The Beta Who Bought Me

Chapter 17 - Unpredictable

The whole apartment seemingly shook as Owen slammed the door to his room. Laurel was left to wonder what all had just happened between them. He had caught her going through his office, reading a file she had found on herself. But then the aggressive, almost s****l, reaction he had was not at all what she had expected.

But did she even know what to expect of this guy? They had barely talked in the twenty-four hours that she had known him - since he had purchased her. Part of her was terrified of him; he bought a human life with seemingly no care for the severity of that kind of action. He was unpredictable, too. Everything he did left her heart pounding wildly with nervousness but also intrigue.

She could not deny that she was drawn to him somehow. It was like her body was seeking him out, and that made absolutely no sense to her. He was practically a stranger. And definitely a criminal! She knew there would likely be no punishment for men like him though. The High Moon Pack was far too powerful. Only a pack of similar size and strength could stand against them. And all of those packs were likely not looking for a war, especially if they had no idea of what was going on in the first place. The smaller packs would be left to suffer the abduction of their children… The little guy gets crushed again, she thought dismally to herself.

A loud pounding on the front door made her jump from her thoughts. She heard Owen swiftly exit his room, practically jogging down the hall. Whoever was on the other side was incessantly beating on the door until he answered.

Laurel cracked her door and quietly snaked around the corner to listen to what was going on. Something deep in her gut was telling her something bad was about to happen.

“Where is she?!” The man on the other side growled loudly at Owen.

“Where is who, Alpha?” Owen responded innocently, sounding even somewhat bored, with his arms folded over his broad chest. Alpha Abel’s face was red with rage, the veins in his neck protruding.

“Don’t f*** around with me, Beta! You know who!” Abel barked at Owen, who still looked unfazed by the angry wolf in front of him.

“I assure you, I don’t,” he replied cooly.

“The GIRL, Owen!” Abel was practically foaming at the mouth now. “The one you snuck out from under me last night!!”

Laurel sucked in a shocked breath, covering her mouth with both hands. What on earth did he just say?! Why would the Alpha have wanted her? He already has a Luna!

“Last I recall, you have yourself a mate and Luna already, Abel,” Owen stood his ground with the fuming alpha. “You have no claim on someone else anyway, no matter what your rank is! You can't tear apart something that is destined."

Abel eyed him suspiciously. “Are you implying something?" he scoffed. "Perhaps you have already gotten attached to the girl. Maybe you even think that she is actually your mate? Your fated one?”

"And what if she is?" Owen asked calmly.

Laurel's heart leaped at his words. Was Owen possibly meant to be something more for her?

Abel's voice grew dark as his aura increased, making Owen wince at the power building around him. "You, Mutt," he spat, "you have no chance at a fated mate. You know that well, and so do I. It's one of the only reasons why I tolerate your presence here."

"I thought it was because I kicked the a** of your previous beta?" Owen managed to laugh in reply despite the aura's heavy presence.

"Can it!" Abel gritted his teeth. Owen flinched at the sudden burst in the aura's energy. "You don't have a fated mate, and you don't deserve a chosen mate. So I suggest you return what should be rightfully my property."

"My past is my own burden to bear, Alpha, but I bought her fair and square," Owen quickly added.

Those words sent her heart plummeting. Duh, she thought. I am just a purchase. Mates be damned...

Abel now took a step closer to Owen, and he fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the alpha’s aura. The alpha’s eyes were glowing gold and drilling into him. Owen could only hold his head with both of his hands, groaning loudly in pain.

“Stop! You’re hurting him!” Laurel had no idea why, but despite his words and actions, she felt compelled to protect this man. She ran from her hiding spot in the hallway and covered his large body with hers as best she could. She glared fiercely at Alpha Abel, daring him with her amethyst eyes to take another step forward.

The glow in Abel’s eyes faded quickly, and he looked at her quizzically. How is she not affected by my aura? If his own beta was cowering before him, how was this practically rogue omega not being influenced by it?

Owen took advantage of the lowered aura to stand again and try to block Laurel from the alpha’s sight. “You should go, Alpha,” he said warningly. “Or do I need to let Luna Grace know about this?”

Abel scoffed at his words. “I’ll leave for now, Beta. But don’t forget that I am your alpha, and I always get what I want!” He spoke to Owen but had his eyes on Laurel the whole time. He turned on his heel, and Owen closed the door firmly behind him.

Owen now faced Laurel. His ocean blue eyes narrowed as he placed his hands on her shoulders and bent down to meet her eyes head on. Her mouth was dry, but she tried to swallow down her fear at his intense gaze.

“Why did you come out of your room?” He lowered his voice darkly.

“I’m... I’m sorry?” she said timidly. “But it just felt like something wasn’t right.”

Owen let out a deep breath and wrapped her up tightly in his arms. She stood there stiffly, her arms trapped against her body by his embrace. “You could have gotten hurt,” he whispered harshly against her ear. He would never have forgiven himself if someone had caused her harm, even if it was his own alpha.

“You could have, too...” she grumbled into his firm chest. Her heart still felt heavy from the words exchanged between the two men previously. Why does he even care if I get hurt? She did not know this man at all still, and he had only caused her pain so far. If anything, she should have been glad for him to get some payback, right?

His grip loosened on her, and he took her chin gently in his hand, tilting her head up to look at him. His eyes flicked between hers for a minute, and she flushed pink under his scrutinizing gaze.

“What?” She finally asked, looking away from his piercing blue-green orbs. She felt like she might explode with embarrassment at any moment.

“Look at me,” he gently commanded her. She reluctantly looked back up at him, her amethyst purple eyes shimmering. Butterflies were erupting in her stomach under the ferocity of his gaze.

"How much did you hear just now?" he asked lowly.

"Ummm... uh..." Laurel stuttered. He definitely knew she had heard part of the conversation, but deciding how much to let on that she knew was a bit of a predicament. On one hand, she had already gotten in trouble for snooping through his files, and she could definitely sense he would be rather unhappy with her if she admitted she had heard the whole thing. On the other hand, she feared his rage would be far worse if she lied and he found out.

"Ummm... I heard most of it?" she replied carefully and waited to see if he would blow up at her or not. He heaved a heavy sigh, and she was a little surprised that he did not start yelling at her. Instead he dropped his hand from under her chin and walked over to the couch, sitting down with a defeated "thunk".

"You're not mad?" Laurel asked him.

"I'm not happy," he replied. "But, no, I'm not mad."

That was a bit of a relief. Her curiosity was eating at her now that she knew she would not just be turned into dog food.

"Don't you dare repeat a word that was said," Owen said warningly. "You don't want to know what would happen to you if you did."