Alpha's Beta Mate

GRACE

I had to pull over as the memories overwhelmed me.

It was all I could do to catch my breath, using all the techniques I had learned over the years to slow down my breathing and concentrate on letting go of the anger and resentment.

It wasn’t easy, though.

All I could think about was the way I had been betrayed, the way I’d felt when Duke had looked at me with such disgust, anger, and worst of all…disappointment.

I had pinned so many of my hopes on him, had seen him as a lifeline, a way out of a shitty household that had wished nothing but pain and misery on me.

And in my darkest hour, Duke had abandoned me, leaving me a shell of my former self.

I had left that same night, not thinking about what I’d been throwing into the suitcase. I’d just grabbed the things that were closest, and I walked out.

No one tried to stop me. No one came looking for me.

I think that’s what hurt the most.

I’d genuinely thought that when the anger died down and people began to think rationally, they would come looking for me.

That they would realize how unsafe it was for a fifteen-year-old to be out in the world on her own.

They didn’t.

I spent my sixteenth birthday eating whatever I could find on my journey, often stealing as a way of surviving.

Later, I’d gone back to the shops I’d stolen from and left anonymous donations as a way of making up for what I’d done.

Still, it still caused me immense guilt that I had stolen from people who were trying to make an honest living.

It was on my sixteenth that I stopped being a weak girl. That girl that had allowed everyone to walk all over her and treat her so badly.

I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t do that to myself anymore. I deserved better, even if no one else could see it.

Less than a week after I left the pack, I’d begun to feel unfamiliar sensations in my body. A prickling awareness that improved my senses.

Then one night, as I was lying under some leaves, desperately trying to get some warmth into my body, I felt it.

The undeniable feeling of something pushing at my mind.

I’d followed my instincts and trusted the feelings that were coursing through me.

It wasn’t long before my wolf came forward. She was small and skinny, but she was mine and she was beautiful.

She had been neglected just as much as I had, and it showed in her sunken eyes and matted fur.

Together we saved one another.

She’d helped me with scanning the wildlife for things we could eat, and I’d begun to take care of my body, improving my mindset so that she could live and flourish in a healthy home.

Our first shift wasn’t pleasant, but we got through it together, both of us nervous yet already trusting the other with all of our hearts.

We hadn’t looked back since. We found a new pack to make our home, and we proved to everyone there that we were worth the time and resources they spent on our upkeep.

We got a job, took part in the training exercises, and did what we could to protect our fellow pack members.

Except that we never fully became part of the pack.

My wolf didn’t want to leave the NightWalker pack behind.

She wanted that link—wanted to be able to keep tabs on them all, so we would know what we were up against when we finally returned.

And I wasn’t quite ready to sever the last remaining tie I had with Duke.

Then Paul had come along. Sweet, trusting Paul—who was so different from Duke in every way.

He was patient with me when I was having a bad day, loving when I needed reassurance. We’d been together for a year and my wolf had almost grown to love him.

Even though we’d never slept together.

Whenever we had tried, I would get awful flashbacks from that night, no longer seeing Paul above me but instead my father—his disgusting face filled with lust.

Paul had understood, assured me that there was no rush, that he would wait as long as it took for me to be ready. He wasn’t going anywhere.

I’d never really admitted this to myself, but I had hated that about him.

He was too soft, too nice. I needed someone that was going to challenge me, to keep me on my toes.

I wanted someone to consume me, to own every part of me, to make me feel as though they needed me with a hunger that had them burning inside out.

It didn’t take a genius to work out who came to mind, and I hated myself for that as well.

But Duke wasn’t the man I needed.

Oh, he wanted me. He would burn for me, challenge me, and keep me on my toes, that was for sure.

But I would always spend my life wondering if he was about to abandon me all over again, the minute things weren’t perfect.

DUKE

It didn’t take me long to catch up to her. She had barely made it to the pack borders before she’d pulled the car to a stop.

I took my time with my approach, sending my wolf forward to see what I was up against.

Was she angry? Frustrated?

It sounded as though she was crying, which sent a weird feeling through me.

Did I still care this much about her, that her tears had me feeling like a complete bastard?

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I approached the car and ripped open the driver’s side door.

Grace looked at me with tears in her eyes, making them shine as bright as the ocean. She just nodded her head, as though I was confirming something she hadn’t spoken out loud.

I rested one arm on the roof of the car and bent down to help her take off her seatbelt, reaching around her warm body to unclip the belt.

I had to ignore the rush of desire that came with having her so close, especially when her delicious scent hit me, sending my wolf crazy as he threw back his head and howled into my mind.

“Come on, love. I’m sorry for what I said. Let’s get you back home, where it’s warm. Maybe the walk will cool our heads and we can talk like rational, adult wolves?”

She nodded again, looking back at her car as she climbed out.

“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “I’ll link my beta and have pack members take it into the packhouse garages.”

“Okay,” she replied simply, handing the keys to me and walking on ahead.

I watched as she discreetly wiped away the last few remaining tears that had spilled down her cheeks.

***

“Here, drink this,” I demanded, shoving a brandy under Grace’s nose.

“It’s for the shock,” I said, noticing that she hadn’t stopped shaking since the minute she’d sat down.

No doubt she was reliving the night she left. Coming back here must have opened the floodgates, and now she was worn out, too mentally exhausted to function properly.

“Grace,” I began as I took a seat in front of her. “I don’t want to push you, but we need to talk about your dad. He is the reason you came home, after all.”

The glass froze halfway to her lips as she locked eyes with mine, a flash of fear appearing in the depths before the shutters came down.

“No,” she said firmly, throwing the contents of the glass down her throat and shuddering slightly as the burning liquid hit her.

“I know what you’re going to say, and the answer is no. I’m not ready to see him, not yet.”

“Not tonight, but when?” I pushed, “The pack doctor doesn’t think he has long. I know he’s been waiting to see you, holding on until you arrived…”

Grace slammed the glass on the table, glaring at me.

“I don’t care. I’ll see him when I’m ready, not when he demands. He doesn’t get to do that anymore. He doesn’t get to tell me what to do, or when to do it. Not after what he did.”

“What did he do?” I asked her. “I saw everything that night with my own eyes.”

The memory burned—“I’m not judging you. I’m not even that angry about it anymore. I just want your honesty. I heard the things you said to him. They were the exact same things you said to me.”

She looked down at the floor sadly, and my heart skipped a beat. I wanted her confession but at the same time, I didn’t want to hear the words leave her mouth.

I didn’t know if I would be able to stand it—if I had to hear how she had wanted someone other than me, how she had desired another man.

“I suppose my dad explained it all, didn’t he?” she murmured softly.

“He gave me his side of the story, but I want to know yours. What made you do it? Especially considering the conversation we had only an hour earlier.”

I had to know the truth. “You knew you could have had all the love and affection you wanted from me. Was it because I said that you had to wait two years? I know you were a bit attention-starved, but you seemed happy at the time.”

“Duke…” She sighed heavily, “Forget it, I don’t want to talk about it. I’ve moved on. What happened, happened. You would never have believed my version of events.”

She looked terribly sad as she continued, “If you had any trust in me, you would never have believed anything my dad said, anyway. You would have taken the time to at least ask me and find out from me.

She sighed again. “If you truly meant anything you had said—about your wolf loving me—you wouldn’t have thought I was capable of that.”

She looked up at me, our eyes locking. I felt the air around us begin to crackle as the tension grew between us.

“I’ve moved on from it. I’ve found a new pack, a new mate…”

The sudden roaring in my ears prevented me from hearing anything else she had to say.

What the fuck does she mean, new mate? my wolf growled, threatening to burst through the hold I had on him and break free.

He was ready to hunt down the man who was threatening to take away what was mine.

I had to see for myself. Before I even knew what I was doing, I reached forward and grabbed hold of her jaw, pulling her shirt down with my other hand to expose her neck.

I let out a high sigh of relief. There was no mark.

I pulled back, raising my eyebrow at her in silent question, noticing the way her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“We haven’t mated,” she said. “We’re mates by choice. Paul is…”

I scoffed, rolling my eyes at her. “Paul. I don’t want to fucking hear about Paul!”

“So I suppose I shouldn’t waste my time inviting you to the mating ceremony then?” She laughed sarcastically.

She knew what she was doing. She was deliberately provoking me, to see how much of a reaction she could get out of me and my wolf.

“Don’t start. Do you seriously think that now that I know who and what you are to me, that I’m just going to let you go? That I will let you leave me for another man? You must be out of your goddamn mind.”

“Do you seriously think that I am going to allow you to dictate my life and tell me who I should be with just because of some stupid mating bond?” Grace snapped back.

“I’ll feel the same bond with Paul when we complete the mating. It’s no different.”

We were glaring at each other, our breathing becoming faster as our emotions took over.

The air around us seemed to spark with electricity, causing the hairs on my arm to stand on end with awareness.

“We are fated to be together,” I said through clenched teeth.

She let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Fate? Don’t talk to me about fucking fate! Was it fate that I had to grow up in such an abusive household? Was it fate that kept me beaten, mentally and physically?”

She was shaking with anger. “Why should I trust my new fated mate? The Moon Goddess clearly hasn’t had my best intentions so far!”

Another growl burst from my throat. “What was it you said? ‘You’re the only man for me, Duke. There will never be another one for me, you’re it,’” I mimicked, ignoring her sharp intake of breath.

“I guess we’re both liars then, aren’t we? You told me you would do your best to keep me happy, but where were you, not hours later?”

Her voice rose.

“Safe, in your perfect little packhouse, while I was battling against the cold and wind, desperately trying to get warm while praying with all my heart that you would come to me, that you would find me and bring me back and give me the chance to clear up the mess.”

She was practically screaming now. “You have to be out of your goddamn mind if you think I will ever give you the chance to be in the position to hurt me like that again!”

“Right back at you, sweetheart,” I shouted, shooting to my feet as my temper grew, ready to burst and ignite us both.

Grace was right behind me, jumping to her feet at the same instant and jabbing her finger into my chest as she spoke.

“If you were hurting, Duke, it was because of your own stupidity, not mine.”

My skin burned with every touch she gave me, my chest feeling as though it was on fire by just the tiniest connection of her finger.

I knew Grace felt it too, could see the flames of desire licking their way through her body.

I watched as she shook her head when she finished speaking, trying to brush off the feelings that were coursing through her.

“You feel this, don’t you?” I whispered, moving closer to her so that the heat from my body made its way to hers.

She took a slight step back, shaking her head.

“I don’t want you, Duke. I want Paul. He makes me feel safe. He makes me feel wanted.”

“I warned you. I warned you that I would want to kill any other man I saw you with, and that was before I knew you were my mate.”

The thought made me see red.

“Do you seriously think I won’t tear him apart if I see him so much as look at you now? I wouldn’t be able to stand it if I caught his scent on your skin, if I knew that you had given yourself to him.”

Grace shook her head.

“You always were good at saying the right thing, at seducing me with words. But I need more now. I need you to show me that I’m the one for you, that you’d fight for me if you needed to.”

I opened my mouth to prove her wrong but she clamped her hand over my mouth and spoke again. “Harming Paul because you’re possessive and jealous isn’t the same thing.”

“You need me to show you?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at her. My lips tingled from her touch.

“Yes!”

She cut off as I grabbed the back of her head and brought my mouth down to hers, kissing her roughly, forcing her lips to part as my tongue stroked them.

The moment I felt her begin to respond, her body shaking against mine, her soft moan into my mouth, I pushed her back.

“How was that for showing you?” I smirked, noticing that her nipples were erect and she was swaying on her feet.

GRACE

What was that?

My mind was in overdrive. I had been kissed before but never that roughly, that passionately.

I could feel his desire for me through the tiniest of kisses, could feel the heat off his body, showing me that he was on the edge, that he wanted me right there, right now.

It sent a wave of desire straight to my core. I could already feel myself growing wet, just thinking about what was to come next if he already had me this weak from the slightest touch.

I knew we would be explosive together.

I just had to be brave enough to take the chance, and trust that I wouldn’t get hurt.

“Seven days,” I said softly.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll give you seven days. You have until then to prove to me that we can make this work. If not, you have to promise to let me go back to Paul and live the life that I deserve.”

“Grace, come on. There’s a lot of history here, a lot to work through. It’s going to take longer than a week. Give me a month, at least.”

“Seven days,” I repeated. “Trust me, I’m being generous with that. Don’t push me.”

“Fine, if seven days is all I get, I guess there’s no time to waste,” he said.

His face grew serious. He grabbed hold of my hips, lifting me up and wrapping my legs around his waist.

“Let’s make the most of it,” he growled.