THE SORTING

THE BETA

3 weeks. 21 days. Actually, 20 days, but still.

That's how long I've been in the Capital. That's how long I've known Dom. Its hard to think of a time before I knew him. And I know that sounds crazy because that time was just about a month ago, but I had never been happier. We had been spending all of our time together, well free time. Dom worked a lot but that gave me time to explore on my own and let everything sink in. The time we did spend together were filled with laughs, dates, and yes, kisses. We hadn't done anything past that though. I wanted to take things slow and Dominic was super thoughtful when it came to my wishes. He kept saying that we had a lifetime to do all of those things, so he was in no hurry. I had learned a lot about him in the time I had been here, and not just stuff on the surface. I knew the little things, like how he furrowed his brows when he was in deep thought or how he clenched his jaw anytime I wore anything even remotely revealing, as if to stop himself from getting to worked up. On one of our dates, I wore a tight, mid-thigh sundress. It was quite warm in the Capital despite it being the beginning of October. I had no idea what Dom was thinking but I could tell by his clenched jaw and the fact that he couldn't keep his hands off me in some way, whether it was holding my hand or hugging me or keeping his hand on my back, that it affected him. He was a dream come true.

What kept me up some nights was that I had yet to contact my family. What bothered me even more was that they hadn't even tried to contact me. I know I can't go back, not truly, but I thought they would have at least missed me. But it's a two-way street when it comes to communication so I couldn't be too mad. I hadn't made a move either. I didn't know what I would even say to be honest. I said it all when I left.

I had yet to be assigned a job in the Capital. According to Dom, everything had been super crazy since we got back, trying to make sure the other Sorting girls were fitting in well in their new packs and trying to get everything back to normal, if that was even possible. I was sure that I would get a position soon. In the meantime, I spent a lot of time in the gardens, just taking in the colorful greenery and breathing the fresh oxygen. I had also been spending a good amount of time with Hunter. Her position in the pack was in the medical field. She was really only needed if someone was sick or hurt, which wasn't often. This gave us a lot of time to get to know each other. Hunter was a blessing, a friend that I didn't know I needed. We had a lot in common but also, we were very different. Hunter had more confidence than me, she was a force to be reckon with. I wouldn't dare get on her bad side. We were currently in the kitchen together, baking. I hadn't really cooked or baked back home. We didn't eat much.

"Then, you have to fold in the egg whites," Hunter instructed, reading the recipe for angel food cake off her phone. I had never had angel food cake.

"I don't even know what that means," I responded, dropping my shoulders. This had been harder than it looked, or maybe it did look hard. Regardless, I was exhausted.

"Here, I'll do it," Hunter giggled at how worn I was. I took a seat at the island as footsteps coming our way stole my attention. I suddenly got nervous. The whole time I was here, I hadn't really met anyone other than Dominic and Hunter. I never saw the King Alpha or his family. They had a whole floor to themselves and rarely left it for security reasons. I had also met some staff members but not enough to really know them or for them to really know me. They were quick, quiet, and efficient. The steps stopped as a man appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, a man I had never seen before. He had dark skin that was contrasted with his crisp white button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his forearms. He had navy blue suit pants on and shiny brown shoes. He was awfully well dressed. He was bald, which looked really good on him, and he looked to be in his 30s. He smiled our direction and addressed Hunter.

"Hello Hunter. How are you?" his deep voice catching me off guard. Hunter bowed to him, showing him respect, which told me he had to be someone important. I followed her actions as to not cause waves.

"Good afternoon Royal Beta Demarcus. I'm really good, you?" Hunter said respectfully. The Royal Beta is the beta to the King Alpha. I had never met him before and my hands started to sweat. The Royal Beta turned his attention to me, a confused look taking over his face.

"I'm good, thank you. And who is this?" he asked. Hunter responded before I did.

"This is my friend Vivienne. She's new here," Hunter answered quickly. I bowed slightly in his direction, unaware if I was able to address him or not.

"Ah," Royal Beta Demarcus started, "Dom's Vivienne?" he questioned, grabbing an apple off of the counter. I said nothing, my nerves starting to cool. The Beta Alpha eyed me up and down and I started to get uncomfortable. He had a strong aura, with a glint of something I couldn't get a read on in his eyes. There was a heavy silence in the air before it was cleared with a throat clearing. "Its nice to meet you. You both must accuse me, I have responsibilities to attend to," the Beta Alpha stated suddenly, giving us a pointed grin. He gave me one last glare before as he turned to exit. I furrowed my brows, turning to look at Hunter to see if she had a weird feeling about that interaction too.

"Awkward, much?" Hunter teased me with a smirk. I shoved Hunter playfully, telling her to shut up. A voice emerged soon after, a voice I would recognize anywhere.