THE FEMALE ALPHA'S BETRAYED MATE

Raine (22)

Raine (22)

I watched Jason as I forked more chicken and rice and swallowed, my eyes darting to Sue who was sitting beside Ray, tense and fidgety. I couldn’t work out what happened.

One minute Sue and I were talking about what our plans were and how she thought I was wrong and the next, I remember looking at the door and seeing Jason standing there, his face filled with anger and hurt. But then, it’s like I have drawn a blank because after that, Jason is smiling at me with a grimace and his eyes, while still upset, were different.

Even the way he moved back and out the door after telling me dinner was almost ready, was different. I couldn’t sense anything with magick nor my wolf. Sue and I had looked at each other, our eyes conveying the same message to each other - he surely had heard some of our conversation, so why didn’t he confront us or say anything?

Ray was his usual, happy self as he discussed his and Sue’s up-coming trip to London for a few days. Anna was busy trying to feed the kids, encouraging them to eat more as she discussed the trip. But Jason, while he spoke to his beta Tim from time to time, who occasionally joined us for dinner, his eyes would stray to me and look at me with an intensity that was unnerving.

I smiled when I caught his eye again and forced myself to act calm. I passed ray some roast potatoes which he asked for even as I maintained eyes contact with Jason, lifting my chin a little to let him know I wasn’t scared of him or his stare.

“So” Anna said “Are you going to stay this weekend?

“No, I was actually thinking of leaving after dessert” I looked at her, shaking my head

“I was thinking about getting the staff to set-up the BBQ and a pool for this weekend. It’s meant to be really warm tomorrow” Anna pouted

“Yyaaaay!” Aria yelped “I want burgers”

“I want sausages” Toby said with a smile

“It’s almost pointless having my place when I’m hardly there” I smiled

“I told ya” Ray said as he took another large fork of food “You should have stayed here and rented out the house”

“I wasn’t always meant to be here” I reminded him

“Just stay” Jason said

I blinked, sure I had to have heard him wrong. I looked at Sue who was looking at him before darting her eyes away. Had he really not heard what Sue and I had been speaking about? I smiled, shaking my head, now unsure.

“I really am ready to go home” I said

Ray frowned. Anna pouted and Jason just looked at me silently

“Ok” Jason said, nodding his head

“I can understand” Anna agreed “It’s mayhem here. But if you can, come for the BBQ, even if only to eat and take some food back with you. I invited Sophie, the kids and Kelsie lot too”

“Are they all coming?” Ray asked, his smile wide

“So far” Anna nodded. Looking at me she smiled again “No pressure. It sure will be noisy with everyone but we plan to get the big family pool out and possibly let the kids camp out”

“We get to camp?” Toby asked, his eyes lighting up

“Yay” Aria said enthusiastically “I can use my new pillow set. Kai likes hard pillows”

“What?” Jason asked, whipping his head around to look at her

“s**t” Ray said with a frown “And how do you know that?”

Aria shrugged her shoulders, her eyes lighting up as she looked at Anna

“Can we get some salt popcorn? Kai likes it and can we watch a movie in the camp?” Aria asked

“If you eat too much before the movie, you gonna fall asleep” Toby said “Then dad’s gonna have to carry you again because you are too tired to move”

“I’ll just sleep with Kai” Aria said innocently “And if i go, he can use his power to take us to our camp”

“Our camp?” Ray asked, eyes widening

“The hel - heck you will” Jason roared

“I don’t think so princess” Tim said, his frown deeper than Ray’s

“Really!” Anna frowned at everyone “You know she doesn’t mean it that way!”

“What way?” Anna asked

I chuckled, my eyes watering at how easily the men at the table became overprotective and aggressive,

“Daddy” Aria said with a duplicate frown “Don’t be mean. You sleep with mummy every night. Kai only sleeps with me sometime. If he is here for camp, I want to sleep with him”

“HE SLEEPS WITH YOU SOMETIMES?” Jason roared

“Ok princess” Ray said getting up “That’s it, no more time with Kai without us adults”

“How is he getting inside the house?” Tim asked, “I thought Deedee had a spell in place so no one could pop in and out like that?”

“I did what?” Deedee asked

We all turned to look at her as she came into the family dining room. She kissed the kids and sat beside Aria who was telling her about the BBQ and camp.

“I thought you said the spell you placed on the house was so no one could pop in or out uninvited?” Tim asked again

“Yes” Deedee said as she began to fill her plate with food “Why?”

“Then how and why is Kai coming in here to sleep with my five year old daughter?” Jason asked with gritted teeth

“And how many times is he doing that?” Ray asked

“Oh boys, really” Deedee chuckled “It is not in that sense. And he is not always in bed with her”

“He’s in bed with her?” Ray and Jason both asked in a shocked whisper

“No” Deedee said, shaking her head “He sleeps on top of the covers with a blanket. But he hasn’t been here in months”

“Why am I just hearing about this now?” Jason asked, his face pale

“You allow this to happen?” Ray asked with a deeper frown

“He shouldn’t be near her like that” Tim said, folding his arms.

I got up just as the heated discussion started. I watch Anna and Deedee navigate the conversation as I slip towards the door. I almost make it out when I hear silence and I turn around to see them all frozen, my heart beating fast at the wall of almost clear mist that is between the adults and Aria

“Aria” I asked in a shocked whisper “How are you doing this?”

“I don’t like when they fight” Aria replied, her eyes watery with unshed tears

I walked over to her slowly and bent down.

“Sweetie” I said “How do you know how to do this? This is a very complex spell. I thought your mummy said you only do small magick?”

“I do” Aria nodded “but I also learn things in my dream and then I learn it here”

I shook my head, confused at her words

“In your dream?” I asked

“Yes” Aria said, looking at her family “Some times, they get angry about Kai. But Kai’s my mate and mates always stay together. But Kai doesn’t stay here. Then daddy says means thing about Kai and gets angry like uncle Ray”

I look at the still people in front of me and then look back at Aria, my mind racing with this information. I take a breath and tried to still my racing heart

“Aria, Who taught you how to do this?” I ask

Aria only looked me, not answering my questions

“Can Kai do this?” I asked, using another tactic

“Kai’s the bestest at it” Aria smiled wildly “I can’t copy how he does it. His way is longer”

“Longer?” I asked, tilting my head

“Lonngeerrrr” Aria said, spreading her arms wide

Did she mean he could do this spell longer in time? I didn’t know what she meant but I knew one thing. Aria’s blood really was the key to opening Pandora’s box. How? I wasn’t sure. The witch who helped me to learn black magick hadn’t come back after her disagreement with Dr Lombard a few years ago but he had worked out that with his powers and her skills, they could control the powers.

My goal had been something else. I had seen her do a pieces of magick that had me questioning reality. And when I had finally had something to exchange for that information, she had been reluctant but had shared the information I needed in order to gain my past back.

That was when I had agreed to the deal. The one to bring my family back. To rewrite the past. I trained harder under her but in secret as we knew, many eyes watched us. When she had disappeared, I thought I had lost all chances of it until a demon had approached me with an offer that I couldn’t refuse.

I thought I would need to do it another way but seeing Aria like this, seeing this power made me think of the witch and her capabilities. I think I can use Aria to help me but I had to take her away. I couldn’t do it here.

“Auntie Raine” Aria called out “Can you help daddy not be mean to Kai?”

I double blinked, my eyes refocusing on her. My wolf growled inside, not happy with what I was thinking but I knew that this was the only way to do it. The plan started developing in my head even as I smiled at her, swallowing past the lump in my throat at what I was about to do.

“Sure sweetie” I said, touching her cheek “But first we need to let everyone talk again, don’t you think?”

“But they will fight again” Aria said, her eyes sad one again

“But this time, I will be here to help” I said “And I will make sure no one is mean to Kai. In fact, I will stay here this weekend. And once I calm my brother’s down, how about you and I plan a sleepover”

“Really?” Aria asked, her eyes wide

“With lots of popcorn, girly things and movies” I said, planting the idea further

“Yeeessss” Aria jumped with happiness

“Ok then” I nodded, standing up fully “Let’s let everyone speak and then I will speak to your dad about it ok?”

“Ok” Aria nodded enthusiastically “Can Kai and Toby come?”

“Er” I floundered, until I thought of another way “This is only for us princesses. We girls need to stick together when the boys get a little mean. We get to have a pamper day, ok?”

“What’s that?” Aria asked, her eyes shiny

“When we girl do our nails, our hair….some makeup and lots of food” I explained

Aria squealed in happiness and I felt another stone hit my heart at her innocent acceptance that I wanted us to spend time together. I can’t believe I never thought of this before and how simple it actually was.

A dull thud hit the back of my head but I ignored it, not wanting to acknowledge what I was about to do. I just found the answer I was looking for in order to change my past and it was in front of me all this time. I made my way back to my seat, my mind already planning the next step even as my wolf howled in disappointment. I pushed her deep down inside and put a cage around her, locking her in as my eyes once again swirled black and connecting to the demon within.