A Beta’s Haven
A Redwood Pack Novella
By Carrie Ann Ryan
A Beta’s Haven
A Redwood Pack Novella
By: Carrie Ann Ryan
Published by Fated Desires Publishing, LLC.
© 2014 Carrie Ann Ryan
ISBN: 978-1-62322-042-6
Cover Art by Scott Carpenter
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the publisher at [email protected].
All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.
A Beta’s Haven
Being the Beta of the Redwood Pack isn't an easy task, but Jasper has never complained. He's spent his entire adult life dropping everything so he can take care of others. Now he's a father, a husband…and tired. His mate, Willow, knows Jasper won't let others know that he might need a break, even for a weekend, so that's where she comes in.
Once Jasper lets go and allows his mate to call the shots, this Beta might just be in for the ride of a lifetime.
Author’s Note: This is a novella set between books 6 and 7 to give you a taste of Jasper and Willow. It is best that you have already immersed yourselves in the Redwood Pack world, however even new readers will enjoy a glimpse of one of the Redwood’s favorite couples.
Dedication
Charity H. Thank you for taking over so much of my world, my life, and my sanity.
Acknowledgements
I love writing these little novellas that look into our mates and Redwood families after the HEA. Jasper and Willow’s book A Taste for a Mate was the first full length book I had ever written and I have learned so much through them and since then. Thank you Devin, Lia, Charity, Michele, and Saya for helping me along the way.
Thank you Scott for an amazing cover and for your understanding when I say I want one thing and then change my mind two minutes later. I can’t help it. I’m special like that.
Thank you readers for taking this journey with me. Each time you read my book I swear a Redwood Pack member finds their mate. *grins*
Redwood Pack Characters
With an ever growing list of characters in each book, I know that it might seem like there are too many to remember. Well don’t worry; here is a list so you don’t forget. Not all are seen in this exact book, but here are the ones you’ve met so far. As the series progresses, the list will as well.
Happy reading!
Adam Jamenson—Enforcer of the Redwood Pack, third son of the Alpha. Mate to Bay and father to Micah. Story told in Enforcer’s Redemption and Forgiveness.
Anna Jamenson—late mate of Adam.
Bay Jamenson—new member of the Redwood Pack. Mate to Adam and mother to Micah. Story told in Enforcer’s Redemption and Forgiveness.
Beth—member of the Redwood Pack. Aunt to Emily.
Brie Jamenson—daughter of Jasper and Willow.
Cailin Jamenson—Only daughter of Edward and Pat.
Camille—deceased former member of the Redwood Pack.
Caym—demon from Hell summoned by the Centrals. Lover of Corbin.
Charlotte Jamenson—half-sister of Ellie’s. Will be raised as a daughter by Ellie and Maddox.
Conner Jamenson—son of Josh, Reed and Hannah. Twin to Kaylee.
Corbin Reyes—new Alpha of the Central Pack. Lover of Caym.
Cyrus Ferns—deceased former unit teammate of Josh’s.
Donald—member of the Redwood Pack.
Edward Jamenson—Alpha of the Redwood Pack. Mate to Pat. Father to Kade, Jasper, Adam, Reed, Maddox, North and Cailin.
Ellie Jamenson—Daughter of the former Alpha of the Central Pack. Mate to Maddox and mother to Charlotte. Story told in Shattered Emotions.
Emily—young member of the Redwood Pack. Orphan and niece of Beth.
Emeline—elder of the Redwood Pack. Lost her mate in the first war with the Centrals.
Finn Jamenson—son of Kade and Melanie. Future Heir and Alpha of the Redwood Pack.
Franklin—deceased former member of the Redwood Pack. Camille’s lover.
Gina Jamenson—newly adopted daughter of Kade and Melanie. Her birth parents, Larissa and Neil were killed during an attack.
Hannah—Healer of the Redwood Pack. Mate to Josh and Reed. Mother of Conner and Kaylee. Story told in Trinity Bound and Blurred Expectations.
Hector Reyes—deceased former Alpha of the Central Pack. Father to Corbin, Ellie, Charlotte and Ellie’s twin.
Henry—Redwood Pack member and store owner for 60 years.
Isaac—deceased member of the Central Pack.
Jason—member of the Redwood Pack and one of the Alpha’s enforcers.
Jasper—Beta of the Redwood Pack. Mate to Willow and father of Brie. Story told in A Taste for a Mate and A Beta’s Haven.
Jim—hot dog vendor and one of Josh’s former friends.
Joseph Brentwood—deceased former Alpha of the Talon Pack.
Josh Jamenson—former human Navy Seal. A Finder and partial demon. Mated to Reed and Hannah. Father to Conner and Kaylee. Story told in Trinity Bound and Blurred Expectations.
Kade Jamenson—Heir and future Alpha of the Redwood Pack. Mate to Melanie. Father to Finn, Gina, and Mark. Story told in An Alpha’s Path and A Night Away.
Kaylee Jamenson—daughter of Josh, Reed and Hannah. Twin to Conner.
Larissa—deceased member of the Redwood Pack. Witch and friend to Melanie. Mate to Neil and mother of Gina and Mark.
Lexi Jamenson—former Talon Pack member and new Redwood Pack member. Mother to Parker and sister to Logan. Mate to North. Story told in Hidden Destiny.
Logan Anderson—former Talon Pack member and new Redwood Pack member. Uncle to Parker and brother to Lexi.
Maddox Jamenson—Omega of the Redwood Pack. Mate to Ellie and father to Charlotte. Story told in Shattered Emotions.
Mark Jamenson—newly adopted son of Kade and Melanie. Her birth parents, Larissa and Neil were killed during an attack.
Melanie Jamenson—former human chemist and mate to Kade. Mother to Finn, Gina and Mark. Story told in An Alpha’s Path and A Night Away.
Meryl—Redwood Pack Elder.
Micah Jamenson—son of Adam and Bay.
Mrs. Carnoski—elderly customer of Josh’s when he was human.
Neil—deceased member of the Redwood Pack. Mate to Larissa and father of Gina and Mark.
Noah—member of the Redwood Pack and former lover of Cailin’s.
North Jamenson—doctor in the Redwood Pack, son of the Alpha. Mate to Lexi. Story told in Hidden Destiny.
Parker Jamenson—new member of the Redwood Pack and son of Lexi’s.
Patricia (Pat) Jamenson—mate of the Alpha, Alpha female, and mother to Kade, Jasper, Adam, Reed, Maddox, North, and Cailin.
Patrick—disgruntled member of The Redwood Pack.
Reed Jamenson—artist and son of the Alpha of the Redwood Pack. Mate to Josh and Hannah. Story told in Trinity Bound and Blurred Expectations.
Reggie—deceased former member of the Central Pack.
Samuel—deceased former member of the Central Pack.
Willow Jamenson—former human baker and now mate to Jasper. Mother to Brie. Story told in A Taste for a Mate and A Beta’s Haven.
Chapter One
The warm, willing woman in his arms moaned
, and Jasper Jamenson pulled her closer, loving the way she arched into him. She was soft, perfect. His. The delicate skin under his hands was familiar, and yet, with each touch, it was like finding something new, something precious, created only for him. His eyes were closed, but he knew he wasn’t dreaming, at least he hoped he wasn’t. He’d hate to have that happen. Again.
His mate, the love of his life, and his partner, Willow, wiggled her ass against his cock, and he moaned.
Loudly.
“Not so loud, Jasper, you’ll wake Brie,” Willow whispered, her voice heavy with sleep, gradually filling with need. He felt her body shaking—from holding back laughter or a moan of her own, he wasn’t sure. Well, he’d just have to make sure it was the latter. There would be no laughter from his mate while he had his cock pressed against her and when they were both ready to fuck, make love, connect…any of those words that would make them breathe heavy.
He nipped at her neck, and she tilted for him, giving him better access. He licked and sucked at her skin, the salty taste of her body from sleep mixed with the cinnamon that always danced on his tongue when he touched his mouth to her. He’d keep his moans down and try to be quiet, but only because he knew his daughter in the room next to theirs had hearing worthy of any wolf.
“You’re the loud one, darling,” he teased as he let his hand move to her breast. He plucked at her nipples, loving their reaction to him, pebbling in his palm as he cupped her breasts. He molded them in his hands, taking in their heavy weight. He trailed his hand from between her breasts down over her belly and below the shorts she wore, to the trimmed hair between her legs. He’d never tire of how soft his mate was. Oh, she might not have the full curves of other women, but she was perfect for him.
Willow spread for him, and he circled her clit, his cock hardening even more at the way she plumped for him with just one easy stroke. He’d make her come on his hand, and then, while she was still cascading down from her high, he’d slide his cock into her heat and pump into her until she came again, and he’d come with her.
Yes, that was a good morning he could live with.
He trailed one finger lower and froze as the door creaked open.
“Daddy! It’s breakfast time!” Brie squealed.
Jasper heard her little feet tap against the floor as she ran to his side of the bed. He quickly removed his hand from his wife’s pants and rolled to his other side so he could stop Brie from jumping into their bed. With just one look, she came to a stop, sliding a bit before regaining her footing. Jasper had his arm out to catch her, but he wasn’t needed.
This time.
“Morning, my baby girl,” he said, a smile on his face, even though he hadn’t gotten to finish what he’d started with his wife. Again. “What did we say about doors in this house, honey?”
She scrunched up her little face. Her brown hair tumbled in a mess around her head as if she hadn’t brushed it in weeks, though he knew Willow had put a braid in it before bed. Brie tended to sleep as wildly as she was when awake. Her braid never stayed in place.
His perfect little princess wanted to roughhouse with the boys, and Jasper was fine with it. Sure, she might carry a little more dirt than Willow would like, but at least, this way, Brie would learn to fight off the boys when they came knocking at his perfect little princess’s door.
Oh, and when they did, Jasper would be ready.
With his claws.
“Uh, don’t open it?”
Jasper rolled his eyes then sat up so he could tickle the little monster beside the bed when she moved closer. She giggled, the high-pitched sound grating on his nerves since he’d just woken up, but at least he knew his daughter was happy. He let her go, and she skipped to the door then looked back.
“Is Mommy making breakfast?” his little girl asked, her eyes dancing.
Willow let out a laugh beside him. He sensed her disappointment that they hadn’t finished what they’d started, but mixed with that was her amusement of their daughter, so he reached out and squeezed her hand.
“Yes, Brie dear. Or your daddy can make you cereal if you want.”
He looked over at his wife and said, tongue in cheek, “Cereal? That’s the best I can do? Is that a comment on my cooking, oh-mate-of-mine?”
Willow blinked up at him with those big hazel eyes he loved, the innocence act so not working.
“I have no idea what you mean, love.”
Jasper growled, though he couldn’t help the corners of his mouth lifting up. “I didn’t poison myself with my own cooking before I met you. I won’t poison our daughter.”
Willow raised a brow, sitting up to fold her arms under her breasts. “If you could find a way to poison anyone pouring a bowl of cereal, you’d be an extra special Beta, wouldn’t you?”
Brie giggled then shifted from side to side. Jasper narrowed his eyes. “Did you use your potty this morning?”
“Maybe,” was her reply. She scrunched her face, and he held back a curse.
With the rush of a man who was still learning the steps to this whole father-thing, he picked her up, ran her to her training potty, and let her get to work. She wiggled and smiled as she went about her business, and Jasper just leaned against the sink, wondering how the hell he’d ended up here—a place he loved but was drastically different.
He’d been a bachelor for almost a hundred years, the Beta to the Redwood pack, a Jamenson of royal werewolf blood. Now he was a husband, a mate, a father…and the Beta of a Pack who was being attacked on an almost daily basis from the Centrals—a Pack now run by a demon from hell rather than a wolf with a bent on ruling the world.
Yes. Things sure seemed to change in the blink of an eye.
And not all for the best.
He wouldn’t change who he was and who he’d become for anything in the world. He loved it all. He’d been there when his baby girl was born, even though Willow had kicked him out of the room a few times. He hadn’t been able to help it. He and his wolf had wanted to scream at his brother North for taking too long and letting his mate endure so much pain. He’d been there when his baby girl took her first steps, though he’d missed her first words because he’d been out on a call to fulfill his Beta responsibilities.
He’d been able to watch his wife and mate grow and find a rhythm with her wolf, even though the way she’d turned into one of his kind had been brutal and unyielding. He’d been able to watch his brothers fall in love, bond with their mates, and create the next generation of Jamensons.
Through all of that, he’d accepted his responsibility as the Beta, the one wolf who was bonded to the rest of the Pack in such a way that he knew what they needed, sometimes before they did. It was his job to ensure the needs of the Pack were taken care of so the others around him could function and move forward.
He loved his role in the Pack—even if he was so tired some nights the effort it took to breathe was almost too much.
With the Pack on the defense most days with battles and the threat of war, the health—emotional, physical, and functional—of their members needed to remain high, even if it wasn’t necessarily Jasper’s job to ensure it. Both he and his wolf knew when a Pack member needed something, such as time off or to focus on a new project, but that didn’t mean Jasper had to hold their hand to make it happen.
He did it because he wanted to.
Maddox, his twin brother, was the Omega, so he helped with emotional health of the Pack, much like Hannah, his sister-in-law, the Healer, helped with their physical health.
Jasper was the jack of all trades, doing what the moon goddess needed, even if he didn’t have a clear daily job these days. Between war meetings with the family, actual battles with the Centrals, and his duties as Beta, he didn’t spend as much time with Willow and Brie as he wanted to, and that hurt above all else. He could deal with the lack of sleep and barely scraping by his responsibilities, but he was missing so much with his family, and in that, he knew something had to change.
He just had no
idea what.
If only the Beta could have an assistant or something.
“Daddy, I’m done.”
Jasper blinked and looked down at his little girl, who smiled up at him. He helped her wash her hands, took care of her training potty, washed his own hands twice more, and then carried Brie out of the bathroom upside down. He could have held her correctly, but he loved the way she squealed. He dodged a stray kick to the chin and kept moving.
As he moved, he caught a newer scent coming from his baby girl, one that had more to do with the magic within her ready to burst free than anything she might have rolled in. Knowing Brie, she could have rolled in just about anything.
His wolf nudged up against him, and he smiled. Yes, his little girl would be doing her shift soon. His own wolf could tell. All werewolves were born human, and usually, between the ages of two and three, they made their first shift into wolf pups. At that age, they had a little more control over their bodies to make the change, though all pups were a little rambunctious.
“Down, Daddy, down!” Brie giggled, the high-pitched sound not as grating now that he was awake, but damn, he needed coffee.
He set her down on her feet, and she scrambled to her chair in the dining room. Jasper followed his nose to the scent of fresh coffee then leaned against the archway so he could watch Willow in her element. No, he wasn’t being a chauvinistic ass. His Willow loved cooking and was freaking amazing at it. He still remembered the taste of the first omelet she’d made for him in this house and how he’d wanted to kneel at her feet and ask her to stay forever.
Okay, he might have done that anyway because his love and need for her wasn’t only for her omelets.
He licked his lips at the scent of the cinnamon from the rolls in the air blending with the sugar and cinnamon from his mate’s skin. He and his wolf loved the fact that his mate carried the scent of her famous cinnamon rolls on her skin.
Yep, she was totally perfect for him.
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