Beyond Beta's Rejection

(Harper’s POV)

“Her dad found out we were fated mates and told her to reject me,” he said.

“Did she?” I asked. I knew that Louise wasn’t a fan of the whole fated mate thing, but I thought that she liked Tommy. He shook his head and looked back at the table.

“No, but she was told to stay away, and the next I heard, it was announced that she and Damien were to be mated.” He looked up at me, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. “I tried to get to see her but was blocked at every point. It wasn’t until Greg Henderson managed to get a message to me telling me that Louise was under strict twenty-four-seven protection.”

Alex scoffed at that. “More like imprisonment.”

Tommy glanced at him before looking back at me.

“They had completed the mate bond within two weeks of you going.” He looked at me, a haunted look on his face. “It was one of the most painful experiences of my life, feeling the fated bond ripped away like that. I felt so guilty for making you do that too.

” I bit my l*p to stop the tears from falling. Even when a fated bond isn’t complete, it creates such a powerful connection that you simply feel like you can’t without the person. I felt it with Colton, even though he was so possessive and nasty to me. I still cried every night for months from the pain and loss. “I don’t understand, though. Why would she agree to it?” I asked.

“It had always been the plan,” Alex said. “After Damien rejected his fated mate because she was an omega just after they turned eighteen, the Alpha and my father had agreed that Louise would mate with Damien. I found out about six months before everything happened and was trying to figure out some way to block it.”

“Still, it’s Louise here,” I said. “She hated Damien.”

“They threatened to kill Alex and me,” Tommy said. “After the mating, Louise managed to get out and came to see me. They told her that if she didn’t go ahead with it, then both Alex and I would be found guilty of treason and be put to death.”

I closed my eyes as a tear slipped down my cheek.

“And that was why she was kept under lock and key until the mating happened because the Alpha didn’t want what happened with you to happen with Louise,” he said.

“Because of me, because I left,” I said. I couldn’t believe the pain my leaving had caused. “I am so sorry. I should never have gone. This is all my fault.”

“Hey, no!” Alex exclaimed, grabbing my hand, and I opened his eyes to see him looking at me. “This is not your fault, trust me, these things have been in motion long before you knew what was happening.” He reached up and wiped a tear away from my face with his thumb. “And I would have done it all again to make sure you were safe.”

I leaned into his hand, feeling the warmth of it against my cheek. He smiled at my reaction, and I smiled back, feeling a little flutter in my stomach.

Once upon a time, I had the biggest schoolgirl crush on Alex, and he had certainly improved since then. We had shared an accidental k**s one night when I was sixteen, but then he had gotten evasive, and I assumed it was because he had decided he had made a mistake and I was too young. Looking into his eyes now, I wondered if there had been another reason all that time ago.

Tommy growled again, and I glared at him.

“Seriously,” I snapped. “What is your problem?” He shook his head and then glared at Alex. Alex looked away, and I sighed.

“Listen, Harper. You need to be careful,” Tommy said. “We know that Colton knows you are here, and I have heard from one of my sources that he is planning something.”

I rolled my eye but couldn’t help the sinking feeling in my stomach.

“Don’t do that. The guy was pretty obsessed with you. That much was evident after you left. He ripped this and many other packs apart looking for you. Just because he stopped looking on the outside didn’t mean he wasn’t doing quiet searches.”

“I can handle myself, don’t worry,” I said to him, and maybe to reassure myself. Tommy shook his head to show he wasn’t convinced but dropped the conversation. We changed the subject to more pleasant ones. I told the boys about my fake life in London. Tommy knew it was all a lie, but Alex seemed none the wiser. They told me about different things that had happened in town and with different people. We talked for the next couple of hours, and all through that time, I would feel Alex’s hand against my thigh, or his arm would hang on the back of the booth behind me for a bit, and I would feel him playing with my hair. It felt nice, and I had made up my mind to visit him at the bar when Tommy wasn’t around being overly watchful.

I noticed that the bar had started to pick up and looked at my phone. It had just passed 11 am, and Alex needed to excuse himself for the lunch shift. I took that as an opportunity to excuse myself, too.

“I’m gonna go and see Katie,” I said, and Tommy went to stand up. I threw him a funny look.

“I can manage this alone,” I said with a grin. “Chill, okay? It’s not your job to protect me.” He looked me dead in the eye with one of the most serious expressions I have ever seen on him.

“Yeah, but it is, though,” he said, and I stopped and looked at him again. What the hell did that mean? I shook my head and laughed.

“Well, don’t worry, I’m not as breakable as I used to be,” I said. “I can manage the walk to the apartments.” I smiled again and stared at him until he huffed and sat back down.

“Okay, but just be careful, ok?” he said, and I nodded. I said goodbye and waved to Alex, who waved back and left the bar. I headed across the parking lot and down the shirt alleyway into the apartment complex. It was one of two in the town. This one was more run-down than the other one, where Tommy lived. This one was housing for the Omegas in the pack, and you could tell that it didn’t get the care and attention that the rest of the town had gotten.

I headed up the stairs towards the apartment number that Susie had given me. And was just coming out of the stairwell when the door opened. I ducked back a bit and watched as Colton walked out. He looked around like he was looking for something and then turned to the door. He said something in hushed whispers. I kept myself hidden in the shadow, hoping that my speeding heart wasn’t as loud as it felt. I was ready to make a run for it if he headed this way, but to my relief, he headed the other way down the open landing. What the hell was Colton doing at Katie’s place? Surely they weren’t seeing each other. The thought hit me harder than I thought. I mean, it didn’t matter to me who he was seeing, so why was I feeling annoyed.

I waited until I was sure that Colton had disappeared and my heart had resumed to normal speed before I relaxed enough to move out of my hiding place. I took a deep breath and went to walk around the corner when I felt a movement behind me. I went to turn towards it when I was painfully slammed face-first into the wall. I cried out automatically. My arms were grabbed from behind and a warm body pressed against me.

I could already tell who it was before he spoke. It felt like my body relaxed against him all by itself.

“Hello, Strawberries.”