Hopping out of the car, I follow the Alpha, and he holds the door open, motioning for me to enter. Stepping inside, Beta Mateo is waiting in the foyer with my backpack when we arrive. He hands it to me, but Alpha Ezra takes it before I can grab it, throwing it over his shoulder and leading me up the stairs to the second floor of the building.
He walks me down the long hallway. Multiple doors run along both sides, I can only assume they must be other bedrooms. Walking to the last door next to yet another flight of stairs leading to the third level, he opens the door, revealing a bedroom.
“You can stay in here, if you need me just follow the stairs on your right, they lead to mine and Mateo’s bedrooms,” he says. He walks inside and places my bag on the edge of the double bed that has a fluffy dark blue comforter with softer blue cushions and gray headboard. The room is nice, nicer than my bedroom back home, and all the furniture is made of oak.
“You remember where the bathrooms are, and the shower block?” He asks. I nod, having used them the first night we came here while we waited for our house to be ready. So I know they are downstairs, up the corridors running alongside the stairs.
“Well, I will let you get settled. I’ll be upstairs if you need me, or sing out over the mindlink,” he lets me know, walking out and closing the door behind him.
Looking around, I sit on the edge of the bed before rummaging through my bag. I find some pajamas and my toiletry bag, my mother must have packed it, well I hope she did because I don’t like the idea of Beta Mateo rummaging through my drawers.
Grabbing my stuff, I walk downstairs, turning left at the stairs and following the corridor down to the showers. Walking inside, I flick the light on. There are six showers in curtained stalls. I go to the first one pulling the curtain closed behind me before stripping off and turning the shower on, adjusting the temperature until it is perfect, I step in enjoying the heat of the water warming my skin.
As I am washing my hair, my father mindlinks me. “Hey Pumpkin, did you get to the Packhouse okay?”
“Yep, currently showering.”
“You like the Packhouse, where did he put you?”
“Second floor, near the stairs,” I tell him, trying to get the soap out of my eyes. I blindly reach for the shirt I just took off and hung on the hook on the stall wall, wiping my eyes I rid them of the soap burning them. I blink a couple of times until my vision clears.
“He put you on the second floor?” My father asks.
“Yeah, where else would he put me? The third floor is where the Beta and Alpha stay. Did you think he would put me outside?” I chuckle.
“No, of course not, nevermind. I was going to come see you tomorrow, but I will wait until the night of the Pack run.”
Shit! The Pack run, that means this place will be bustling tomorrow night, and then I will have to find a reason to excuse myself from the run.
“What do I do about the Pack run?”
“Just go out when everyone else does, but wander off and lay low. We will come find you,” I nod. I can do that, hide away from everyone. Piece of cake. I am already invisible here to the other students well besides Angie.
“Okay, we will see you Friday night. I know Alpha Ezra has excused you from school tomorrow, so just relax. I love you, Kiddo,” my father tells me before cutting the link.
I finish washing before hopping out and changing quickly. I don’t like the way the bathroom is set up, I know nudity isn’t a big thing in wolf packs but it kind of is for me. The only people that have seen me naked are my parents.
Thankfully, the shower cubicles are empty because the showers themselves are too small to get dressed in without wetting your clothes. Grabbing my toothbrush, I make my way to the sinks, and brush my teeth when I hear the soft sounds of whispers out in the hallway. I couldn’t quite hear what was being said yet I could tell it was the Alpha. Rinsing my mouth out, I creep to the door listening intently.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about Jackson. Why would I have any of your Pack members on my territory?” Alpha Ezra growls and I chew my lip. It was clear he was on the phone. Beta Mateo makes a strange noise and I pop my head out of the bathroom door, but see no one. Making my way to the stairs, I look over the railing and see the Alpha’s office door slightly ajar and the light is on.
“Well, your daughter must have deserved it, but I assure you if you step one foot on my territory, Jackson, I will retaliate,” Alpha Ezra snarls like a demon, and slams the phone down.
“All this over a few members leaving?” Mateo asks.
“Well, Derrick was his Beta. I would be upset if I lost you.”
“What do you want to do?” Beta Mateo asks.
I creep to the stairs to sneak off and out of this drama. They creak under my feet and I hold my breath. Shit! I wonder if they heard.
Alpha Ezra’s voice calling out tells me he did.
“Kat, come here please.”
Beta Mateo opens the office door wider and pops his head out. He smirks up at me on the stairs, shaking his head when he spots me. He wiggles his finger in a mock scold. “Well, come on, if you're going to eavesdrop you might as well join the conversation,” he says.
My face heats at his words and I walk down the last couple of steps and over to the office door, my towel rolled up with my dirty laundry. “I wasn’t eavesdropping, I just overheard.”
“Same difference,” Beta Mateo tells me.
“I suppose it is Beta,” I chuckle.
Beta Mateo shakes his head. “Mateo, you don't need to call me Beta, you can use my name Kat,” he says.
That makes no sense, I am beneath him, we are supposed to refer to them by their titles. Alpha Ezra also asked me to use his name which I thought was strange. Shaking off his words, I turn to look at Alpha Ezra who is watching our strange conversation. “Sorry Alpha, I wasn’t trying to listen in.”
“Ezra, what is it with you and titles?” He says with a smile on his lips.
“But that’s what you are, you’re my Alpha. It's rude not to call you by your title.”
“Yes, but I have asked you not to, same as Mateo. Our titles don't affect you. We are all equals here.”
I shake my head. What was wrong with this man? He got upset with Angie yesterday for using his name, and I was not about to get in more trouble than I was already in.
“What did Alpha Jackson want?” I question.
“He wants your mother. To punish her for attacking his daughter.”
“She only slapped her, I would hardly call it attacking her,” I scoff, and Alpha Ezra nods. “Why did you tell him we weren't here?”
“Because you are my Pack members, mine to protect. I am not just going to hand you over, and I don’t entirely believe his reasoning. Your mother admits to slapping her, yet he is wanting to chase her down just to punish her over one slap. It makes no sense, so until I truly know his intentions, I don’t want him snooping on my lands.”
I nod thankful, but also nervous, what if Alpha Jackson tells him I have no wolf?
“You should get to bed. Mateo will take you back to your room,” he says and I turn to leave. “Oh and Kat, till this issue with Jackson dies down I would rather you and your family stay away from the borders.”
I nod my head. “Night Alpha.”
“It’s Ezra and goodnight Kat."
I dip my head to him following Mateo out.
Beta Mateo shows me where the laundry is and he dumps my clothes in the washer before turning it on. He then escorts me back upstairs. When I am back in my room, I climb into bed. The blankets are soft and the mattress way more comfortable than mine back home, so sleep comes easy as I settle under the comforter falling into a dreamless sleep.