Chapter 61
Sloane
I’ve been forcing myself to remain focused, acting like I’m fine while Aunt Samara helps me unpack. They set up my room exactly like it was back home and I hate it. It just reminds me of what my mother and my maybe father did and my life that was built on lies and betrayal.
But I don’t want to say anything. I don’t want to make them mad. I don’t want to give them any reason to hate me for what my parents did. Or worse, I don’t want them taking out any anger at me on my brother or sister. They’re too young to understand, but I’m not.
When I hear Aria begin fussing on the baby monitor, I nearly collapse with relief. If Aumara leaves, I can stop pretending that I’m fine. I’m anything
but fine.
“Sloane, are you going to be okay in here by your
“I’ll be fine,” I say.
I need to go take care of Aria,” Aunt Samara says.
She comes over and hugs me. “I know it’s a tough transition, buchopefully having your
“Mmhmm,” I say, nodding against her chest.
“Okay, I’ll be back soon. Just call out if you need anything,” she says.
it was before will help you adjust.”
The moment I hear her open Aria’s bedroom door, I finally let the invisible weight that has been pushing on me have its way and I crumple to the ground.
I cover my face with my hands, struggling not to cry, or at least not cry loudly enough that anyone can hear me. I hate this room. I hate everything in it. I’d rather sleep on the floor than be reminded of what my parents did. They were horrible people, and I hate them!
But for some reason I can’t explain, I also still miss them.
“Hey, can I come in?” a female voice says as she knocks on the door jamb.
My head shoots up and I stare at a girl about my age. She smiles at me then looks down the hall. “I didn’t think Luna was ever going to leave so I could come see you.”
“Who are you?” I ask her.
“Scarlet. Well, Beta Scarlet to most, but you’re an Alpha, right? Alpha Sloane?” she asks, walking into the room.
“I don’t know anymore.”
She frowns. “Why not?”
“My parents are dead.” It doesn’t matter if Derrick or Sawyer was my father, they’re both dead.
“You’re still an Alpha, even if your parents are dead. Luna Samara’s parents are dead, and her wolf is still an Alpha wolf. Even though we all call her Luna, we know she’s an Alpha, just like you.”
I don’t tell her that my parents killed her parents. I’m sure she’ll find out soon enough. I watch her look around my room..
“They really set this up fast. Are you happy with it?” she asks.
“Not really. I don’t want any of it anymore.”
She comes and sits in front of me. “I’m sorry about your parents. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to lose both of them,” she says.
I nod and look down, feeling that weight returning as I fight my tears. She shifts and before I know it, she’s sitting beside me with her arm wrapped around my shoulders.
“I think we should be friends,” she says.
“You don’t want to be friends with me,” I tell her. No matter what Uncle Roman and Aunt Samara say, word of what happened will spread and then fil be the pack’s pariah.
“You’re an Alpha, I’m a Beta, isn’t that like the perfect set up for friendship?” she asks as if its settled.
“I’m not Aunt Samara’s and Uncle Roman’s child though,” I argue.
“Annnnnnnnd? We just discussed that you’re still an Alpha. I’m still a Beta. Best friends it is,” she says décisively.
I brace myself for my first bit of backlash, but this girl, this Beta, needs to realize that she doesn’t want to befriend me, even if I am an Alpha
“My parents killed Aunt Samara’s parents and her brother. My mother was her sister.”
She stares at me a moment and I wait, ready to be berated for what my family has done.
“Well, you didn’t do it. I don’t see why you should be held responsible for what your parents did.”
I frown at her. “I’m pretty sure everyone else will disagree with that.”
“Screw them. We’re besties now. And besties are secret keepers. Everyone knows Alphas and Betas are best secret keepers because we have to be. So, I won’t tell a soul,” she says, putting her fingers to her lips and pretending to lock them and tossing away the key.
I huff out a laugh. It’s ridiculous, but I’m glad she doesn’t seem to care.
“I’ll tell you a secret so we’re even. Besties‘ promise not to say a word to anyone,” she says, holding out her pinky finger.
“Is this like a pinky swear?” I ask, hooking my pinky with
hers..
“Sort of, but more meaningful. Besties‘ promises can never be broken. Never.”
“Okay.”
She looks around as if someone might be hiding in my room listening to us.
“I think it’s stupid that my brother gets to be Beta and I don’t. I’m the oldest. I should be Beta. There, I’ve said it,” she says.
“Why can’t you be Beta?” I ask her, wondering about my own oldest Alpha. Of course, now that has all changed.
position in the family. There was never any question that Slade was going to the
“Some bullshit man thing. Oh shit, Bestie Promise not to tell that I curse,” she says, holding out her pinky to me again.
This time, the laugh comes more easily as I hook my pinky to hers. Then she holds it.
“Tell me another secret so we’re even,” she says more seriously. It feels like she’s trying to solidify our friendship with secrets.
I think about it for a minute, then look around.
“I hate this room. I hate that it reminds me of home and that reminds me of what my mother and father did.”
She sits up excitedly releasing my pinky. “Let’s change it around then.”
“I can’t. What if Aunt Samara and Uncle Roman get mad.”
She frowns at me. “It’s your room isn’t it? What do they care how it looks?”
“You don’t think they’ll be mad?” I ask her as she stands, pulling me to my feet.
She shrugs. “We’re not asking the warriors to do it. We’re going to do it.“.
With Scarlet’s help, we push the bed to a different part of the room. After telling her that I don’t even want my old sheets and comforter, she somehow managed to find new, clean ones for me. We moved my dresser, made my bed, and she brought some decorations from her room until I can get some
new ones in mine.
We talked the entire tinie, or Scarlet did, mostly telling me about the pack. The longer we worked, the better I felt. It isn’t going to change the past, but it feels like a better way to start the future..
“What’s going on?” I startle hearing my Aunt’s voice from my doorway. I turn seeing her and Uncle Roman looking at us.
I feel my eyes go wide and I look at Scarlet. I know she can see the fear on my face.
She turns to face them. “Oh, well, you know, I came up here to introduce myself to Sloane and we started talking abooooooout…” she glances at me, searching for a reason why we did this. “About how we’re both eight and pretty soon we’ll both be nine and after that, of course, we’ll be ten and getting our wolves. We’re not babies anymore and we both decided that we needed to change our rooms around to make them more mature, so we started with Sloane’s. Right, Sloane?” she says, looking at me with wide eyes, begging me to agree.
“Yeeeees. Yes, that’s exactly what happened,” I say looking back at my Aunt and Uncle.
Aunt Samara looks worried as she steps into the room. “And you’re okay with your room like this? You changed your bed sheets and comforter as well Are you sure, Sloane?” she asks me.
“If I’m not allowed to have them, I’ll change them back,” I say, sad that I might have to sleep in my old bedding.
“Or she can have one of mine. I have two sets of sheets. Who needs two sets of sheets, anyway. You can only sleep on one at a time, right?” Scarlet says, coming over to stand beside me, presenting a unified front in from of my aunt and uncle.
I watch my uncle tilt his head, watching Scarlet before turning back
- me.
“You’re welcome to these, Sloane. But why don’t we start looking for some that have the level of … maturity that you’re looking for. We have some catalogs that our pack members use to order new bedding. If I’m not mistaken, Beta Scarlet has also provided you with some mature looking decorations for your room as well. Why don’t we look around for some that are yours, ones that you would like, and then you can give Scarlet’s decorations back to
her,” he says.
She nudges me with her arm. “Told ya,” she whispers.
“I’d like that, thank you,” I say.
It looks like Aunt Samara is about to say something else, but Uncle Roman steps up to her.
“Samara, tet’s leave the girls to finish up. Tomorrow we can look through the online catalogs and you can purchase whatever you want to help you feel more… mature,” he says to me.
I nod as they start to walk out. Then Uncle Roman turns to look at us. “Would you girls like me to have your dinner brought up here? I can have a TV set up and you can watch movies and make it a girl’s night.”
“YES!” Scarlet says, clapping her hands together and bouncing on her toes.
“Sloane?” he asks me.
I nod. “I’d like that.”
“Good, then I’ll have everything sent up. Scarlet, I’m assuming you know how to find the appropriate channels. No mature TV for either of you,” he says sternly.
“Yes, Alpha.”
Scarlet reaches out and takes my hand in a tight grip. I can feel the excitement radiating off of her as my aunt and uncle leave. As soon as the door closes
she turns to look at me, holding out her pinky finger with a huge smile on her face.
“Besties forever!“.
I smile at my new friend and link my pinky with hers. “Besties forever!”
