Chapter 3 - Mike/Owen

Mike POV

“Beta Malcolm!  Can you come here?”

My words have a slight edge to them as my beta’s calm voice drifts into my office while he talks to someone in the hallway near my door. 

As I stare at the doorway, my finger lightly taps one of the many piles of paperwork on my desk.  What is taking him so long?

After a few moments, Malcolm rushes into my office and stops in front of my desk.  “Alpha Mike, did you need something?”

I sigh and motion for him to take a seat. 

“I need you to tell me where you are at in finding me a suitable beta.  I would love to keep you on, but I know you are supposed to be in retirement right now.  I don’t want to keep delaying it for too long.  You deserve to enjoy your life.”

A heaviness washes over me as I stare across the desk at the older man.  If things could have been different, he wouldn’t be sitting here right now.  Instead, it would be my friend. 

It has been wearing on me that Malcolm is still working in his son’s place.  I know he has grandkids who he could spoil, but he can’t get the time to see them.  Plus, in the last few years, he seems to have aged considerably.  Gray is slowly taking over his hair color while his face fills with more wrinkles each day. 

The older man, who has become a father to me, slowly lets out a deep breath.  He shifts in his seat while he keeps his attention on me.  “Alpha Mike, you know the problem we are having.  We lost so many of our pack that there aren’t too many to pick from.  The people who could potentially take the position are either too old, like me, or too young.  Plus, the young ones won’t be old enough for several more years to take the position.  What do you want to do?  Wait or try to find someone in the right age range who would join our pack and become your beta?”

Wait or recruit someone from outside?  Do I really have a choice?

I lean back in my chair and sigh while I stare at the older man. 

“You are more experienced in things like this.  What would you do, Beta Malcolm?”

He hesitates for a moment.  “I would look to see if there are any people outside of our pack that are qualified and don’t have a pack anymore.  There are plenty of werewolves who lost their entire pack in the war.”

I look into his eyes, trying to see whether he is being honest or not.  Just like normal, I see nothing but his honesty. 

How did I get to be so fortunate to have someone like him on my side?

I slowly nod.  “Okay.  Do we have a list of people who fit the criteria?  If we do, is there anyone on the list who may look really promising?”

The Beta nods his head.  “Yes, we do.  I’ll send you the list when I get back to my desk.  I have already done some light background checks to see if there is anyone that I can immediately eliminate from the list.  Sadly, there were a few I removed.”

I take a deep breath and give him a small grin.  “Thanks for being proactive on this.  Can you also send whatever background information you could pull up on them?  I want to look through that information, too.”

Once again, the Beta nods.  “Not a problem, Alpha Mike.”

It looks like I just filled my evening with work again.  I quickly push that thought to the back of my mind. 

I sit upright in my chair and flash the older man a wide grin.  “So, how many grandbabies do you have now?”

As the pressure of my situation and the pack’s future weigh down on me, Malcolm’s stories about his family always seem to lift my spirits. 

The older man smiles, and a spark suddenly appears in his eyes.  “I have two so far.  Trey is the oldest, and Connor is the baby.  Both boys are omegas.  However, we already know that Trey’s mate is Max, who is an alpha and is the son of Beta Ford and High Elder Ben.”

As he talks about his grandkids, a smile slowly spreads across my face and a warmth engulfs my heart.  I’m happy for him. 

At the same time, a slight pain pierces through the layer of warmth and straight into my heart. 

He could have been talking about me.  If my father hadn’t messed everything up, I could have had a loving mate and pups right now. 

Ugh… 

I continue to listen as Malcolm talks about all the kids, including a Kent, but I’m not sure exactly who he belongs to.

In the back of my mind, a little ray of hope rises.  Maybe the moon goddess will give me another chance with a second mate.  I would really love to have my own family and pups. 

***

Owen

“OWEN!!  GUESS WHAT I HEARD!!” 

I look up from my textbook and sigh as Jimmy rushes through the cafeteria towards me.  His hands wave in the air, and I quickly choke down the laughter bubbling up. 

I put my pen down on the table and shake my head.  “I have no idea.  Now, tell me what it is, so I can get back to studying.”

I stare up at the big giraffe as he stops next to the table.  His brown eyes practically beam with excitement as he blurts out, “Alpha Mike is looking for a beta, so Beta Malcolm can retire.  My father says this is our chance.  He is going to talk to Alpha Dan and see if he can get our names on the list.  If he can, he is going to demand that we transfer to SM University to be close to Alpha Mike’s pack.  Can you believe it?  We could potentially be transferring to the best university around.  Not to mention, it is full of people we have never met before.”

He takes a deep breath and sits down across from me.  Mischief dances in his eyes as a smile slides across his lips.  “The best part of it all is that there aren’t that many werewolves there.  We don’t have to worry about stepping on some other pack’s toes or crossing some line.  We can do what we want.”

I raise an eyebrow and stare at him.  The subtle changes in his voice tell me he isn’t talking about school anymore, but something else.  My gut twists, and I hope it isn’t what I’m thinking. 

I shake my head.  “It isn’t good to be transferring in the middle of the semester.  Plus, I don’t think Alpha Dan will press for us to transfer now.  Why would your father even request it?”

He shrugs his shoulders.  “Who knows?  Maybe he wants his son to attend one of the best universities and have a good education.”

I stare at him for a few more moments before I sigh and shake my head.  “I doubt that.  If anything, he wants to get you as far away from home as possible.  After all, we have a knack for getting into trouble, but I don’t think that will change by transferring to a university practically on the other side of the world.  I have to admit, though, I would love to be able to say that I graduated from SM University.  That alone opens doors regardless of the degree.”

It is also prestigious and something to be proud of.  SM University’s admissions review is hard to pass, and most fail.  Only the top students make it through. 

There is no way either Jimmy or I will ever go there. 

It will have to stay as a dream.  One that is always just out of my reach. 

Jimmy slaps his hand on the table as his eyes shine.  “My dad can get it done.  Just wait and see.  He will get us there.”

I slowly nod.  “Okay.  I believe you.  Your dad will get us there.” 

Mentally, I shake my head.  There is no way his father can get this done. 

Absolutely no way.