The Beta and His Runaway Werefox / ✔️

The building was smaller than she thought it would be. Unlike the Packhouse, which stood tall and had three separate floors, this building only had one. However, she had to admit that outside, she loved it as it was styled like the houses surrounding it and occupied a flower garden at the entrance.

Her senses spiked at the smell of what the girls’ called ‘books’. Each shelf contained multiple books that were all different shapes and sizes. There were very few people inside as they entered while a young boy helped his mother place a few books back on the shelves.

Bella felt herself breathe in a familiar feeling while they took her towards the back of the building. It was the same feeling that she gets when she is alone with Harvey, and she liked it.

Her eyes lightened as she noticed a row of seats and sat down with Sherry and Grace, their eyes staring directly towards her as she slightly frowned and stared back in questioning. The silence seemed to stretch out forever before she finally spoke. “Why?”

They both leaned forward, their eyes beaming as Grace spoke first while her chocolate eyes frowned slightly. “Have you done the deed yet?”

“Deed?”

“They have not done it yet!” Sherry exclaimed, pushing Grace so that she would fall off the chair. “She would be marked.”

“Marked?”

“Yeah, but they should have at least kissed by now.”

“Kissed?”

“Oh my god!” Sherry sighed, throwing her head back as she groaned. “She has not done any of these things! Look how confused she looks.”

Grace pouted. “You think he told her about...”

Sherry’s eyes widened. “If he has not explained sex or being marked, then he would not have mentioned ‘heat’.”

The confused frown and annoyed pout of frustration deepened with every second as they spoke to each other as if she were not currently sitting in front of them.

She hated not knowing basic things, but right at this moment, she despised herself. She felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes at the thought of being so stupid but brushed it off so that neither of them could see her pain.

The deed which she assumes is sex, being marked and getting kissed were all unfamiliar words to her as she bit her lip in thought, were those things normal for mates to do? Did Harvey avoid telling her because he did not want to do any of it with her? But then she remembered what he had said last night. His wolf Fernis would make her do things for which she was not ready. At the time, she did not understand, but while she listened to them talk, she came to the realisation that this was what he meant.

Shaking her head from her thoughts, her eyes sparked up an idea. “Can I know more about your childhoods?” Bella suddenly asked, the girls pausing from their banter as she had finally gained their attention. “I have gotten to know a lot about people from their childhoods.”

“Well, I will go first.” Grace shrugged, Sherry rolling her eyes again but decided to stay quiet. “I was an orphan. I cannot remember my real family or even if they are alive, and I do not care. I used to, but that was before I found Xenia and Vincent and convinced them to adopt me.” She then paused and shook her head. “To clarify, an Orphanage is a place for children with no home or family. Kids get looked after, and adults will come in and take an orphan home if they wanted one.”

Bella slowly nodded as she rested her arms on the table. “What about Jesse?”

“As you know, the Werefox territory got attacked, and Jesse and his father were the only ones who survived in his family. He lost his sisters and his mother in that attack, but somehow finding me was the best thing that could have happened for the both of them. His dad loves me, but everyone does so-”

“People want to rip your head off. You are that annoying!” Sherry cut in, causing Bella to giggle. “This chick has the biggest ego!”

“That is because I am older than you!”

“Only by fifteen years!”

Bella felt her eyes widen. “Wait... how old is everyone?”

Sherry shrugged. “Both Grace and Jesse are thirty-Four. Liam is twenty-six, Harvey is twenty-one, and so is Byron. I am nineteen, and then there is Kyra, who is seven.”

She was lost for words as she sat back and stared at the girls. “But... Liam, Harvey and Kyra are siblings. Where are yours?”

“Well, as I said, I am adopted, so those three are my siblings,” Grace spoke. “April and Jack struggled to have kids, so when they had Sherry, they decided just to have her.”

“And Byron?”

They both looked at each other, sad expressions crossing their faces as Grace sighed. “Byron had an older sister. She loved to break the rules and one day she... she climbed a tree without anyone knowing and fell. She was only four.”

Silence fell between them as she felt her heartache at the thought. She had more questions; she had many questions, but she did not know how to ask them after that. She had heard about Alpha Zander and Luna Tilly, but she did not know about their lost child. Then a thought hit her as she eyed Sherry. “Why are you, not Luna?”

Sherry jumped, her face reddening as she began to play with her dirty blond hair. “Technically, I am because Byron and I have mated.” She then moved her shirt to show Bella a mark on her neck. The letters BX were there as she stared in amazement. “The responsibility is just terrifying, and knowing that I am Luna means that I have to give the pack an Alpha for the next generation.”

Grace shrugged. “You do not have to; Liam or Harvey’s kids can take the role.”

“We are waiting for you first!” Sherry groaned. “You are old as shit. Pop out the sprogs already!”

“I will if I win the beat.”

Bella frowned. “A beat?”

“We made a beat that Harvey will not tell you anything until you are in heat, and it is too late,” Sherry spoke first. “I say that he will tell you before the heat.”

“And I say that he will never tell you because he is too much like our dad and finds these things very hard to talk about.” Grace finished with a smug smile.

Bella tilted her head. “Then you tell me.”

They both jumped again, their eyes widening as she had to laugh at how in sync they both were. “We could, but... ”

“I want to know,” Bella stated, her eyes slightly falling. “I hate not knowing any of this stuff, and I just want to know already.”

They both looked at each other before Sherry took a deep breath and began to explain it all. From the first time you meet your mate and the feelings you go through to how strong the mate bond gets the longer you are around each other. She explained the first kiss to the first ‘I love you,’ and she then explained getting marked and mating.

It all began to make sense inside of Bella’s mind while she listened. Xenia and Vincent were making out that day, not eating each other’s faces. Grace and Jesse were about to have sex two days ago when she walked into the kitchen and found Grace moaning at what Jesse was doing to her chest. Those things are just what mates do to each other, and Harvey was holding off because she was innocent.

“Then... what is heat?” She questioned once Sherry was finished.

This time Grace sucked in a breath before she spoke. “Heat is what happens after the first period you get when you first meet your mate. It is this overwhelming feeling of horniness that begins with you just feeling hot, and then it turns into pain. You can barely breathe, and the heat will go on for hours.” She then sighed as her face formed into a look of knowing. “The only cure to stop the heat completely is to mate. Sex is the only way to stop it, and if you do not mate, then with every period you get, you will go through it again. Harvey will get the same pain as you, so you will not be the only one.”

Bella instantly regretted asking as she felt her face pale. Her eyes were wide as she tried to remember her last period. Her last one ended the day before she ran into Harvey, which meant she still had time to prepare for this.

“It is okay if you are scared,” Sherry spoke. “We all are when it comes to heat.”

She did not know what to say as she felt her stomach growl in hunger. The girls laughed at the sound before Grace told her to go look for Harvey. Bella did not protest as she stood and said her goodbyes before leaving.

Her heart felt heavy from all the information that she was just told while she walked towards the Packhouse and followed Harvey’s scent to his room. She had many questions when it came to mates, but her main ones were finally answered. What she had been feeling for Harvey finally began to make sense as she knocked on his door and waited for an answer.

Her palms began to sweat as he responded, and her hand turned the knob to open the door between them. He was sitting on the bed, papers in hand, while he ran his fingers through his hair. Even the sight of him caused her heart to jump out of her chest as he looked up and stared at her in worry.

He was always so worried about her while she stood frozen in her spot. “Bells, are you okay?”

She opened her mouth to speak, her face flushing as nerves hit her stomach. The hunger that she felt was gone as she began to regret her impulse decision when she came up here. “I... I was told about some mate things.”

Harvey’s lips pulled into a line as she noticed his cheeks started to taint a small colour of red. “And what did the girls tell you?”

Bella felt her heart skip again, her feet moving towards him as she wanted to be bold. She wanted to be brave when she found herself standing in front of him. “Can I try something?”

Because of his curious nature, he softly nodded, his dark eyes sparkling up at her random actions as she removed the papers from his hands and placed them down beside him. She then held her hands to his shoulders as she straddled his hips and pulled herself closer to his body. His eyes darkened at her action as she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his.

It was just like Sherry had explained. The sparks hit her entire body as Harvey grabbed the back of her head and forced pressure against their lips. A sudden gasp escaped her as she felt her eyes close. She did not know what she was doing, but she felt like she was on some type of high while her body shivered.

If kissing Harvey felt like this, then she wanted to know what mating feels like.