Betrayed By My Beta Mate

Calliope POV

Aurora whimpers as we leave Eli’s office. My heart is broken too, but we are strong and we need to get through this together. I make my way down the stairs and Oliver is sitting on the couch with a very pretty older woman. He looks nervous but I’m not sure why. I walk over and he stands up when he sees me. “Calliope, this is Alpha Eli’s mother, Luna Amelia.” I shoot him a glare because he had better not have said a word to her about what happened in the office. I reach out my hand and she takes it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Luna.” Her smile is warm and kind. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha Calliope. We were so happy when Lily told us that you had taken over as the Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack. I’m glad you were able to meet Eli here in the pack today about the alliance between us. Thank you for understanding his need to be close to Faith with the recent vampire attacks.” “Of course, she is a very special little girl. ” “I’m glad you got to meet her.” Thinking about Faith makes a dull ache in my heart. I feel the pull not only to Eli but to Faith. I smile at Amelia despite the pain I feel. She reminds me of my own mother. “Thank you, Amelia. I hope we will see each other again. We should be getting back to the pack.” She pulls me into a hug and I stiffen at first before I hug her back.

As soon as we leave the pack house, we start down the path that leads to the gate. “Calliope”, Oliver says. “I don’t want to talk about it right now Oliver. I just want to get back to the pack.” We walk for a few more minutes and I’m grateful that he doesn’t push me right now. We are almost to the gate when he breaks the silence. “Calliope” he says my name and I stop turning to tell him to give me time when I notice the look on his face. I look in the same direction and there are at least twenty vampires breaking through the trees. Why the hell would they breach the pack so close to the gate? That’s when I realize most of the warriors are patrolling the borders for attacks, leaving the gate area with minimal guards. The two guards from the gate join us and the vampires stop about ten feet from us. A male vampire steps forward and smells the air. “I smell Alpha b***d, but it can’t possibly be you, a weak pathetic mutt” he says, looking at me. Aurora growls loudly and I see fear flicker in his eyes. He laughs to hide it, but I have no doubt that I saw it. “You’re afraid of me. I see it in your eyes. It seems that you have a big mouth but don’t have the b*lls to back it up.” His eyes flash red and he bears his fangs at me.

“Shift” I give Alpha command and Oliver and the guards shift. All hell breaks loose and the vampires run at us. I’m grateful when I hear paws hitting the ground in the distance. The big-mouthed vampire jumps at me and Aurora is able to move out of the way. We turn and start toward him when one of the others jumps onto our back. We feel claws dig into our skin and that just pisses Aurora off. She begins to buck but the vampire holds tight. Aurora shocks me when she rolls and I can hear bones crack under us. She stands and turns biting the b**ch on the ground in half. We start to look around and we have been joined by at least five more warriors. I’m grateful for the increase in our numbers. Oliver seems to be holding his own, but I notice one of the Nightfire pack wolves is pinned down by two of the vampires. I run in his direction and jump, knocking one of the vampires into the trees. The warrior gets the upper hand again and I start toward the trees to finish off the other vampire. I can scent him and his b***d. I’m sure he is hurt and trying to run like a coward. That won’t be happening. I stalk slowly into the trees. He is leaning against one of them and his leg is definitely broken. He looks toward me and smiles. “We aren’t alone, Calliope”, Aurora says, and I know she’s right as there is movement in the trees.

Eli POV

Silas makes it to the gate and my warriors are fighting. I look around and my eyes land on a wolf that isn’t part of my pack. It has to be the Beta of the Crescent Moon. Where the f**k is Calliope? There is only a handful of vampires left and I start to move through the crowd. The mix of scents is making it hard for me to scent her. We kill two vampires when the scent of apples and cinnamon invades our nose. Silas takes off for the trees and we stop dead when we see a red wolf standing over a dead vampire. Four more bodies are lying about ten feet from them. Despite the color of her fur, I can tell it’s wet with b***d. Silas walks over and begins to lick her fur. I scent that the b***d is definitely hers. She seems to lean against Silas and I wonder if the b***d loss is taking its toll on her. She has a gash on her nose and b***d covering the fur on her back. Without warning, she shifts and her body slumps to the ground. Without a second thought, I shift and scoop her into my arms. “We cannot lose her, Eli”, Silas says, but I don’t answer. I run toward the pack hospital with her Beta hot on my heels.

“Lily, I need you at the pack hospital now” I say through our link. She appears in the hospital lobby just as we arrive. Her eyes get big and I know just like me she is thinking of the last time we were here. I lay Calliope on the gurney and this time the doctor pushes her back without a word to me. Lily follows her and I have no strength left in my body. I manage to make it to the seat and place my head in my hands. A few minutes later, the door to the hospital burst open and my parents rush inside. They look at Oliver and then at me. My mother walks over and I stand. She wraps me in her arms. “She will be alright. The goddess doesn’t send you a second chance just to take it away.” I stiffen at her words and pull back to look into her eyes. “How” I ask her. “I knew the moment she came down the stairs today. She looked defeated and hurt. Besides, Oliver told me what had happened when I used my command on him when he was pacing in the pack house. Did you reject her Eli,” she asks and my heart squeezes in my chest.

Oliver growls and I shoot him a glare. “I would be very careful, Beta.” “You are not my Alpha. My Alpha was injured defending your pack even after you rejected her. Even after you broke her heart.” “You know nothing of what I have been through and you are in my pack land, so I would be careful how you speak to me.” “Eli, enough, he has the right to be angry with you. You hurt his friend and Alpha” my mother says. “Friends, it seems like they are more than friends.” “Maybe if you actually accepted your mate, you would know that the man you met with a few days ago is my mate, Beta Anthony. Calliope is my best friend and you hurt her. I will defend my friend against anyone, including you, Alpha.” My father steps between us. “Eli, did you formally reject Calliope?” I know why he is asking me this and I don’t want to answer. “Answer me, Eli” my father says. “No, I did not.” His look changes to one of anger. “Eli, you know I love you and I know all that you have been through but what you’re doing isn’t right. You either want the second chance the goddess has given you or you don’t. Either way, you need to make a decision. She deserves her second chance if you aren’t willing to accept her as your mate. She won’t get that opportunity until you make the formal rejection.” A low growl at the thought of Calliope with anyone else escapes from me. The door opens getting our attention. The doctor and Lily walk toward us and Lily is smiling. “Alpha, Alpha Calliope is stable and should wake up shortly.” I feel my body relax at her words. Lily wraps me in a hug. When she releases me, I head through the double doors without asking. I follow her scent.

Once I reach the door, I open it and she looks like she is sleeping peacefully. She is so beautiful. I go inside and take a seat next to her bed. “Calliope, I’m so sorry you got hurt. I’m sorry that I hurt you. I know that part of me is worried about betraying Clara, but a bigger part of me knows I won’t survive losing you like I lost Clara. I know that makes me a coward. When you left my office today, it took everything in me not to run after you. My wolf is angry with me and so is your Beta. My parents are disappointed in me. I’m disappointed in myself. I never expected to have a second chance mate, and I didn’t handle it very well.” I rest my hand on top of hers and the tingles move through my fingertips. I place my head on her bed. I’m not sure how long I was asleep when I hear my name. I expect to sit up and see Calliope awake but it’s not her who said my name. I feel like I can’t breathe. “Clara” I say, and she smiles.” I have missed that smile. “Eli, I don’t have long but I need you to listen. I know you feel guilty about me dying, but I don’t want you to. The time I had as your mate I wouldn’t trade that time to live a hundred years.” She smiles down at Calliope. “She is going to be an amazing mate to you and mother to our daughter. You have to let yourself be happy and not live in fear. Everything happened as it was supposed to. I will be with you and Faith, just not in the way you had hoped. Calliope is your mate and I want you to love her with all of your heart. That is how you honor me. You be the best mate and father. I will always be with you, but our time as mates is over. Promise me that you will be happy and let yourself love again. That you will let Faith know what it is to have a mother that loves her because Calliope already loves her.” I can feel the tears running down my cheeks. “I promise Clara.” She turns and I feel lighter. She did that for me. The guilt and fear is gone. She turns back “when Rose talks to you know that I asked her to keep my secret. You can’t be angry at her.” I look at her confused. She chuckles “you’ll understand soon. Goodbye Eli” she says, and she is gone. “Goodbye Clara” I say. I look at Calliope and pray to the goddess that she forgives me for being a coward when she wakes up. “I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me”, Silas says, and I smile.