The Gamma's Birthright - Book 2
Someone leaves the pack

Two weeks have passed since Toni came back to the pack, and for once she is seeing it through very different eyes.

The lives of the ordinary pack members, those who shuffle passed her aiming to go unnoticed, houses where she can hear the laughter from inside their homes, sounds that aren't heard outside.

Outside, only subdued chat is heard, things that she already knew but never really noticed.

Maybe being pregnant and thinking about the life she wants her pups to lead is making her more aware of her surroundings, or the month away from the pack had refreshed her jaded view, whatever it was, the pack felt lacklustre in a way she'd never realised before.

She enters her office to deal with the paperwork the Alpha has delegated to her.

The pack doctor had confirmed to the Alpha, the day after her return, that she was pregnant, carrying twins.

Because there is a higher risk of losing twins until the pregnancy is established, he had put her on restricted activity for four weeks, taking her to the six-week mark.

The Alpha had therefore delegated some of Robert's paperwork to her and given Robert, some of her more, physical, activities.

Ironically, it was the one thing that she was grateful to the Alpha for, her morning sickness had been horrendous.

He had insisted though that three evenings a week she and John spent time together, it was important, to him, for the pack to see them bonding.

In reality, she knew it was so that the pack could see her obeying the Alpha after her show, just before she had left.

During their evenings, in private she allows him to call her Antonia, to make it look like she is complying with the Alpha's wishes, and appearing to take this situation seriously, even if it grates and in public, he gets to call her Gamma.

She's played the Alpha's games long enough to know the rules, and in playing along, she is toying right back with him.

Today, she'd hit the one-month mark, and on her screen is today's scan of her pups, two miracles in her life that the doctor is convinced show her little ones at the six-week mark for growth, not the four-week one.

She's aware of why he thinks that, but she remembers vividly the day it happened, today marks the day her pregnancy is officially classed as stable.

Today marks the day she can plan for changes.

There's a knock at her door, looking up she sees Alpha Robert, he's looking at her confusedly.

"How can I help Trainee Alpha Robert"

Within the offices she has to keep his official title, outside of the Alpha's hearing, she never uses the Trainee part of his title.

"There have been some crossings, and the Alpha asked if you would go resolve the problems, and take me, he wants me to take over some of your tasks when you get closer to your due date."

"Sure, let me get my bag and we can run" she answers

"I'll drive, I have a new jeep I want to test out" Robert answers.

They drive for ten minutes until Robert parks the car, getting out they walk for a few minutes.

"Why are you here?"

"What do you mean Robert, did the Alpha not ask me to review the border with you?"

"Why don't you mind link him to find out?"

Robert stops, arms crossed, staring at her, the look on his face tells her a lot.

"When did you know?"

"Two days ago, I tried to link to you over something.

But I don't know how you don't smell of another pack, nor are picking up the rogue smell.

Finally, why the hell did you come back if you found a way to break the link and agree to a mating that will tie you back to the pack"

Toni takes in a long slow cleansing breath

"Did the Alpha ask you to take me on the border check?"

"He did, you are safe, now what's happening."

"If I just didn't come back, the Alpha would hunt me down, I needed to find a way to make the break permanent.

Because of my role, it's rare anyone attempts to link to me, so far, I've gotten away with it.

So while we are baring our souls, why don't you challenge the Alpha for his position, you have the strength, the pack prefers you, what is it you are lacking?"

"He has my mate, I get to see her twice a week.

I don't know exactly where she is being kept as I am drugged when I am taken there and brought back.

The warriors who guard her are commanded to not tell anyone where she is and if I raise a hand against my father, they have a standing command to kill her."

"How long does he think that can go on for?"

Toni is shocked, unable to contemplate what the Alpha thinks the outcome of it will be.

"Until Louise bears him a new male heir, then I and my mate will be allowed to leave the pack, or banished if we refuse to go."

Toni has not been able to sense any lies from Robert as he's talked to her.

"And if you could be the Alpha of this pack, would you be?

Would your mate want to be in the pack after being kept prisoner?" Toni asks

"She sees this as purely my father's evilness, she liked the idea of making this a better pack, she saw it as a challenge."

He sighs sadly

"If you were Alpha, would you banish me?" Toni asks

"That's a loaded question, you aren't in our pack anymore, so why would you need me to banish you?

And I'm not going to be the Alpha if my father has any say in it.

But if you asked me to, I would say the words, but you know that's an irrevocable action, once banished, the pack would need to hunt you if you stepped on the land."

She nods

"Then if for some reason in the future, you find yourself as Alpha, immediately banish me from the pack and don't ask me why."

I can see the wheels turning and the question of why I would want to be banished...

That's easy, if I'm not banished, then the Royal Pack could tell or command Alpha Robert to not release me.

In that instance, leaving would raise a whole host of questions on how I managed to, so although I am my own Alpha, I need to disguise that fact to the masses.

Remember Rule Number Five - less is more.

The less they know the more control I will have, sneaky huh!

In the early hours of the morning, she loads one of her backpacks with items she wants to keep, old photo albums, the book Leif gave her and a locket her mother had given her, all the important items wrapped in plastic bags to protect them from damp.

Her whole life, all the important parts, fits into one backpack, twenty years condensed down to almost nothing, she still has room for one spare set of uniform and her usual rope and bowstring rolls.

It's a sad state reflection on her life to date she thinks, she heads out in wolf form for a run, carrying her pack with her under her cloak.

She scents the air, but there's no one close, shifting she hides her backpack carefully, her bug-out bag, ready for a quick getaway.

She shakes Louise awake, her bleary eyes blink painfully.

"Are you ready?"

"I am, but Gamma, won't you get into trouble for this?"

"Don't worry about me, I have plans.

You understand you will be living with Alpha Joseph's family, he's an old friend of your mother.

He will allow any member of your family to come visit you, as long as you want them to, so if you don't want your father visiting, all you have to do is tell him.

But, he won't let you go to the Blue River pack, at least not until you are 17 and a legal adult, your father is likely to be questioned by Alpha Vincent, it's where he would expect you to go.

And I don't believe he would offer you a safe haven, but be more likely to return you."

She nods

"And I can trust this Alpha Joseph?"

Louise's nervousness is clear, Toni places her hand on her arm

"I can guarantee it, he wants nothing more than you to be happy and find your fated mate, not be force-marked by a chosen mate.

You have my new number, if you have any concerns, I am a text away, calls may be a little more difficult in the interim."

"Thank you for this Gamma."

"Are you packed?"

Louise nods and gets out three backpacks stuffed full, out of the last one, Toni can see her teddy peeking out of the top.

She sprays Louise down with a scent mask before doing the same to herself and the bags.

Toni grabs two of the bags, one on her back, one slung over her shoulder as Louise takes the third, wearing a cloak each as they head off into the night, it's two o'clock in the morning and Toni knows when and where the patrols will be so getting to the border unnoticed is easy.

Crossing the border, Toni leads her to the cave system she led her through before to visit her family, it seems a lifetime ago, not just over a month, as they get to the other side, Alpha Joseph and four wolves she doesn't recognise are standing there.

"Alpha Joseph" she bows her head

"Gamma Woodfield"

He replies, slightly awkwardly, but he agreed to maintain the pretence, the rest of the wolves are tense in her presence.

Louise is changing subtly under the cloak as they do the brief exchange.

"Time for your charge to break her ties Gamma."

Toni nods as she turns to Louise, who recites the words to break the link, followed by Toni repeating the words on her behalf as her appointed blood guardian.

"You felt the link break?"

"I did Gamma"

She nods looking a little confused as to why Toni is asking.

As Alpha Joseph gets her to repeat the oath to his pack, Toni removes the bags and throws them to the warriors who came with Alpha Joseph.

Once he's finished, he turns to the wolves that came with him.

"Louise is to be treated like she is my family, if we hit trouble, not that I think we will protect her above me, get her back to the pack."

He hands her a letter

"That's from your mum, read it once you are in the car, she will be waiting to see you when we get back to my pack.

There is also one for you Gamma Woodfield"

He hands a second envelope to Toni.

"Take her to the car, I need to speak to Gamma Woodfield alone."

They wait for five minutes to pass

"Alpha, I can't thank you enough for this."

He has tears in his eyes

"Sure you can, teach your pack to be as non-judgemental as possible and give Louise the life she deserves.

I have to go, there are consequences to face."

She turns to leave.

"What about your pups?"

She freezes

"How did you know?"

"I've seen my mate through three pregnancies, the unconscious hand to the stomach in the early days, especially when talking of children.

I saw it the night of the challenge when we were talking, and I prayed to the Goddess that the wounds I had inflicted didn't cause you to lose them."

"I didn't lose them, it was almost at the end of the fight I heard their heartbeats, I think it was that, that drove me on.

They are strong pups and survived two big events so far in their month of life, but I will do nothing to risk them directly.

I intend to leave this pack soon, I have a plan, but, not one I can discuss."

Alpha Joseph looks at her kindly before speaking.

"Just know, I have places you can hide, some property on the far reaches of our pack land, your pack land."

Thank you, Alpha Joseph, but I won't risk the pack or Louise.

Take her home and give her a good life, she's probably uneasy with so many strange males around her.

It's not been an easy ride for her, I told her she could trust you, but I didn't vouch for anyone else"

He nods, watching him turn and walk away to the cars, there's one less pack member in the Nightshade pack, all she has to do now is to ensure that the Alpha doesn't hunt Louise down.

Toni makes her way back onto pack land, to a point that leads away from the direction Louise went, before taking out her phone and marking Louise's pack record as left the pack, destination unknown.

She drops her phone, the Alpha will find out soon enough that she authorised it, the first thing he will do is track her pack phone, unaware that she had a new one, purchased in the Neutral zone.

She isn't sure how Alpha Joseph will deal with the paperwork on his side, but he said he had a solution and she knows he won't risk his daughter, not if he were prepared to kill for her.

Life was all about change, at least this one she approved of.

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