THE BETA'S SIN

CHAPTER 4

JAKE DAVIS

Liza is sitting on the bed, holding the marriage certificate as if it were a cursed lottery ticket.

Her eyes are wide, her expression shifting between shock and despair.

I don’t know how this happened, either, and every passing second without answers only adds to my frustration.

I need to do something. I can't just sit here and wait for my memory to return like magic. I take a deep breath, pull my phone from my pocket, and dial Anthony’s number. He picks up on the second ring.

"Jake? Why are you calling me so early?"

His voice is alert, though tinged with his usual impatience.

As an Alpha and a billionaire, Anthony is not the kind of man who likes surprises.

"Something happened, and I don’t know how to deal with it." I say, rubbing my forehead in hopes of easing the headache.

Anthony is silent for a moment. He’s quick to notice when something is wrong.

"What happened?"

My throat goes dry. How am I supposed to say this? How do I put this situation into words without sounding completely insane?

My eyes flick to Liza, who is still holding the certificate, looking at me as if she’s waiting for an answer too.

"I was drugged. I don’t remember anything… but now I’m married to a girl." I blurt out.

A deadly silence fills the line.

Then Anthony laughs. A short, incredulous laugh, as if he thinks this is some kind of ridiculous joke.

"You have got to be kidding me." he says, still chuckling.

"Married? Seriously, Jake? Even for you, this is too much."

"I’m not kidding. This is serious." I snap, my impatience growing.

His laughter stops immediately.

"How did this happen?"

"I don’t know. I was at a bar, drinking, and then everything went blurry. When I woke up, I was married."

Anthony lets out a sigh.

"This doesn’t make sense. But I can help. I’ll get the bar’s security footage and track your phone to see where you were before. Maybe we can piece things together."

A wave of relief washes over me. If anyone can figure this out, it’s Anthony.

"Thanks. I’m coming to you."

"Wait. Who is this girl?"

I hesitate for a moment. I glance at Liza. She looks scared and vulnerable. But also determined, as if she’s waiting for my answer to decide whether she can trust me.

"Her name is Liza. And there’s something else." I say, hesitating.

"She’s in danger. Some werewolves are after her."

Anthony curses.

"Jake, you’ve gotten yourself into trouble."

"I know." I murmur, running a hand through my hair.

Liza shifts on the bed, quickly adjusting her clothes before stepping closer to me. She looks determined, but also nervous.

"Are you going to annul the marriage?" she asks, her voice heavy with emotion.

I take a deep breath.

"I need to talk to my brother first."

She lowers her head for a moment. Then, hesitantly, she touches my hand. Her touch is light but carries a silent urgency.

"Please don’t leave me alone." she whispers.

My throat tightens. I shouldn’t get more involved than I already am, but something in her voice stops me from ignoring her plea. There’s something about her—something that stirs something in me that I don’t understand.

"Liza, there’s something you need to know." I say, meeting her gaze.

"My brother… he’s married to your sister."

Her eyes widen. For a moment, she seems unable to comprehend my words.

"Clara…" she murmurs, bringing a hand to her lips.

"My God. This is… this is real?"

I nod.

I don’t know how to deal with all of this.

Because, for the first time since I woke up with a ring on my finger, I realize that maybe this marriage wasn’t just a mistake.

Maybe, for her, it was the only way out.

I drive in silence, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as my thoughts spiral.

The weight of last night still hangs over me like a heavy storm cloud, and Liza’s presence beside me only makes everything more real.

I need to fix this. I need to understand how the hell I ended up married to her. But before anything else, I need to talk to Anthony.

"When we get there, stay in the car." my voice is firm, my eyes fixed on the road.

Liza turns her face toward me, her expression filled with unease.

"I haven’t seen my sister in so long, Jake. I need to talk to her."

I sigh, clenching my teeth.

"You need to control yourself. This can’t turn into a scene. Not now."

She crosses her arms and looks away toward the window.

She doesn’t argue, but her silence speaks volumes.

I press down on the gas a little harder, my heart pounding.

Within minutes, Anthony’s mansion appears in the distance, its elegant lights glowing against the night. I park at the entrance, turn off the engine, and look at Liza before stepping out.

"Wait here." I reinforce.

She doesn’t reply; she just watches me as I step out and shut the door.

Walking toward the entrance, I hear laughter coming from the garden.

My attention is drawn to the side, and my chest tightens at the scene unfolding before me.

Anthony and Clara are on the lawn, running after Thomas, who is laughing with childish joy.

Anthony, smiling genuinely, catches the boy and lifts him into the air before pulling him into a hug.

Clara approaches, and with a natural tenderness, Anthony pulls her in for a soft kiss.

My world stops.

A suffocating tightness grips my chest, as if something is being ripped away from me.

I love Clara. I always have. But she’s married to Anthony.

And Thomas… he might be my son.

But I never had the courage to find out.

What am I supposed to do? Destroy my brother’s family to claim what could be mine?

Or turn my back on all of it and let them live in peace, even if it kills me inside?

My gaze falls on Liza, who watches me through the car window.

Maybe staying married to her isn’t such a bad idea after all.

I take a deep breath as Anthony finally notices me. He sets Thomas down and murmurs something to Clara before approaching.

"I need to take care of something." Anthony says to her.

Clara follows his gaze and sees me standing there. Her eyes widen in surprise.

"Jake? Is everything okay?" she asks.

I just nod, swallowing hard, and follow Anthony inside the mansion.

In his office, I run a hand over my face before spilling everything at once.

"I was drugged. I woke up married." my voice is a mix of disbelief and frustration.

Anthony frowns and picks up his phone.

"I’ll get the security footage from the bar. And track your phone to see where you were before." he makes the call, requesting the footage. When he hangs up, he looks at me seriously.

"What are you going to do now?"

I run a hand through my hair, exhausted.

"I can annul the marriage or stay married to Liza to protect her. She’s being threatened by werewolves."

Anthony stands to take a business call.

I turn at the sound of hesitant footsteps and see Clara standing near the door. Her eyes are filled with tears.

"Clara…" I stand abruptly.

She doesn’t say anything at first. Her gaze drops to my hand, and when she sees the ring, her lips part in shock.

"You got married." she whispers.

"Yes. But the circumstances are different." I try to explain, but the pain in her eyes makes my voice falter.

She takes a deep breath, blinking rapidly as if trying to hold back tears. Then, with a weak, sorrowful smile, she murmurs,

"Maybe this is good. So we can finally move on… with different people."

I want to reach for her, to hold her hand, and tell her none of this is real.

But before I can do anything, she steps back, putting distance between us. My world crumbles.

Anthony returns, saying we need to wait for the security footage to find out who drugged our drinks last night.

As we sit, analyzing the marriage certificate, voices rise outside the mansion.

No.

No.

Damn it, Liza.

I walk out of Anthony’s office as if the ground beneath me is on fire.

My heart pounds in my chest, and I don’t even know why.

“Jake!”

Anthony follows behind, calling my name, but I barely hear him.

The noise in my head is too loud. My body moves on its own, as if the urge to escape is stronger than reason.

I push open the mansion’s double doors and step into the garden, feeling the cold wind bite against my face.

And that’s when I see it.

Clara runs toward Liza, tears streaming down her face.

The world around them disappears.

When Clara reaches her sister, she throws herself into her arms, and the two hold onto each other tightly, crying as if they’ve been waiting for this moment their entire lives.

I stop abruptly, my chest tightening even more.

Liza lifts her gaze, and our eyes meet.

There’s no need for words.

The silent apology is there, implicit in the way she looks at me.

As if she’s saying:

“I should have stayed in the car, but I couldn’t help it.”

I nod, accepting whatever this moment is.

I can’t blame her. Seeing them together, embracing after so long, makes me realize that maybe none of this is just a coincidence.

Anthony stops beside me, crossing his arms.

“They’re sisters?” he asks, his voice laced with surprise.

I take a deep breath before answering.

“They haven’t seen each other in a long time. And somehow, it’s happening now.” I let out a bitter chuckle, shaking my head.

“Strange coincidence.”

Clara’s eyes are filled with tenderness as she cups Liza’s face, whispering something I can’t hear.

For a brief moment, their world is reduced to this instant. But then Clara’s gaze drops to Liza’s hand.

Her eyes lock onto the wedding ring.

The change in her expression is immediate.

The tenderness vanishes, replaced by silent pain. What was once a heartfelt reunion is now tinged with sorrow.

The impact of the moment hits me like a punch to the gut.

I knew this would hurt her, but seeing the pain in her eyes is so much worse than I expected.

Liza notices Clara’s reaction and clenches her fingers around the ring, as if trying to shield herself from the weight of the revelation.

But the damage is already done.

The two continue talking in hushed voices, and I feel my body tense.

I don’t know what Clara is saying, but I do know that the longer they spend together, the more complicated this will become.

Anthony steps aside to answer another call.

My gaze stays fixed on Clara. I don’t want her to be hurt any more than she already is. I don’t want to be the cause of her pain, but I don’t know how to fix this.

When Anthony returns, his expression is grim.

“The men after her are dangerous werewolves, Jake. Very dangerous. If she tries to face them alone, she doesn’t stand a chance.”

A heavier weight settles on my shoulders. I look at Liza again, then at Clara.

Suddenly, everything feels even more complicated.

Clara would never forgive herself if she lost her sister. That much is clear.

And I know that if I want to keep Liza safe, if I want to make sure Clara doesn’t have another burden on her shoulders, there’s only one logical choice.

I have to stay married to Liza.

I close my eyes for a brief moment before opening them again.

There’s no other option—not if I want to protect the woman I love, even if it means never having her for myself again.

A little later, Clara and I are alone.

The silence between us is thick, heavy with everything we can’t say.

She’s the first to break it, her voice a hesitant whisper.

“You married my sister.”

I look at her, my throat tight.

“I can undo this.”

Clara closes her eyes briefly before shaking her head.

“No.” Her voice is soft but firm.

“This is better.”

I frown.

“Why?”

She lifts her eyes to mine, and the pain in them is almost unbearable.

“Because I need someone like you to take care of this.” She takes a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions.

“Because I don’t want to lose my sister again. And because…” She hesitates before finally admitting:

“This will break my heart, Jake. But it’s better for everyone.”

“Clara…” I whisper her name, and she touches my arm.

I want to ask if Thomas is really my son and if she hid the truth because I left. But the words won’t come out. Not now.

I feel an overwhelming urge to hold her, to tell her none of this is fair, that all I want is to be with her.

But I can’t. Not anymore.

I want to kiss her. Every part of me aches for it.

But then Anthony approaches, his expression hard and questioning.

“So? What are you going to do, Jake?”

I look at Clara one last time.

Then, I turn to Liza, who is still talking to her sister—but I can feel her eyes on me.

When our gazes meet, something in Liza shifts.

She looks nervous and hopeful. As if she already knows the decision I’m about to make.

I let out a long breath and finally said it.

“I’m not annulling the marriage.”

Liza’s eyes fill with tears, but to my surprise, a hesitant smile forms on her lips.

Maybe, just maybe, this marriage can work.

Maybe it’s exactly what I need to forget the one woman I can never have.