Because you need to work on your pack bonds too.
This was an ideal opportunity for Daryl to get to know his fellow betas. All they needed was for Paul to come along too and it would’ve been a full set. Daryl rolled his eyes.How did I not see thiscoming?
“Jenn?” Cam was saying, and Daryl tuned back into the conversation. “Will your unit be ready to go on Thursday?”
“Yes, for sure.” She sounded relieved, and Daryl wondered how bad things were. He needed to pay more attention. “To be honest, the sooner the better. They know this is coming, so they’re—” She paused and shook her head. “We’re just sort of waiting to get started. All that nervousness and tension doesn’t make for a good atmosphere. We’ll be ready.”
“I know it’s hard,” Cam soothed. “Hang in there.” He turned to the rest of them, looking around the room, and Daryl sensed the meeting coming to a close.
“Are there any questions?” Cam asked.
A few murmurs sounded but no one spoke up.
“Good. But if you have any concerns between now and Thursday, please don’t hesitate to come find me,” Cam added with a reassuring smile.
Everyone stood to leave as Cam said, “Daryl, Jason, could you two wait behind for a moment?”
So close to escaping. Daryl’s stomach gave an angry growl that had the other betas laughing as they walked out. Alec called back over his shoulder. “I keep telling you not to skip breakfast. And this is why.” He grinned at Daryl’s scowl, soft laughter following as he disappeared out the door.
“I won’t keep you long.” Cam eyed Daryl’s belly but didn’t comment on the noises it was making. “I just want to make sure you know what’s expected of you over the next couple of weeks.”
Jason frowned, confusion clear to see, and thank fuck, because Daryl was beginning to think it was just him. “We’re there to observe, aren’t we? And only step in if absolutely necessary.”
“Yes, to an extent.” Cam made sort of a grimace-wince, and Daryl immediately got a bad feeling.
“You might have to join in on a few bonding exercises of your own.”
Daryl groaned. “I don’t remember that being part of the discussions with Alpha Cornell.”
Cam’s grimace morphed into a smile, which only made Daryl’s bad feeling intensify. “I may have mentioned last night that there was still a divide between some of my betas. You have to admit, a lot of the time it’s still Mike, Alec, and you on one side of the room and Jason and Paul on the other.”
Daryl didn’t like where this was going, but Cam had a point. “What about Rachel and Jenn?”
“Rachel is somewhere in between, and Jenn has enough to deal with at the minute.” Cam had that glint in his eye that never boded well in Daryl’s experience. “Since you and Jason won’t be observing all the time, Alpha Cornell said she had a few ideas to help you two get to know each other or, more importantly, to trust each other. As betas should.”
Daryl didn’t bother objecting. He liked Jason well enough, but if it came down to the crunch,
he’d rather have Alec, Mike, or yes, probably even Rachel watching his back—the last couple of weeks had given him a deeper respect for her.
It came as no surprise that Jason didn’t correct Cam either.
“I know trust and respect are earned, and I’m not trying to force either of you into it. I’m hoping to give you the opportunity to forge that trust.” Cam looked between them. “I’m asking that you try and go along with what she suggests.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Daryl would never embarrass Cam like that. It might be a pain in the arse, but he’d suck it up and get it done. How bad could it be?
Jason added his agreement, and Cam’s smile softened.
“Thank you. I’m hopeful this will be the turning point for our pack, that we can finally put the last few months behind us and move forward, instead of constantly looking back.” He clapped them both on the shoulder. “Go speak to your units, make sure everything’s in place for when you leave.”
Daryl caught up to Jason just outside Cam’s door and fell into step beside him as they walked down the corridor.
Jason glanced at him. “Any idea what they’ll have us do?” He seemed more amused with it all than worried.
“Nope.” Daryl sighed. “Alpha Cornell is anything but predictable. I wouldn’t bother even trying to guess.”
They walked a little further, almost to the stairwell, when Jason said, “I hope neither us nor the council has to intervene in anything, but I think it’s kind of inevitable, all things considered.”
“Something needs to happen. You should’ve seen them this morning.” Daryl bit his lip, wondering if he should hold his tongue. Cam wanted them to trust each other, and he already knew Daryl’s thoughts on the topic so it wasn’t as if he was going behind Cam’s back . . . Fuck it. He had to start somewhere. “If a threat from the head of the alpha council doesn’t make you want to fit in with your pack, then I’m not sure what will. I think Cam’s being over-generous by letting them stay, but I guess that’s why he’s the alpha and I’m not.”
