CHAPTER 2

Future Beta Ashley

My parents have been going at this for what feels like a fucking lifetime but no matter what my

mother says my dad isn't backing down and I'm seriously grateful for his support but I don't like

being the reason for them arguing.

Out of nowhere the door to our kitchen flies open and Alpha Roland walks in followed by his Luna

Rachel and Gamma Terry, my dad is his Beta and I'm the future Beta of the Red Ridge pack.

"You asked for us to come here Beta Hailey what's wrong?" Why the fuck would my mother call for

the Alpha?

"It's with regret that I need to inform you that you will need to train a new future Beta as Ashley is

no longer able to take my husband's place."

"What are you talking about mom? Why wouldn't I be able to take on the Beta title?" Alpha, Luna,

and Gamma Terry all look as confused as me. My dad however looks like he knows exactly what's

going on and his anger is becoming visible to see.

"I'm ashamed to tell you this, to say it out loud but you need to know that this morning I caught

Ashley having sex with an Omega... A male Omega." Her dramatic behavior causes my eyes to roll

back of their own accord earning me a warning growl from my mother but at this point, I honestly

couldn't give a fuck.

"Is this true Ashley?" Alpha looks pissed but I don't understand why.

"Yes Alpha, it's true."

"Fuck!" He spits out while I struggle to understand his behavior. "Why would you do that Ashley?"

"It's sex Alpha and it's not the first time it's happened. I did plan on waiting for my mate but

sometimes things happen." I know he's my Alpha, but why am I explaining my sex life to him?

"This is not acceptable!" Gamma Terry grunts out.

"Since when was who I sleep with anyone else's business but mine and the person that I am with?"

I'm slowly starting to lose my patience with these people.

"It's not allowed!" Mom shrieks.

"Is there a law about this that I'm unaware of?"

"No there's not." Alpha answers me. His pissed-off expression not moving an inch.

"So, what's the problem?"

"I won't have that behavior going on in my pack, it's not normal!" Oh, now I'm pissed.

"YOU WHAT?" Alpha sends me a warning growl but I'm too far gone to care.

"Ashley apologizes to the Alpha now!" Mom bellows but I pay no attention to her as my stare is

firmly placed on the Alpha's face.

"What's going on?" Troy comes running into the room looking rough as fuck and seriously pissed off

and I quickly link him to catch him up on what's happened since my mother found Coby and me.

Troy looks immediately pissed and I know it's on my behalf, he's always been a massive support to

me. "Dad what do you mean it's not normal?"

"Never mind that, you don't seem surprised, you know about this?"

"Of course, I do Ashley is my best friend. I know he's gay and I know about him and Coby."

"And you didn't think I should know?" Now he's pissed at Troy and that's the one thing that I didn't

want to happen.

"Troy agree with your dad if you need to, I know you won't mean it but it will save you from getting

in trouble!" I quickly link him.

"No!" He shouts out loud while looking at me.

"What?" Alpha looks between us and guesses there's been linking going on.

"Ashley doesn't want me to get in trouble with you, but I won't lie and I won't agree with what

you're saying!"

"I thought I raised you better than this Troy!" Alpha bellows and it takes everything I have not to

punch him in the face.

"You raised me to be an Alpha, to put my pack before myself, to love, care, and protect my pack, and

that's what I'm doing!" Troy moves across the room and stands beside me, tall and proud and I'm

seriously grateful for him right now.

"I am your father and Alpha and I expect nothing but respect from you Troy!"

"And you always get it but not in this situation, never!"

"Your opinion on this matter doesn't matter son, this is my pack and I make the rules."

"So, what exactly are you saying Alpha?" Just calling him Alpha is leaving a bitter taste on my tongue.

"I'm not a heartless man Ashley!" I swallow back a huff. "You have two choices, you can stop this

behavior and we'll carry on as normal or you will leave my pack, the choice is yours?"

"Or we can rip his throat out!" Alfie my wolf growls in my head.

"As much as I feel the same, I don't think we'd get very far Alfie." He grunts before retreating to the

back of my mind.

"Ok so say I stop this and stay here, what happens if my mate turns out to be a male?"

"Then you'll reject him, you will find a she-wolf to mate and marry." Alpha quickly answers. He

seems to have all these answers very quickly and it makes me wonder if this is actually the first time

this has happened.

"I can't believe this, honestly Ashley, I raised you better than this, what were you thinking?" Mom

spits at me with nothing but disgust showing on her face.

"You never raised me, mom, dad did and he raised me to be a Beta, to be kind and protect my pack

and to be who I am and not to let anyone else put me down for who I am yet here you are putting

me down for who I am. It's bullshit and you know it!"

"There are she-wolves in this pack that has lost their mates but still want a family you can marry one

of them and stop all this nonsense." Alpha quickly adds in. "How long do I have to make my decision?" My obvious decision is to leave I won't change who I am

for anyone and I certainly won't reject my mate for anyone.

But I need some time to figure out a plan if I can but if not, I'll leave today because I would rather be

a Rogue than live amongst these bastards even if leaving my sister, dad and friends behind is the last

thing I want to do.

"3 days."

"Ok Alpha."

"Come on Ash, let's get out of here!" Troy motions to the door and we both head out, Alpha Roland

calls after Troy but he grabs my hand and starts running with me quickly following behind him.

"Can you believe my father?" Troy starts shouting out the moment we stop and he's clearly raging

"I'm not going to lie I'm shocked, I expected it of my mother but not your dad."

"I'm embarrassed to be a part of this pack right now." Troy has been my best friend all my life. He's 6

months younger than me and I'm going to miss him when I leave.

"Me too mate... FUCK!"

"I already know your gonna leave but where are you gonna go?"

"Fuck if I know but I have 3 days to form a plan."

"I'm gonna miss you, Ash."

"I'm gonna miss you too buttercup but we'll keep in touch." He smiles agreeing as we both block our

links and head for the forest for a run with our wolves...

2 days, 2 days is all it took for Troy to turn against me, not just ignore me but 2 days is all it took for

him to go from being my best friend to an enemy.

Deep down inside my heart, I hope it's because he has no choice, that his dad's making him because

that I could forgive but to know that there is a chance that this is of his own free will is fucking soul

destroying.

The only friends that have stood by me throughout all this are Sophie and Coby even after I told

them that they didn't have to, they could just ignore me, with no hard feelings they have still stood

by my side and defended me whenever they have been around. Sophie's parents are not happy but

she doesn't care and I'll never forget it.

The woman who claims to be my mother hasn't spoken to me since that day and to be honest, I

couldn't give a monkey's nuts, she's never been a mom to me or my sister and honestly, I don't feel a

loss from no contact with her.

My dad, however, hasn't changed one bit and has had my back in this since the moment he arrived

home. He's gone against everyone to stick by my side and I know he has tried to plead my case so

that I can stay here but, in all honesty, I'm done with this place.

I won't live somewhere where I am made to feel worthless and dirty. How can they be so narrow

minded? I don't give a fuck who any one of them loves, I'd support them regardless but to see this,

to live this way, fuck that. I'm out! They think that I can just stop being gay like it's a choice, it's not a choice it's who I am and I'm proud

of it and I won't change who I am not for anyone and so this afternoon I informed the Alpha that I

will be gone from here by tomorrow night and he gladly accepted it.

"Hey, Ash you, ok?"

"Hey bubbles, I'm fine, how was school?" My little sister Kelly looks up at me her big green eyes

shining away. She's 10 years younger than me and small for an 8-year-old. It seems we both got the

small gene but both of our parents are tall so I don't know how it happened.

Our mother never wanted children she's made it clear over the years but my dad needed a son to

take over as Beta so you can imagine her relief when her firstborn was a son and she didn't have to

bear any more children.

Unfortunately for her but to my complete and utter joy, she got pregnant with Kelly when I was 10,

and even if she stayed the same old distant mom and hated things I didn't.

I've loved every moment that I've spent with Kelly since the day she was born. Hell dad and I pretty

much raised her ourselves without much input from mom and we both know she won't ever change

her ways when it comes to her kids.

I spend the next hour playing dolls with Kelly before I tuck her into bed and read her a bedtime story

fighting back tears the whole time.

She knows what happened and she doesn't care about any of it and she still loves me the same but

she doesn't know that I will be leaving tomorrow and I'm ashamed to admit that I am being a

coward.

But I just can't tell her to her face because it will break me and make me want to stay and lord knows

I want to stay for her but I can't but I will come back for her when she's older.

I've written her a letter that she'll find once I'm gone and I just hope that she'll understand. I hope

she won't hate me but then again if her hating me means she won't miss me then maybe it wouldn't

be such a bad thing.

Once she's sleeping, I kiss her head and head back to my room still fighting the tears. I will let them

fall, I will cry at the fact that I won't see her for a long time, maybe even never again but it won't be

yet, I need to keep strong right now, and I'm afraid that once I break, I won't be able to stop and so I

keep it all inside and start packing a bag ready to leave.

"ASHLEY!" My bedroom door flies open before my dad and Coby quickly appear inside my room and

close and lock the door causing my senses to instantly be on high alert. "They are coming for you

tonight son, we need to leave and we need to leave now!"

He's panicked and sweating as he starts pushing me toward the window and I'm just fucking gutted.

They couldn't even let me leave in fucking peace, could they?

"Go now I'll hold them back for as long as I can!" Coby shouts and I'll forever be grateful to him for

everything including this moment.

"Ashley let's go!" My dad opens the window and we both make quick work of climbing down the

side of the packhouse and heading for the forest. None of us knows where we are going but we run

with all we have, I literally run for my life.What the fuck are we going to do?