Beyond Beta's Rejection

(Harper’s POV)

I stopped short when I saw Damien. Colton turned around when he felt I had stopped and pulled my hand slightly.

“What’s wrong, Strawberries?” he asked, and I shook my head.

“What’s going on?” I asked. I looked behind me and saw Alex standing in the path behind me.

Colton pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I tried to move away, but he held me tight.

“Don’t be naughty, baby,” he whispered in my ear. “I’d hate to have to punish you.” I shivered as he ran his hand down my spine. I cupped my chin and lifted it, meeting his lips to mine.

“Don’t worry, baby, if you are a good girl, we can make you feel really, really good.” I pulled away and looked at him.

“We?” I asked. I glanced behind him and saw Damien was staring at me like a predator would prey. I started to back away. “What do you mean ‘we?’”

Colton growled and grabbed my hand.

“Just come and sit down, have a drink, and I’ll explain.” He stepped closer, and I stepped back, straight into Alex. “Come on, baby. I promise I’ll be good.” He pulled me into him again and whispered in my ear, “Unless you want me to be bad.”

I shivered again but let him lead me into the gazebo. Damien smirked at me and handed me a glass of wine. I had to use both hands as they were shaking so much. There was a pile of blankets on the floor, and Colton pulled me down to sit on the blankets. He sat leaning against the gazebo wall and pulled me to sit between his legs. Damien went and sat on the other side. He sat watching me like I was something to eat. I saw Alex standing in the doorway, and he at least looked a little uncomfortable.

Colton pushed my hands up, encouraging me to take a drink from the glass, and started to run his hand down my arm. I saw Damien move forward as I took a gulp of the wine and swallowed it down.

“The thing is, baby,” Colton started. “I have certain tastes when it comes to.….” He waved his hand around like he was struggling to find the right words. “Intimacy.” He pulled me against him, so my back was against his front, and kissed my shoulder.

“Do you remember when we first…” Another k**s against my shoulder. “…made love for the first time?” I wouldn’t call what happened making love, but I nodded anyway.

“When I said those words… when I rejected you…” I felt a feeling in the pit of my stomach. I could never forget that. “Well, you know what followed? The beautiful mix of pain and pleasure as they chased each other around your body?” I stiffened. Damien had been moving closer as I was paying attention to Colton, and now he was sitting by my feet, his hand stroking my leg.

“The pain is what makes the pleasure so mind-blowing.” He leaned in and grazed his teeth against my neck, and I whimpered. Damien was still stroking my leg, only now the strokes were longer, as he ran his hand up and down my leg.

“Baby, I want to feel that again,” Colton breathed in my ear. “I want to feel the pain and the pleasure mixed together.”

“I-I don’t understand,” I stuttered. I felt him nod, and Damien pushed my legs open and pushed himself between them so I couldn’t close them again.

“Colton, please…” I tried to move away, but Colton wrapped his arm around my waist.

“It’s ok, baby,” he cooed in my ear. “It’s not really like cheating, Damien and I have shared before.” Damien winked and leaned down, and kissed my leg. My body reacted to the touch, and the scent of arousal hit the night air.

“There you go, baby, just let me and Damien make you feel real good.” Colton kissed my shoulder again as I felt a rush of heat through my body. “That’s a good girl.” He started to k**s and nip at my neck while Damien moved up my leg. I tried to form some sort of thought through the betrayal of l**t running through me. I didn’t want this, but it felt nice. I tried to relax for Colton. He was my mate, and maybe this is the compromise that mates made for each other.

I felt Damien’s fingers skimming along the edge of my dress, and it pulled me from whatever state I was in,and I realised that Colton was using his Beta command. I shot up from where I was sitting, surprising them both.

“No!” I exclaimed. “No, I don’t want to.” I shook my head. Colton glared up at me, and I could feel the command before the words came out of his mouth.

“Harper,” he commanded. “Sit back down now!” I could tell he was angry, and it took everything I had not to do as he said.

“No!” I said, my voice shaky but clear. He got up from the floor and started to move slowly towards me. I matched his steps backing up, trying to keep the distance between us.

“Harper, you will do as you are told or so help me, goddess, you will not enjoy the consequences.” I backed up and hit Alex again. I whimpered as I realised I was trapped here with the three of them.

“Alex, grab her,” Colton said, and I felt Alex’s hand around my arms. I struggled to rip myself away from him and somehow managed to go flying outside the gazebo into the path in the woods. Alex stared down at me and caught my eyes with his. He glanced to the side, into the woods, and back again. I looked into the woods and back at him.

“Alex, for f**k’s sake, grab her!” Colton shouted, and I pulled myself up and ran as fast as I could into the woods as Alex advanced towards me.

I was running blind but kept pushing myself forward as the branches and twigs scraped against my body. I could hear shouting behind me as I ran.

“HARPER!” I heard Colton shout, “Get back here right now, you little slut!” I tripped over a root or something and went flying into a tree, banging my head pretty hard. My head ached as I tried to get up, but my coordination wasn’t working, and I fell back down.

“Fine, you little b***h,” Colton shouted. “You will regret this, and you can find your own way back!”

I realised that I had run almost a half-circle and could see the car that we had come in.

“Alex, come on,” Colton called.

“Shouldn’t we look for her? She could get hurt?” Alex looked down the path we had gone.

“No, the b***h can suffer. Get in the car now,” Damien called, and I saw as they all climbed in, and soon the car was speeding off into the night.

I waited until I couldn’t see the headlights anymore before pulling myself from the woods and onto the path. I had no idea where I was. I didn’t have a phone or anything, and my dress was ripped from the run. I tried to pull it down as much as possible and tried to get my bearings. Maia whimpered in my head. She was upset at what our mate did and how he could so easily turn nasty. I tried to shake off her sadness. I had to find my way back home, or at least to civilization. I had no idea what I was going to do. Colton was clearly mad at me, and there was no way I could go back to the pack house.

First things first, get myself to a phone or something and then figure out what I needed to do next. I set off walking down the road the car had gone, one thing clear in my mind. There was no way I was going to stay with Colton. I had to find a way to accept his rejection. Maia whimpered at the thought, but I couldn’t live with that man. Not like this.

I had walked for I don’t know how long when I started to feel a familiar pain in my heart.

“Oh goddess, no!” Not here. I knew this was his way of punishing me as the pain increased. Suddenly, the pain slammed into me full force, and I screamed as I fell to my knees. I pulled myself into the bushes, so I was hidden from the road as I felt the darkness of my unconscious mind pull me under.