Forced to Become

Ch 21 Beta

Something was happening. The omegas had been put up right after breakfast. Alpha and our young lord had gone into Alpha's bedroom, leaving just us guards in the apartment. The thought of exploring to see if we could get into any air vents crossed my mind, but the two guards who hadn't been kidnapped were with us. I was sure they would yell out for Alpha in a heartbeat if we tried anything. And then...

I shuddered, then shook it off, calling the guys together. I started everyone doing a few sit-ups, unwilling to let go of the slight victory I had won. We heard yelling and sounds of fighting in the closed bedroom. It would get quiet again, before some more yelling, that was quickly hushed. There were some whimpers from a few of the guys.

The two boys who had no bite mark on their shoulder took food into the females while we did our sit-ups. I had yet to lay eyes on the two girls who were here, one of which, we were told, was a royal and our lord's future mate. The two guards had let drop that they had helped bring the other girl into the pack to be a companion for their royal female. Even though the girls were kept isolated, I envied them. Other than short visits by Alpha and our lord three times a day, the girls were spared from Alpha's constant scrutiny.

I started us on our daily movement on two legs, because we hadn't been told to become wolf for a change. I was filled with both relief from the lack of pain from changing, and anxiety about whatever was happening behind that closed bedroom door. Throughout the morning we could hear the arguing tones, but couldn't make out any specific words.

We continued our pacing around the apartment, but didn't dare comment on the situation we could hear escalating, because our lord's two personal guards had inserted themselves into our line-up. They were jogging, forcing us to move faster than we normally did. I usually went slow so we could last all day. I wasn't sure how long we could keep up with the pace they set.

I didn't know what to think when Alpha and our lord finally came out and Alpha had us line up along the outer edge of the kitchen. We stood there, trying not to fidget. I kept my toes from curling on the cold tiles, not wanting to bring any extra attention to myself. Usually Alpha had us line up along the back side of the grey sectional couch, the edge of the carpeted living room.

Our young lord walked back and forth in front of us, with Alpha at his heels. When they finally stopped pacing, they stood in the center of the line before us.

"Alpha, make the announcement," our young lord commanded.

"Our royal heir," Alpha practically spat, "in preparation for the time he becomes our alpha, will take the official position of pack Beta, second in command, in order to learn how to run a pack. You will address our royal heir as Beta from now on. You will obey him as you obey me."

If I hadn't been looking down, I think my jaw would have hit the floor. I could hear the hatred in Alpha's voice at being forced to speak those words. I wondered at the authority our young lord actually had over Alpha, that he could force this victory. One of our lord's personal guards was next to me, and I could see the younger boy stand up straighter, full of pride at the announcement.

As much as I wanted to be filled with hope at this official change in status for our young lord, I felt dread weighing down my limbs instead. Alpha already tried to punish us every time our lord repeated one of Alpha's commands, claiming we didn't obey well enough, or fast enough; that is if Alpha didn't override the command in the first place. My stomach got queasy. I squinted my eyes shut tight, swallowing hard. All I could picture was Alpha finding more reasons to beat us black and blue.

"Good One, come stand before us," our young lord commanded.

I felt a twinge of panic, being singled out. My heart thumped in my chest and I felt like I was sinking, even as I took a solid step forward, keeping my head down.

"Good One," Alpha intoned, "you have done well as a guard. You will spend today guarding the bad one."

Alpha's words were unexpected, and filled me with apprehension, even if it didn't sound that bad of a task. Guard the bad one, who was kept chained... there had to be a catch. It took effort not to raise my head to look at my young lord, to question this sudden task. I furrowed my brow, trying to figure what was really wanted of me.

This change in routine was part of what our lord was willing to fight Alpha for. My heart beat faster as I considered how badly our young lord wanted the bad one to give in, and a bit of pee escaped from me. Did he actually expect me to change the bad one's mind? My thoughts spun in circles. Guard the bad one. I prayed that what was wanted of me was just that simple. I tried to relax a little, swallowing down the anxiety that filled my stomach. I swallowed down the questions that wanted to burst from me as well, biting down on my lips instead.

Alpha barked out a coarse laugh. I could hear the sneer in his voice when he spoke. "Your Good One is so proud of the honor you demanded for him. Look at him quake in fear! What shall his punishment be if he fails?"

There was an intense silence for a moment that terrorized me more than any threatened promise of punishment. Our boy lord had won some sort of victory and Alpha was trying to undermine it. I decided if I was going to have my boy lord's back, now was the time to do so.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to take the risk that our young lord did possess some sort of authority over Alpha. I went to my knees the way Alpha wanted us to do for himself. Alpha had said to obey our lord like we did Alpha himself. Our lord had a special rank now, second in command. Making sure to keep my head tucked, I turned my head to expose my neck to the boy in front of me instead of the man next to him.

I worked overtime to keep my voice steady. "I will not fail in guarding the bad one, my lord... Beta..."

I heard Alpha growl and his feet came into view.

Our boy lord also growled. "Are you not pleased that our good one understands the announcement you made, Alpha?"

Alpha snarled. Our boy lord, our new Beta, stepped forward. I had two sets of feet in front of me now. It was like the fight between the two was still raging, just not with actual blows to each other... and I was caught in the middle.

There was silence for awhile as our boy lord ran his hand through my hair, before he sighed. "Alpha expects too much from you. The command is to guard the bad one, isn't it, Alpha," our new Beta demanded harshly.

"That is the command," Alpha agreed sullenly.

"I, we, want you to do something else while you guard him. Speak to the bad one while you are with him," our boy lord said. "You do so well helping the others with the rules and training. I'm proud of you for wanting to help the pack get strong. Alpha and I both agree..."

Despair filled me. Alpha had somehow tricked our lord and set me up for a beating because of my stupid experiment. My heart beat faster and I couldn't help the tremble that went through me.

"We agreed," my lord said softly. I knew from the angle of his feet that the words were not directed at me.

"The bad one will get his wish. He will not be bitten. He will serve our pack as an omega, but he will remain human. I wish you to speak with him. If Alpha or I try to tell him what we decided, he will only be defiant like he has been. I want you to tell him. Perhaps coming from you, he will accept his position in the pack. The room he is in now will be his room. He will be chained at night, but he will be brought out to serve us during the day. He will clean the floors. That way he will always be looking down, remembering his place here. You will tell him this. I understand that even coming from you, he might still be defiant. You can only be responsible for your own actions in guarding him, not his defiance."

I couldn't hold back the slight sob of relief that came out of me. The small hand once more found its way into my hair, stroking me to calm me down. This time, I couldn't even resent being petted. I was too grateful I wouldn't be beaten if I failed to get the bad one to obey.