My Genius Mate

Chapter Sixteen

It had been three weeks at the safe house now. We checked in with Alpha every morning through the radio. Everything new he or we had to report was told at this time. Any other time we used it was for an emergency situation only. This morning, there were no new leads on where she was and who she was with, all the more reason to suspect rogues.

As soon as breakfast ended, the guys returned to the table to go over the grounds and find a possible hideout. Henry thought that since we were near the ocean, her hideout wasn't in these areas at all but instead a boat ride away. Gabe thought it was the old hunting grounds we no longer use due to finding protected plants and wildlife. There were plenty of abandoned properties as well, leaving multiple opportunities for rogues to set up camp. Ronan thought we needed to search abandoned homes, facilities, factories, and other well-known rogue areas. All of these ideas made sense, and all of them sounded like possibilities which made it all that much more difficult to find this bitch.

Katie tapped my shoulder and motioned to the pool. We both got dressed in our bikinis and met back in the pool. Katie had on her typical bright pink while I settled on navy blue. When we walked by, the guys stopped talking and watched us until we closed the door behind us. They continued their conversation, but our mates kept glancing at us.

She and I both had a floaty and held hands to not separate in the pool so we could talk. We were on our backs but looked to the side to face each other. "Well, feeling any better?"

"Yeah, Ronan is really helping by staying calm for me, although I can tell there is something else going on behind those eyes. He tells me he wishes I would let him in my head more often, but he doesn't take his own advice." I chuckled.

"I know, right? Poor Henry keeps mentioning wanting to make his dad proud. I guess there is a lot of pressure on him to be like or just as good as his dad." Katie pouted.

There was truth in her words, but it wasn't Henry's or his parent's fault. Everyone calls Dawson the best Beta this pack has ever seen. "His dad gets a lot of praise from everyone. It's not so much pressure on him than it is big shoes to fill. Although, Henry is a lot more like his dad than he realizes."

Katie hummed in thought. "Any pressure or something like this for Ronan?"

"Of course. His dad has done a lot in his reign, which means Ronan has a lot to uphold, along with making room for his own footprint as Alpha one of these days. Although, these guys have followed their dads around for so long, always in their shadow to watch their every move. They have learned a lot from them, including from their mistakes. On the other hand, Gabe just got here, so he is learning from the current Omega, but his uncle takes him under his wing pretty close. They are all overwhelmed as the time gets closer and closer for them to be promoted."

"When is that?"

"Whenever Alpha decides it is, but we have heard our whole lives that he plans on turning it over when Ronan turns twenty-two. It's a 'prime of his life' thing, and by that time, Alpha will be fifty-five, a good age to turn it over while still being able to help when needed by his son."

Katie nodded. Unlike the rest of us, she wasn't born into a pack. The dynamic and how it all works is still new to her. Her mate is a Beta, and she will need to learn the dynamic to help and play her role.

"Can you explain this whole thing to me? Henry has tried, but you know me better. I just wanna know the main ones and what will be expected of us as mates." She looked worried.

"Alpha's job is to look over it all. He gets a daily, weekly, and monthly report from his team and makes decisions based on what people tell him. Alphas are the main ones in charge. They have the final say. Alphas also tend to our allies and keep a good standing with the other packs. Luna, they are more of the people's voice. She meets and talks to them to help her Alpha make those decisions and know what his people want him to do. Beta is safety and second in command. Soldiers, the well-being of the people, and the police all report to Beta. His mate is usually in the infirmary or caring for soldiers, keeping them prepared and happy. She hears them out for any concerns and really mothers them. Omega is more about the day-to-day things. The courts, business, pack relationships, and so on. His mate also helps with keeping up with those relationships and their people, keeping tabs on the other packs, and being a point of contact if anyone needs help. Now, this is the Chase Pack. Other packs might run differently. Like the Rose Pack, the mates do nothing. But by including mates and upholding what the goddess has made for us, I feel what makes us run the way we do."