The Broken Beta

Willow

My dad always said that fortune favours the brave. Right now, I’m not feeling very fortunate.

Have I been brave? I think so, and so has my mum, but she’s been even less fortunate than I.

Everywhere reeks of blood. The tang of copper in the air. I’m barely holding on to consciousness as blood trickles slowly down my body.

I’m not immortal, and neither was my mum. As werewolves, we do have enhanced healing, but even that has a limit.

I hear my father’s panicked voice as he rushes into the clearing. A clearing littered with rogues, a lot of dead rogues.

I know he’ll run to mum, even though he knows that she’s gone. I felt it too when the familial link was severed. She tried to fight off the rogues. She even killed a couple, but she was no warrior. I am, albeit a warrior in training, but I wasn’t good enough to save my mum’s life.

The next voice I hear belongs to the Alpha. I sent out a warning over the pack-link, hoping that he would send help, but it arrived too late.

“Check on Willow,” I hear him yell before the darkness claims me.

I wake to an annoying beep–beep–beep.

It wasn’t a bad dream then. My mum is dead, and I have been all but ripped to pieces.

It would have been better if my mum had been saved. I would gladly have taken her place.

My dad is the beta of our pack and is needed far more than I am.

Losing his mate will affect him, I know it will. I need to talk to him and tell him I’m sorry. Tell him I’m sorry for failing. I should have done better, I’m a warrior after all.

I open my eyes, and panic rips through me. Something isn’t right. I can see, but only out of one eye.

I try to sit, but an unseen hand presses hard on my shoulder.

“Easy, Willow,” they soothe, “it’s going to be ok.”

I turn my head to the right, so I can see them.

“Like hell, it is,” I hiss.

“Enough, Willow!”

I turn my head back so I can see where he is. The Alpha. He stands in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. Of course, I’m the villain. My father is probably falling apart because of me.

His expression softens, and he drops his arms to his side.

“They’re doing their best, Willow. Your injuries were extensive, and unfortunately, they couldn’t save your eye.”

I close my eyes and let out a sigh.

Alpha Jacob has never been known to sugarcoat things. He doesn’t believe in that. Not that he’s cruel, but sometimes, as the human saying goes, it’s better to rip off the band-aid.

I open my eyes, and Alpha Jacob is still standing there.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper in apology.

He nods.

“It’s understandable, it must be a shock...after everything…”

I shake my head.

“No...I’m sorry I wasn’t good enough,” I conclude, my voice cracking.

Alpha Jacob strides forward. He isn’t a touchy-feely sort of alpha, but his hand rests on my shoulder.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. You killed seven rogues. Your mother…” he hesitates.

“Your mother killed two. You did your best.”

I shake my head.

“It wasn’t enough.”

I close my eyes and turn my head away.

It wasn’t enough to save my mum, and my dad will surely blame me for that. Otherwise, he would be here now, comforting me instead of the Alpha.

I hear him sigh. There’s nothing he can say. Nothing will stop making me feel like shit.

“I’ll let your father know how you’re doing”, he concludes.

It’s bratty of me not to say thank you, but I know in my heart that my dad doesn’t really care. He’ll be too consumed by grief for the loss of his mate. He may not even survive the loss. It isn’t unusual for higher-ranking wolves to wither and die when their mate is killed.

I hear his footsteps retreating from the room. The nurse walks around the other side of the bed.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have crept up on your blind side.”

I open my eyes and shake my head.

“It doesn’t matter,” I mumble, “when can I leave?”

She looks at me in surprise.

“Oh...You should be healed by tomorrow; there will be some scarring though. Your wolf could only do so much.”

I nod and close my eyes again.

The doctor comes in the afternoon and says as long as I rest, I can go home. So now I stand in the bathroom staring at myself.

The bones have healed relatively quickly, but I have a scar down the side of my face. It starts at my forehead, runs across my eye and ends at my cheek. The claw marks on my stomach have left a slight scar. The doctor says my wolf focused on healing the internal injuries, which is why I have lost the sight in my eye and have scars on my skin. It didn’t help that she also felt the loss of our mum; it weakened her.

I pull on the hooded sweatshirt and jeans that someone has dropped off. I don’t know who. I doubt it was my dad.

I pull up the hood, and let my long black hair drape across the scarred side of my face. The doctor didn’t remove my eye, just in case my wolf was able to heal it, but that didn’t happen. I now have one opaque white eye and one green eye.

My mum had green eyes too. My dad always said that I got my looks from her. It doesn’t matter now. My face is scarred, so I doubt anyone will look twice at me unless it’s with disgust. As for a mate, that’s never going to happen. Not now.

Not that werewolves are shallow, but we all have stunning good looks, men and women alike. That’s why the unmated wolves will occasionally go into human territory. Compared to most humans, we look like gods and goddesses. It’s easy for us to hook up with a human. Now I doubt even a human will look twice at me. Certainly, no werewolf will want me as a mate.

I walk out of the hospital, but I don’t get far.

Aaron, Alpha Jacobs Gamma is waiting for me.

“Your father thinks it best if you move into the pack-house. I’ve already moved your stuff to your new room.”

I nod.

Of course, my father doesn’t want to see me. It isn’t really a surprise, although I do feel a bit hurt that I can no longer live in the house where I was raised.

“I’ll show you where it is,” Aaron adds.

I mumble thanks and follow him.

The room is quite nice. A double bed, an ensuite bathroom and a walk-in closet. My clothes have already been hung up inside. There’s also a desk in the room.

I’m grateful that the non-clothes items have also been brought. Just a few things that I’ve gathered over time, and some photos of me, Mum and Dad.

“If there’s anything you need, Willow, just let me know?” Aaron offers.

“Thank you. Is my dad...ok?”

Aaron shrugs.

That’s probably a no then.

He stands there for a few moments until the silence becomes a little awkward.

“I’ll just…”

Aaron gestures to the door.

“Yeah,” I mumble, “and thanks again.”

I watch as Aaron disappears through the door, gently closing it behind him.

So this is it then.

I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do. I mean, what’s the use of a half-blind warrior? Worse than that, a half-blind beta.

Once I’d completed my warrior training, I was supposed to start my beta training. It doesn’t matter that I’m female. This pack doesn’t differentiate between males and females.

The plan had always been for me to take over from my father when Jacobs’s son took over as Alpha.

Marcus had already found his mate. Abigail would be the next Luna.

All three of us were friends, which boded well for the pack as the Alpha, Beta, and Luna have to work together. A good relationship between the three is a must, and all three of us have been friends since we were young.

I wonder who will be the beta now. I can pretty much guarantee it won’t be me.

My wolf whimpers in the back of my mind. She feels it more than I do. The fact that our rank is now in question, and our father has all but disowned us.

I sigh and lie down on the bed. I guess we’ll see what tomorrow brings.