Beyond Beta's Rejection

(Colton’s POV)

****Ten years ago***

“Hey!” I felt a sharp pain in my arm and glared around at Damien.

“What the f**k, man?” I exclaimed, rubbing my arm where he had just punched me.

“You just got us killed, you i***t!” he said and pointed to the large screen in front of us. I blinked and saw the words GAME OVER splashed across the screen in red writing that was meant to look like b***d splatter, “Seriously, man, those twerps annihilated us because you were too busy mentally wanking off in your head,” Damien snapped. Geez, it was just a computer game, but he had been restless lately, so I let him off.

“s**t, sorry, man,” I said. “I guess I was just thinking about-”

“Harper,” Damien rolled his eyes, “Yeah, I know.”

“It’s just that she seemed different today,” I said, thinking back to the morning I had spent with my angel.

“She seemed like she was coming around to things.” Which I was happy about since tomorrow night we would complete the mate bond, and she would finally be mine, mind, body, and soul.

“Good!” Damien said. “Because I am dying to get my hands on that tight little a*s of hers.” My hand automatically tightened on my controller, and I felt like punching him. I didn’t understand it. We knew the score. In this family, we shared, and it was good for Harper too. The woman was amazing. It was the least I could do to show her all the love she deserved. I knew right now to Damien that Harper was just a chance to get regular s*x. But I knew that he would soon fall for her, just like I did! Just like Alex did. After lying to me about where Harper was yesterday meant that Alex would have to earn his place back in the inner circle.

It didn’t matter, though. They might be able to fall for her and show her their love, but Harper would still be mine and only mine. Plus, when things changed, and my dad’s plan came to fruition, then I would be the Alpha, not Damien. Harper was a part of this. As my mate, bonded in the eyes of the moon goddess herself, The Order couldn’t deny my rightful place with them. And my dad said that this was instrumental to our overthrowing Daniel Chambers and taking the pack as our own. Dad said that Daniel’s father had used our own connections and my parents’ own mate bond, and my grandfather’s declining mental health to take the Alpha title from Samuel Kirby in the first place. Of course, his own father’s disappearance had prompted Darren Kirby to turn his back on The Order in the first place. But all this had happened before I had even been born. I didn’t care much about it unless it got me my Alpha title and my Strawberries her Luna title. Clearly, we were just righting the wrongs from that generation and bringing the Kirbys back into leadership. Under my own rule, of course.

“Seriously, man, again?” I looked up at Damien, who had obviously been talking to me, and was now glaring at me. “Why don’t you just go f**k her and get it out of your system now,” he scowled. I had a feeling he was still bitter about everything. He had rejected his fated mate when he found out she was an Omega, and now he was being forced to mate with Louise, not that she knew anything about it. The plan was to get Harper to help convince her once she was won over.

And felt it was close after this morning. I had rushed things the other night at the gazebo. But once I had put her in her place last night, she had seemed more willing this morning. I swear she was even happy to see me. I just knew that once we had completed the bond, she would understand how important I was to her.

“I can’t go see her,” I said to my scowling best friend. “She and Louise are having a girly night.” I scowled at that myself. I was suspicious when Louise had suggested the pamper evening. I knew that she had also lied about Harper’s whereabouts yesterday and knew that she had a thing with Tommy. I didn’t trust her not to poison Harper’s thoughts against me. If it weren’t for the Alpha’s plans for her and Damien, I would have already arranged for her to have had an accident by now. But my father had agreed and said that it would help put Harper at ease after my mess up.

Still, I felt uneasy, even with Alex at the door. I’m sure he would stand loyal. He was already in enough trouble with me after the other night. He had let Harper get away on purpose, and then when I found out that he had gone back for her and taken her to Tommy’s, I was furious. Him being on guard duty was his penance for his disloyalty. I mind linked him to put my mind at ease.

“How is everything going there?” I asked.

His uneasiness came over the link straight away. “Erm, all good, man,” he responded, but something didn’t feel right. I closed the link and stood up. Damien grinned at me.

“Changed your mind, did you?” he sneered. I shook my head.

“Something isn’t right,” I said, and his smile dropped, and he stood to attention straight away. For a future Alpha, he was a good little lap dog.

“What is it?”

“I dunno, but I’m going to check on my mate.” I stormed out of the entertainment room and ran up the stairs to the third floor. I headed down the hall to Harper’s room and saw Alex’s face turn to worry as soon as he saw me.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked, and I nodded to the door.

“Open it,” I said, and he hesitated.

“Do you really wanna see that?” he laughed nervously. “I heard something about face masks. I’m not sure even the mate bond can survive green goo on the face.”

“Open it now, Alex,” I commanded, and he winced and turned to the door.

I already knew that no one would be in the room before the door had opened fully. I growled at the empty room and turned and slammed Alex into the wall.

“Where is she?” I growled at him, baring my teeth. I knew it was him that had let them go and wanted to rip his throat out right now. My wolf Canyon started howling in my head. He knew his mate was missing. I have pulled away from Alex and growled at Damien, who still had his hand on me. He backed off with fear in his eyes.

“Kill him later,” he said quickly. “Find your girl now,” I glared at Alex, who, despite everything, was glaring back at me.

“I hope she gets away from you,” he growled. “You don’t deserve her.” Then I saw his eyes glaze over and knew instantly he was warning them that I knew she was gone. I punched him in the face, knocking him out cold.

“I’ll deal with you later,” I said as I delivered a kick to his unconscious form.

“Leave him,” Damien said. “I called the guard to search the territory. We’ll find her.”

I ran down the hall, the stairs, and out into the night. Canyon was howling to get out to search for her, but I knew that I had to stay in control. I headed into the woods after her scent. It was strongest in one direction, so I went that way. I could see guards all over the woods. But I knew she was heading for the border and linked out orders to head to the borders straight away.

I was halfway towards the border closest to me when I felt the first snap. It felt like I had been winded, not painful, but uncomfortable like something had changed in the energy of the pack. I wasn’t Alpha, but I knew that Harper had cut her connection to the pack even before Alpha Daniel confirmed it. She had renounced her claim as a member of the pack. Canyon howled again as I ran quickly through the woods. I had an awful feeling about what her next action was. But she wasn’t strong enough, and I knew it would kill her wolf, if not her, too. Surely she wouldn’t do it. Being my mate wasn’t that bad that she was willing to risk her wolf. I heard the words in my head a second before the pain slammed into me.

“I, Harper Kirby, acknowledge the rejection of Beta Colton Stokes and accept it now, breaking out bond in the eyes of the moon goddess,” her sweet voice floated through my brain, followed by Canyon’s howl and the searing pain. I half screamed, and half howled as I stumbled and fell to the floor. It felt like my body was on fire but also covered in ice. I couldn’t breathe as I tried to pull myself to my knees, but the pain was unbearable. It wasn’t the pain I had craved all this time. Feeling the breaking of the bond felt like my soul was being ripped out slowly and left with a gaping hole of emptiness in its place. I felt like I was being ripped in half, and everything that was good in me was taken away. I howled again because I couldn’t do anything else. I could feel myself falling into the black of unconsciousness and tried to cling to anything to keep me awake, knowing that it would be too late if I blacked out. I would not just lose the love of my life but my own heart as well. But I knew I couldn’t fight it as I slipped into the dark black hole of my own despair and pain.

***Present Day***

I shook myself from the memory of that awful night as I looked at my watch again. 12:05 pm. As I had said, I was impatiently waiting by the swing, and still no Harper.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

What the hell was she playing at? I was still trying to figure out what happened last night. The last time I had seen her looking that vulnerable was when I had picked her up from school after that w***e Donna had attacked her. I still remember her clinging to me as I carried her into her room and took care of her. Because that’s what mates do, they take care of their mates. I remembered cleaning her back, laying a gentle k**s on each wound as I cleaned it, and as she reacted to my touch as I got further down her back. Her sweet m***s were just for me, and her scent intensified as she became more and more aroused. I lowered my hand to my hardening c**k as I saw the memory that was still etched in my brain as I found how much she wanted me. She practically begged me to pleasure her, taking her sweetness in my mouth and drinking in her juices as she screamed in pleasure just for me.

Just for me! She was just for me. Harper was mine. I allowed her to have her fun these last ten years. But it was time for her to come home, not to that bastard Owens, but to me. He had no claim, and I would refuse to let him think he would have my Harper. If he thought he could take her from me after everything we had been through, well, he could think again.

My mind drifted back to that night, the night she had left me. I had tried so hard not to remember that night. Or what had followed. The anger, the rage! I searched for her and would have probably killed her if I had found her. It had been a year of hell before I had found out that she was at the Council. I wanted to go in and demand my mate back, but my father had convinced me to hold off until the time was right. He said that he would get reports on her and would find a way to get her back to the pack in time. The last ten years had been hard, but now she was back, and stronger than ever, she would help me take my place, not only in The Order but also as the rightful Alpha of this town. And her place would be by my side as my devoted angel and bonded mate.

I got the scent of strawberries before she came into view and smiled as she walked up the path towards me. She rolled her eyes, which only made me smile more. The defiance in her was cute, and I knew it was also the mark of an amazing Luna too.

“What do you want, Colton?” she asked as she got close enough, although she still stood out of arm’s reach. Something seemed different about her. Like she had a little more light in her or something. I didn’t even know what that meant, but it was the only way I could describe what I saw.

I smiled again. Yes, it was only a matter of time before I could call this woman mine again. Truly mine. Mind, body, and soul.