The Gamma's Birthright - Book 2

She had been sitting cross-legged by the lake for four hours, trying to absorb the calmness that seemed to emanate from this area.

To use the knowledge that they are but a blink in the life of the planet to help centre her and her wolf so they could think through the problem rationally.

Clearing her mind, allows her to work out what she can do next.

Her anger has been quelled, while she’s still not happy that she was marked, there’s no point in harbouring anger and even if she reported Andy and his brother, two things would come from it, one, her Alpha would be informed, which would complicate matters, knowing he’d insist she returned immediately.

Two, the Royal pack would probably side against her, probably finding Andy justified, marking her as a liar, based on their current track record.

But deep down she hopes, that when she admits who she is, he will accept her.

She re-iterates to herself, all Alphas are Assholes.

Although she thinks that maybe she wants to adjust that to all Alpha born are assholes, if he hadn’t marked and knotted her, things wouldn't be as complicated.

The problem is, she thinks, no matter the fact they’ve lived as a lone wolf almost all their lives, her wolf liked the feeling of company, first with Susan, then James and Cat, she has no doubt, Andy would also make that list given time and a calm mind.

The life she leads is but a small step away from being a rogue, having no friends, nor family to bond her with, so when she does, Tyra forms strong bonds, which should be impossible across packs, but they’ve always been a little different.

Even with Andy, she knows Tyra had bonded with his wolf, but as soon as she brings Tyra out again, now she has been marked, it will be harder to hide her power, this bit of fun, this shot at feeling normal, is probably hurting her wolf more than she realised.

Sorry Tyra, I didn’t think

It’s ok Toni, we’ve got to get our fun where we can, but we are lone wolves, we are strong, we will survive.

The sadness in her wolf’s voice pains Toni

Keep safe if you reject him, I will be weaker, which puts us at risk.

Toni feels the pain from her wolf

I’ll do everything to keep us both safe, do you want to run with him one last time, before we tell him?

Tyra whimpers quietly, which Toni takes to be a yes, hell if he’s marked and knotted her in human form, running in wolf form is pretty much worry-free, there’s not much more they could do to make things worse than they already are.

She knows that if she decides she has to reject him, it will need to be done quickly, before the bond can solidify, to reduce the risk to them both, which means it’s time to talk, it's about how to do that safely.

Her wolf has gone back into the back of her mind, trying to hide herself to stop the attachment from gaining strength.

“Why me, what did I do in an earlier life that was so bad Moon Goddess” she utters quietly

She hears voices coming closer, from the smell, it’s his pack mates; knowing she will smell of Andy after being marked by him, she decides she doesn’t need to deal with questions or added attention.

It's time to go into the wilderness of the neutral zone, she’d already checked out of the main hotel and into their cottage, a day alone would provide her with the tranquillity she needed.

As she goes to walk away snippets of their conversation can be heard.

“As I said to Ryan, she left the Royals almost two weeks ago, heading Northeast.

She didn’t stay with the Delta's sister, instead, she paid for a hired bodyguard according to the Royal source, because the Delta wasn’t pleased and our contact overheard him complaining about it.

So there’s an unknown period where we don’t know her whereabouts.

Until she turned up at the Deadfalls pack, Alpha Lance wouldn’t confirm it, but one of the pack members I spoke to described a stranger in a dark cloak, face hidden, it had to be her, but why she went there, we still don’t know.

And then she disappears again, how does she do that, no scent, no tracks, no records, just gone?”

“Does the contact in the Royal Pack know where she was going?”

“No. Just that she was no longer their ward and off pack land for a month, so we’re down to the last few weeks.”

“Well, find her or not, I’ll be glad to get back to the pack, weeks away from my mate isn’t my idea of a good time, clearly taking her back to trial would be best though!”

The voices trail off as she moves away, if she had any hope that she’d be accepted by the Iron Claw pack, it’s just been extinguished, they were hunting her, oh the irony.

She’s not sure why, she’d always kept clear of them, never even skirting their land, so technically they had no grievance against her, but they didn’t seem to care.

Getting into her car, she drives off, her life has just got even more complicated.

She parks the car away from the cottage, obscured and off the road, walking the rest of the way, mulling over the fact she’s being hunted.

It means she’s got to change her tactic; she still intends to be honest with her mate, but she just needs to ensure she’s safe when she does, not knowing what his reaction will be, she sets some plans in motion.

Two days later, it’s just before ten in the evening when her wolf breaks into the clearing, setting off a loud mournful howl, she intends to get back to her training, she’d left a message for Andy telling him where she would be each evening for the next two days, it’s now up to him to decide the next move.

Her thoughts are interrupted by an answering howl and Remus breaks into the clearing, his coat seeming to glow as the soft moonlight strikes him, they are polar opposites, she blends into the dark, and he accentuates the light a fitting metaphor she thinks.

Neither of them moves from the edges of the clearing, Tyra’s tongue lolls out of the side of her mouth as she relaxes, not able to smell the rest of his pack.

He’s expecting her to submit to him, yipping, she moves to the centre of the clearing, offering to meet him halfway.

Remus is conflicted, he wants to go to his mate but also wants her submission, he needs to know she can fit into his pack.

Andy is trying to gauge his mate, previously, he felt no power from her, now, she is giving off some, more than a warrior, maybe a Delta, but he gets the impression his mate is still hiding from him.

He cocks his head as she moves to the centre of the clearing and stops, letting his dominance come to the fore, but she stops in the middle, offering a compromise, but Remus, like Andy, is looking for her to come closer, he takes two steps and stops, with a short bark, calling her over.

Watching, he sees his mate Tyra flick her tail at him in annoyance, before showing him her ass, trying to entice him, offering herself, Remus takes a step forward before stopping, growling lightly at her ploy.

Tyra huffs, turning, she starts to run, she isn’t going to submit to him, but plans to trigger the predatory response, grinning she starts slowly, until sure Remus is following, lengthening her stride and keeping just ahead of him.

Weaving in and out of the trees, she effortlessly covers the ground, pouncing onto rocks, bathed in the moonlight before spinning off and merging into the shadows, yipping now and then, leaving a trail for her mate to follow.

She can feel him getting closer, hear his heavier breathing, before he nips gently on her rump, spinning to the right she pushes forward a little, making Remus turn heavily, losing ground, and he lets out a bark of frustration.

Tyra has every intention of letting her mate catch her, but she wants to make a point to him, and as any wolf can tell you, the fun is in the chase!

After ten minutes more, Tyra led Remus to a clearing near the cottage she was staying in, she had a lead on him, so she stopped to drink from the edge of the lake, nonchalantly watching her mate stalk her, tail held high, ready for her to run again.

Remus puts his head across her back, huffing as he does, Toni can feel Tyra bristling a little, letting him think he’s dominant, but she starts to melt as he runs his body along hers, rumbling happily after she didn’t fight his actions.

They spend some time grooming each other, before Tyra smells deer, she whines lightly, pushing Remus lightly on the shoulder, and they head off to hunt.

Some hours later, Tyra leads Remus back to the cottage, they had run, hunted, eaten and mated as wolves, if Andy hadn’t already knotted her, Tyra wouldn’t have allowed him to mate in wolf form, either guaranteed a pregnancy, so the damage had already been done.

Shifting once they get to the cottage, it’s about three in the morning, they’d spent five hours together in wolf form and Tyra and Toni had bittersweet feelings, being with her mate had been calming and she could see why the Moon Goddess had matched them together, but the pack politics may ruin this moment.

Toni prepares them drinks and they both sink into the bed together, Andy pulling her close, yet holding her gently, he inhales deeply.

“You confuse me, you didn’t feel you were ranked before, but today….”

“Shhh sleep, I promised we’ll talk in the morning and we have a lot to cover” Toni replies quietly

“I am so sorry for marking you Emma, I’ll make it up to you”

He mumbles as sleep takes him.

“No, I’m sorry, this mess should never have happened”

Toni whispers as Andy succumbs to the sleeping draught she'd put in his drink.

Andy doesn’t wake until eight, as he stretches, he realises he’s in restraints and a look of concern passes over his face.

Toni comes over quickly.

“Relax, we both just need to be safe for our chat, no harm will come to you, no matter what happens.”

Her voice is soft and calm, but she’s once again dressed all in black, just not yet wearing her wig.

“Ask me anything” Sadness tinges her voice

“Release me, Emma.”

“I’ll release you unharmed once we are done, I promise.”

Andy huffs impatiently, Toni is waiting for him to try and use his command on her, but it’s as if he’s wary of doing so, not wanting to order his mate around.

“What pack are you from?”

His voice is guarded, clearly suspicious

“Nightshades”

His face registered shock and conflict all in the space of five seconds, but the silence in the room goes on for a few minutes, he closes his eyes and she can imagine the conversation he’s having with himself.

“Please tell me you are called Emma?”

“I am, but my full name is Antonia Emma Woodfield”

Toni takes a deep breath, placing her hand on his leg

“If I’d known you were Iron Claw, I would never have got involved, or left, I only realised after you marked me, I didn’t click until too late.”

He lets his head drop back on the pillow muttering

“Fuck, this can’t be happening.”

Toni smiles ruefully

“The Moon Goddess has an interesting sense of humour huh?

Andy, I know you were sent to hunt me”

A sadness overwhelms her, having to vocalise that one sentence, her mate was trying to track her down, something she cannot forget and the reason he’s restrained right now, she doesn’t have it in her to incapacitate her mate.

Her admission shocks Andy to silence

“How did you know?” he finally asks

“Your pack mates talk too openly, I was on the hotel grounds and overheard snippets, I moved away not wanting to hear more, but leave the Deadfalls pack alone.

They have nothing to do with me, I was sending them a message, but if you don’t, then I will hunt down anyone that messes with them.”

She pauses, knowing her voice doesn’t hold the same threat as it normally would.

“You have to believe me, if I’d realised earlier, I’d have backed away immediately, I just wanted my mate to meet the real me, not the reputation.”

He lies there in silence with his eyes closed, almost as if he is willing this, to be a nightmare, and hoping he will wake up.

“Ask me the question, Andy”

“How many have you killed?” his voice subdued but not broken

“Willingly, ignoring rogues…. One in a challenge fight, after he tried to poison me.”

“Emma, do I even still call you Emma?"

She can see the hurt written all over his face.

"Not that it matters, but you cannot claim to have killed only one person willingly, or you would have left your pack.

Everyone knows you've killed more, whether you admit it or not.”

Toni’s heart breaks a little, he’s questioning her honesty, she’d honestly have thought that he’d have a better opinion of her after spending the time together.

“I have killed more, but not willingly, everything else was me being commanded to do it.

The Royal family made sure I was tied to my pack and couldn’t leave.”

“I’m sorry, I find that difficult to believe, why would the Royal family, not even the Royal Pack, do that to you?

Why do you think that a Gamma or pup would rate their attention in that way?

How about we give each other the courtesy of honesty.”

His tone is colder, she can feel him trying to create a distance between them

“I promise you Andy, everything I am telling you is the truth, just what reason would I have to lie to you?

Surely to the Goddess, you can tell it's the truth.

You marked me, you should be able to smell or feel a lie, even if I am not letting you in completely, come on, use your senses!”

Her eyes search his for any kind of understanding, she can see pain and confusion in him but there's a wall up in his eyes, no sign of understanding.

His phone starts to ring, breaking their eye contact

“It’s my brother, I’d promised him an update” he sighs

She reaches across and answers it, putting it on speaker phone, before leaving the room, her last glance reveals a puzzled look on Andy’s face, but she doesn't think about it, she needs air and he needs privacy.

Andy was confused, he hadn't expected her to leave them, to not listen in, but his brother's voice didn't let him hesitate on the information for too long.

“Andy, how goes it with your mate, all reconciled after you marked her, the lads said you spent the night away from the Hotel?”

“You don’t know the half of it, Kieran

She’s from the Nightshades pack”

“Shit, how did she get off pack lands, their Alpha doesn’t let them leave?

Maybe we can use her to help us get to the Gamma!”

“Kieran stop,

It’s Antonia Woodfield, my mate… Antonia Emma Woodfield, the gamma of Nightshades.

Plus she found out we were hunting her”

“Fuck Andy, I’m so sorry.

Look bring her in, we’ll put her in the nicer cells and decide what happens next together.”

“Remus chose her, he wants her.

To make it worse, he knotted her, after I marked her, neither done with her permission, Remus needs her close.”

There’s a silence on the line

“We can merge two cells, put in more facilities if she's pregnant until the pup is born, and hold off making a final decision until the pup is here.

Make it a more comfortable stay…. if she's there for six months.”

Outside Toni had been pacing.

She'd known it would be a shock to him, but she'd also banked on him believing her and he hadn't, hadn't wanted to listen to her side and that saddened her.

If he was talking to his Alpha, then she probably had a further fifteen minutes before she had to decide if she was getting out of there or not, but she hoped that she could change his mind.

There’s a huge part of her that wants to get proof she was telling the truth, but the simple fact he doubted her, hurt, so very much.

We are a lone wolf, Toni, we can and will survive.

Tyra's voice fills her head and starts to quell her doubts until she speaks again.

Remus is telling us to run, get away, something isn’t right.

She knocks loudly and walks back in, head held high.

“Andy, what's happening, my wolf isn't happy?”

Andy's face is full of guilt as if he'd been caught doing something wrong.

She walks over and unlocks one hand, moving quickly out of the way.

"Answer me one question please Andy, and be honest."

She swallows the lump in her throat, trying to remain calm.

"Do you believe me, what I said earlier, deep down, without evidence, do you believe me?"

Her heart breaks at his response.

"No, No I don't believe it, not without evidence."

Tears fill her eyes, and the dream of a normal life shatters within her, she knows, what she must do, she'd looked up his registration earlier to get his full name, just on the off chance.

“I, Antonia Emma Woodfield, Gamma of the Nightshade pack, do reject you, Andrew William Blackmore Beta of the Iron Claw pack as my fated mate.”

Toni grabs her chest as pain rips through her, letting out a grunt, she sees Andy mimicking the action.

“Andy do not accept the rejection”

Kieran’s voice commands over the speaker

Recovering slightly, she feels Tyra dropping out of her consciousness, her wolf's sadness is overwhelming, she grabs her bag and tosses the key onto the bed, before turning and leaving, slamming the door behind her.