Page 32 of Bullied Forced Omega
“I bet you never would’ve left Black Ops if you had the choice,” Miles taunts Dexter.
“Damn straight. That shit flows in your veins and keeps you strong. Life back with the pack is too political. I don’t do well with politics.”
Axel scoffs, a smirk across his face. “You don’t doanything. You’re the worst possible Beta I could have chosen,” he muses, teasing his brother.
“Hey, go chew on a bone, asshole. I’m the best damn Beta any Alpha could ever wish for. And damn good-looking too,” he grins. His brother can’t argue on this front because they’re twins. Miles and I both laugh as Axel rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “We both know I’m the sexier twin. And I was born a full eight minutes before you, so I am the oldest, too.”
“It’s the only reason you got to be Alpha. If it had anything to do with brains or strength, it would undoubtedly have been me,” Dexter grins wider than before, and Axel’s eyes narrow at his brother. “Are you forgetting the Mission of the Seventh Sun?” He says dangerously.
Dexter’s eyes shoot wide.
“Hey now, there’s no reason to be bringing that up,” he scoffs.
“I agree, let’s leave Black Ops in that desert, far, far away,” I lift my beer. “To being home, and …whatever the hell that means,” I grin.
All of them lift their beers and cheer.
Balken and Killian, two Betas from the Thief River Pack, groan at the same time. “Hendrik has turned into a bit of a douchebag since he took up his Alpha position when we got home,” Killian complains.
“Don’t kid yourself, Hendrik was always a douchebag, Miles corrects him.
Balken laughs, pressing his lips together and refusing to badmouth his Alpha, but clearly in agreement.
“And you, Axel? How’s Alpha life treating you?” I ask.
“I haven’t been sworn in yet. The current Alpha is delayed. I’m going to have to push for it, but I wanted to settle in first, you know. It’s a strange shift, being back home. It really is quieter. You have to remind yourself that there aren’t demons right outside the door,” he says quietly, his eyes sharp and piercing.
I nod, knowing exactly what he’s talking about.
Black Ops was a different world. Dangerous, on edge. Exhausting.
“If you move any slower taking that Alpha throne, you’re going to lose it to your younger, better-looking Beta,” Dexter teases.
Dexter is far too reckless to be Alpha material. I’m surprised he’s even a Beta, but I guess being Axel’s twin brother made that one an obvious choice.
“How’s Parker doing?” I ask of the Northwood pack’s Alpha, another shifter who was at Black Ops training with us.
“Parker’s good. He had some shit to do tonight, but he’s happy to be back home,” Damion, his Beta, replies. “His father, Maddox Stone, is keen to step down from the Alpha position. He’s really proud of Parker.”
“My cousin is lucky to have Maddox as his father. He could have had our father, and his life would’ve been very different,” Axel says quietly, lost in thought for a moment.
“I think most of us had fathers who pushed us. Tried to get us to reach our full potential,” I say.
Axel nods. Dexter throws him a tight smile, then changes the subject. “Parker is being sworn in tomorrow night, I think.”
“Awesome,” I say. “I’ll message him to congratulate him.”
Jacob sighs and leans back in his chair. He glances left and right at his pack, Betas, Matthew, and Phillip, before he looks back to me. “I’m not technically sworn in either. It’s happening in a few days. I’ve got a lot of plans and a lot of resistance to those plans. A lot of those old guys want to keep things too traditional,” he says. Merker nods, “They’re not accepting the fact that they need to step down.”
“I have the same problem,” I agree. “Old rituals that need a refresh, old ways that stop the pack from reaching its full potential. I’ve been making changes, though, and so far it’s going well.”
“That’s good to hear. You are the strongest Alpha in the region. I reckon if you lead the way, it’ll make it easier for us to convince our elders as well.”
“Don’t be so sure. Those old bastards are stubborn,” I chuckle.
It’s really good to be sitting around a table talking shit with these guys. Such a contrast to the times we’ve spent together over the past years.
I glance at Miles, who is deep in conversation with Phillip about fated mates. Miles seems to think that it’s not something you should waste your time waiting for, while Phillip is adamant that it’s worth it.
