TWO YEARS AGO.

I had a rough time.

After hearing all about yet another surprise mate pairing, my mental health was rocked and my confidence was shaken. I hate to display my vulnerable side to others, I do not want people to tiptoe around me whenever a mate bond topic is brought up in conversations.

I truly don't want that at all. I am already the odd one out, if I give people any reason to not be themselves around me, I would feel even worse. I do not wish to be babied by anyone. I am a man, an adult and Beta of the pack.

I have to pull myself together because I cannot afford to be seen as anything else except for a kick ass Beta. I need my warriors to respect me instead of worrying about my mental health. I fought tooth and nail to get where I am today and I will never give up.

It may seem like I was handed this job, but I actually had to work for it. I had to train, study, learn the ropes and read everything about pack law. Yes, my father secured the position for me, it is true. I had to earn it, otherwise he would rather not risk his reputation. Our family's good name.

My grandfather - the former Beta - once told me that reputations are everything in our business. People almost always have heard of your name before they first meet you, but if they haven't, at least they have to know about your pack.

When I was a child, I would only ever need to hear the teacher making a row call for people to go:

'Oh... He is a Cortez.'

I am telling you, it means something to carry my last name. But that also means I cannot mess it up. Because it would take one false step for my entire family's reputation to go to waste. It is a huge pressure all the time, but one I am able to carry through, as long as people don't think I am fragile.

I did not come this far to be looked down upon.

I walked inside the training center in the first week of September, just after Labor Day. This place runs twenty four seven, but fortunately for me I do not work on weekends outside of an emergency. That does come in handy whenever I feel like going away.

"Good morning, Beta. How was your Labor Day weekend? Did you miss the smell of sweaty men?" Delta Andersen greeted me in an apparent good mood.

"Good morning, Delta. It was great, actually. No, I did not miss it. I'm not into that, no offense." I replied in a humorous tone. He laughed at my remark.

"I heard a rumor that you went out of town for the extended weekend." He fished for information, looking sneakily at me.

"Did you pull traffic reports to track down my car?" I quizzed him, baffled by the question. How would he know I left town?

For safety reasons, we not only patrol the town borders in wolf form but we also keep tabs on which cars come in and out of town. It is usually just numbers on a spreadsheet, but if you know a license plate, you could figure out if a car left or came into town and when.

At this point in the game, we have the entire town wired.

"No, Beta. Your dad told me. Come on! Do I look like I have time to look for license plates on reports? I didn't even get the holiday off!" He scoffed at the question.

"Aren't you in charge of the scheduling? Why didn't you give yourself the weekend off?" I asked him, surprised by the information.

"Because I couldn't. Clarkson has a family too. I just can't assign myself every holiday off just cause I am the boss. That's not how it works!" He protested emphatically, referring to the Under Delta, his second in command.

"Yeah, I know. That was a test and you passed it." I teased him.

"Good. That's exactly what I needed right before I am forced to retire. A test." He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

At this, a probational warrior approaches us carrying a cup of coffee in his hands. He is one of the new hires.

"Here is your coffee, Beta." He handed me the cup while Andersen and I glanced at each other in confusion. I took it from his hands, but I am confused as to why he is delivering me coffee. Not that I don't appreciate the gesture.

"Probie, who asked you to bring coffee to Beta Cortez?" Andersen questioned him with a suspicious frown.

"The guys from my squad. They told me all probies have to bring fresh coffee to the Beta." He answered, innocently. At this moment, I hear laughter coming from the far side of the center. No doubt his colleagues are making fun of the situation. It's a haze.

"Right. And who authorized you to leave the training center while on shift? Did you bring the coffee before you clocked in today?" Andersen grilled him, looking angrier by the second.

The boy went ghost blank for a moment before he mustered the strength to answer his question.

"No, sir. I just thought..."

"You're fired!" Andersen cut him off, pissed off about this.

The boy panics and you could read from his face how much this job meant to him.

"Delta, please! I didn't know I wasn't allowed to leave the training center while on shift! I see guys doing it all the time!" He countered in a pleading tone.

"And do you know why they leave the training center during their shifts?" Andersen huffed and puffed, intimidating the boy with a knitted frown.

"No sir, I do not." The boy stuttered in nervousness.

"BECAUSE THEY WERE AUTHORIZED TO DO SO!" He shouted at him, irritated.

The boy shrunk before the mighty Delta, intimidated by his threatening stance. Marcus is a big guy and he looks intimidating, even by warriors' standards.

"I'm so sorry, Delta. Please, I swear I meant no disrespect to you. Please don't fire me! Please, sir!" He practically begged for his job.

Marcus grunted in annoyance for a minute, watching the boy squirm as he pleaded for his job, not wanting to be fired so soon. After a while of pleading, he has enough of it.

"Probie, listen to me. First of all, unless Beta Cortez asks you directly to do something, no one here is allowed to speak on his behalf, not even to bring him coffee." He stared at the boy, who listened to him attentively.

"Second, I want you to spend your lunch break reading up the entire employee manual. From cover to cover. This is not a playground. This is not a bar or a coffee shop. Every single one of the warriors here are employed by the pack, paid by the pack. Each man and woman that you see here have assigned positions. If they step out for a smoke or to make a call to their mate, you bet your ass they asked someone first. Because if they don't, then they get fired. Got it?" He ranted, playing his part of the angry boss.

"Yes, Delta. It will never happen again, I promise I'll read the entire manual." He replied, practically shaking in nervousness.

The boy was permitted to return to his activities, angry at his coworkers for the haze. I took a sip of my coffee.

"It's good coffee though." I commented, entertained by this harmless prank. Every year they do this to some unsuspecting rookie.

"Where is my coffee?" Marcus grunted at me.

"I'm sure you have 120 employees to get you a latte if you want." I teased him.

At this moment, the Alpha enters the training center and all the warriors bow their heads at him. Marcus and I do the same as he approaches us.

"Good morning, Alpha. Are you ready for your training?" Marcus greeted a sleepy man.

"Not really. My son kept me up all night, I just came to ask you if we can reschedule my session?" Phillip wondered, humbly.

"Of course, Alpha. I remember when my kids were the same age as your son. We can suspend your training until next week if you want." Marcus offered, politely.

"No need, thank you Delta. I just need a day or two and I'll be fine. Thanks for understanding, I really appreciate it." Phillip declined his offer, cordially.

"You didn't have to come all the way here just to ask me that. You could have mind linked me." Marcus spoke, feeling uneasy that he came here just to tell him that.

"Oh no, I couldn't. My father always instilled in me the respect for the Delta's position. You have the toughest job in the pack. Not only do you have to be at the top of your game, but you also have to train others to be as well." He said, enthusiastically.

The truth is both our fathers instilled in us a deep sense of respect for the Delta. He has the most important job of the pack. He is in charge of training future leaders and is responsible for the entire force. It is a mighty task, though he obviously doesn't do it alone.

"I appreciate you coming here, Alpha. Please text or call me whenever you want to reschedule your mandatory session." Marcus told him, in awe.

"I will. Have a great day, gentlemen." He said goodbye, before walking out of the center.

Both Phillip and I have to keep a regular schedule of mandatory training sessions. Neither of us can afford to slack because we are the leaders of the pack. And leaders do so by example. My father was extra hard in my training before I ascended as Beta.

I mean, he made sure Andersen worked me to the bone until he felt I was prepared for this. Like I said before, reputation. One can never feel they are above such things. That is the moment when you lose sight of why we do this job in the first place.

For the people, our pack members. The men and women who pay for all this and make it possible for us to do our jobs. They employ us to keep them safe. We work for them. Not the other way around.

It was humbling to see the Alpha show deference to Delta Andersen, not that he didn't deserve it. But it was nice to see it.

The days of September carried on, bringing the Autumn season with it. Regency Falls looked beautiful at this time of year, but I will undoubtedly miss Summer.

While the new cycle began another one ended. We are forced to say goodbye to my father's friend, the fierce warrior known as Delta Marcus Andersen.

On his 50th birthday, all the warriors - except for those on patrol - his mate Brandon, sons and daughter, Alpha Phillip and I gathered around for his retirement party.

Oh and my parents came in too. It was a special occasion when my dad had the opportunity to see his high school friend end his highly respected career on a high note.

It was a proper celebration. The entire training center was dedicated to our Delta, who dedicated his life to the force.

"I can't believe you're retiring. How come you're already fifty, old friend?" Dad commented to Marcus, breathing out a sigh.

"Who are you calling old, grandpa?" He retorted in a snarky tone. My younger brother who is already mated has a 2 year old son. Oh yeah, I am an uncle. *sigh*

"You're a grandpa too! And now that Lauren got mated, you're going to be a triple grandfather soon." Dad countered, referencing his daughter who just got mated inside a movie theater.

"My daughter is still in college, Simon. She is going to get her degree first. She's too young to think about kids." Brandon, Marcus' mate, interjected with a reprehensible frown at my father.

"I still cannot believe your daughter got mated when she entered a movie theater. It's mind boggling to me." Mom chimed in, baffled by this shocking mate pairing.

Marcus and Brandon glance at their daughter, who is present and parading around the room with her hot new mate.

"I don't think I have ever seen her this happy before. It was eating her up inside, not being mated at twenty years old." Brandon commented, feeling sorry for her.

Naturally, my parents turned to look at me as he said that, looking pained. The uncomfortable stares were galore among those present.

"Yeah, it can be taxing not finding your mate." Dad pondered, awkwardly.

At this, Felix and Elliot, Phillip's fathers, arrived at the training center and were greeted by all the warriors with deference.

"Dads, I didn't know you were coming here today." Philip was surprised to see his parents.

It was a proper reunion now that the old time friends are together again. All of them looked happy to see each other.

Brandon, Elliott and my mom reminisced about their bond as Omegas when they belonged to the high school Omega club, of which mom was the president.

The couples took their time reminiscing about the good old times. Meanwhile, my dad took the chance to talk to his best friend, the former Alpha of the pack.

It's a rare chance for dad and Felix to talk on such an occasion. Meanwhile, my mom approached me to check on how I am doing.

Mom knows how difficult these gatherings can be with me being the only unmated one of the bunch. I told her I was doing fine, hanging in there.

Speeches were given by dad, Felix and Marcus. Both Phillip and I gave the floors to our fathers for the occasion.

"When I was in high school and Delta Andersen was still the Under Delta, it was already a big deal to me for a queer man to hold such a position in our force. I know at the time we had a queer couple as Alpha and Luna, but my point is it really meant something to me. You have a beautiful family." I told Brandon, some time later.

"Thanks for saying that, Beta. It means a lot. When Marcus started on the force, he didn't have any queer person to look up to. So the fact that he was that someone to you, it really means the world." He commented, feeling proud of his mate.

It really was an emotional day all around. At the end of the festivities, Marcus approached me one last time before he went home.

"It was an honor to work with you, Beta. When you announce Clarkson as the new Delta, don't forget to file the paperwork. You are also entitled to approve the new Under." He advised me one last time in a fatherly tone.

"The honor was mine, Delta." I hugged him goodbye. Clarkson is his second in command and therefore the natural successor for his position.

My parents went along with their life long friends. Alpha Phillip left with his fathers as did Brandon with his mate and family.

In the end, there were only the warriors left. This place runs 24/7. The business of keeping the pack safe never stops.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your service. I know you are expecting me to announce the new Delta now. I am also aware of everyone's expectations of that being Mr. Clarkson." I started off, addressing everybody who eagerly waited for my announcement.

"While I have the deepest respect for his work, I decided to go in another direction for the new Delta." I declared, causing people to gasp.

Everybody's shocked faces were staring at me horrified. Almost the entire force are mumbling words in confusion at this decision.

"The new Delta of the pack is Iris Carpenter." I declared, hearing the collective gasp in shock.

Naturally, everybody turned to look at the woman on the far side of the training center. All of them utterly gobsmacked by this announcement.

Literally no one saw this coming. There has never been a female Delta of the pack. Not for the last century. It's throwing everyone for a loop.

A|N: BOOM!

I absolutely chose her name just to use this song. I love it.

I also like the film which is the soundtrack of, City of Angels, though I hate the ending.

Next is "SCREAM".

Love,

Léo.