I was standing across from Raiza how was seated behind her desk in her office. We had just returned from our hunt and Raiza had taken me to a private room and helped me back through the change. As a wolf I felt like a human in a wolf's body and as a human I felt like a wolf stuck in human flesh.
After I had successfully changed Raiza brought me back to her office. She had sat down and hasn't said a word for a good fifteen minutes. Before the change I would have broken the silence but now even in human form the ways of wolf hierarchy bound me tighter than I had expected. I cant complain I did submit to Raiza when she won the fight which solidly bound me as her wolf. I had given in and now I must follow the rules all wolves lived by and were born to.
Finally Raiza spoke ending the silence and my circular thoughts. "Do you know what your status is?" Raiza asked. I shook my head "I'm not sure what you mean, Alpha" I said. The title fell unsummoned from my lips. "I mean if you were to hazard a guess would you say you are an omega? Gamma? Which category of Gamma? Or are you a Beta?" Raiza asked me. I thought for a moment and recalled the events after my change. "A gamma maybe?" I answered. "Is that what you truly think?" She asked. "I...I am not sure I know I am most likely not an omega so therefore possibly a gamma," I told her.
"Omegas submit to me as soon as they change. Depending on the gamma they are slightly defiant your cousin, Sadie, she only growled and stepped towards me. When I ordered her down she went. You, you didn't even hear my orders until after you submitted and went as far as actually attacking me. The only wolf who has done something like that is my niece and future Alpha of this pack. Kye you are no omega or gamma you're a Beta wolf." She told me.
I stepped away from her desk shaking my head. There was no way I was a Beta. The Nightshade pack was the second largest in the U.S and that is because it assimilated other packs into it over the years. One of which was a pack of blonde wolves who were by nature all fairly submissive. To this day most of the submissive wolves are blonde descendents of that old pack. Sadie being a Gamma I, was one thing but I dont think there was ever a blonde Beta.
"That cant be possible," I told Raiza. "Oh it is very possible and it is. A lot of people suspected it when you were a kid always getting in trouble it was an ongoing wager when you were young. Since you've come back so have the wagers." She told me. "You're joking, right?" I asked.
"Hardly," she stood and moved around her desk. "I would think you would be happy about this you won't have to submit to anyone else." Raiza said. "I would be happy...I am, it is just like I feel like you are about to decree my death sentence." I told her and I meant it. The atmosphere of the room was tense and heavy. Through the bond which was still hyper active I felt something but it was to strong everything flooding through it was disorienting and I could get nothing useful from it.
"It is not a death sentence but I have a feeling you my prefer it to what will happen next." She moved away from me and the desk and walked towards a door in the back of the room. "All betas have a choice being sworn to protect the Alpha of the pack or run the far reaches of the pack. Seeing as you are a new wolf and therefore must stay in the Alpha's compound that means at least for the time being you shall be a Servari," she explained. I tensed, a Servari was a beta wolf who pledged their life to protect and their obedience to their Alpha. Most Betas could challenge their Alpha or stand up to them if it was necessary, in theory so could Sevari but as far as I knew none ever did. Raiza paused next to the door her hand rested lightly on the doorknob. "I have a full guard...my niece and heir however is completely unguarded seeing as there have been no other betas to shift yet." With that she opened the door and Andrea stepped into the room.
'Shit'
"Alpha-" I started. Raiza cut me off with a glare. Andrea stalked closer to me a look of distaste on her face. If I did as Raiza asked I would be bound to Andrea forever. When a wolf pledged fealty to a superior wolf it was binding for life. Wolves always followed their Alpha but only a few would pledge their life and service to an Alpha. All who did were the Alpha's guard, betas who live their lives only to protect the Alpha and ultimately the pack as a whole.
"I am not asking you to swear anything, Kye. Only that for now you act as Andrea's Servari not to be her actual sworn Servari." Andrea continued to look at me however her face was now impassive. "Alpha, I wouldn't be of much help even if I was Andrea's Servari. I don't know how to fight." I responded. My eyes never left Andrea's face as I spoke to Raiza. "Fighting is mostly instinct when you fight as a wolf. As a beta you have a better instinct the rest you will learn." Raiza told me. Yes my wolf seemed to decree. My chest seemed to rumble with approval protect the Sigma my wolf self told me. Sigma, meaning the Alpha's heir. I never thought about it much before, Andrea's place in the pack.
"Fine" I said. Since I was studying Andrea's face I saw the look of utter shock on her face at my response. "However I will only agree if Andrea does and not out of duty but because she actually wishes it." I said. I finally looked at Raiza. "I need to talk to you about something I remembered during my change but that can wait. I think I am going to pass out and I will give you both time to talk." I told Raiza.
I left the room neither Raiza or Andrea protested. I made my way through the compound and back to my room. I barely made it to my bed before I collapsed from exhaustion.
I woke up bleary eyed I looked at my clock it was 6:35 am. Dawn. I yawned and climbed out of my bed heading towards my closet. The door to my room creaked open and I turned teeth bared in a snarl my territory. Andrea stepped into my room palms up. Sigma I moved out of my crouch at once embarrassed. "Sorry," I told her.
"It's fine. It will take a while for you to adapt to your new instincts." She said. "Can I come in?" I nodded. She entered the room and shut the door behind her and slid the lock into place. The locks were barely used they were there as more of a curtesy to the room's occupant than for any real reason. I stood silently and watched as Andrea began to pace across my room. "Andrea? Do you mind if I change? " I asked. She looked up sharply from her pacing, a blush spread across her face. "Ah no....yes...I mean it's fine." She muttered. She turned away from me and went back to her pacing.
I was silently shaking trying to keep from laughing as I rifled through my closet. I didn't bring a ton of clothes with me and NewBaury High had uniforms so I never had to really worry about it. I pulled a t-shirt and a pair of jeans off the hangers, there really wasn't anything else in my closet anyway.
"What are you doing?" Andrea's voice rang out across my room. "Changing? You said it was fine," I told her. "Yes, but I didn't expect you to start stripping in front of me. What do you think the bathroom is for?" She yelled. My night shirt was on the floor next to my pj bottoms. Andrea didn't notice me until I had already started putting on my clean clothes. Kinda late now to go hide in the bathroom. I finished changing and grabbed my pjs and stuffed them in the laundry hamper. "Does it really matter? I may not have grown up in the pack but even I know that privacy isn't as big of a thing for wolves as it is for humans." I told her. "I mean even yesterday after the hunt when we all changed back everyone pretty much got an eyeful of someone else." Another blush spread over Andrea's cheeks this time creeping all the way to the tops of her ears. "Look about yesterday I didn't know that Raiza was going to ask you to be my Servari. Also she kind of strong armed you into it-" Andrea started. So that's why she was here. "Andrea I said this yesterday I only agree to it if it is okay with you. Raiza didn't strong arm me into agreeing, she made a valid point, you are important to the pack and you don't have anyone to guard you. I am sure that Sadie is doing that but she isn't a Beta and there is only so much she can do and against a vampi-" I choked on my words. The memories that were unlocked when I went through my change flashed through the forefront of my head. Why? Why didn't I tell Raiza yesterday? I heard my mom's last breaths saw those cold blue eyes. A shiver raced down my spine and I ran to the bathroom and wretched up everything that was left in my stomach. The haze from my first shift was gone the wolf tucked away and my human mind finally processed what I remembered and what it meant. "Kye! Kye what's wrong? Look at me damn it?" Andrea said. She pulled me away from the toilet and into her arms. I was shaking? No I was crying. The memory was flashing through my head I don't know how I ever forgot what happened it seemed like it was burned into my head. I felt an overwhelming amount of worry and surprise flash through me. It wasn't my own feelings but Andrea's and other pack members who felt my distress. My pack bond finally seemed to be working again. I could sense everyone: the pups sleeping, Skye in her room across the hall, Raiza who was awake and already on her way to see what had happened, and Andrea who was...scared? I lost myself in the deepness of the bond and just let it take over by the time Raiza burst into my room I felt half way human again. "What happened?" Raiza demanded as the door banged open. "I don-" Andrea began. I pushed away from her and pulled myself up. "Yesterday during the shift my memories, all my memories came back. Including what happened in the crash. Raiza...it wasn't an accident." I said.