But he also knew that he had a six-hour drive to nitpick at her about last night, and why he’d woken up aching in all the right places with half-ripped clothes in a turbulent looking room, and only her scent in there.
He was now wondering if he’d succumbed in his drunken state to the thoughts that had been popping into his head about his Beta as both he and she’d gotten closer to their 18th’s.
He had found himself looking at her, and more than his Beta at times, those eyes of hers were killing him. Every time she bloody laughed at him or something he said that was funny, and he saw them really light up, he’d felt attracted to her; his own Beta.
He pulled his mind from her, he’d find out in just over a month’s time if they were or weren’t Mates anyway. He wouldn’t be here for this coming full moon, but home for the one after that. It wasn’t that long a wait.
Slade shook it off, and reminded himself that he shouldn’t be thinking like that about her, that he didn’t want a Mate just yet. At 18, he was going to go to Alpha College, and was going to enjoy all those alpha females looking for some action. He’d be more than willing to give them.
Oriana
She’d woken up, dressed in boot-cut jeans, a simple easy-fit tee-shirt, her body still ached from last night or realistically a few hours ago. It had been nearly two in the morning when she’d gotten back to her room, and she had no idea how long she and Slade had, had s*x with each other. Though longer than she’d thought.
She was certain she’d gotten him back to his room before midnight, because she knew herself, that she needed to have a decent sleep for the long drive today. But in the end, she had only gotten like four and a half. She was still tired but couldn’t show it to anyone.
She had come down here without waking Slade on purpose, she was a little on the uncomfortable side, and could only put that down to how rough last night’s s*x had gotten right there at the end. That boy or man, she should now say, he was 18 now.
Had it seemed, some real s****l needs to be sated, alpha-blooded needs at that. He could bloody go non-stop for hours even when drunk. Though she’d been no better herself, even with it being her first time, that hadn’t stopped her from rolling around with him all over the floor in his suite. Her own need to be sated once it had all started, had been high as well. She’d always denied herself being with anyone.
She’d never gone out with anyone, she didn’t need anything stupid happening, or her father and Alpha Roman thinking she wasn’t up to being the Beta, and her dating, instead of training, would do just that. So, she’d always just stuck to schooling and Alpha unit training, that was all.
Now this little faux pa, and she didn’t want nor need anyone thinking something was wrong with her this morning, and walking had actually been uncomfortable for her. So, she’d made her way downstairs after a long shower; not that it had helped. She had come downstairs before everyone else had on purpose.
When Alpha Roman had asked her where Slade was, she’d already been sitting there at the Alpha’s table, with breakfast in front of her. She had looked at him and stated, “Still asleep probably.”
He’d huffed, and she’d watched him mind-link to his own son to get his ass up, and his butt downstairs. She saw Slade’s eyes move right towards her as she kicked that chair out for him; like she always did. He was really looking at her this morning, not something he would normally do.
And a part of her wondered if he could recall last night, though she highly doubted it, he’d drunk a fair bit of wolfen loaded alcohol, more than he normally would even. Likely so had she, and that was how the two of them had wound up naked. They’d both just been drunk and all their inhibitions were gone.
She would not be rattled by his stare or his words, just replied like she always did, she could be all Beta all the time, and ignore most things, she didn’t rile up quickly most of the time. If she did, Hayden would be in the pack hospital more often than not.
That boy was always pushing her buttons, about her being a female Beta, and how that was just useless to the pack, because she would mate off out of the pack at some point in time, and leave this pack without a Beta. He constantly told her to just step down so he could take over the job.
She often wanted to punch him into his place. She was the Beta by birthright, and he was the second, yet he had started strutting around this pack like he was the next Beta. Over the past few weeks, since their father had started putting him through some Beta training separately. He wasn’t even old enough to take the job yet; he was only 17 and a half.
She wanted to strangle her father and her mother for having a sibling just six months after she’d been born. She even knew why they’d done it; because she was a girl and a pack Beta should be a boy was their opinion.
What a crock of horseshit that was. She could hold her own and did in fact hold her own, was out there taking on rogues when they attacked the pack. Took on border patrol as part of her training, her Wolf, China was an excellent fighter, big and strong like a Beta Wolf should be. They got in and fought like the rest of the unit did. Nothing held them back.
She got up from the table and took her plates to the cleaning area, stepped into the kitchen and collected the prepared food for the trip so they wouldn’t have to stop to eat, and delay the trip. It was an esky full of food, drinks and snacks.
She took it to her car. It wasn’t brand new, it was actually her mother’s old car, something for Ori to drive for two years and then, at 20, she’d get a brand-new car of her own.
Her Nissan Juke was in the parking area where she’d left it a few days ago. She hopped into it and frowned, the seat was pushed back, and she had to adjust it forward to reach the pedals, only she drove it. It had been hers for two weeks now. No one drove it but her. She took a breath in and nearly snarled as she smelled her brother Hayden in there. That couldn’t be a good thing.
She drove it to the front of the packhouse as would be expected of her, to pick up the Alpha, and went and collected his suitcase. She’d seen it by the front door. Wheeled it outside as she hollered “Slade we gotta move.” Through the packhouse, she knew that his Alpha hearing would pick her words up.
She was just closing the boot after stashing his luggage when he walked out the front door, along with his father, her father and Hayden as well. Anders, her dad, strolled down the steps to her, followed by her brother, “Now, Ori. You know this trip is important; straight there, get Slade there on time and in one piece. Then straight back, you’re on the clock. Driving long distances like this is one of the things a Beta needs to be able to do.”
“I know, pull the hard hours and stay alert, focused.” she stated.
“That’s correct. I’ll be timing you…not one minute late to the 13 hours I’ve given you.”
“Traffic?”
“Not my problem, you have to make your own way around it. I’m giving you 1 hour for pit-stops and refuelling. That’s it.”
She nodded, knew there would be no leeway for traffic accidents or road works even. She had to be able to think on her feet, and work out the problems to get to her destination and back on time.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply