Beta’s Delight: Dixon Pack Book 2

by Bryce Evans

  Terry Dunn was a killer, and how she got hooked up with him, Bane didn’t know. She didn’t’ want to talk about it. He knew Simone regretted it and beat herself up about keeping him in her life. But her past didn’t matter. All that mattered was Simone’s safety and well-being. She was such a good person. He shook his head, wondering how in the hell anyone could hurt her.

  He had learned that Terry Dunn had been accused of killing another woman, but got off because the witnesses refused to testify. He was also a suspect in several other murders, but the police didn’t have enough evidence to arrest him.

  Bane Cross had made a friend in the New York City police department named Pete, who had gotten lost once on a long hike up state. Bane had saved his life. They immediately became friends and kept in touch. It was Pete who called him to let him know that Terry had received bail and was out of jail. To make the charges stick, Simone would have to come back to New York to testify, and Bane knew she was never going back to do that. He wouldn’t let her, and that was still a problem, because it meant that the charges would be dropped, leaving Terry free to harm her all over again.

  “Sit down Bane, before she sees you pacing.” Finn said. “Help us fill some of these orders. Simone has a lot of them, and we want to show her that we handled it while she was out.”

  Bane walked over, put on an apron, and stood before the order board. “How many orders have you completed yet?”

  “Fifteen so far, but we have twelve more to go. Some of these orders are from people in Atlanta who are coming to Southern Treasures. Word must have spread, and I think Quinn helped with that. She put something on her website and took pictures of all the people standing outside to get in. Then she showcased it with all the desserts, and the taffy machine. She even put a little blurb with the bakery’s hours and phone number, at least till Simone can get her own website up. I guarantee that she can ship her stuff out just like Quinn does, especially with all the different flavors of that taffy. The machine has been going non-stop. People love the taffy with honey in it—it’s her biggest seller so far. As soon as it gets finished, we package it up and Josh makes a new batch.”

  Bane grinned from ear to ear with pride. “I knew she’d do good. She deserves this.”

  Monica looked up for the first time and smiled at him. “You’re doing a great, job by the way,” Bane continued, “Simone talks about the great work you do all the time, and how talented you are. I think you made the right decision to drop out of school. I wasn’t a fan of it at first, but this is your calling, and you’re so good at it.” Bane watched as she decorated a cake. It was a two-tier birthday cake with bears on it. “That is beautiful Monica. It looks like a picture. I take that it’s for one of the cubs?”

  Monica nodded with a smile. Once she finished, she put the cake in the box and taped the receipt on it.

  “How is she taking it, being your mate?” Finn asked.

  “Well you heard her. She thinks I just ‘really like her’” Bane put his hands in the air, imitating quotation marks. “And that I’ll drop her as soon as my mate comes along. She just doesn’t understand, but I’m hoping Mr. Olsen can help me out with that.” Bane glanced over at the box Monica was taping up. “Monica, you should take a picture of your cake before you send it out, maybe even keep a book of your works of art. That’s what they are, sweetheart. Put it in a photo album so people can look through it while they wait. I bet you will get a ton of birthday cakes once they see some of these pictures.”

  Monica looked up, beaming from the praise, and quickly snapped a picture of the cake with her cell phone. Bane could tell she loved the work she was doing, and that love showed through her in her beautiful creations.

  “I think if Simone hears it enough from those of us who are shifters, it will help her understand it.” Finn offered.

  “Are you sure?” They all looked up when Simone spoke. “If you’re not, please tell me now. I don’t want to love you more, only to have you tell me it’s all a huge mistake.”

  Bane smiled. “You are mine, Simone Alexander. No woman will ever change that.” He walked over to her and pointed at her chest, “You are my mate, the other half of my soul, and I love you.”

  “You leave me and I’ll kill you.” Simone snapped as she jumped into his arms and kissed him. Her tongue played with his, stirring the need to claim her right now. He needed her to know that she was his. Jerking away from her, both were wild with want and the desire to belong to one another, but before he could do that, Bane needed to tell Arden that he was claiming her, now. He couldn’t wait for the approval of the Council. She was his mate; that’s all the permission he needed.

  Jerking his phone out of his pocket, he heard the snickering and realized that Finn and Monica were in the room, with Mr. Olsen smiling from the door.

  “I’ve got to tell Arden that I’m claiming you. I need you to understand what that entails.” He looked up at Mr. Olsen, “Did you tell her?”

  “We didn’t get that far before she ran in here. I think you need to talk to her in private. I’ll help out here in the store. Go on now, before I nut up. I think of her as my daughter for goodness sake, and you doing that in front of me? Well, go on.” Mr. Olsen said, exasperated, throwing his hands up in the air.

  Without waiting for Simone to respond, he picked her up, opened the back door, and ran outside and up the stairs. Trying not to jostle her, Bane managed to wrangle his keys out of his pocket and unlock the door. She gave him a pointed glare, the spare key she had told him to return, and Bane could only shrug. Taking her over to her bed, he softly laid her down.

  “Before we do anything, I need to tell you what it means when I claim you. To be truly claimed by a shifter, I’ll need to bite you while we make love. When I bite you, you’ll turn into a shifter like me, like Quinn and Finley.” Bane inhaled deeply. He was slowly losing his control and needed to regain it before he scared her out of bed entirely. Bane wanted her so bad it ached, but it had to be her decision. There was no going back once he bit her. She would be tied to him and the pack forever.

  “Does that mean that I would be stronger?” Simone asked.

  “Yes, you’d be stronger than a human man. In fact you, could easily hurt someone. You would need to be careful around humans, until you learn how to control your abilities. I can teach you. The pack will teach you.” He knew why she was asking. She wanted to protect herself from anyone ever hurting her again, and he loved that about her. To be a Beta’s mate, she would have to take on his rank too. That meant Simone would need to be able to take care of herself.

  Simone sat up and crossed her legs. “I would be linked to the pack, what does that mean?”

  “It means you would be part of our family. We’re all linked, from the Alpha to the littlest pup. It’s like ties that bind us all together. When one is broken, the entire pack will feel it. We live in a pack because we crave that intimacy. We are pack Simone, we are family. We take care of each other. You must know that I was drawn to you the moment I heard your voice over the phone. I continued to ask you questions, just so I could talk to you more.” He watched as Simone smiled. “Your voice drew me in. At night, I would think about you and make up these fantasies... Then I saw you for the first time, and I knew I had to be near you. I did what ever I needed to do to be close to you. Even when we argued, I didn’t care, I just wanted to be with you.” Bane leaned forward, nuzzling his face against hers. “Any more questions?”

  “Yes, what are you waiting for?” Simone asked, lying back down.

  “Are you sure sweetheart? This can’t be undone.”

  “Yes. I want this.” Simone sighed. He could see it in her eyes; she wanted him as much as he wanted her. The mating bond was hitting him hard, and taking Simone along for the ride.

  “No more talking.” Bane inhaled deeply. He could detect her arousal as he lay down beside her. “You smell so damn good.” She hadn’t baked anything in two days, and still the smell of cookie dough tickled his nose.

/>   He smiled and pulled her shoes off her feet, never taking his eyes off hers as he unsnapped her blue jeans and slid them down her legs. Bane took his time, allowing her to stop him if she got nervous or didn’t want to continue. This was something he wanted her to crave just as much as he did. When she just smiled, he kept going until finally she was naked.

  “You take my breath away.” Bane whispered as he took in the sight of her. “You’re my mate, Simone Alexander. I have no doubts and never will. My wolf knows this to be true.”

  “Thank you, I needed to hear that.”

  “Sweetheart, you will hear it every day for the rest of our lives.” Bane leaned down and kissed her on the mouth, then on each cheek. “You are my mate and I love you.” Bane continued to whisper as he kissed down her stomach.

  Slowly he kissed and licked between her thighs. Her moans urged him to go further, tasting his mate.

  “You are beautiful, my mate.” Not waiting, he slid between her legs and licked the top of her folds, groaning at how swollen and wet she was.

  “Are you okay?” Bane looked up from between her legs. He had to know she was comfortable, that she wanted everything he did to her.

  “Oh yes.” Simone’s voice vibrated as she moaned. He couldn’t wait any longer, her scent urging him on as he opened her wider, thrusting his tongue inside of her. Tasting her was addicting as he brought her orgasm higher and higher. Plunging a finger inside her, Bane sucked on her clit, eyes on her as she came apart around him. Simone was so sensitive that she shivered as he continued to suck, hands coiled in his hair, pulling him closer.

  “Who’s your mate, sweetheart?” Bane needed to hear her say it before he went any further.

  “Bane, please,” she moaned, sounding like she wanted to hit him.

  “I will baby, but I need to hear you say it. Who’s your mate?”

  “You, please, you’re my mate.” Simone urged.

  “And you’re mine.” Bane growled, continuing to bring her higher and higher.

  * * *

  Bane still had his clothes on when Simone screamed out for the second time. Never had a man taken the time for her, not like this. She watched as he smiled back at her, before, finally, getting up to take his clothes off. Simone pushed up on shaky limbs to watch, and God, he was incredible. How she had resisted this for so long, she had no clue. The man was huge as he stood before her, letting her take in what was hers.

  “Mine.” She whispered.

  “Yes. I’m your mate. This is yours, and nobody else’s. Just like this is mine.” Bane crawled back onto the bed, hands tracing her beautiful curves. “Are you still with me?”

  “Yes.”

  Gently, Bane opened her legs wider, then slowly rubbed his cock up and down her wet folds, driving her crazy.

  “Please.” With that one simple word, Bane pushed inside of her, stilling himself, panting.

  “More.” She urged, wrapping her legs around him, pulling him in closer.

  “Damn baby, hang on. I don’t want to hurt you.” Bane pulled out and slowly pushed back in.

  “I don’t want slow.” She whined, like a child pitching a tantrum, but she wanted him now. Using her legs, Simone pulled herself onto him, making him go deeper, feeling the girth of him as he pushed against her walls. He was holding back, trying not to hurt her, but she wanted all of him.

  Finally, he pushed in, thrusting harder and harder until tears slipped from her eyes. For the first time in her life she felt this intimate connection with someone. She could feel the love he had for her as he brought her closer and closer. She had never had a lover that fulfilled her needs first. Bane was different. Bane was her mate, and he would do anything for her. She knew this and he would never intentionally hurt her.

  Stopping, Bane wiped the tears away. “I’m sorry, Simone. Did I hurt you.”

  “No, no, please don’t stop. It’s…just never been like this for me. You’re not hurting me. I promise. I just feel so…so full and loved for the first time in my life.” She could see the relief as he caressed her face.

  “You are loved and I will show you how much every single day.” Bane vowed.

  Simone pulled him down on top of her. “Make love to me.”

  Smiling with relief, Bane brought his mouth down on hers. “I love you too, sweetheart,” he whispered against her lips. The man knew how to kiss too. He didn’t mess around, nipping at her bottom lip before plunging his tongue inside of her mouth, tasting every inch of her as he slowly entered her again.

  “I need more.” Simone groaned. She thrust her hips up, trying to get him to move faster. She needed him, and this slow pace was driving her crazy. “Please, Bane. Please.” She knew she sounded desperate, and she was, desperate for him.

  Without notice, Bane thrust up into her. “You belong to me. Say it to me, Simone. Tell me you’re mine.”

  “I’m yours.” Simone gasped as Bane flipped her over, pulling her up to her hands and knees, then slammed into her again, making her cry out. She wasn’t in pain, but it was sensuous and intimate. For the first time in her life, this man had turned her world upside down in the best possible way.

  “You’re so tight and wet.” His voice was strained. She could tell he was holding back, trying not to hurt her. She could feel herself start to shudder as her orgasm began to crest.

  “Bite me.” Simone screamed. His fangs bit down into her shoulder, but she didn’t feel any pain as his strokes became more persistent. Growling, he sucked her blood into his mouth. The growling raised in pitch, demanding when he pushed two more times and came deep inside of her. Releasing her shoulder, Simone sagged to the bed, the two of them gasping for air.

  Bane knew what was coming once he bit into her shoulder, making her his mate. This was the worst part, the searing effects of the bite. His saliva would soon take affect, making her a shifter. Laying her down beside him, he kissed the side of her face. “Simone, you’ll feel some pain in a few minutes. It will pass quickly but…”

  “Fuckkk.” Simone grabbed her stomach, curling into a ball. “What the hell is happening to me?” She screamed as the change hit her again.

  “It’s my DNA mixing with yours sweetheart, turning you into a shifter, like me.” Bane could feel the excruciating agony coming through their bond as it snapped into place, linking her to him and the pack.

  “You sure something isn’t wrong? Oh God, please hel…” Bane held on to her as the pain became so intense she passed out.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Bane pushed her hair away from her face, letting it drop behind her ear. Simone was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, sweet berry lips still swollen from where he had bitten and sucked on them. He could feast on her all day long.

  As her body changed, he could feel her wolf’s strength growing inside of her. She would definitely be an Alpha female; he could tell as he closed his eyes, letting his wolf come closer to the surface. The love he felt for her already was insane. Hearing all the stories of how fast it happens when you meet your mate, suddenly felt right. He could feel the possessiveness he had for her intensify as her body became more defined, making her muscles honed and strong.

  Simone shivered, that cookie dough scent permeating the air. Even in her sleep, her scent drew him, and he found himself sniffing her hair, nuzzling her neck. It was then that Bane knew her wolf was awake. He opened his eyes as hers flittered open, and the once gorgeous green was now a wild yellow. Before he could say anything, she flipped onto her hands and knees, staring at him in a crouched position.

  “My beautiful mate.” Bane said softly, letting her wolf get to know him. She was close to the surface as her head titled upward, sniffing the air. She could scent his wolf, and hopefully she would be able to tell they were mates.

  “Simone, it’s me, Bane. Are you in there?” Bane voice was calm and controlled as he spoke to her. Struggling, her eyes flickered from gold to emerald, before they finally switched back to her natural green. He watched as she regained
control, stilling her body until she was completely herself again. “That’s probably the fastest I’ve ever seen someone control themselves from shifting. You’re magnificent,” Bane whispered in awe

  “Bane…” Her voice came out graveled as she tried to stop herself from shifting. “Help me.”

  “Just let it happen, sweetheart. Stop trying to fight it. Let her out.” Bane tried to get her to shift, but Simone was resisting it every inch of the way. “It’s okay. Just relax and you can shift later. You need to slow your breathing, so your wolf will calm down. She thinks that you’re in need of her to protect you, so she’ll jump out fighting if she thinks you’re in danger. Control your breathing. Lay down and let her know that your mate is here and he wants to take care of you.”

  Bane watched as Simone dropped down to the bed, closed her eyes, and panted. He didn’t want to startle his wolf into action, so he lay down and watched, waiting to see if she could do it. Controlling her wolf was the most important step to living as a shifter.

  “Talk to her. Let her know everything is okay.” Bane couldn’t stand not touching her, so much so that that, slowly, he eased his hand over to hers. It was just a light touch with his fingertips, but Simone smiled and opened her eyes.

  “She likes you.” Simone whispered. The smile was still on her face as Bane inched closer, placing his hand in hers. She didn’t pull away, which was a great start for her wolf.

  “I love you and your wolf.” Bane smile. She turned her head and smiled back.

  “We love you too.” She turned over, lying on her stomach. “I feel so strong, like I could pick up my bed or maybe even the dresser.” Simone said.

  Bane laughed out loud. “It’s your wolf. She’s strong, like you.” He closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent again. He wanted her again, wanted her to mark him this time. They would be whole once she claimed him, now that Simone had changed.