The Alpha's Beta

Chapter 17

I was instantly wide awake and upright. "What?!"

"I think your friends are here. Guess they were too impatient to let you find them, so they decided to find you."

I peered around the dark clearing. I tried to call on Whisper's night vision, like Lucas told me, and it worked! I saw two pairs of eyes to the left of me, about ten feet away, in the bushes. 

"I see them. There's two." I whispered. "3 o'clock."

Lucas turned and squinted. "Okay."

"Wait, how can you see them? Eagles have terrible night eyesight."

"That's a question for a later time." 

What was that supposed to mean?

"Raven, we know you're there. You need to come with us."

"Why? Who are you?"

"You should be able to feel it."

And I did. I knew that the Wolf who was speaking to me was my Alpha. Nikolas. 

Lucas looked at me. I nodded. I walked towards my Alpha and Beta, my mentor close behind. 

They parted as I came closer, and I passed them, but they barred Lucas.

"He cannot come."

"Then I don't come. Either us, or no one. Choose, Nick."

"I am your Alpha right now. You are coming back with your Alpha. I am not your friend right now." I felt Nick's power trying to force me down, but I concentrated on the fact that I wasn't full Wolf, and stood back up.

"Fine, Alpha," I spit, mad at the change in him. "But the deal is still up. You're not getting me without Lucas!"

The two Wolves Shifted into their Human forms.

 "Finally! Geez, I thought I was going to have to hear a one-sided conversation all night!" Lucas exclaimed.

My Alpha stared at me, and I held his gaze. I flicked my eyes over to Noah, who was refusing to look at me.

"I see you're still high-ranking self." Nikolas said. 

"What?"

"You can look him in the eye. Since he's an Alpha, that means you're a high rank, too. Not even Betas can look their Alphas straight in the eye." Lucas answered. I gave him a weird look. "What? I know stuff."

"He is correct, which is why it's weird who your mate is." 

"Mate?" I'm pretty sure I got rid of him yesterday.

"Noah is your mate."

"Was. He was her mate. Not anymore." Lucas cut in, all defensive. What was his problem?

Nick turned to Noah. "Is this true?"

"Yeah." Noah mumbled. "Yesterday."

"You told me that you got through to her!" 

"He did, but not without causing her pain." I flinched as Lucas brought back the memory of burning.

"What broke it then?" Nick asked.

"She got her Flock Mark." I held out my left wrist where the eagle tattoo was.

"That shouldn't have broken it though." Nikolas said, looking perplexed. 

"Why not?" I asked, rejoining the conversation.

"Because mate marks aren't supposed to go away. Ever. Even if they're covered up, or burned off, or something, they'll always come back. Because you only get one mate, for life." Noah told us, surprising me with his angry voice.

"She was taken int our Flock, though. She committed herself. So any previous mates are void."

"That's not how it works! Not with Raven! Raven is different! She is the One." The Alpha of Storm Pack interjected.

"One what?" I asked.

"You are the only one in 16 years to have more than one Animal! You are the One who will save us all. You will free the world of impurities and leave only the Shifters." 

Nick's statement was met with silence. Then Lucas started to laugh. "You've got to be kidding, right?"

"There's no way I'm going to do that." 

"You will, in time.How many Animals do you have?" 

"Two," I lied, glancing at Lucas.

"The One has three Animals, too! I've told everyone, but they didn't believe me!" Nikolas saw my confused face and added, "Mind-reading Alpha, remember?"

"This guy has gone off the deep end." A voice said, but not out loud.

Before I could call attention to the voice, someone else walked over to us. That someone was my mother.

"Hello, sweetie." 

I ignored her, turning to Lucas. "Can we go now?"

"What about Lora? You said that she told us to come to your Pack. That's what we did."

"I hate that you're right."

My mom noticed Lucas and bowed at him, from her waist until her back was practically straight.

Lucas sighed. "You may rise." 

I gave him a look that said, 'What the heck was that about?'

"Scouts are the lowest rank in a Flock." Serves my mom right.

"Don't they deserve to be higher? They do find all of the recruits for you." Noah said. We stared at him. "What? I know stuff." He mocked my mentor's earlier words.

"Shut up!" I told him, and now it was me being defensive. I guess I was supposed to, since he was training me and all.

"Okay, okay. Well?"

"I don't know. Ask my Leader. He would know."

The bushes rustled again, and this time a grey wolf came through, Shifting but keeping her stride perfect as she walked up to us.

"Why is it taking you so long? All I asked was that you bring the girl back to camp and you can't even manage to - " The woman trailed off as she realized the same thing I had when she got nearer, and my mouth had fallen open.

She looked just like me.

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Wow! Look at me, publishing two chapters in the same day! Sorry, this chapter isn't super long.

What secret do you think Lucas is hiding?

What do you think of Nikolas? He's a leeettle bit obsessed, right?

And what's up with Miss Look Alike, huh?

Post your thoughts in the comments below! I absolutely love feedback! :)

Have an awesome night!