41. Progress
forty-one
Progress
*MARTIN*
Most days, we all try to meet for breakfast, unless any of us has a training to run. The luna and alpha are always on time. This morning, however, they are awfully late. So late, I am starting to worry.
I am not the only one.
“I hope they are okay,” Griffin says.
“They are,” I tell him. “The alpha linked me ten minutes ago.”
“Maybe something came up,” Griffin says, turning to Rory.
I met the luna’s cousin only briefly, and he is not particularly open to small talk.
I get it. That guy got fucked over plenty, from what I heard from Griffin.
And then to have his mate turn around, join that asshat Jordan and become his beta…
That’s a type of betrayal that’s hard to recover from.
Not surprisingly, he looks at me with only thinly veiled suspicion. As the current beta, I am probably not exciting gaining his trust.
How are you coping, Martin? Griffin links me. Having Clemmens out of the picture makes things more difficult, doesn’t it?
Not really, I say. My closest connection is actually Jonah. He likes me more than Clemmens did anyway. Clemmens did not hang out with the guys a lot, but Jonah… he is popular with the crowd, and with Jordan.
That’s the warrior, right?
Yes, he is an elite warrior. I’d bet he is in the running for Jordan’s beta now that Clemmens is gone. He is very loyal to Jordan.
Did he say anything about Clemmens? Griffin asks.
Not yet. I just played dumb when I called him yesterday.
Told him that Clemmens was supposed to contact me but didn’t.
Jonah said that there are some issues with Clemmens and then blabbed something about how he left the pack for reasons.
He sounded pissed, though. I grin. I will make sure to get him drunk tonight.
I’ll bet he will have plenty to talk about.
So, they are trying to sweep things under the rug, Griffin muses. Dr. Francis might be right, and they think Clemmens might have betrayed them, or just snapped and run.
Chances are that only Jordan knows, I say. I don’t think he shares a lot with his men. I have met them a couple of times, til now. They truly believed that Rose was his chosen mate.
Weird cultish behavior, Griffin mutters.
Yeah, but it makes it easier for me that way. They think I am in it for money and some twisted sense of adventure, and that I follow Jordan for his rank and money. It’s easier to manipulate them that way. I pause. Clemmens was more difficult to truly convince.
That’s because he just swam along with them. Griffin tosses a secret gaze at Rory. I don’t think he truly ever fell for Jordan’s trick. He was just grieving and ready to burn everything down by doing so. I wish I could feel sorry for him, but I don’t.
Me neither, I admit. As a beta, he truly sucked. Let alone as a mate and friend.
Griffin nods briefly at me before he stops linking me and turns to Rory. “How do you like the pack?” he asks.
“It’s okay,” Rory says honestly. “Could use a bit of work, though. But I can see Rosea’s touch already. She is brilliant.”
“She really is,” I say.
“Talking about, there she is.” Griffin points at the entrance door, right at the moment when Rose is stepping through. Forest is right behind her. Somehow, their presence generates more buzz than usual, judging by the way some of the pack members sitting closer to the door chat excitedly.
“What’s wrong now?” I ask.
“Nothing, boy.” Dr. Francis pops up behind me and squeezes my shoulders. “Nothing is wrong. In fact, I think things haven’t been so good in a long while.”
Griffin furrows his brows while staring at the alpha couple. “No way!” he exclaims. “They are marked!” He stands up and whistles in their direction, making everyone around us join in.
When Forest and Rose are finally at our table, Forest glares at him. “You are such a pain.”
Griffin grins. “Hey, it’s not me who jumped their mate at the first chance.”
“That might be because you don’t have one,” I mutter to him.
Griffin frowns. “You are not fun, Martin.”
“No,” Rose chuckles, squeezing my arm and winking at me before turning towards Griffin. “You are not fun.”
“See?” Griffin turns to Rory. “They are always ganging up on me.”
Forest rolls his eyes. “Shut up and eat your breakfast.”
It’s funny. Weeks ago, this would not have been possible.
Forest was detached and moving around as if he were in his own bubble, and maybe it was.
And I was not part of anything either; I was just living, silently hoping that maybe I could build a friendship with Forest, who seemed to be so similar to me.
Now here we are, sitting together and joking, as friends and chosen family.
And the luna… when she came here, she was composed and distanced, and now she seems so relaxed and happy.
“Rosy,” Rory pauses, “I mean, Rose, you look happy.”
“That’s because I am,” she says.
He smiles. For the first time that I have seen, he actually smiles. “Then I am happy too.”
“Do you like the pack?” Forest asks him.
Griffin laughs. “He thinks it’s okay,” he says before Rory can answer. “He obviously noticed the good parts being Rose’s doing.”
“I just know her too well not to notice.”
“Don’t worry,” Forest says. “We all know you are right.”
“The pack’s already doing much better than a couple of weeks ago,” I explain to Rory. “Ever since Rose and Forest stepped up here. I hope you will like it here.”
Rory gauges me with his usual skeptical glance and then nods tentatively.
“Where are you currently staying?” Rose asks.
“Last night I stayed with Griffin,” Rory says.
“Do you want to move into the packhouse?” Forest offers. “You can be closer to Rose that way.”
“Yes, you could have one of the apartments here,” Rose agrees. “What do you think?”
“I think I would like that,” Rory agrees. He looks reserved, but his expression softens. He must really like Rose a lot. They are each other’s only remaining family, it seems.
“What about your so-called shady friends?” Rose asks. “Do they need help with anything?”
“They are fine,” Rory says. “And they are not my ‘so-called shady friends’, they are shady as fuck, but they helped me a lot.”
“I think it’s good to have connections everywhere in our position,” I say.
Rose nods at me. “I agree with that.”
The others chat a little about their plans today as my phone vibrates.
It’s a message from Jonah. He wants to see me today, which means I need to prepare properly and get my work in the pack done in time.
“Excuse me, everyone,” I say, getting up.
“I need to head out and get to my work.” Before Forest or Griffin can even say anything, I add: “I have plans later tonight.”
They know immediately what I am talking about. Forest nods at me. “See you later at training, Martin.”
“Awesome that you made it work tonight,” Jonah tells me when I meet him in the club. “It was pretty much on short notice.”
“Yeah, dude, next time give me more time. It was a struggle to come here without raising any suspicions.”
Jonah’s lips curl into a sly grin. “But you made it work.”
“So, it was a test, huh?” I say.
“We just wanted to check how committed you are,” he says.
“And? Did I pass?”
“That’s for the alpha to decide,” Jonah says.
The alpha? So, Jordan is here tonight. “I will finally meet him?” I ask, not even trying to hide my excitement. While I am just happy to finally get further in the plan, Jonah and everyone else will probably see it as real, genuine excitement.
“Yes, today is the day,” Jonah says.
“Finally,” I say. “I have heard so many stories about him. I can’t wait to finally meet him in person.”
Jonah’s eyes light up. “He is a living legend,” he agrees.
“I know. Now, you work for him and see him daily, but I don’t have any chance of crossing paths with him usually, especially now that any potential deals with his pack are off the table for us.”
“Sucks,” Jonah mutters. “But hey, don’t let your head hang. We’ll find a way for you to achieve your goals.”
“I just want to feel like I am doing something useful and, you know, achieve something.”
“I totally get that,” Jonah says. “I was a normal warrior when Alpha Jordan took over. But he saw my potential and helped me grow.”
I only remotely wonder what kind of potential Jordan saw in him. I don’t really want to know. Makes it easier for me to pretend I like Jonah.
“I just feel so bad that I can’t help our former alpha more,” I say.
“You mean Alpha Harry, right?”
I nod. “Harry is like an uncle to me, a second father. He always supported me. I owe my rank and everything I have become to him. He is an amazing man.”
No, seriously, I need to receive an award for the role I’m playing here.
“But Forest turned on him, right?”
“To imagine what Harry did, and then have his son basically toss it all away,” I grimace. “Just for a woman.”
“Right?” Jonah exclaims. “It’s actually insane.”
“All Harry did, he did for the sake of the pack and to make us strong and big,” I say.
“Alpha Jordan really respects him too,” Jonah explains. “He even wanted a deal with Forest just because of his friendship with Harry.”
“Do you know him too, Jonah?”
Jonah looks at me for a moment, then he grins. “What do you think?”
“No way,” I exclaim. “Don’t tell me he is a regular here, too?!”
“Well, was,” Jonah frowns. “It’s not like he can leave the pack easily right now.”
“I hate that I have to keep up the pretense,” I groan. “I mean, to stay at Forest’s side and act like I actually care. You know how fucking difficult it is to do that? I wish I could just leave.”
“Patience.” I hear a voice behind me.
Jonah is up on his feet immediately, bowing towards Alpha Jordan. “I apologize, Alpha Jordan; I did not notice your presence.”
“You were keeping our new guest company,” Jordan says, sitting down with us. “That’s exactly what I asked you to do.” He turns to look at Jonah. “Go and check on the upstairs. I am going to entertain our guest.”