I am ready.

After Thomas - from the pack Human Resources department - notified me that I was being forced to use my vacation days because I nearly had thirty days to use, I was not in a good place.

I dread taking vacations as an unmated adult because I don’t have anyone to accompany me anywhere. All my friends and family are happily mated, most of them with families of their own.

That is where a mate would come in handy and precisely why partners coordinate their vacation time, so they can enjoy couple or family trips, depending on the stage of their lives.

On the flip side, I always wanted to visit California, so that is where I will go. I am sure it’s going to be great. I already notified the wolf packs of the cities I am going to visit. It’s frowned upon to show up unannounced to someone else’s pack.

In small towns such as Regency Falls that could get you killed. Werewolves are extremely territorial. That is exactly why we patrol our borders, to avoid intruders in wolf form. We don’t concern ourselves with humans, naturally.

But we are also aware of any human form rogue that could invade our territory, our city entrances are monitored for this very reason. This is a werewolf town and though you don’t see wolves walking down the main street, we need to be on the lookout for any unwanted visitor, human or werewolf.

That is my job, the protector of the pack, I have to be on top of everything. It’s exhausting, but it is also why I don’t have to clock in or out. Goddess knows how many times I left my office at 8 or 9 p.m.

It is not everyday I can afford to put things off to another time. More often than not, threats need to be dealt with right away. It is literally why we call them threats. But a real and credible threat is rare to appear. Nobody in their right mind would want to take on us.

Anyway, it is what it is. I have only two weeks to get my ducks in a row before I start my vacation. I am content to have this time away from the pack and enjoy my single life. The advantage of going to a larger city is that the vast human population serves my purpose well.

In Regency Falls, there is almost no dating pool. But in Los Angeles or San Francisco that's another story. I can see myself living in a major city, if I weren’t Beta that is. I am not quitting my job, this fact has already been established.

“Good morning, Beta. How are you doing on this fine Monday?” Iris greeted me as I walked inside the training center. The men and women present greet me as I pass them by.

“I am great. I have decided where I want to go on vacation. Are you ready for it, acting Beta?” I replied in a chipper tone.

Whenever Phillip or I are away from the pack, our positions need to be temporarily filled by other people. When the Alpha is away, I act in his place as his second in command. The same is true for the Delta of the pack, who has to act in my stead.

“I am so ready that by the time you return from vacation the Alpha is going to replace you with me.” She snickered in a good mood. I glared daggers at her.

“Good one, Judas. And who is going to be acting Under Delta?” I rolled my eyes in annoyance at her humor. By now, you know that I cannot be replaced or fired, only impeached by the Wolf Council. That would take an act of the Goddess with both my dad and grandfather sitting on the board. I am a Cortez after all, a third generation Beta.

If Iris will be acting Beta, Clarkson will be acting Delta, so that leaves a position left to be filled by someone from the warrior ranks.

“Yeah, that is where I am having difficulty.” She lowered her head just a little and looked at me feeling less confident than she usually does.

“Why? You have a dozen team leaders. Pick one.” I told her, confused as to why she is having any trouble.

“Yeah, Clarkson already suggested a few names, but I am not feeling it. I want to pick another person but he doesn’t think I should do that. Promote an untested person to Under Delta.” She said, feeling distraught about it.

“I see. Well, I am not so sure I can act as a tiebreaker. I am not going to be here, so it should be your decision.” I backed out of the conflict.

Iris was not pleased by my statement, but I don’t want to get in Clarkson’s way once again. I already promoted someone else in his place, I am staying out of this issue. If Phillip was the one going away, then I would have no excuse.

“Out of curiosity, who do you want to pick for acting Under Delta?” I couldn’t resist asking her.

“Michaels.” She replied and I gasped in shock. I stared at her for a moment before realizing the obvious.

“The father, not the son.” She rolled her eyes at me. Both Owen and his father are warriors from this pack, while Owen is on probation his father has been with us for two decades.

“Then I definitely won’t offer my opinion on the matter!” I blurted, uncomfortable by this.

Iris is grunting at me for my silence. Meanwhile, in another corner of the place, Owen is staring at us having this conversation about his father, who is away on patrol. Probational warriors don’t go on patrol for the first three to four months of employment.

I walked to the second floor to talk to Thomas for a minute and get away from the awkward topic. One night with the boy I am already acting like we were in a relationship. Oh my goodness… *sweats uncomfortably*

“Hi, Tommy.” I greeted my friend who was busy looking at his computer screen.

“Hi, Steph. You only call me Tommy when you’re nervous. What happened?” He looked away from his computer to stare at me in curiosity.

“Nothing major. Iris doesn't want to select one of the team leaders to be acting Under Delta but Clarkson is not keen on promoting an untested warrior. He is not a fan of promoting out of the chain of command. He is traditional.” I explained to him in a matter of fact tone.

“I see, but that doesn’t explain why you’re sweating.” He spoke, humorously.

“She wants to promote Kaleb Michaels.” I elaborated, taking him a minute to connect the surname with Owen. It is worth noting that Kaleb is from Iris' old squad, so she knows him very well. Now that I think about it, she should have known that the bar where I celebrated my birthday belonged to his mate, Owen’s mother. But she wasn’t the one who chose it. I did.

“Oh… I see it now. Naturally, you are staying out of the debate even though Mr. Michaels is next in line for team leader and is widely respected by his peers.” He said with a knowing glance.

“Wow. You’re so well informed.” I admired his knowledge.

“Well, I work in Human Resources and I am mated to a warrior, so…” - He smirked, speaking to me as if that was obvious - which of course it is.

“Right. Yeah, I prefer not to opine either way. I am not going to be here, so they can sort this out.” I declared, taking a seat on the chair opposite from his desk.

“I take it you have already set a date, though I don’t see any form signed by you on my desk.” He teased me. Yes, there is paperwork before I can go on vacation. Every company has it.

“I did, yeah. You’ll have your form, nerd.” I shot back, poking fun at him.

We laughed at our own silliness and talked for a while before I had to depart to the pack house. I should get paid extra for all the gas I spend going from one place to another.

When I arrived at the pack house, I received a text message from Owen:

‘Hi. Even if you were opposed to my father’s promotion, it wouldn’t change the way I feel about you. I understand you have a job to do. If you want a repeat of the other night, call me.’

Oh that was fast. We have been radio silence since the night of my birthday when we slept together. He has been working nights since, so today was the first day that we saw each other.

I am glad that he took the initiative to text me, I would not have thought to do that. Though certainly not because I don’t want a repeat of last Wednesday. I want that very much, actually I cannot wait to see him again. I just don’t want to appear eager for it.

I stop by Phillip’s office before I lock myself in mine. There are so many things to go over before my time off that these two weeks are going to fly by.

At lunch, Linda called me out on a rumor going around that I got intimate with a warrior.

“Do you have access to the security cameras? Is there a security breach I am not aware of? Not one footage of the training center is available online. You couldn’t even hack it.” I questioned her in a joking tone, though what I said is true. We cannot risk images of wolves going online, so our CCTV is linked to an air gap computer [laptop that has never been connected to the internet].

“Who says I have time to look at security camera footage? Plus, that would not show you and the Beta’s pet together.” She teased me and I gasped in shock. Both Phillip and I did, but mine was louder.

“What?” I gaped at her, wide-eyed by her characterization.

“Beta’s pet.” She confirmed the ‘nickname’ for Owen and I almost had a syncope.

“LINDA!” - I screamed at her, impossibly embarrassed by this. - “I don’t have any pets!”

She laughed at my own embarrassment while I was mortified by the whole thing.

“My love, I don’t think your cousin is a fan of your characterization.” Phillip told his mate, embarrassed for my sake.

“Oh, I did not come up with this! It’s what some people are referring to him as.” She clarified and I sunk into my chair. Is there a trap door button I could push? Because this would be a great time for it.

“Kill me now, please.” I muttered under my breath, impossibly uncomfortable by this news.

“How did I get here? No one even saw us together.” I breathed out, blushing in front of the Alpha couple. I am glad we eat alone because this would be even worse in front of an audience.

“Yeah… maybe some people saw you two leaving the bar together. Who knows?” Linda conjectured. How does she even know we left the bar together?

My mouth is agape at how knowledgeable she is. How resourceful Linda is for someone who isn’t attached to any of the warriors or goes inside the training center. I am beyond gobsmacked by this.

“I am dead. Beta’s pet. For the love of Goddess! This is what gets me being unmated at 29. I think I am moving my vacation up. This is too embarrassing for me!” I admitted, blushing.

Phillip talked me out of it. He told me to own the situation and don't let anyone embarrass me. I don't have anything to be embarrassed about.

Linda was also encouraging me, despite the provocation. She said I was allowed to have some fun while the fated mate doesn't show himself.

I really appreciate them not making me feel inadequate. This could easily go bad with an unsupportive Alpha and Luna. Yes, she is my cousin but not all cousins are this nice to me. Family can go either way.

I nearly had indigestion after lunch because of the awkward conversation. Once again, I returned to the training center to finish off my shift. I waited for Iris to be done talking to the probational warriors before I could have my time with her.

Owen looked concentrated on what she had to say, taking it all in. It is not always that the highest ranking warrior has time to talk to low ranks, but she motivates them from time to time. Especially this close for them to start going on patrols.

“You are not going to believe what I just learned from Linda.” I told her in a low tone, still embarrassed about the whole thing.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to say anything to you this morning, but I know what you are going to say.” She spoke, sounding apprehensive.

“You do?” I stared at her wide-eyed.

“Yeah, sorry Beta.” She spoke in a condescending tone and I knew it right away.

I grunted rabidly, so annoyed at the whole thing.

“I would literally offer my whole trust fund to the Goddess if she was open to bribes.” I declared, awkwardly.

“I am sorry, Beta. I don’t think you should take it too seriously though. Neither of you have done anything wrong.” She consoled me, feeling bad about the situation.

“Thanks, Delta. I appreciate the support.” I told her, just before I walked upstairs to Thomas’ office. He is the right person to vent to, reassuring me that there really is nothing to be ashamed of. It is not like I am his sugar daddy, though I don’t think there is anything wrong with that as well, just as long as the parties involved know what they are getting into.

In the days that followed, I readied everything for my upcoming departure. I doubled down on training, practiced emergency drills, analyzed contingencies, I was so hard on Iris that she was begging me to just leave already.

The warriors were exhausted from too many drills and extra exercises, but I wanted to make sure my pack was in tip top shape. I also gave Iris a lot of reading material. It has been a rough couple of weeks.

“Good morning, Beta. Are you ready to fly away? Do you need someone to drive you to the airport? Are you packed?” Iris greeted me on a Friday morning, apparently eager to see me off.

“Actually, I don’t have a ride to the airport. Can you arrange it for me? I’ll pay for it out of my own pocket, of course.” I told her, though I was planning to order a cab, sometimes taxi drivers don’t like to make those kinds of trips because the journey back is without any remuneration.

“Done. Anything for my Beta.” She smiled at me, anxiously.

“Wow. Are you that desperate to see me off, huh?” I snickered, noticing how eager she looked.

“Of course not, Beta. I just want to assure your safety.” She faked a polite reply and I laughed at the phoniness.

“Thank you, Delta.” I smiled at her, looking around the room for one last time before I went away.

With the whole ‘Beta’s pet’ business, I haven’t seen Owen in a romantic setting. I was put off by the gossip, even though I shouldn’t be. I caught some lingering eyes towards me from him, but he didn’t insist.

I am going to miss him, even though we only had a one night stand so far. He is an adorable guy with whom I am sure would have a nice time if ever we get together again. I should text him, maybe we can have a send off tonight?

After the reception I had at the training center, it was time to go to the pack house and see my Alpha before I travel. Phillip was happy for me to have some time off, but he too is feeling the separation anxiety.

“It is going to be fine, Beta. We are going to be okay. This is not the first time you are going on vacation. The pack is ready. I am here for them, rest assured. If I have any doubt, I’ll be sure to…” - Linda gave him a poignant look. - “Consult a manual.” - He concluded, awkwardly.

I am having lunch with the Alpha couple, like always. Linda is adamant to see her mate dealing with the pack affairs on his own and to not bother me at all while I am away.

“Don’t worry, cousin. I’ll send you pictures from everywhere I go. This way you won’t miss me too much.” I winked at her, playfully.

“I am counting on it.” She looked at me seriously.

I had a nice time with the people I consider practically family to me. Now the question remains: am I ready to go? To spend ten days alone in the sun? Well, this is not my first rodeo… *fingers crossed*