The Beta's Mate

by Tanya Gilford

  “Great, I’ll call the land owner tomorrow to see about brokering a cash deal.” I told her. We got back into the car with big smiles.

  “Are you guys planning something?” Paul pried.

  “None of your concern yet.” Anna retorted.

  “Ouch, and I thought we were friends Anna.” Paul pretended to pout.

  Anna rolled her eyes. “We are friends Paul, but I don’t want to jinx it until everything is in place.” She finally huffed. “When it’s time and things begin to fall into place, we’ll tell the whole pack.”

  “Wait, are you pregnant?” Paul asked. “Way to go man, congratulations.”

  “Hell, no I’m not pregnant!” Anna shouted.

  “Don’t sound so proud of not being pregnant.” Paul replied. “I thought most girls want to have kids.”

  “We do when the time is right. I’m only 18, and would like to go to college before I have kids. Charlie and I have already discussed this, again another subject that is none of your concern.”

  “Well someone is a party pooper.” Paul poked. “Charlie did you not give this girl enough dick on your vacation?”

  “Watch it Paul.” I warned.

  “Again, another subject that doesn’t concern you.” Anna snapped. “Seriously are all you wolves this nosy?”

  “No, just Paul being Paul.” I replied.

  “Not true, if it involves Charlie then the entire pack is nosy. He’s our Beta, whatever he does affects us all. Just because you’re his mate and a kickass fairy, doesn’t mean you get to decide whose privy to things that are happening between you two.” Paul stated as he got out of the car.

  I jumped out and grabbed his arm. “You will not talk to her like that. What we are doing is not your concern, the only person in this pack I answer to is Steve. I out rank you and I won’t hesitate to put you in your place if you ever talk to my mate like that again.” I growled. “Do you understand me?”

  “Yes Beta.” Paul said as he clenched his teeth together. I released him and he walked into the house. Anna stood a few steps behind me with a look of shock on her face.

  *******************************

  Anastasia

  My sweet, loveable Charlie just went Beta on Paul’s ass. Honestly, I really didn’t think too much of what Paul said, but it clearly hit a nerve in Charlie. Once Paul was out of sight, Charlie turned to look at me. I tried hard not to look shocked, but the truth was I am shocked. I never knew Charlie was so assertive.

  He took a nervous step towards me with a look of concern. “I’m sorry if I scared you.” He said quietly. I wrapped my arms tightly around him.

  “Don’t apologize. That was super-hot.” I smiled up at him.

  “Glad you thought so.” Charlie chuckled. “We do need to tell Steve about our plans. He’ll keep it quiet until it concerns the pack.”

  “Okay.” I agreed.

  Charlie grabbed our luggage from the back of the SUV and we headed inside. We made our way to our room without encountering anyone, thank God. I want a shower before I see anyone. I don’t know why but planes and airports always make me feel dirty.

  Charlie seemed to have the same idea since he began to strip as soon as he entered the room. I quickly closed and locked the door behind me and began stripping myself. I followed him into the bathroom as he turned on the shower. “You feel gross too, huh?” He muttered. I smiled and nodded. “You look stunning though.”

  “Shut up, and get in the shower.” I pushed on his chest to try and move him out of the way. He only laughed at my efforts. “Come on Charlie, I really want a shower.” I whined. God, I hate whining and yet I just did it. What is it about this man that turned me into a whiny little brat?

  “You have to pay the toll to get in.” He teased.

  “What’s the toll?”

  “A kiss.” He replied leaned in for a heated kiss. I swear if I didn’t feel so filthy right now, I’d hope up and fuck him. I pulled away from him as he moved his hand to my ass and began getting hard.

  “Shower first please. Let me wash the plane and airport filth off then we can fuck in the shower. I don’t care as long as I can shower first.” I shot at him.

  “Why are you so perfect?” He asked as he stepped out of my way.

  “Apparently it has something to do with me being a fairy. Fairies are known for the beauty and flawless looks.” I commented as I stepped under the spray of water.

  “I like to think I’m biased.” He replied. As I began to scrub my body, he washed up himself. “You enjoy teasing me, don’t you?”

  “I do. It tends to help get me laid.” I replied as I rinsed off.

  Before I could register what was happening, I was in Charlie’s arms and pressed against the wall of the shower and he was sliding into me. I instantly wrapped my legs tightly around his waist helping him hold me in place, not that he needs my help. I laced my fingers through his hair pulling his mouth to mine to claim. He tasted so good.

  The pace he set his thrusting to was sensational. The hunger in his touches and kisses seemed to grow stronger with every passing moment. I bit his neck, hard causing him to growl. “What the fuck Anna? Did you just mark me?” He snapped, stopping everything.

  “I… I didn’t mean to. I…” I sighed and gave up trying to piece together a thought. I did just mark him, but I really didn’t mean to. I looked down only to see our bodies still joined together. So much for finishing this. I resolved to close my eyes in shame. “I’m sorry Charlie.” I whispered as my voice cracked.

  “It’s done now.” He grumbled, clearly very pissed off with me. “You officially claimed your wolf.”

  I thought it’d feel more magical than this. I feel like shit, all because I got caught up in the moment and something came over me. I wish I could say what it was, but I have no idea. But there was something in the way he said that I officially claimed my wolf, I thought accepting him as my mate was claiming him. I thought he’d be happier about this than he is.

  I pushed him away from me as I stood back on my own two feet. He didn’t even fight me on it. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry off with. He shut the water off and stepped out himself. I pulled on my comfy t-shirt and yoga pants, then crawled into bed under the covers. Charlie pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and left the room.

  He really is angry with me. I wish he would understand that I didn’t mean to mark him. He usually likes me to be rough when he takes control, and it’s not the first time I’ve bit him during sex, but I wasn’t focused on where my mouth was when I bit him. The fact that he is very angry with me, and has never been angry with me before has me worried now.

  All this talk about the future, and one small misstep on my part seems to have sent our promising future spiraling in a different direction. I felt tears streaming down my face before I could stop them. He’s been so good to me, and I went and screwed it up. He made it clear we weren’t going to mark each other, because he’s worried about the risks for me.

  I pulled out my phone and called Debbie. “Hey, girl.” Debbie answered cheerfully. “Did you guys make it home okay?”

  “Yeah.” I said trying not to sound like I was silently crying.

  “Babe, what’s wrong?” She asked all concerned.

  “Charlie’s mad at me. I did something stupid.” I sobbed.

  “Come on, what did you do that would make that man mad at you?”

  “I accidently marked him. He explained to me before that he doesn’t want us to mark each other at all because of the risks for me. He’s worried putting a mark on me will hurt me somehow or my body will reject it.”

  “Really? Are you sure he’s mad?”

  “He swore at me, then stopped having sex before either of us had finished. Now, I’m laying in bed feeling like a piece of shit and he’s somewhere.” I began crying again. “I screwed up Debbie. We’ve been talking about buying land near the pack house and building our own little house together, but I guess all that is gone now.”
>
  “Listen to me, and you listen to me good. I want you to suck up your tears and fix your face. I want you to put on your sexiest outfit and do your hair and make-up to match. Then I want you to go downstairs and ask Sophie if she wants to join you for another girl’s night.”

  “She’ll bring Robbie.”

  “You need protection anyways. I want you to drive to that club we found and dance your heart out like no one is watching. Maybe see if you can get a guy or two to buy you a drink.” She chuckled. “Your hot as fuck, and if wolf boy can’t handle you claiming his ass then that’s on him. You’re a fairy, you’re not stuck with one man until you're married. Your mom is the prime example of that flaw. He on the other hand knows your it for him. Just like Steve knows he better not let me find out he has someone else while I’m not there and he’s at the damn bar every night.”

  “Fine, okay.”

  “I want pictures of Anastasia. I want to see proof that you did as I advised.” Damn it she knows me too well. I groaned and got out of bed.

  “I’m moving now. I’ll send you a picture when I’m ready.” I replied. I hate this, it sounds like she’s encouraging me to go out and find a new guy, which is not what I want to be doing and she knows that. Unless, she’s making me do this to remind Charlie that I have options since he hasn’t marked me.

  While I looked for a dress, I sent Sophie a text asking if she wanted to go out for a girl’s night. As I found my dress, she replied that she’s tired from all the cleaning so she’ll take a rain check. She told me that I can use her car and that the keys are hanging on their hook by the door. Looks like I’m soloing it tonight.

  I pulled on a black lace and polyester dress that dropped to my knees. It has an off the shoulder neckline and a high-low hemline that swirls and sways around my legs as I move. I curl my brown hair and leave it off to one side. Then I slip on a pair of black pumps. I put a highlighter around my eyes and used some silver colored eyeshadow to make a smokey eye look. I applied eyeliner to make my eyes pop, and ruby red lipstick.

  When I was ready, I stood in front of the floor length mirror and took a picture then sent it to Debbie. I stepped out of the room and held my head high as I walked down the stairs. Steve nodded as he passed me and I grabbed Sophie’s keys without saying a word. I need to successfully get out of this house in order to enjoy myself.

  I got in the car, turned the key and drove to the club. Once inside I felt like I was on a cloud. Dancing and enjoying the music. It feels so good to be a normal person again. Debbie really knew what she was doing. I took a picture and sent it to her.

  ‘Anne, I thought you were going alone.’ Debbie texted back.

  ‘I am.’ I replied.

  ‘Check your picture again. Charlie’s there and I think my plan pissed him off more.’

  Shit. I looked at the picture I took and sure enough he was there in the background looking super pissed off.

  Chapter 31

  Charlie

  I was pissed that she marked me even though we discussed not doing it. I was in the kitchen having two fingers of scotch when Steve came in looking confused. “What?” I barked at him. “I have shit on my mind, I needed a drink.”

  “Where’s Anna going?” Steve asked.

  “Nowhere, last I knew she was in bed moping.” I replied. “There’s only so much I can take from that.”

  “She’s not in bed any more. And she certainly isn’t moping.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped before downing the rest of my drink.

  “She just took Sophie’s car for a spin, and she looks fine as hell in that little number.” Steve said, shaking his head. “I thought you two were going on a date or something.”

  “Great, now I need to go chase down my mate. When is she going to stop being dramatic? Honestly, she crossed the line and then had the nerve to look upset about it.”

  “Care to catch me up to speed? Then we can figure out where she was heading.”

  “She fucking marked me. I told her we weren’t going to because I was afraid she'd have a reaction to the mark or worse it kills her.” I explained when he gave me a surprised questioning look.

  “So, you freaked out and turned into this charming version of Charlie?” Steve asked.

  “Fuck off. I’m not in the mood.”

  “Any chance you guys were in the middle of something when it happened?”

  “What do you think?” I snarled.

  “New flash for you, she may not have been in control of that. Second, marking her isn’t going to have any negative effects on her, since fairies and elves are similar and Debbie is fine. Third, you’re being a fucking asshole to me talking about it. No wonder she left, and looking like she did. She’s going to flirt and remind herself who she is without you. Fairies don’t have mates, Charlie, not until they are married. Until then they can have several mates from what Carol was explaining to me. Anna loves you, but if you can’t handle a mistake of her marking you during sex, she’s going to start thinking you can’t handle being with her.” Steve pulled out his phone and sent a message. When his phone dinged, he rolled his eyes. “I need to go make a phone call to my mate. While I’m getting the location on Anna, you need to go get dressed and get a fucking grip.”

  “Whatever.” I grumbled. I don’t believe she took off. I climbed the stairs to our room only to find it empty. Fuck! I pinched the bridge of my nose trying to calm myself down.

  One look at her vanity table tells me that she put make-up on. Double fuck, that means she’s in a dress or skirt. I groaned as I grabbed a blue button-down shirt from the closet and pulled on my sneakers. This woman’s going to drive me mad.

  I went back downstairs to see Steve waiting in the foyer. “Come on, I’m taking you to her. Whatever you do, don’t lose your shit or you’ll lose her.” Steve told me as we headed out.

  “Where is she?” I asked, trying to calm down.

  “Following orders from my mate. You made her upset and feel like crap according to Debbie. So much that she thinks you want to leave her now.”

  “I would never.”

  “She doesn’t know that. You can tell her all you want, but she doesn’t know that. She takes words at face value, and you are clearly really pissed off about her marking you. Pissed off enough you stopped having sex with her.” Steve commented as we got in his truck. “Anna’s been through a lot in her life, more than Carol or you know according to Debbie.”

  “Am I not allowed to get pissed off?” I snarled.

  “You’re a wolf, you're allowed to get pissed off but it’s out of character for you in her eyes. To her, you're never angry and now today she’s seen you vicious twice. Paul told me about earlier, and now with her.”

  “Yeah, so let’s push me more and take off in an outfit that a mated wolf finds attractive. Because that sounds like a great solution to the problem.” I scoffed.

  “Do you hear yourself right now? You’re the damn problem. You know what, I’m going to go in and get her. You stay here. I hope she hasn’t had any alcohol and can drive Sophie’s car home.”

  “She’s 18, she can’t get alcohol.”

  “She’s 18 with a fake I.D. and a rocking little body wrapped in a lacey dress. She can get alcohol in a club without buying it for herself.” Steve said as he climbed out. His comment made my blood boil.

  I jumped out of the truck and followed him inside. The music was so fucking loud, it hurt my ears. Where the hell is she? I spotted Steve moving through the crowd towards some tables looking for her, and I began to scan the area myself. Her scent hit me like a ton of bricks, and my eyes locked onto her. She was dancing with some guy, who was twirling her around and occasionally pulling her into his arms. I felt myself growl.

  I shoved my way through the sea of dancers and reached her as she took a selfie. The song changed and the guy grabbed her hips and began grinding on her. I moved over and shoved him away from her. “MINE!” I snapped as I picked her up and tossed her over m
y shoulder, holding onto her thigh and dress to keep it from flying up.

  “Put me down Charlie.” She protested. “I can walk by myself. I’m not a child!”

  “But you're acting like one.” I retorted.

  “Excuse you?” She blurted. “I’m acting like a child? Who’s the one who stormed out after scolding me? Who’s the one who is here pushing people around like I’m your toy? I a fucking person Charlie. I have feelings, needs, wants, and cares. I thought we were on the same page but I guess I was wrong.”

  As I push open the doors to the club to leave the cool air slaps my face in a refreshing feel. Anna punched my back trying to get me to let her go, so I slapped her ass in return. “I thought we were on the same page too, until you marked me after I told you we weren’t going to.” I finally replied when we got back to Steve’s truck.

  “I didn’t mean to. I got caught up in the moment and wasn’t paying attention to where my lips were.” She protested. “I’m sorry I did it when you said you didn’t want to, but I am not sorry that you now have my mark. You keep talking about us buying land and building a house to create a home, but you’re not even ready to commit to me. You didn’t want me to mark you because you’re still weighing your options of life without me.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Then why are you so angry about me marking you? Your reasons for us not to mark each other were only about why you didn’t want to mark me.”

  Why am I so angry about it? I should be happy that she claimed me as hers, but instead I’m enraged. Steve made his way out to us. “Had to make a show in there?” Steve asked me with a raised eyebrow. He turned to Anna. “Have you had any alcohol?”

  “No, just water.” She replied smugly. “Can I please go back to enjoying my night?”

  “Your heading home, your night is over.” Steve told her. “I know what’s going on, and I’m dealing with it on my end, but you can’t stay here. It’s not safe.”

  “How do you figure?” Anna shot, putting her hand on her hip.

  “You’re an unmated woman that has a wolf's scent all over you. You can’t smell it, but everyone else can. You being here alone tells any wolf in that place that you like wolves and your available to fuck.” Steve said simply. “You need to go home where your safe.”