The Beta's Mate
1161 Words
A cold lump rested in my throat.
Once a male wolf mated, his entire life revolved around his partner’s, like the moon circling around the earth. He would still have his friends that he would see, and in Thomas’s case, his Beta would be close by his side, but all of his relationships would alter after he found his soulmate. Including ours.
Emily’s mouth abruptly formed a sweet grin and she batted her eyelashes. It didn’t take me long to realize that the rapid change in her demeanour was due to the fact that Thomas had returned.
Following close behind him was someone that looked vaguely familiar. His wavy, sand coloured locks jilted a distant memory that dissolved in my mind before I could figure out how I knew him. It was likely that I just saw him around town or at the high school as he looked to be about my age.
“Scarlett, I’d like you to meet David Lotch, my Beta-to-be,” Thomas introduced.
David stuck out his large hand and shook mine with a laugh. “Thom is always so formal and polite. Just call me Davey.”
“It’s an honour to meet the pack’s Beta,” I responded.
“And it’s an honour to meet the Alpha’s bestie,” he grinned at me.
Davey was tall, rivalling Thomas, but was gangly with a relatively lean build and long, spidery arms and legs. His green eyes looked playful, as if they were laughing constantly, even when he wasn’t.
Suddenly, I remembered where I recognized him from.
“I remember you!” I burst out, “you were a year ahead of Thomas in school- the one that would follow Belle around with puppy eyes.”
I instantly regretted the words as soon as they left my tongue. The tips of Davey’s ears turned a bright shade of red and Emily giggled.
“I also carried her books around like was her own personal pack mule” Davey smiled, hiding his embarrassment.
I was glad he took my inappropriate comment lightheartedly.
“Sorry, it’s just- you looked so familiar and when I finally figured out how I knew you…” I stammered.
“No biggy,” Davey winked at me.
“Davey actually mated with someone,” Thomas said, almost cautiously.
“Oh yes,” Emily’s eyes grew wide and vicious. “You just have to meet her, Scarlett.”
“I’d love to introduce her to you,” Davey said.
“Oh, I’m not sure if now’s the time,” Thomas hesitated.
“What?” Davey exclaimed, “why not?”
Thomas’s eyes flickered over me for a brief moment, then fixed their attention back to Davey. “Alright, go get her,” he sighed.
Davey raced off to find his mate and I studied Thomas’s worried expression. Emily, on the other hand, seemed quite content with herself. She playfully grabbed one of Thomas’s arms, trying to divert his attention onto herself. Thomas barely noticed.
The reason behind his somber manner became crystal clear when Davey returned, holding the hand of his mate.
It was Quinn.
Once she saw me, she gasped in disbelief.
“Scar,” Quinn said so quietly is was almost drowned out by the pounding music in the background.
Davey seemed completely oblivious to our shocked reactions. “Oh right, you two are the same age! You would’ve been classmates!”
Quinn’s chin dropped and she stared at the ground.
She hadn’t changed a bit. She was still the pretty freckled girl with the bright red hair. The girl that every time I saw her, I missed her like crazy.
“Actually Davey, I heard that they were besties growing up. Is that true, Scarlett?” Emily asked, attempting to sound as innocent as possible. She was quite the actor, but I easily saw through her performance. Her intensions were obvious: she wanted to take me down.
“Yes, we were pretty good friends growing up,” I said, trying to be as general as possible to avoid Davey from asking any further questions.
“That’s great!” he cried out. He threw one of his long arms around me and the other around Quinn, pulling us closer together. “We can be like the three amigos!”
“Oh, and what about me?” Thomas asked as he attempted to distract Davey from noticing how uncomfortable Quinn and I were.
“Sorry bro, it’s not called the four amigos,” Davey shot at him, then laughed.
“Davey come do a shot with us!” two guys dressed in coconut bras and grass skirts yelled from several feet away.
I breathed a sigh of relief when Davey let us go. “Well amigos, duty calls.”
He grasped Quinn’s face and kissed her gently before disappearing into the crowd, yelling something about how the shots better not be tequila. Quinn and I both chuckled at this, and for a moment, the awkwardness dissipated.
“Ohh I love this one,” Emily exclaimed when a new song from The Weekend blasted into the night air. She threw her arms up and started singing along to the lyrics.
“Yeah, it’s pretty catchy. Quinn have you heard this one?” Thomas asked, trying to break the heavy silence between myself and Quinn.
Quinn opened her mouth but before she could respond, Emily cut in. “You did promise me a dance, Thom.”
“Emily, I don’t know if right now is the best…” Thomas began to protest.
“Come on,” Emily wined and tugged at his muscular arm. “Pretty please?”
Thomas looked sympathetically at me.
Guilt crept over me. It was his 18th birthday party, the most important event for any wolf, never mind the Alpha-to-be, and here he was watching out for me instead of having the time of his life. Instead of drinking with his friends and dancing with all the pretty she-wolves that caught his eye, he was stuck shielding me to make sure my feelings didn’t get hurt.
It wasn’t fair to Thomas. Throughout our friendship, he was always my protector. First shielding me from his brother, then from anyone at school who decided to taunt me or whisper behind my back.
“It’s okay, you two go ahead,” I forced a smile.
“You sure?” Thomas asked.
“Absolutely.”
Finally, Thomas gave in and let Emily yank him over to the dance floor.
I turned to Quinn. Quinn, my oldest and dearest friend who I hadn’t said more than three words to in the last five years.
I wanted to be anywhere but here. Quinn continued to study the floor and chewed nervously at her lip.
I desperately wished I knew what she was thinking. Was she mad at me for returning? Did she hate me so much that she hoped she would never have to see me again?
“So, it’s been a long…” I started, then let my words hang in the air. I didn’t know how to continue. Quinn’s face looked pained and I was certain that anything I said would just worsen the situation.
Suddenly, Quinn raised her eyes from the ground and looked directly at me. She grasped my shoulders hard and began to cry.
“Scar, I am so, so sorry. Will you ever be able to forgive me?”
My jaw dropped.
SR
- Writer
