Alpha Beta

Here’s the beginning of a werewolf novel I’m working on. I’m trying my hand at the genre in preparation for a novel I’ve been planning to write for 40 years, based on Marie de France’s “Bisclaveret.” The first five pages are free. Paid subscribers get to read the whole thing.

Chapter 1

Kirin’s POV:

I brought the Bentley Flying Spur to a smooth, silent stop behind Alpha Richard’s car, which was being driven by my father, Beta Steven. I shifted into park and stopped the electrical engine. I checked the charge, relieved to see that we could probably make it back to the main highway without switching to our petrol reserve. My eyes darted right, toward what I could see of the massive building that belonged to the Rising Moon pack. It was five stories tall and looked as if it contained at least fifty rooms, some of them most likely suites. Made of granite stones polished by centuries of winters, it emerged through ancient trees like some force of nature. Windows led onto balconies covering the surface of the wall Kirin could see. The massive front door appeared to be from dark mahogany, which gaped open beneath the wooden overhang that covered the similarly dark-wood porch that wrapped itself around the building like a mother’s arms around her child.

In front of the packhouse, Alpha Sylvester and Luna Celine Sage of the Rising Moon pack stood with their Beta, Dylan Lakeshore, and his mate, Emily. Rows of Omegas, males and females dressed as maids and butlers, lined up alongside them.

My eyes flickered forward, and I saw my father, Steven Thorne, start to open the driver’s door. I unlatched my seatbelt and opened my own door, mirroring him perfectly. I stepped out, my glossy black loafers crunchy on the woody mulch that covered the drive. The scent of pine and damp earth assaulted my nostrils as I took the handle of the back door and opened it for my brother, Sean, and his mate, Christine.

My wolf, Samuel, stirred at the scent of the forest. We’d been tending to business in the city for too long. Run?

I sighed inwardly. Not on another pack’s territory.

He echoed my sigh and sulked back into a far corner of my mind.

Ahead of us, Alpha Richard Bush of the Silver Crescent pack, exited the vehicle and helped his Luna, Marilyn, to disembark.

My father and I shut the car doors in unison. He rounded the front of the car and followed our Alpha and Luna to meet our hosts, unlocking the trunk on his way. Sean and Christine trailed along after them. That was Sean’s job. Learning how to be a good Beta. He would have to be one since our father was getting on in years, and Alpha Richard and Luna Marilyn were pupless. A new Alpha would take over our pack before long, and there would be no one to stop him. All the guests at this ball with their extra Alpha pups just had to sit back and wait. Either someone would defeat Alpha Richard or he would be forced to choose one of the candidates on display tomorrow night. It would be either my father’s or my brother’s job to ease the new Alpha into his place at the top of the pack.

Me? I’m just the spare. The Beta spare at that. The one in charge of the driving and the luggage. Get the Beta’s family to its destination safely (Check). See that the cars are unloaded with care (In Progress). Make sure that everyone’s belongings get to the proper room (To Be Determined). Then, park the cars wherever I’m instructed to do so, before taking the keys for both cars (I have a spare set to the Alpha’s car in my pants’ pocket) to my own room. Wherever that turns out to be.

Wood chips crunched beneath my shiny black loafers as I made my way around to the trunk of the Alpha’s car and opened it so some Omegas from Rising Moon could offload their luggage. I walked around back of the Beta car and repeated the process. The numerous packs invited for the Alpha Ball had staggered their arrival times so as not to overwhelm the staff, but the place was already buzzing with activity. I glanced around and found the Omega who seemed to be head butler. I adjusted my black business suit and tie, then made my way over to him. “Hello. I’m Kirin Thorne of Silver Crescent. Any communications about nonessential matters while we are here should go through me. There is no need to occupy Alpha Richard’s or my father, Beta Steven’s time with anything I can just as easily take care of. They are, after all, here to have a good time.” I smiled at the man and waited to be addressed.

The butler checked a clipboard he held in his hands. “Alpha Richard and Luna Marilyn are assigned to fourth floor, suite three. Beta Steven and his mate, Alice, are in suite four next to them, which includes a second bedroom for future Beta Sean and his mate, Christine. As the second son of a Beta, I’m afraid all we have available for you is a private room in the Omega section.”

I gave a short nod. “I’ll see the housekeeper after I make sure the important luggage is settled and the cars are parked to see where I should send mine.” I followed after the staff, wondering what on earth a “private room in the Omega section” was. All of our Omegas shared rooms with one to three others. Then again, all of our Omegas were female. Breeders. I didn’t understand the point in having a bunch of extra butlers running around. But, then again, to each Pack its own.

The scent of pine and damp earth also pervaded the packhouse, seeming to drift after us inside from the courtyard. I had my bags sent to my room and followed the Omegas assigned to our luggage up the stairs to the fourth floor and down the hall to our assigned suites. I made sure the Alpha and Luna’s belongings were unpacked into the large wardrobe in their room, then tended to those of my father, brother and sister-in-law. Once everything was in place, I made my way back downstairs and outside to move the cars into their assigned spaces. Once they were settled, I located the head housekeeper. I waited patiently for her to finish with directing Omegas to greet another Pack then approached her. “Hello. I’m Kirin Thorne of the Silver Crescent Pack. I was told that a private room had been set aside for me in the Omega section.”

The housekeeper signaled to one of the female Omegas. “Jenny, take Master Kirin to his room. It’s across the hall from yours.”

Jenny nodded at the housekeeper and motioned for me to follow her.

I kept close on her heels, making mental notes of the paintings and other details on the walls as we climbed up one flight of stairs then maneuvered down a labyrinth of halls so I could find my way out if there was no one to escort me.

After about ten minutes, Jenny opened a door on the right side of the hallway and ushered me inside. “Dinner’s at 8 in the main hall.” With that she was gone.

I entered the room and looked around.

A window with drapes overlooked the drive. There was no balcony, probably for security because it was so low to the ground. There was a double bed with a dark blue comforter, matching sheets and pillow. A nightstand with a small light stood next to it. A wardrobe loomed in the far corner with my luggage in front of it. A door on my right led to what I presumed was a bathroom, probably a shared one, given what I knew about Omegas.

I sighed and began unpacking my things. I felt my wolf stir again.

Well, it could be worse, Samuel observed.

Yeah, I replied. We could be sharing it with a stranger. I’d travelled light. Just a second business shirt, two sets of boxers, a tux for the ball, and my toiletries bag. We were just going to be here two nights and leave early the morning after the Ball. I’d left straight from the office to pick up Sean and Christine. There were no sports or other games planned, so I’d left behind all my training and casual clothes. Another weekend of being a glorified go-fer, I grumbled.

Could be worse. You could be Sean, Sam offered unhelpfully.

Begrudgingly, I agreed. At least I didn’t have to have a semi-photographic memory to keep track of all of the Alpha’s requests, exercise the brainpower necessary to fulfill them and share a bedroom adjacent to my father’s with my mate. Mom had been killed by rogues years ago, and at 23, I was starting to wonder if I even had a mate. None of the she-wolves interested me, and the guys never gave me a second glance. Not that I was complaining. Well, I guess I was complaining. I was a decent fighter, but I wasn’t a warrior. I was a better fighter than a Gamma, but I didn’t have the supernatural skills of a Delta. I had no healing powers, and I couldn’t teach pups to save my life. I simply didn’t have the patience for it. I would occasionally go on patrols over the pack territory, but mostly I was a chauffeur and personal butler to our Alpha couple, my father, my brother and Christine. Even at the company I was just an elevated file clerk at RM Industries, not an assistant. My life was dull—which I suppose some pack members would consider a good thing. But it wasn’t exactly fulfilling, and I didn’t see myself getting out of it. Ever. Yet there didn’t seem to be any other way I could contribute to the pack.

I checked the time on my phone. I had three hours to kill before dinner. I set the timer for two and a half hours.

Run? San suggested again.

Not here. I set my phone on the nightstand, took off my jacket and hung it up in the wardrobe. I slipped off my shoes and stretched out on the bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I noticed it again. That scent of pine and damp earth. Maybe it was some kind of laundry soap they used around here. Whatever it was, Sam was going crazy over it, repeatedly demanding to go for a run. Finally, I had to block him. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath of the soothing scent, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 2

Jilian’s POV:

I finished setting the table for the guests who had already arrived. We’d positioned several long tables down the length of the ballroom. Forgoing a tablecloth, several us had polished the wood to a brilliant shine. I’d positioned a carving of a howling wolf in the center of the table and cut pine branches to trail along the length to the ends. I worked battery operated candles into the branches so nothing would catch fire. I’d chosen our platinum cutlery instead of our stainless steel because of the ranks of our guest. We had no silver because of the damage it did to us. I set out the crystal wine and water goblets, decorated with crescent moons, and took one final look at my work. Satisfied, I returned to the kitchen to get my next assignment.

“Dishes!” the head cook yelled at me.

I hung up my jacket on the wall hooks we had for that purpose, rolled up my sleeves, put on an apron, and began to wash the pots and pans, handing them off to my friend Mary to dry, while other butlers and maids went to seat the guests and pour water and wine. We’d already eaten earlier, in the late afternoon, and others started to dish up the meal for our guests. Mine was dirty work, but I didn’t mind. This chore was less nerve-wracking than mingling with the Alphas, Lunas and Betas I’d be serving tomorrow night at the ball. I was a wolfless Omega, and a male one at that. I knew the other packs didn’t approve. My father, a Delta, and my mother, an Omega, in the Blue Moon Pack certainly didn’t, particularly when they noticed that I had crushes on warriors instead of she-wolves. At least they cared enough to place me in the Rising Moon Pack instead of having our Alpha turn me out as a rogue. Alpha Sylvester had been good to me. He gave me a home when no one else would, and I had no desire to cause him any trouble.

We worked quietly, focusing on the task at hand. Mary’s curly red hair stuck to her forehead, and my straight black hair did the same to mine. I’d thought about asking Alpha Sylvester to have the geniuses at RM Corp. design air conditioning for workers stuck doing dishes, but I’d given up the idea when I’d overheard him talking with Luna Celine about the important medical equipment our teams were designing. Surely they were more important than me having to put up with a little sweat.

As soon as Mary and I finished the dishes, we helped fill up the plates, which the other maids and butlers carried into the ballroom-turned-dining room. I placed carved pieces of roast—rare, the way most wolves liked it—next to the mashed potatoes Mary scooped onto the plates. Jeremy added gravy to the potatoes and roast while Shiela finished the place with French-cut green beans and handed them off to the servers. Once the last plate went out, Mary and I worked on washing the serving dishes. We worked in silence since the kitchen was far too loud a place to attempt to carry on a conversation. We didn’t need to talk, though. We were good friends. Comfortable with each other. Roommates because neither of us had any romantic interest in the other.

We’d just finished the pack dishes when the main course dishes from our guests started to stack up in the kitchen, carried there by maids and butlers while other servers prepared desserts and took them into the main hall. This part of formal parties always bothered me. I feared chipping the plates. It would be even worse when the crystal glasses arrived. Alpha Sylvester wasn’t mean, but I’d hate to see him disappointed if I damaged any of his treasures.

The slight smell of vanilla and rosemary wafted through the kitchen, which I assumed was a mix of odors from the main course and the desserts. I ran clean water in the sink and carefully washed the dishes, handing them to Mary to dry. By the time we finished the plates for the main course, the dessert plates started to return. And the glasses. I used another sink of clean water for each of them, noticing that the faded smell of rosemary and vanilla was still there. We made it through the dessert plates and glasses without incident, then I refilled the sink again and started on the platinum ware. As Mary finished drying them, she laid them out and began to count to make sure nothing had been accidentally thrown away.

The others brought in the napkins and tablecloths, which we sorted into multiple washers. There it was again. On one of the tablecloths and napkins. Rosemary and vanilla. Someone must’ve spilled something, though I didn’t see any spots.

The rest of the butlers and maids drifted out of the kitchen, heading for their beds.

I finished loading the washers and walked back over to the hooks to reclaim my jacket, unrolling my sleeves as I went. I replaced my jacket with my apron, then made my way to the kitchen table.

Mary carried the dishtowels back to the washers and put them in a pile for us to do when the linens were ready to dry.

I tossed my jacket over the back of a chair and grabbed a couple of everyday wine glasses for us. I poured us each some black wine from partially empty bottles and took a seat at the kitchen table.

Mary took the seat next to me, reached for her glass and stared at the dark fluid.

“I’m not looking forward to tomorrow,” I admitted. I took a sip of my black wine, enjoying the effervescent feel of the sweet liquid on my tongue.

Mary slowly twirled her glass in her hands. “I don’t know why Alpha Sylvester is having the male Omegas serve at the ball. He knows the other packs don’t like you. He should let you hide in the kitchen.”

I gave a low chuckle. “I think he wants to make sure none of the she-wolves attract the attention of the candidates who are up for adoption.”

Mary rolled her eyes. “The new Alpha-to-be will need a Luna.”

“Maybe one of them will swing the way I do,” I teased. I put my hands together under my chin and batted my eyelashes. “Don’t you think I’d make a fabulous Luna?”

Mary snorted, some of her wine going up her nose. She punched my shoulder. “Look what you made me do!” She used her apron to clean herself up. She sighed when she finished. “I love this pack, but I already know my mate isn’t here. If I’m going to find her, I’ll have to visit our allies.”

“What if we don’t have mates?” I asked idly, eyeing my wine. When she didn’t respond immediately, I took a large gulp.

Mary reached out and patted my forearm. “You haven’t even turned 18 yet or received your wolf. You could have a mate right under your nose and have no idea.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes. “My birthday, a full moon, and I’m serving Alphas who won’t look at me twice. Tomorrow is going to be so much fun.”

“Stop it!” Mary giggled. “I’m going to need a towel to wipe up that much sarcasm.”

I gave her a lopsided grin. “I was just thinking that I might need to pocket a towel for my drool with all those hot Alphas in the room.”

Mary’s giggle became an outright laugh. “Aren’t we the pair? The odds of us finding mates of our own gender and being allowed to get away with it . . .” She sobered as her voice trailed off.

We’d talked about the problem a thousand times. We’d have a better shot in the human world, and even there the odds weren’t great. Neither of us was willing to go rogue for something we might not find. So, we washed dishes and scrubbed floors and took care of children and did everything else we could do to earn our keep in the one pack that would accept us. Or at least me. Mary could have hidden in another pack even if she did find her mate. Me? I was out of luck. At least I had clothes, food and a roof over my head.

The washing machines finished, and we shifted the linens to the dryers. We washed up our glasses, returned them to their shelf, and started a load of dishtowels, which we would dry in the morning. Then we made our way out of the kitchen, turned off the lights, and headed up the stairs to our room.