Beyond Beta's Rejection

Harper

Lily rushed at me full force as I planted my feet firmly on the ground. The last thing I wanted to do was to kill Elias’ sister but from the furious look on her face I might not have a choice in the matter. Seconds before she reached me I reached out and grabbed her top. I used her momentum to swing her around and straight into the tree behind me. She crashed into it with a thud and I skipped to the other side of the clearing. She was back up and on my back before I cleared the space. Her claws scratched at my face and I screamed as I felt them sink into my cheek, just below my eye. I dropped to the floor and tried to roll onto my back in order to knock her off me. I delivered a blow to her stomach with my elbow and used the moment where she was winded to pull myself free. I didn’t pause though, and I jumped on her back and pinned her to the floor. She snarled and tried to buck me off but I had better leverage than she did.

She stopped struggling, and the crazy b***h started laughing.

“What, can’t you kill me?” She tried to taunt me. “You better do it now because the first chance I get I will slit your throat and bathe in your b***d.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

“And how do you plan on explaining that to your brother?” I asked. “I mean surely killing his mate might not be something he would be happy with.” She laughed again.

“You think I’m stupid,” she snipped. “I had planned to make your death an accident, but now it’ll be something else.” She tilted her head towards the guy she killed. “Here I was enjoying my newfound freedom when I was attacked by these rogues. Luckily you heard me and tried to defend me. You weren’t so lucky, but I managed to get a shot in on one of the men as he killed you, before running for help.” I shook my head again. They b***h might have been crazy, but she was right, she wasn’t dumb.

“So you better kill me now because I am going to slaughter you,” she said in a sing-song voice.

I was about to reply when I heard a noise and turned to see Marcus standing in the clearing. He looked shocked at what he saw. Lily must have felt my distraction because she bucked her body and I lost my hold on her before she threw me off. I jumped up ready to brace myself for her next attack but she swung around and rushed at Marcus. I went to go after her when she threw herself into his body.

“Oh my goddess,” she cried, the small scared girl voice slipping back in. “Marcus, Thank you. I can’t believe you are here.” She started sobbing into his chest as Marcus instinctively wrapped his arms around his mate.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked as he looked around the clearing. I didn’t know how to answer. Yeah sure Marcus, your mate is a crazy b***h who is set on killing me. Wanna just step aside so I can stop her? Yep, I can see that going down swimmingly. I opened my mouth and closed it again.

“Oh Marcus, I don’t know what I have done,” Lily suddenly wailed. “I was walking and Harper turned up with these men.” Whoa, what? I looked at Marcus and shook my head.

“She said that she didn’t want me around,” Lily continued,” She said that I was trying to steal her friend and her friend’s baby. Oh Goddess, Marcus, please don’t let her kill me.” Marcus stared at me and I saw a flash of his wolf behind his eyes. Oh s**t, I thought. I was sure I could take Marcus if I had to, but Marcus fuelled on anger and protective of his mate was a different story. I might have to kill him to stop him. I didn’t want to do that. I needed to deescalate the situation quickly. I dropped the angel blade to the ground.

“Marcus,” I said, and he growled, “No, that’s not what happened.” I looked at the men. “They attacked me.” I didn’t include that they did it at his mate’s request. I needed him to calm down before telling him what really happened.

“No, no, no,” Lily wailed. “You know that she has been talking to them on the border, and now she brought them into the pack.” I could see that Marcus was beginning to look conflicted.

“Marcus please,” I said. “Let’s think this out. We can all go back to the pack house and talk calmly.”

“No,” Lily protested, “Marcus, she has already told me that she has convinced Tommy. He’ll back her up.” Marcus growled again. The whole time his eyes never left mine. I could see them flashing between him and his wolf. I tried to make myself as harmless looking as possible. But I was worried that the mate bond would have his head already made up. I had just told Lily that Elias wouldn’t be happy about her killing me. I was sure as hell that the same went for Marcus and his mate.

I wondered if I could make a break for it and run for the pack house. Sure it made me look guilty but maybe Tommy would be able to confirm what Damien had said or we would be able to subdue them both until Marcus calmed down and Elias came back. I glanced at the trail that led back to the pack house and I could tell that Marcus had caught my eye movement. I wasn’t sure what to do now. We stood in silence, apart from Lily’s fake little sobs. Finally, Marcus took a deep breath.

“Maybe,” he said slowly, “We go back to the pack house.”

“What no,” Lily cried. “They will kill me.” Marcus looked down at her and I could see the conflict clear on his face. I knew that as her mate, she was his number one priority, but technically I was his Luna and his rank was dedicated to protecting me. Marcus smiled at Lily and wiped one of the fake tears from her face.

“I don’t want to have to do this,” he whispered. He looked back up at me again and I shook my head slowly. He smiled down at her.

“Lily, you are my mate,” he said “I don’t think I even knew love before I felt the bond with you.” I saw her smile up at him.

“I love you too,” she said through little hiccups.

“But,” Marcus said, and she stopped and narrowed her eyes on him. “I know you are lying to me.” I saw the crushed look on his face as he said it. He tried to push her out of his arms.

“What?” she cried, “No Marcus, why would you ever think that?” She clung to him and started fake crying again. Marcus shook his head and tore her away from his arms. He threw her to the floor and growled at her.

“I heard you,” he growled. “I heard everything. I saw you kill that man and threaten to kill Harper. Please Lily, I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t let you hurt Harper either.” I stood transfixed watching as Lily’s face twisted in anger and she snarled at Marcus.

“You bastard,” she screamed. She lunged up and slammed into him. He wasn’t prepared and smashed back into the tree, hitting his head hard. Lily stood above him.

“Don’t worry my lover,” she said with a smile. “I will kill the b***h and I know I can make you come around.” She turned to face me with a grin. “And if I can’t, well then I guess I will have to kill him too.”

She lunged at me with a feral scream and I scrambled for my angel blade. I tried to grab it as she knocked me flying and kicked my blade further away. I tried to jump up, but she landed a punch on my back and pain radiated through my body. I rolled around to avoid another punch and shuffled on my back away from her. She stalked after me as her hands lengthened into claws. I could see that she was preparing to swipe at me when I heard a snarl behind her. Seconds later a dirty blond wolf pounced on her back. She screamed as the wolf clawed down her back. I saw him drop off, and she faced him, he snarled again and lunged at her. I saw his jaw around her throat as her eyes widened and she realised what had happened. Her own mate had shifted against her.

“Marcus,” she cried, and the wolf clamped down and ripped out her throat.

He dropped her to the ground, her dead eyes staring straight at me. Marcus dropped to the ground, still in wolf form, next to the body and howled one long mournful howl. I felt tears in my eyes as the sound and the feel of his grief hit me. Maia, my own wolf, mourned for his lost inside me. I once heard that sometimes you could feel the heartbreak of a fellow wolf as their mate bond shattered. I knew now that it was completely true. The familiar feeling of bond breaking ripped through my soul. I watched with tears streaming down my face as he curled up in pain around the blooded body of his dead mate and howled out in sorrow and grief once more.