Beyond Beta's Rejection

(Harper’s POV)

Owens continued to trap me with his eyes for a few moments longer before breaking the contact. He glanced at Katie behind the bar, and she shrank back in fear.

“Bar is closed for the night, Miss Harsen. Go home.” Katie glanced at me and then back to Owens before bowing her head. Owens was already back looking at me.

“Yes, Alpha,” she whispered, and she disappeared into a room behind the bar and came back out with her bag and jacket. She headed around the bar towards the exit and then back to Owens, looking petrified.

“Erm… well…” she hesitated while Owens didn’t even acknowledge her. “I was just wondering if I would still get paid for my shift, but if not, then that’s ok too. Oh, I’m sorry, it doesn’t matter, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

I grimaced as she was getting more flustered the longer she spoke. Yet Owens still stared at me. I looked around him briefly before returning my eyes to meeting his. “Yeah, you’ll still get paid,” I said confidently, “at his expense too.” K’s eyes popped in shock. Owens raised an eyebrow, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

“Oh, well…” Katie started again,

“Goodnight, Miss Harsen,” Owens said, his tone as flat as the expression on his face. Yet both sang with so much information in their blankness. His voice felt like a cool breeze along my skin, and his eyes continued to burn into my soul.

Katie squeaked and headed out through the door as quickly as she could. I rolled my eyes before returning my stare to the Alpha in front of me. I started to get annoyed at him and decided to return the stare. I had faced some pretty scary characters. I could deal with a self-entitled Alpha prick. I crossed my arms, mimicking him, narrowed my eyes, and glared at him. He raised both eyebrows this time. I could tell he was fighting off his amusement. That’s right, buddy, you just keep underestimating me now, I thought to myself.

Owens glanced behind me towards where Marcus was standing and gave a half nod. I heard a scuffle behind me and then a snap, followed by a cry of pain. I turned around to see Alex cradling his hand. I rushed to him, and he flinched away.

“No, Harper, don’t!” he said through gritted teeth. From what I could see, two of his fingers were broken and swelling fast. I growled and whirled around on the Alpha.

“Are you f*****g crazy, you psychotic bastard,” I snarled as I rushed at him. I reached to punch him straight in his pretty-boy face, and he grabbed my wrist before it connected and twisted it around. I was sent off guard by the burst of sparks that exploded over my body from his touch. He spun me around and crushed me against his body, his other arm circling me, trapping my arms and body against him. I struggled to get out of his grip as he leaned in and ran his nose against my neck, taking in my scent and whispering in my ear, the sensation causing my breath to quicken and heat to flood my core.

“Behave.” His tone held so much dominance and command that it took everything in me not to do as he said and melt into him like a good little girl. Meanwhile, Maia was not helping the situation as she yapped excitedly in my head and tried to encourage me to grind my a*s against his crotch. I did everything I could to keep tense, so he knew the second he relaxed his grip, I would rip myself away from him. He moved his head away from me, and I almost g*****d from the absence of his touch.

“You understand the consequences for touching what is mine?” Owens said to Alex, who met my eyes briefly before looking back at Owens and nodded.

“He didn’t even know you, son of a b***h,” I snarled, and his arm tightened around me, and he growled.

“Why do you think it was his fingers and not his neck, sweetheart?” he nuzzled back into my neck again. “And don’t worry, we’ll get to your punishment later,” he whispered, and my heart skipped a beat as dread filled my body. The guy was clearly a psychopath, and I felt the promise in his statement in my bones.

He nodded to Marcus again. Marcus nodded and then called behind us.

“Davy, take Casanova here to the hospital and make sure his fingers are set right. Anders, bring the Alpha’s car around.”

I heard the doors to the bar open and close again. One of the two guys walked past us and grabbed Alex’s arm. Alex shrugged him off and glared at him, but started walking, anyway. He glanced at me as he passed and winked.

“Still worth it,” he muttered under his breath, and I smirked. Owens tightened his grip on me even more and growled. I rolled my eyes in response. Even though he couldn’t see it, Marcus could, and he grinned at me.

“You got yourself a handful here, boss,” he said, and Owens growled again.

“Wait outside,” he ordered, and Marcus mimed, tipping an invisible hat before heading past us.

When the door closed again, I became all too aware that we were now alone in the bar. A shiver of excitement ran through my body at the very thought of it. Owens relaxed his arm holding me to his body, but before I could take action, he spun me around and pushed me against the bar, the edge digging in my back. He caged me in with his body and one arm on either side and leaned in to take in my scent before moving to make eye contact again. This time, there was something different to him. His body was more relaxed, and humour danced in his eyes. Even his calm expression softened his face and held a hint of flirtiness. It was as different to a few moments ago as chalk was to cheese. I glanced at him up and down, confused. This unsettled me more than the bad boss-type he held just now. How easy he seemed to be able to switch between the two.

“It appeared we got off on the wrong foot already,” he hummed, and his voice still held that fresh touch along my body.

“Speak for yourself,” I said. “I got interrupted before I had a chance to get off at all.” He laughed. Not like a smarmy evil boss man-laugh, but a full, genuinely happy laugh. I blinked at him in surprise. Who was this guy?

“Don’t worry, darling,” he said, his eyes filling with l**t. “I am very happy to help with that.” I gulped at the raw tone in his voice. “Nevertheless, I am looking forward to getting to know you, my little mate,” he cooed, and I shook my head.

“I’m not your mate,” I said, as confident as I could. “You don’t just take a whiff and decide you can keep the shiny new toy. You gotta earn that s**t, and I don’t care who you are.”

“Well, I will have plenty of time to earn everything you have and more, sweetheart. We will be spending quite a bit of time together,” he mused. “Starting with you moving into the pack house.”

“What!” I exclaimed, what is it with these dudes and that damn pack house? “No, I can’t.” I tried to keep a straight face, but I couldn’t face the idea of being so close to Colton. “Please, I’ll behave or whatever.”

“And probably run out of town the first chance you get?” He raised his eyebrows. “Not happening, sweetheart. I’m keeping my eye on you.”

“I won’t run, I promise.” I couldn’t, anyway, without becoming one of Drake’s b***d groupies, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Your track record goes against you,” he stated.

“Seriously, he was an abusive prick, and I was eighteen. What was I supposed to do, stay and mate with the bastard?” I snapped at him, and he smirked.

“And this afternoon?” he asked. I looked at him in shock. The only people who knew I was planning on leaving this afternoon were Aaron and… Oh, of course, I should have known.

“Tommy!” I exclaimed. “He told you I was gonna leave?” He nodded. I wasn’t sure if I should have just been angry or hurt.

“Who do you think warned me that my Beta had gone against my direct command and was sitting at your dinner table?” He then tilted his head again.

“Is that it?” he asked. “Is that why you won’t come stay at the pack house? Are you worried about Stokes?” His voice had taken a tender tone, and I nodded. He growled low in his throat before hooking a finger under my chin and lifting it until our eyes met.

“Well, rest assured, my little mate, I will always keep you safe, no matter what.” Everything from his expression to his voice and his body language screamed that he was speaking the truth, and I found myself nodding again before I realised what I was doing. Dammit, I needed to get my head back in the game.

I pushed him away from me, and he let me. I moved out of his space and turned around to face him.

“Fine, but I want my own room,” I said, “and far away from Colton.”

He nodded. “You’ll have your own room on the top floor. There is only Marcus and me up there, and it is secured from anyone else.”

“Okay, and this doesn’t mean I agree to be your mate. I only agree to do this because my mum’s sofa is terribly uncomfortable,” I stated, and he nodded again.

“I am not obliged to stay or anything,” I went on. “I am here to do what I need to, and then I am out of here, and you won’t stop me.”

He tilted his head again. “And what is it that you need to do?” he asked, and I cursed myself in my head for slipping on that.

“None of your goddess damn business,” I snapped, and he grinned. “What the hell are you grinning at?” I snapped again.

“Marcus was right. You are gonna be a handful,” he chuckled, and I looked around for something to throw at him.

“Fine, I will agree to your demands, but I have one of my own,” he said, getting serious.

“Well?” I asked.

“Give me a chance,” he said, and I looked at him in shock. “Contrary to popular belief, I can be a nice guy.”

I frowned at him. “Tell that to Alex while they reset his fingers,” I shot at him, and he shrugged.

“Us Alpha types tend to run a little possessive, I’m afraid.”

I quirked my head at that, and he looked at me confused.

“What? What did I say?”

“Colton said something very similar to that the first night we… well, you know,” I said, blushing a little.

He tutted with a cheeky grin. “Now, now, sweetheart, if you can’t say it, you shouldn’t be doing it,” he chuckled, and I rolled my eyes.

“Fine, the night we f****d!” I said, and he took a deep breath, his eyes filling with l**t again. I rolled my eyes again. Geez, and I thought I was horny.

Owens cleared his throat and held out his hand to me.

“Come on then, my dear, let us go home,” he said. I hesitated. I wasn’t sure I liked the hungry look in his eyes, and I was sure I was making a big mistake. But at least I was going to be as close to the man as anyone could get. Surely I would be able to find the evidence against him a lot quicker this way.

I reached out and let him take my hand in his before guiding us out of the bar and into the car waiting outside. As we drove towards the pack house, I couldn’t help but have a horrible feeling that I was making a big mistake.