The Beta's Alpha

Chapter 5-Finally

Stone

I could see by the tears in her eyes she wasn’t happy, hell I knew that was going to be her reaction but it still stung, she was my mate and yet instead of being pleased she looked like someone had gutted her. She is frozen to the spot and I am about to walk over to her, hoping my touch would calm her and give her some comfort but when I do move toward her she steps back, tears in her eyes again.

“No, this can't be, you cannot be my mate.” She says with such finality it angers me.

“Really, and why is that, not as good for you as he is?” I jut my chin, the hatred for my own little brother strong.

Color rises in her cheeks and she is in my face. “Don’t you dare speak about him like that, you’re just jealous that he is a better and more honest person than you are.”

“Really?” she is so close I have a hard time focusing on my anger, the smell of fresh dew after a sun shower assaults me after so long and I find it ironic, as I always have when I thought of her, that she would smell like rain.

“Really.” Her word is so final I feel the hurt course through my body, my own mate thought I was worthless and I lash out, typical of me.

“If he’s such a saint why didn’t he tell you?” This has her attention and she steps back, my wolf growling at the space she has put between us.

“What?” she glances between us and my cowardly brother proves me right by looking away from her. “Jayden what is he talking about?” He shrugs and this makes me laugh.

“You aren’t seriously going to act like you didn’t know before tonight that she wasn’t your mate.” I watch as she pales and then I see the light come on, followed by the pain and this takes all the anger out of me, I sigh as I put my hands on my hips. “I always knew you were smart but damn you are quick.”

“You knew last week on your birthday, that’s why you were in such a fowl mood at your party, it had nothing to do with his return it was because you knew I wasn’t your mate and you still let me believe.” Her voice is a whisper, a whisper of anger, of sadness and sorrow and it takes everything inside me not to pull her not my arms to comfort her.

He hangs his head. “Yes, I didn’t know how I was going to tell you, our lives are wrapped up together, we talked about our futures, wedding, pups, I mean Ray come on, I love you.” A snarl rips from me but I reign in my anger wanting so badly to numb this pain like I used to.

She nods slowly and the hair on my neck stands up. “I love you too but you have a mate out there.” He is off the couch and pulling her into his arms, I look away from them as the pain, anger and jealousy mount in my chest.

“We can figure this out, we will find a way, I’ll reject my mate and choose you, you can do the same.” I turn back to them and now I’m mad, I spent two years waiting for her to turn 18 to finally have the chance to love her and they think this little plan will work.

“I won’t accept.” I growl from behind clenched teeth as two sets of eyes turn my way. “You both know how that will reflect on the Alpha, what that will be like for your future; the sacred bond destroyed because you both were simply expected to be mates, didn’t get what you wanted so you throw a tantrum and go against the bond, great leadership qualities there Rayne.” I hate throwing this in her face but I know her and this will stop her from rejecting me outright.

She is quiet before I see tears brim in her eyes, knowing I have put them there is killing me then she takes a step away from Jayden. “He’s right, I cannot break this bond simply because it isn’t what we thought it would be,” relief floods through me but it is short lived, her eyes turning to me. “But I do not have to accept it either.”

I narrow my eyes at her, wondering what option she has left when she turns and heads for the door. “Rayne wait,” I take a step toward her but she holds her hand up to stop me.

“I just want to be alone for a while.” I nod understanding when she glances at my brother, they both share a look, a strange sad look before she is out the door, the cool fall air creeps in as my brother and I find ourselves alone.

I break the silence first. “Where is she going?”

He scoffs. “Wow you really know your mate don’t you.”

My anger flares and I grab him by the shirt collar throwing him up against the wall, forearm in his windpipe, my wolf strength giving me the upper hand seeing as he hadn’t transformed yet. “You think this is funny, think this is something you can make jokes about? I know the Rayne who had pig tails as a child, I remember the little girl who loved playing make believe, I remember the teenager who got bullied by stupid kids trying to test the Alpha’s daughter, I know the Rayne that believes whole heartedly in the mate bond, who treasures friendship and loyalty but how could I possibly know Rayne as a mate; you two were practically married when you were in preschool the way our parents gushed over you both, you think it’s been easy for me, watching her with you?”

His eyes narrow before he starts to laugh. “Wow, you think she was mad when she found out I kept the truth from her for a week, imagine when she finds out you’ve known for 2 years.” I release the pressure and he inhales a large gulp of air.

“We both know I couldn’t say anything. Besides, would she have believed me? I did the only thing I could think of, I left.” I walk toward the stairs when he calls my name and I glance at my little brother over my shoulder.

“The drinking, the fighting, it was all because you knew.”

“Yeah, booze numbed the pain of watching my mate and my brother together, the rebelling and fighting helped the anger and pain.” I turn to go up the stairs when something in my chest tightens and I turn back to Jayden. “What was that look for?”

“What look?”

“The one you two shared before she bolted?” His eyes drop to the floor and panic seizes me. “Jayden, what was that?”

He lifts his eyes and I see tears, never have I seen my brother get emotional and now I am on high alert. “It was goodbye.”

“Goodbye to you or goodbye forever?” Again that ache her words ringing in my ears I don’t have to accept it either. She wouldn’t be thinking that, she wouldn’t do that, I glare at my brother and his face tells me she just might. “Tell me.”

“Promise me you won't ever hurt her, you will take care of her, you will put her first Stone, not the bottle, no more fighting, her and only her,” I grab his arm.

“I can’t promise you that if she isn’t....." I can't finish that sentence.

He sniffs, his lower lip trembling. “We made a pact that if we weren’t each other’s mates we would jump off Alma cliff.” My heart twists in fear and I am out of the house, exploding into wolf form, my paws pounding the earth as I race to the cliff’s edge, praying to the moon goddess that the pact they made was to jump together, at least this would give me the time to reach her.

As I race toward Rayne I remember my 18th birthday, my parents grilling food on the BBQ, laughing and joking with their son, before I became their biggest disappointment, people all around, Jayden with his friends, laughing and having a great time and in she walked and as we all turned her way it was as if time froze and I saw her for the first time not as the tiny kid who followed my kid brother around but rather a woman, her auburn hair flowing in the sunlight, her tan skin seemed to glow and when she turned to say hello, those golden topaz eyes seemed to sparkle like the gem itself. I thought I was losing my mind until I was suddenly hit with the most comforting smell, my favorite smell since I was a young pup, the smell of dew on a leaf after a sun shower, the kind that leaves a rainbow behind.

The smell hit me square in the chest, assaulted me and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was happening, I had been surrounded by females all afternoon but only when she arrived did I feel this way and that scent, Moon Goddess help me. I remember watching her wave a little hello to me before turning to my brother and laying a kiss on his lips and the pain in my chest was so bad I had to leave, had to get away so I feigned a call from Cade who needed my help desperately and I disappeared from the yard, finding a bar, and starting the spiral of my demise. Her face haunted me for every day over the last two years but I knew if she jumped, her chances of survival would be zero especially without her wolf and I didn’t want the memory of her death to plague me for the rest of my life.

This pushes me and I arrive at the cliff's edge just in time to see her lift her foot off the edge.