“You weren’t a virgin.”
“No,” she shook her head, “He didn’t seem to mind, though telling him who it had been, bugged him.”
“I bet, and I also bet you’re not allowed anywhere near Palmer anymore.”
“Not on my own.” She giggled. Then just hugged her again. “See Ori, everything’s going to be alright in time, you’ll get back to normal, just going to take a few days.”
“Maybe.” Was all she said “Now, how about you dye my hair too. I know you got stuff, for your own hair maintenance.”
Lindal spun her around in the chair and looked right at her now, a massive smile on her face. “You know it girl.” Hugged her all tight “sweet, we’ll be twinsies.” She burst out and was hauling Ori down through the house to the main bathroom.
Ori smiled to herself now, just a little at the happy, super-excited reaction of her friend, “Yes, let’s get rid of the old Oriana, start a new, completely fresh.”
“New hair for a new start,” Lindal nodded.
Ori had never had short hair before, let alone silver blonde hair with lilac purple blended through it. No one was going to recognise her after today and that was just what she wanted. To not walk through this pack and see everyone look at her and pity her for what she’d lost and how it had happened.
They would look at her shocked, not with pity, when she walked across this pack later on this afternoon.
Slade
Slade had not slept well, which had led him to wake up late for the day, though no one bothered him about it or tried to wake him and drag his ass out of bed. He could only put that down to his current mood, and how mad he had been at all of them for doing this to Ori.
For putting him in the position he was now in as well with her, nothing they’d done had gone to their plan. He still couldn’t really understand why they just hadn’t let things play out as they would normally do. That was how things should have been done, regardless of what they’d seen or thought.
He could have handled things on his own with Ori if they turned out to be Mates tonight, though a part of him wanted to believe it, another part of him still believed it was going to be Audrey. He’d liked her and seen the way she was with him. Unlike what they’d said, she hadn’t told him or tried to get him to mark and mate her at all.
She was sweet and happy to wait for them to scent each other out. Yes, she’d gone ahead and told her father, but if he’d scented a girl out at Alpha College, he’d have told his parents, done it from the privacy of his room, so no one overheard him, but yes have told them. She’d not done one thing at all that was seen as coercion as far as he was concerned.
Unlike how his father and his unit saw it, they were worried about nothing at all as far as he was concerned. She was actually really well liked by the others at the college, and was happy and friendly at that. Got along with everyone, was a nice person and fun and outgoing. He’d not seen a single person get mad at her or even talk behind her back.
He didn’t think she would lie to him. Last night he’d just let everyone get inside his head, that was all, and now he’d had time to think about it, calm down and come to his senses. He could see all that, once again.
He pulled on that tether that was Ori’s not to talk to her, but simply because he wasn’t the actual Alpha and wouldn’t feel it if someone severed from the pack, unless he was actively keeping a tether to that person, and he’d not been. She needed her space, and he was going to give it to her.
He could feel it, her tether inside his mind, she was still here like he thought she would be, surprised him a little that she felt to him like she was at Lindal’s new place of residence. He knew where Beckham lived, on the southeastern side of the town. Pulled on Lindal’s tether as well, and she was also there; same place as Ori was.
That was good, she at least had somewhere to go and stay and a friend to talk to, to confide in, something that was normally, a him and her thing, since she was like 12. Something he also knew that she was likely going to need right now as well. He did actually feel relief that she was still inside the pack, and although he’d not thought she would bolt away, there was always a possibility of it, he supposed, with the pain of what had been done to her.
He focused himself on the surrounding area around where the two girls were and there were no roaming or stationary guards on the place, nothing like what her father would normally put in place if he was actively watching her or anyone inside this pack.
At least it did appear that Anders had listened to him, maybe that threat he’d used last night, had worked to make the man understand he meant it, when he told him to leave her alone, to give her some space.
Or maybe it was the words he’d spoken to him, stated aloud for Anders to actually hear, had made him see the light, of how over the years his and Bronnie’s behaviour had affected their own daughter in a detrimental way.
That he now understood that he nor his own Mate actually understood their own daughter, like they thought they had. Simply because she’d never actually let them see how their wanting to have, or their need to have, Hayden be the next Beta Heir, truly affected her. She’d never let them see anything other than anger or annoyance over it, not the hurt or the pain of it. She’d kept that buried down inside of her. Though where did they think that anger came from?
Maybe now, after this shit show had blown up in their faces, they saw the real damage of their own actions, across her lifetime, and realised that there was a real possibility that they were going to lose their daughter, over it.
That keeping track of her constantly, when all she wanted right this minute was to be alone, and to try and deal with all that had happened, and the way it had happened. Would only make her lash out even worse than what she’d already done. That a guard or spying on her, would only make her want to actually get up and leave, another way of lashing out at them. To hurt them like she was hurting, though he didn’t actually know if she thought her leaving would hurt them. He only knew how very angry she had been. She’d never once attacked him before, not until last night. Never even once told him where to go, hell, they’d never had a single fight at all until she’d dropped him off at Alpha College. He should have known right. there something was wrong. That, that was the first sign of her not either not coping with what had happened, or maybe because he didn’t remember. Now he was to her; like them. Someone that didn’t love her.
He scrubbed a hand over his face and got out of bed, mind-linked to Palmer and Yuri ‘I’m up, how’s everything?’
‘Busy, as expected.’ Yuri answered him.
‘Not what I meant.’ Slade sighed.
‘Quiet.’ Palmer told him ‘I don’t get anything from Ori, still sleeping I believe.’
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