Protected by the Beta

by Bethany Shaw

  There wasn’t a man or woman in the pack that could beat him in a fight. When he’d been named Beta, some had feared he’d take the Alpha position from Lucas. Honestly, he never would. Not only was Lucas his brother in every way that mattered, but also Essex didn’t want the daunting responsibility of being in charge of the whole pack. Beta was hard enough as it was.

  “So, there is some sort of celebration tomorrow night?” Haven asked, drawing him out of his thoughts once again.

  Celebration? He frowned, then it dawned on him what day it was. Tomorrow night was the first full moon of summer. Wolves were more fertile during the full moon, and the first one of summer and winter always seemed to be good for the pack.

  His cock stirred in his shorts, and he had to shuffle in his chair. The thought of Haven’s belly swollen with his child was almost too much for him to handle. Before they had a child, he wanted to get to know her, to have some time to themselves first. Maybe a few years from now...

  Of course, he was getting ahead of himself. She might not even like him like that. Though judging by the way her hand still clasped his, he didn’t think that was the case. She felt the pull to him; he just didn’t know if she would want him to act on it.

  Haven shifted, and her knee brushed up against his again. Her smooth skin was like silky butter and he wanted to run his fingers all along it. He suppressed the urge to growl.

  “What’s the celebration about?” Haven asked.

  The question was innocent, and it shouldn’t affect him, but it did. His cock hardened to the point of pain. He needed a shower – a very cold shower.

  “It’s something we wolves do.” He cleared his throat and shifted in the chair again, trying to get comfortable. “It helps with our fertility.”

  “Oh!” Her eyes widened, but she didn’t jerk away from him. If anything, she clasped his hand tighter. As his mate, it was reasonable to assume that the magic of the full moon could affect her, too.

  “It’s fun for the whole pack. We tell stories and eat and drink. The fertility festivities take place behind closed doors.”

  “Good.” She laughed out loud. “Because it would be weird if they were out and about in the open.”

  He loved the sound of her laugh, hearty but soft.

  She licked her lips and leaned even closer to him. “Is it some sort of magic?” she asked.

  She felt the intense attraction between them, too. He was sure of it, now that she’d asked that question. “Sort of, yes. What you are feeling toward me is a magic of sorts.”

  She bit her lip, but still didn’t pull away. “How do you know it’s toward you?”

  “I feel it, too.” He broke their eye contact and looked away, trying to decide if he should tell her everything or not. “We are soul mates, Haven. That’s why my touch comforts you, why you like touching me. We are destined to be together.”

  “Destined to be together? Like true love?” She shook her head, and this time she snatched her hand back so hard that her elbow rammed into her chair. “No way. There is no such thing as real love.”

  “What? Why not?”

  Haven stood up and shook her head. “Are you kidding? Look at the divorce rate? Half of all marriages end in divorce. I bet you all of those people thought they were marrying the love of their life.” She put her hands on her hips and met his eyes as if daring him to deny it.

  “It’s not like that for a wolf.”

  “Because you’re magic? I don’t think it matters. I’m guessing Stephen’s wife was magic. Let me tell you, that was a match made in hell. That woman was evil. By the time she got done with him, we were living in a two-bedroom apartment eating Ramen for dinner every night.”

  “Shifters are the only ones who find true soul mates,” he said.

  “I’m not a shifter.” She lifted her brow to challenge him.

  “Well, no, but because we are soul mates, you react to the same magic I do, it just might not be as strong for you as it is for me.” He hoped that made sense. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off. They were finally making headway, and she seemed to trust him. He hoped this conversation wouldn’t make things worse for them.

  Haven held her hands up. “All this talk of magic. I don’t know what to believe anymore.” She ran a hand through her hair and went to the counter.

  Essex got up and stopped a few feet behind her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it harder or to confuse you.”

  She put both hands on the counter and exhaled loudly. “It’s not entirely your fault. I blame Stephen. He should have been telling me this my entire life. Then it wouldn’t be such a shock.”

  He cleared his throat. “I’m not sure that this makes it any better, but uh, it’s my understanding from him that he wasn’t able to tell you the truth, like there was some sort of magical barrier preventing him.”

  Haven turned around to face him slowly. “Is that possible?”

  Essex shrugged. “Maybe. If the person who cast the spell was strong enough.”

  She put a hand over her heart. “Do you think it’s true?”

  Essex scratched the back of his head as he thought about it. “I don’t see why he’d lie to me about that.” It was the truth. Stephen had no reason to lie to him.

  “What if he’s wanted to tell me all along and he just couldn’t?” Her face fell, and tears shimmered in her eyes. “I feel horrible. I left home and wouldn’t return his calls.”

  “Hey.” He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his embrace. If he could ease her sorrow, he would. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known.”

  Haven burrowed into him. Her hands clutched at his shirt, pulling him closer to her. They stayed like that for a long time. It could have been minutes or hours. Her embrace was comfortable, and there wasn’t anywhere else he’d rather be.

  When she finally pulled back the sadness was gone from her face. Her hands trailed up his chest, and she peeked up at him through her thick lashes. “Thanks for coming out after me today.”

  He cupped her cheeks. “Haven, I’ll always come for you. Don’t you ever doubt that.” He’d known her for a day, but still felt the overwhelming need to protect her and never let any harm come to her. She was his mate. He would do anything for her, no matter the cost.

  She held his gaze. Her lips parted and she inched closer. She gave him a slight nod and that was all the affirmation he needed to close the tiny distance between them.

  Her lips were soft and tasted like mint chip. He groaned at the feel and taste, wanting more from her. She ran her hands up his chest, skimming the pads of her fingers up and down the bare skin. His length shot to attention.

  Essex put his hands on her hips and spun them around so her back was against the counter. He lifted her up and sat her on the granite and placed himself between her thighs.

  She locked her ankles against his lower back, which pulled him closer to her. His cock strained against the confines of his shorts, and he wanted nothing more than to sink into her right this second. He fought against the urge, determined to keep things slow.

  This was their first time together. It needed to be special. He wanted to worship every single inch of her body.

  He broke the kiss and peppered kisses along her jaw line and then to her collarbone. Haven shuddered and grasped him tighter while panting in his ear. He scooped her up and carried her down the hall to his bedroom. Kicking the door open, he carried her to the bed and gently laid her down.

  His eyes roamed over the gorgeous woman beneath him. She was everything he’d always dreamed of, and so much more.

  Essex put his hand on her ankle and lifted it up. He placed his lips to her ankle and slowly moved them down her leg. It was silky smooth, and he let his fingers trail up and down the exposed skin.

  When he reached the hem of her shorts, he gently sat her leg down and unbuttoned them. Haven lifted her bottom and wriggled out of her shorts and panties, exposing her lower half to him completely.

  He kn
elt so he was on his knees before her, burying his face in her warm, wet core. She tasted like heaven. He licked, nipped, and kissed, enjoying the moans that escaped her perfect lips.

  Haven squirmed, her hands grasping the bed sheets. He put one hand on her hip to hold her still and the other he put over her clit. Pressing down with his thumb, he timed his licks and kisses to the steady beat of his thumb pressing down on her clit.

  She grabbed one of his pillows and held it over her face, but it did little to stifle the screams that were coming out of her mouth. She was getting close. He could tell by the way she was tensing up. What would she taste like?

  He nipped some more, increasing his pace until she began to chant his name. Before long his name turned into a loud, moaning whimper. Warmth flooded out of her, and he took joy in lapping up every droplet. She tasted better than he’d imagined. Like warm honey.

  Essex glanced up at her before standing. She dragged the pillow off her face and let it sit next to her. Her cheeks were a rosy red and her chest heaved as she fought to control her breathing. He wasn’t anywhere close to done with her, though.

  That had been the beginning. Tonight was going to be a long night. A warm smile slid over her face as if she’d heard his thoughts. She sat up and pulled her tank up and over her head.

  He swallowed hard when he realized that she hadn’t been wearing a bra. Her breasts were perky and looked like they would fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. He reached out ready to test the theory, but she tsked at him and shook her head.

  She pushed up to her knees and reached out. Her fingers went to the waistband of his shorts. She rolled them down slowly until they flopped to the floor at his feet.

  Her hand reached out for his cock, but he stopped her at the last second. Oral sex was one thing, but actual sex was different.

  “There’s something you should know before we do this,” he said. They were mates. He already knew that for a fact, but she didn’t. She needed to know what she was getting into before they mated. There would be no going back once they were together.

  She frowned and dropped her hand to her side. “You don’t have something, do you?”

  “What? No.” He shook his head and laughed. “Nothing like that. It’s just that we are mates, Haven. If we do this, it will change the way you look at men forever.”

  She quirked a brow at him. “I already think they’re assholes. It can’t get much worse than that.”

  He chuckled. “You’ll never be attracted to another man. I’m the only guy you’ll ever want.”

  She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “I told you, I don’t believe in the ‘soul mate’ nonsense.”

  “Once you’re with me, you will,” he said with a smile.

  “Cocky much?”

  “I just want to be honest with you.” That was the truth. She was his mate, and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize their relationship. Even mated couples had arguments. He didn’t want to start their forever off on the wrong foot.

  She sat down on the bed before flopping back on the pillows. “Thanks. I do appreciate that.” She traced her tongue over her bottom lip and grinned. “Why don’t you prove me wrong, then?”

  He grinned. “Are you sure?”

  She spread her legs and put one hand on her breast. “I’m sure that if you don’t get over here right now, I’m going to go to my room and finish what we started myself.” She crinkled her nose up as if it disgusted her. “I’m hoping it won’t come to that.”

  He put his knee on the bed and placed himself between her thighs. “I wouldn’t mind watching that sometime.”

  She curled her fingers around his cock and slowly began to pump up and down. “Maybe someday. Right now, I just want to feel you inside me.”

  His length hardened further, if that was even possible. He lowered himself onto her, and captured her lips.

  She released his cock and wrapped her arms around his neck at the same time she angled her center for him by locking her ankles on his butt.

  He pushed into her tight, wet, folds a few times before burying himself to the hilt. They moaned in unison at the joining of their bodies. She fit him like a tailored glove – perfectly. He was home.

  Essex set a slow, steady pace while keeping himself buried deep inside her. He wanted to take his time and really get to know her.

  Kissing his way down her jaw to her collarbone and then to her breasts, he took one pert nipple into his mouth and rolled his tongue over it. She arched her back while dragging her fingers through his hair.

  He peppered kisses to the other breast and licked it too. Haven whimpered beneath them. She bucked her hips into his faster, harder. She was getting close. It was a good thing too, because so was he.

  Part of him never wanted this moment to end, but the other part was ready for climax only so they could do it all over again.

  Haven cried out. Her heels dug into his ass harder and her inner walls tightened around him, spurring on his own release. He found her lips once more as he came. This was just the beginning for them. Now that he had his mate, he was never letting her go.

  Chapter Seven

  Haven stretched beneath the covers. Her hand rubbed against something hard and warm. Images of the previous night flickered in her mind.

  A smile spread over her face. She’d had a few lovers, but none of them had ever been so attentive, and she had never enjoyed herself that much. The more she’d been with Essex, the more she wanted him.

  Warmth settled between her thighs, and she bit her lip, wondering if he was already awake. She listened to the soft sound of his breathing and decided he wasn’t, or he was really good at pretending to sleep.

  She lifted her hand to rub her eyes but froze. Something was on her palm. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the intricate mark. It looked kind of like a tattoo, but that wasn’t possible. She didn’t have any tattoos.

  What was it and how did it get there? She sat up and held her palm with her other hand. It was some sort of wolf paw print. The design was actually pretty. It was a paw print with a wolf’s head above it. The wolf looked similar to the one in the painting, and to the one who had come to her rescue yesterday.

  She licked her lips as she recalled Essex’s words. He’d said they were mates, but he’d never said anything about her having some weird wolf mark on her hand.

  “Morning,” Essex said.

  The bed shifted, and she felt him behind her. His chin rested on her shoulder.

  “What is this?” she asked, holding her palm up for him to see.

  “It’s a mating mark,” he said quietly. “It’s what happens when two mates come together. I told you last night.”

  He’d told her something last night. She hadn’t realized that it would be like this. It was like they were married. She blew out a breath, expecting to be angry, but oddly, she wasn’t. The emotions she felt were anything but. She was relieved – happy, even.

  In the back of her mind, she knew she should be freaking out but she just couldn’t.

  “What does it mean?” she asked.

  “That we belong together,” he said kissing her shoulder. “Are you okay? I know a lot is happening really fast.”

  Was she okay? For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel alone. She was a part of something – with someone. But would it last? If he was telling the truth, it would, but since when did men ever tell the truth? Usually, they fed you bullshit lines to get you into bed.

  “You still don’t believe in us, do you?”

  She shook her head. True love wasn’t real.

  He peppered her shoulder with kisses again. “It’s okay.” His teeth found her earlobe and gently nibbled on it. “I have my whole life to prove it to you.”

  “Yeah, yeah. We’ll see what you say next week. Last night was a good night. Usually, I snore.”

  “Who says you didn’t?” He kissed her cheek and got out of bed.

  She scoffed and hopped out of bed too, not caring that sh
e was naked. “Because I’d know if I did.”

  He laughed out loud. “Are you sure about that?”

  Actually, she wasn’t. How in the world would she know if she snored anyway?

  Essex picked up her clothes from the previous night and handed them to her. “Come on. I’ll fix you breakfast.”

  She took the clothes and clutched them to her chest. A man that was good in bed and made her breakfast every morning? She could definitely get used to this.

  He led the way into the hall. She followed until they passed by her room. Slipping inside, she snuck into the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes and showered in record time.

  Haven had never been one to do much with hair or makeup. She preferred being natural. She brushed out her wet hair and then made her way out into the kitchen.

  Essex was at the stove again, flipping an omelet. “Have a seat. Breakfast is almost ready.”

  She went to the table. The spot she’d sat in the night before was piled high with books. She narrowed her eyes reading the titles. They were all witch books about spells.

  “What’s this?” she asked surprised. How did he get all this?

  “Everything I have on witches. I figure it can help you better than I can. Being a werewolf and all makes me a little limited in my witchy knowledge.” He turned around to grin at her.

  His grin was infectious. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. It would be so easy to get used to all this, to fall for him. She sighed and sat, reminding herself that true love wasn’t real. If she forgot that, then she risked having her heart broken.

  “I thought you could read over those while I get cleaned up for the day, and then maybe this afternoon, we can go out and work on your teleportation. I want you to know how to use it, just in case.”

  That was probably a good idea. She’d been lucky the last two times, but what if it didn’t happen when she needed it to? If she knew how to harness it, then she shouldn’t have to worry. “Good idea.”