The Gamma's Birthright - Book 2

She watches the leaves rise and fall slowly in the gentle breeze carried across the open field in front of her.

Just over a day ago Alpha Vincent had the pack listening to his every word, now, at his funeral, none of the pack were there, wanting to celebrate not mourn his death.

Alpha Robert made it known this wasn’t a mandatory event, he was making changes inside the pack already and she knew it had a good future.

She wonders if the old Alpha ever realised how much he was despised and how few would attend his funeral, he would be raging at the disrespect shown by no one turning up.

But she felt he was lucky to even be buried in the pack graveyard, she had been so sure Alpha Robert would burn him where he fell, but for the sake of propriety, he had gone through with the funeral rites, assuming the position of Alpha.

His mate was safely in the pack house, she'd chosen not to attend and Toni didn't think anyone would blame her.

The funeral was only attended by Alpha Robert, the Royal Alpha, the old Beta, and Beta Michael, two of them were required to be there under pack law.

The Royal Alpha was there to investigate the death and officially swear in Alpha Robert later that day.

But now, a new era was being brought into the pack, the changes would take time, but it was in the air and the pack weren’t going to fight it, she nodded, Alpha Robert and Beta Michael would do well together, she isn’t sure whom they would appoint as the Gamma, or maybe, based on her reputation, they’d leave it empty.

Missives had been sent out to the nearby Alphas from Alpha Robert, she'd watched him giving the directions to a few of the warriors that morning, his mate close by his side.

They were firm but fair, this pack wouldn’t roll over but it was done bullying people and olive branches were being offered, Toni isn’t sure all the Alphas would accept it, but Alpha Robert was laying the groundwork and all it would take was just one Alpha to accept his deal and they will be able to start the long slow process of rehabilitation of the pack reputation.

Alpha Robert didn’t appear to be sad from the vantage point she watched from, and Toni had strong hopes that the Alpha of her old pack would be the one to step up and side with them.

Toni was curious whether Robert thanked or hated her for what she did, he was after all his father, so there had to be some feelings there.

But for herself, she was there to make sure he was dead and buried, there’d be no mourning, no matter how much impact he had on her life, she didn’t mourn but neither did she celebrate, she had, after all, willingly taken a life, the second time she’d made a conscious decision to do so and that wasn’t something to take lightly.

Treason, a simple word and yet so much hangs off it, her life for one taken, that was the sentence the Royal Pack had passed on her.

Like her judgement of the Alpha, they held no court, took no witnesses, and just decided her fate, it was almost poetic, except first, they had to catch her.

She had to stay free for five months more for the sake of her pups, so she hoped they weren't in any rush to detain her.

She does question if anyone wanted her to be caught, but the Royal family can’t ignore the fact she killed an Alpha, her own Alpha, so blatantly and without a formal challenge.

As everyone else walked away from his father’s grave, Alpha Robert let his gaze wander around the field, was he aware she was watching, closing the book on this chapter of her life, or was he surveying his domain? Or maybe he was making sure he was alone.

He waited a few minutes then spat on his father’s grave as he turned away, a pretty clear indication that no tears were shed on his death, as he walked onwards, he stopped and laid an envelope on a nearby grave, placing a stone over it.

Toni didn’t need to be any closer to know that was her father’s grave, she had visited it often enough, this time waiting until night fell before making her way there carefully, in case it was a trap, she was, after all, a fugitive and banished from this land.

Taking the envelope, she places it into her backpack, releasing one set of clips and pulling her cloak close, she shifts, Tyra beating a strong effortless rhythm as she leaves the territory for the last time, paws covering the miles swiftly.

Her next stop is Layers, her text message asking for a night's stay in forty-eight hours, she'd be there early, but didn't think it would be a problem now that Slug had been dismissed from service, but she intends to run through the night.

Iris opens the door to her knock and she's ushered in and taken to a room prepared for her.

She showers and changes into some of the looser clothes she had left here, things the Gamma would never wear before she throws her brown wig into the bin.

Carefully removing the book from her backpack she placed it on the side, it had been an interesting read and she'd learnt a lot, it was this book that had made her finally realise she could probably deal with Alpha Vincent differently.

She opens the letters she's been carrying with her, from Louise's mum it's grateful thanks for getting Louise out and not hurting her real father, she intended to tell her daughter the truth.

From Alpha Robert, it was a set of bank and login details and a simple message

’You’ve made the world a better place.

This was my father’s, I think it's blood money but you will use it better, don’t worry, there’s more for the pack.

Stay safe and stay free.

R’

She smiles ruefully if she accepts the money, she truly is a paid assassin, even if she followed the old laws.

Heading to the common room using the map Iris had given her, she makes herself something to eat, it's been a few days and she knows she has to look after herself, to look after the pups.

"Little Miss Traitor is in the house"

Cage's voice fills the common room

"Well I knew I wouldn't be as interesting if I was just the ex-Dark Gamma, so I had to do something to keep your attention," she answers back grinning.

Cage roars with laughter

"Toni, this is Doc Dave, thought it would be good after all your excitement, to get you and your pups checked out.

Don't worry, our pack won't report you, we are registered with the Royal Pack, but we are bound by Neutral Zone rules"

"I should have guessed Leif would tell you" she sighs

"There's no judgment Toni, but Leif wanted to make sure you were healthy.

He asked me to ensure there was a doctor to check you over when you arrived.

And you didn't need to commit treason to remain on my radar, but damn, a little warning and I'd have found a way to watch, that will go down as the event of the year, if not a decade!"

Toni goes through the checks with Doctor Dave, who prescribes a course of vitamins and three square balanced meals, the latter is going to be slightly harder as a rogue.

She spends a few hours just chatting to Cage before Leif comes in.

Toni had already expressed one hundred millilitres of blood in the usual ten-millilitre vials, made easier this time with help from the pack doctor who took it from a vein for her.

"Is that a bribe I see before me" he smiles

"Payment for the overnight stay and hopefully, a referral to someone good at hacking bank accounts, clearly the people you refer, I will pay in cash."

"The stay was for free Toni, I am not that harsh, you do, after all, have protected status under me, which comes with a free room whenever you need it.

So come to my office and tell me your plans, while I call in the people you need for your financial hacking, they may be a while, I doubt they will be awake yet!"

"Vampires?"

Leif laughs

"No just geeks allergic to the sun!"

When the hackers arrive, she spends some time detailing what she wants, her accounts will be frozen soon.

So she needs the money laundered into new accounts under a name not linked to her.

Finally to trace where the money came from that was in the account Alpha Robert had given her, then launder the money and hide its existence.

She paid them handsomely for it, but if they could do everything they claimed, it would be worth it.

"So what will you do?"

Leif asks after the hackers have left

"I was going to contact Karl, join their pack for a while, at least until my pups are borne, and see if we can find some land that I can buy for them, or take over.

While I work out what to do next."

He walks over to a map of the territories.

"The Desolate wastes, highly defensible from werewolf territory, there is only one land-based way in or out.

Been empty for centuries, even before the great war, purely as it was remote and transporting goods was difficult.

Once you make it through the mountains, the land there is fertile, if a colder climate than most of the wolf lands because it's at higher altitudes.

But it also happens to be the border with my Sire's land, I am sure, that he will open a trade route through our lands to help you out, especially if I hand him five of those vials you have in front of you."

Her visit with Leif and Cage helped her to plan her next steps, but first, she needed to see some friends.

A few days later, she reaches the border of the Deadfalls pack, while Cage is leading Alpha Karl and his pack to their new pack lands, she'd seen Susan quietly at the outskirts of her pack and now it was time to see James and Cat.

Shifting quickly putting on dark clothes and covering herself with mud as she’d done all those years ago, Tyra sinks low into her mind, as she crosses the border.

There’s the smallest of tugs, barely recognisable and as long as Tyra remains well hidden, there’s a good chance no one noticed.

Moving quietly closer to the main centre, she finds a tree to hide in, allowing her to survey the house in front of her, the pack house where James works in the distance.

It seemed such a long time since she was last here, yet it was just last month, she loved the simple life she had led here and knew it was one that both James and Cat relished.

She’s looking out for James or his mate Cat, and then it clicks, it’s too quiet here, the last time she visited there was a lively buzz in the early evening.

It hits her like a punch in the gut, they are expecting her here, and people have been told to stay inside, Chief Delta Alek would be the one to know she’d want to see James.

She knows he’s doing his job, but maybe they will need to have a conversation, sometime.

For now, she needs to be more alert, so she does what she was trained to do, she watches and waits.

Later that evening, around ten o'clock she sees him walking along with Cat and Anthony from the pack house, two people peeled off and followed them out of the pack house exiting just after him taking the evening air.

They aren’t good at acting and once James and Cat are inside their home, they move to areas where they can watch their house from hidden locations.

They are within range, so she could take them out, but they have done her no harm and were only doing their job, she moves close enough to catch the scent of one of them, confirming they are from the Royal Pack.

She was there to see James, and they were stupid enough to only watch the house when he was there, which would give her a way in.

Removing herself from the area, she heads back over the pack line using the water to mask her exit this time, back to her old den from years ago.

She hunts and sleeps, until dusk comes the next day, when she repeats her trespass into the Deadfalls territory, this time she waits until they leave and their watchers enter the pack house.

Slipping into their house, she leaves an arrow on their table, before heading back to her old hunting grounds, just outside of the pack lines, she reaches the secret hole they used to talk through and waits.

At about quarter to eleven, as she lies near the hole, she hears his voice

“Goddess, do you have to follow me wherever I go, I just wanted to run tonight and see the stars”

There are some muffled words and then he speaks again.

“Well if you think she’ll come here, you are mistaken but honestly, having you in sight will definitely keep her away so knock yourself out, guys!”

The hole outside of the pack lines connects to one near where James is sat, and it’s one of the freaks of nature that words said at one end, carry well to the other side, they had originally found it years ago when she was a rogue and he was a typical pack pup.

“James” she whispered “how are you and Cat doing”

“We’re good, expecting another pup, a girl this time, we’d like to name her Antonia.”

A choke catches in her throat.

“You sure that’s a good idea, telling her when she’s older that she’s named after an assassin may be problematic” she jokes quietly

“Toni, you are my friend, I know Alpha Vincent was killed by your hand, but I also know, he deserved it, most packs do.

There’s a lot of rumours, but I’ll tell my pup about the real you.”

“The only thing I regret is that I won’t be able to visit you guys again for a while”

She can feel tears forming

“There’s talk of leniency if you hand yourself in.”

The sadness is clear in his voice.

“A lifetime in cells, Tyra and I won’t survive that, I’d rather die than take that option, James, I barely coped with the curfew in this pack.

Plus, it’s not a price I want to pay, I’d rather die free”

Honesty pours out of her

“Take care of yourself, but go now, the guards are coming back, I’ll come back every week in case.”

“Stay safe James”

Shifting back to her wolf, she heads back to her den and packs everything up, she has two pups to prepare for and work out how to protect them once they are here.