Beyond Beta's Rejection

Harper

My eyes flew open, and I recognised the spare landscape of the Neverplain. I looked around to see Drake and War standing with me.

“Where’s Marcus?” I asked and looked at War, “Did you let go?” He shook his head and looked around.

“Well this is pleasant,” he said. He turned to me with a smile. “Shall we complete this bond then my dear?” I glanced at Drake and felt my leg. I could feel the Neverplain version of the angel blade strapped to my thigh. Drake nodded and stepped back. I stepped forward towards War and looked into his eyes. He smiled down at me and leaned in to k**s me. I felt as he ran his fingers in my hair and grabbed on and yanked my head back. I yelped from the pain.

“Do you think I am stupid, child?” he sneered at me. I tried to struggle, but he had a firm grip on my hair. Drake moved forward but stopped as I felt something against my neck. It burned against my skin and I gasped.

“Don’t come closer or I will slit her throat and take her to Hell in chains,” War called and Drake looked uncertain. War leaned down and whispered into my ear.

“Did you really think that I wouldn’t notice the surge in power in you my sweetness?” he whispered. Even here in the Neverplain I could feel the bond between us. His words sent shivers through my soul.

“You feel that, don’t you,” he said. “The bond is still there. All I need to do is to complete our bond and I will be able to claim your power as my own.” My eyes widened at what he said. I shook my head and snarled at him.

“You need me to do it willingly,” I snarled, and he chuckled in my ear.

“Oh, I am sure that I can get you to bend to your knee my dear,” he said. I felt a surge through me and his grip changed. I took advantage and yanked myself away from him. I turned towards him and pulled the angel blade from my thigh. I prepared to strike when his face changed to one of shock.

“Harper?” he said and then looked around. “Oh goddess Harper, where are we?” I felt a lump in my throat as I knew Elias stood in front of me. It was him looking through his eyes right now.

“Elias,” I whispered, and he nodded.

“Harper, I need to warn you about Lily,” he said as I flung myself into his arms.

“Shhh,” I said back and reached up to brush my lips against his. He responded and deepened the k**s. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I didn’t know how he had got free but I didn’t care. Then I felt him struggle and pulled back into time to see fear on his face.

“No,” he cried and his eyes flashed through black and back to his inky blue before he grinned at me. I pulled away instantly, knowing that War was back in charge.

“You see my dear,” he said. “I have your precious mate inside me and if you don’t give yourself willingly to me, then I will take him to Hell instead.”

“No,” I cried and tears streamed down my face. I knew that I couldn’t let him take Elias.

“Yes,” he sneered, “I will take him down and I will rip him apart piece by piece. He will live in eternal torment because of you.” I shook my head. I couldn’t let that happen.

“Harper,” Drake said, and I looked at him. I could tell that he knew what I was thinking from the look on his face. “Harper, don’t.”

“I can’t let him do this,” I said and Drake shook his head.

“You can’t give in,” he urged. I looked up at War and he grinned, his face twisted in evil.

I went to step forward when I felt a ripple of something. I looked around to see Colton and Brighid appear next to us. Brighid looked up at me and growled. My eyes widened as she threw herself at me.

“NO!” she screamed. She slammed into me and sent us both flying. She went for my neck and I felt her hands circle my throat and squeeze down. I tried to pull her hands away, but she had the leverage.

“You think that you can take my destiny from me you little b***h,” she snarled. “I should have killed you after what you did to my nephew.” She squeezed harder, and I started to see black spots. I had been warned by Brianna that the mind would take any mortal danger in the Neverplain as real and react accordingly, meaning if my brain thought I was dying from lack of oxygen, then I would die from lack of oxygen.

Then I felt the pressure on my throat eased, and my eyes cleared. Colton was kneeling next to me with an anxious look on his face.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I croaked, and he grinned.

“You’re welcome,” he said and helped me to my feet. I looked around to see that War had Brighid by the throat.

“You dare to harm my queen,” he snarled in her face. “I should rip out your throat.” Brighid struggled against his grip and I ran to try to help her. But Drake grabbed me and pulled me back.

“Harper, she tried to kill you,” he said. I struggled in his arms.

“I can’t let him have her,” I cried as I heard a snap and saw a look of shock on Brighid’s face before her eyes went dead. War let go of her and she dropped to the floor in a crumpled mess. I went to run to her but suddenly she started screaming and her body seized. I watched in horror as she burst into flames and sank into the ground screaming. At the same time I felt a rush of power through me. The echoes of her screams continued after she had disappeared and I stared at the now charred spot on the ground.

“What the…” I whispered and Drake sighed.

“She’s in Hell now,” he said. “Her grace has been removed. It’s back with the collective.” I looked at him and he smiled sadly. The collective, meaning him and me. Brianna had yet to complete that part.

I glanced at War who was watching me carefully.

“Now that we have dealt with that little interruption,” he said with a smile, “Are you ready my dear?” Drake grabbed my arm but I pulled it away. I looked at him and shook my head.

“I have to,” I said, “I can’t let anyone else die for me.”

“Yes you can,” Colton said, and I turned and looked at him. He grinned at me before lunging at War. I screamed as he hit War squaring in the body knocking them both flying. I wasn’t sure what happened, but I heard War and Colton screaming and they both seemed to blur in and out of the plain. Then there weren’t just two bodies, but seven. I stared open-mouthed as I saw two dark shapes, two wolves and three men go flying in different directions. I instantly recognised Jax, Elias’ wolf and the dirty brown of Canyon, Colton’s wolf. Colton jumped up and one of the dark shapes mirrored him. It turned towards me and I saw eyes of fire set into the black. Elias jumped up a second later and looked around. He rushed to me and pulled me into a hug.

“Oh Goddess Harper,” he whispered. I heard a growl and felt him being ripped away from me. I screamed as Elias went flying across the ground. Standing in front of me was someone else entirely. He was taller than seven feet and his body was built of pure muscle. He looked like an ancient warrior, covered in scars. He sneered down at me and grabbed a hold of my hair.

“You think you can win,” he bellowed as he dragged me across the ground. “Against me? I am the very essence of war, I have every battle strategy, because I am every battle strategy. You have no hope against me.” He yanked me by my hair against him and I felt something come alive in me. I could feel the bond between us. It wasn’t complete, but it was there. I tried to pull away but his hand circled my throat and once again I was having the life squeezed out of me.

“No,” Elias called out. “Don’t hurt her.” He tried to step forward but War squeezed harder against my throat and I reached out a hand as he began to crush my windpipe. Elias stopped. I could see Elias, Drake and Colton all searching for some way to get to me. But I knew I had to be the one to do this. I reached down against my thigh and found the blade was there again. Score one for unexplainable magic. I grabbed the angel blade and felt as it glowed to life. I then used every ounce of strength that I had left in me and gripped the blade. I reached up and aimed for War’s chest. He saw it coming and smacked the blade from my hands. He growled and threw me across the ground. I landed hard on my side and pain radiated through my body. I looked up to see War heading towards me. His face was a picture of fury and he snarled as he neared.

“I was going to give you the world,” he snarled. “You would have been a Queen in my presence, but now you will be my pet. I will chain you up and use you until you are expired.” He lifted his arm to strike me again when I saw a dark shadow. War screamed as the shadow passed through him. He tried to grab a hold but before he could another shadow attacked him from the other side. One by one the two shadow demons attacked War, giving him no time to recover from the pain they caused. I used the distraction to crawl away. Elias and Drake rushed to help me to my feet, and I leaned against Elias as I searched for the blade. I found it a little way off and pushed myself up to run for it.

I heard a roar seconds before I was thrown to the ground again. I twisted around to see War standing over me. The shadow demons had ripped apart his body and flesh was sear away. I tried to look for them but couldn’t see anything around the hulking mass in front of me. Then I saw a glow and War screamed as he pitched forward. I rolled away and grabbed my angel blade just as he hit the ground. Drake stood behind him and pulled out his own Angel blade from War’s back. He went to strike again, and I screamed at him.

“Drake no,” I called. I knew that he couldn’t finish this or he would be the one to go to Hell. I wasn’t going to allow that.

I pulled myself to my feet and turned to face War as he growled and struggled to his own feet.

“You could have been a Queen,” he snarled again, and I shook my head as I stood in front of him.

“I am a Queen,” I said and plunged my angel blade into his chest. The glow from the blade grew brighter and I could feel as it heated up. I clung to it as my own hand burnt. I knew I would burn like Brighid did. That would be how I took the tainted path to Hell.

I glanced at Elias once last time before the flames consumed me. I wanted to commit his face to memory. I was about to tell him that I loved him when I felt an impact on my other side. I screamed as I was knocked away from the blade. I tried to scramble up to grab the blade again but Elias grabbed me by the waist and held on.

“What are you doing?” I shouted. “I have to finish this.” Then I realised that the blade was still lit. It wasn’t dull from my lack of contact. I looked up to see Colton holding the handle, where my hand was only seconds before.

“No,” I screamed as he held on. I knew the pressure was too much and he would fail, and die doing so. I tried to get free from Elias’ grasp but he held on tight. I could see War was gaining against Colton and I continued to scream and fight my way out of Elias’ arms. Then the shadows were back, and they both jumped on War, surrounding him in darkness. I could see that their combined strength almost evened the score. But War was still too strong. Then something else pounced on War’s back and I saw the flash of dirty brown fur and another midnight black fur. War screamed as the combined effort of The demons and the wolves were too much for him to fight.

The flames began, and the screaming was too much. I screamed along with them as I tried desperately to get to the blade. Colton turned and looked at me as the flame began to engulf him. He smiled at me and mouthed something that I couldn’t make out, then he disappeared into the flames.

Finally, Elias let me go and I crashed to the floor. I crawled to the spot where I could still hear the screaming and tears streamed down my face onto the ground. Elias followed me and took my hand.

“We have to go,” he said, and I shook my head. I couldn’t go. I was never meant to go back. I saw Elias grab Drake’s hand and felt a surge through me as everything around me once again went black.