Not just the Beta (Oriana and Slade) novel Chapter 5

Slade

He pictured himself sitting up as his father mind-linked to him, focused right on that very memory, which was the first clear memory he had, since being in the pack’s nightclub. It was all hazy even in the club after a certain point. At one point, he’d just been too drunk to recall even what he did there.

Focused himself on his living room and the actual moments after he woke up, sat there in that chair and tried to recall every single detail and there it was, he caught the faintest scent of blood, that was what had struck him, that he smelled blood.

Ori was a virgin, she’d never even looked at a boy, wouldn’t, her father would see it as a distraction from her duties and tell her it was irresponsible, so she’d never, not even to his knowledge, kissed a boy.

So, if they had hooked up last night, and it had been her first time, then he should have smelled her blood, from when he broke that hymen of hers. It wouldn’t be much, a small amount only.

From what he recalled of the smell, it wasn’t a strong or overpowering scent, slight, and he’d nearly missed it, so not a lot of blood. He didn’t recall seeing any in the room; his carpet was pale blue, and blood, dried or fresh, would have been noticeable. Slade knew if he’d seen blood in his suite, he’d have asked a butt-ass load of questions of her at breakfast. Hell, he’d have actually smelled it real good to find out whose it was, the questions would have been to find out why it was there.

He couldn’t recall if it was his or her blood, he hadn’t really paid that much attention, what with his throbbing head and hangover and his father telling him to get up, and going on about being all packed and ready to go.

‘Hail?’ he asked, waking his wolf. The bloody beast was still sleeping it off.

‘What?’ his own wolf growled at him.

‘Whose blood did I smell?’

‘I don’t know, you smelled it, not me.’ He was told.

‘Did I sleep with our Beta?’ he asked his wolf. He’d been drunk on wolfen loaded alcohol last night, which also meant his beast was affected as well. If he was drunk, so was his wolf unfortunately, but he might know or have some memories of the night he did not have himself.

Hail had been sleeping if off still, till Slade asked him that question, but he needed to know the answer. He couldn’t just assume that could be very bad, especially if he said they did, and they actually didn’t.

‘I don’t know, I was sleeping, don’t recall even going to our suite,’ was the reply.

Just bloody great, neither of them knew ‘There was blood right though, I smelled that, yes?’

‘Likely if you think it, then there was, stop yabbering at me, you drank. I now suffer for it, don’t drink so bloody much if you want us to both remember things.’ His wolf sounded more than annoyed with him, nothing much he could do about that though.

He sighed he did know that wolfen loaded alcohol affected both the human and wolf alike, but it was the only way to actually get drunk for any wolf. He’d also just turned 18 and was legally allowed by wolfen law to go and drink it, not sneak around to do that.

He was finally allowed to drink of his own free will, and so was his entire unit, so they had all gone out together, the four of them to do just that, celebrating their turning 18 all together. Even their fathers, all of them, had stated they could go let their hair down. Though they had also told them to drink responsibly.

One night of partying with his unit before he was off to Alpha College for an entire year. So, a night out with them was pretty much a given. Though he wasn’t going to be home for the full moon after his birthday, it was only three nights away, but nope. Once you turned 18, you went off to Alpha College the next day. He’d gotten two days’ leeway so they could all celebrate their 18ths together was all.

His father believed, and had told him at 17, to prep him for this very day. “Son, if someone inside this pack is your Mate, you’ll find out the full moon after you get back at 19. She won’t go anywhere if she’s a pack member.”

Then he had told him, “It’s best you just go and get Alpha College out of the way, and before you find your Mate.” He’d not really understood that and had his father further explain it to him to try and understand it himself.

“If you scent her before Alpha College, it’s delayed again because then you’ll have to wait for her heat to come, which could take a week or more for that to happen, and a heat goes up to 7 days, so again Alpha College is delayed another week. And then you’ll be separated from your Mate while you’re away for an entire year. You’ll actually feel that, son. It won’t be pleasant.”

He’d sighed “Even now I don’t like being away from your mother, it hurts, you actually feel physical pain with distance, son.” He’d shaken his head.

“It’s why most packs just send their heirs the day after they turn 18. Things can get screwed up if delayed, you’ve got all of that to contend with and then there’s the possibility of a pup coming from the heat as well. It doesn’t always happen but can do, and then you’re either away for the birth of your heir, or come home from college in time for it, if you’re lucky; to see your pup born. Then, son, you don’t get to go back to Alpha College at all, never finish it, due to being a parent.”

He’d stared at his father and sighed, a lot apparently could go wrong if it was delayed, he’d finally understood why it was best to go before the full moon after you turned 18, saw the logic in it. He did know that no one wanted to be separated from their Mate for a whole year. So, he’d stopped asking and just accepted that he’d be going.

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