Beauty and The Beta (Bailey)
6

6

Chapter 6 – Asher

A shower later and a couple of coffees down, and I felt slightly more human, or as human as awerewolf can feel on next to no sleep…

“Right Ash, we need to sort this sh it out.” Caleb’s voice was sounding more than a little stressedout, telling me I was in for more than a fun day.

“What sh it now?” I asked with a deflated sigh. I am sure we had dealt with everything that neededdoing yesterday.

“Quit sounding like you are overworked.” Caleb gave me a dirty look. “My Dad’s birthday party for astart. Plus, Eden is on my case about the teacher for school. We still need to replace Eloise.”

I do recall him mentioning needing to re-advertise for a new teacher, but I had thought Eden mayhave dealt with that. Being Luna, and a mother, I thought she may have wanted to be involved withthose sorts of tasks. Evidently I was wrong. As for his Dad’s party, I think he was more than capableof sorting out that himself, or his Mum was. Seriously, is it my job to do everything around here?!

“And you are doing what exactly?” I question, feeling more than a little pi ss ed off.

“Alpha duties.” Caleb says with a smug smile. Alpha duties knowing him would be sitting at hisf**king desk with his feet up enjoying a coffee. Lazy f**ker. Delegating all his work to me, I am surethat is all he does.

“Well, I am sure your Dad would rather you took a part in arranging his party, or even his wife?”

“It will keep you busy.” Caleb said to me with a smile, and I knew then the reason why he was givingme the responsibility of the job. He was trying to replace ways to occupy my mind. Something he had

been doing since Isla had passed away. Something I did not need doing for me, yet something heand his mate seemed to replace the incessant need to do. I truly wished they would stop…

The loss of a mate is a pain like no other, but I did not need treating like I was broken. Incapable offunctioning any longer. “I do not need keeping busy Caleb.” I snapped, standing to walk from theoffice, needing to get away from my friend before I said something I regretted.

“Ash, come on, please, I am trying to help.” My best friend calls out to me.

“Cal, come on, if this is about Isla, she has been gone nearly seven years this year. I do not needkeeping busy. I am doing that myself. I am Beta, that keeps me busy in itself. If I needed help Iwould f**king ask for it, okay?”

I saw the concern on his face, and it did nothing but irritate me. The same concerned expression Isee on the face of my other friends, or my parents… the elder women in the pack… all feelingconcerned for my well-being because I lost my mate. Worried I was falling apart. Worried about myheart… my soul. I got tired of sympathy. I didn’t need it. It did not bring back my mate. It didn’t makeme feel any better. If anything, it made me feel worse…

“Ash, you aren’t okay though. We can see that. You are withdrawn, you are angry. Moody. Isolated.Borderline depressed…” Caleb looks to me with worry.

“That is your expert medical opinion, is it? Wasn’t aware you’d been studying to be a doctor as wellas being the pack Alpha, I must have missed that!” I said sarcastically, with a shake of my head atmy friend, truly not wanting to deal with all of this right now. “Look, if you actually want me to helpwith sorting your Dad’s birthday, you know I will, he is my Uncle, after all. As for the teacher, I canput another job advertisement out, but we had no response last time. So I think we are going to bestruggling with that, unless you want to look out of area.”

“We may have to consider that if there are no available teachers within the local packs.” Calebagrees, and I know that would be something we need to consider as the necessity for a teacher wasbecoming urgent.

“I will sort the advertisement out again, but I will consider one for further afield too.” I told him, hatingthe idea of strangers within our pack, but we want a good teacher for our school. That has alwaysbeen the case, and unfortunately this time there is none within our own pack that have decided totrain.

“Okay. And I am sorry, Asher. I just worry about you.” Caleb comes and puts his hand on myshoulder, so I give him a friendly nod. I guess he means well, even if he irritates the hell out of me.

I can’t help the darkness that has clouded my life since I lost my mate. And I cannot make it goaway. I have tried, numerous times. It appeared it was here to stay. The only thing keeping megoing was my job. My pack. They relied on me. And that gave me a purpose. A reason to get upeach day. But, the dark thoughts plaguing my mind and the mind of my wolf, Zion, were almost likea curse upon my being. They held me down. Almost suffocated me. Especially when I was alone.Yet, I preferred to be alone. The pain I felt was almost addictive.

There was no other way to describe it. I think I almost enjoyed the pain I felt. I enjoyed the darknessthat lingered over me now. It was who I had become. The Asher I had been was gone. He was gonethe moment Isla’s life was torn from her. The moment she was torn from me. The young, carefree,happy, joker always laughing and joking with pack members was long gone. Replaced with awithdrawn, isolated, lonely guy who felt down most of the time. Avoiding interaction with packmembers whenever he could, and now had a reputation for being moody and snappy… Gone wasthe happy, handsome Beta, leaving more a moody, f**king monster that nobody wanted to bearound…