.

Maddie had made a bracelet for Ocean to wear on her wrist, a necklace not being a good idea for a newborn. It was an infuser stone that Maddie had carefully drilled a hole through, and then slipped a piece of leather through and attached a clasp so it could be removed for bathing.

Ocean also smelled like a rogue, just like they both did because they were all pack-less. It couldn’t be avoided; Ana had turned herself rogue, which meant that her little girl was also born with rogue status. She was okay with that, had been worried about it at first, but since meeting Maddie, her life was nothing but good.

Living this way suited her, and she knew it would be good for Ocean as well. They had the freedom to do as they pleased, go where they wanted and be who and what they wanted to be as well.

The only issue for her with having a rogue status was the threat and risk it brought to them if they found themselves without their infuser necklaces in the presence of other rogues. Male rogues scenting them out and hunting for them. Other than that, being a rogue was not an issue at all, it seemed.

She knew that she was going to have to impress upon Ocean the importance of not taking her bracelet off or necklace, for when she got older, she would likely have to sit down with her and she and Maddie would remove theirs so that Ocean would be able to smell the difference. Even wolfen children could scent the difference between a pack wolf and a rogue wolf. Didn’t need to have a wolf for that, inbuilt into their survival instincts, to set off flight and fight when in danger.

Their lives moved on quietly, and any fear that she may have had, as fleeting as they had been about giving birth to Ocean on that beach, was gone now. No one from that place had come this way looking for her that she or Maddie could tell.

Maddie had worried more than Ana had about the Beta from her former pack seeing it and recognising her, maybe coming for that child she’d birthed, being that it was Beta blooded in his eyes, he wouldn’t know it was that little Ocean was Alpha-blooded. That fear from Maddie had diminished with every day that had passed over the last three months. Ana had doubted anyone would come for her. None of them knew she had been pregnant, let alone with the future Alpha to that pack’s pup. Even if he’d seen it, the minute he’d heard it was a baby girl he’d have dismissed the idea of coming for it. Would be worthless in that Beta’s eyes, just like its mother was.

There had been an article in the Maine news about a woman giving birth to a baby girl on that beach, but no names had been given, because no one had known who they were, and they’d been gone from that beach and the hospital the minute they’d been allowed to. Though there had been a photo, with their faces all blurred out thankfully, because they didn’t know who they were and likely couldn’t get permission to use it in full. She’d seen it was a picture of her and Maddie walking with Ocean from the beach heading for their car. The article was actually a nice read, about a woman giving birth to her daughter, and that the little girl had come very quickly, and been delivered by her own aunt. ‘A joyous family moment at the beach.’ It had been titled, apparently the reporter had spoken to many of the other family’s there, and it had been reported how well they had gotten along, that they had been laughing and smiling, full of joy for their trip to the beach.

It was a nice article, and they’d clipped it and put it in Ocean’s baby book for what happened during the day of her birth. It would be a nice read for her when she got older, and it was actually the truth of the matter. It had been a nice family piece, she supposed, something light and sweet to bring a nicety to the paper’s readers.

Though Ana believed that no one inside that pack cared in all likelihood, and there was a part of her that still wanted them to, she supposed, because there was this ache inside her chest when she thought about it sometimes. Understood why she’d left, had felt completely and utterly betrayed by those that were supposed to love her, but had, in the end, all turned on her. A part of her still wanted them to love her, that was the ache, and she knew it, the pain of being betrayed didn’t just go away.

But she didn’t belong there anymore, didn’t belong to the world of wolves any longer.

Now she belonged here in the world of humans, a place she found she fitted into nicely.

Slade

Slade spent a lot of his time outside of his regular classes here at Alpha College, in the college’s library. No longer was he interested in sleeping with anyone; he had been burned and badly-so, his happy demeanour on coming here and spending time with other Alpha wolves like himself, was no more.

He’d seen just how quickly those around you could turn on you, learned who was, and wasn’t, his actual friends. He’d been judged harshly, because one she-wolf had dared to try and get him to Mark and Mate her, without her actually being his Goddess-Gifted Mate. Play all the tricks she could, then blame him.

He’d learned in the past few months not all wolves were trustworthy. So, he attended his classes, then walked away. His happy social life from when he’d gotten here had dwindled away to nothing. He was no longer interested in making friends with those around him, it was a fickle friendship at best, he thought.

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