The Beta Series: The Redeemed Beta

Chapter 20

~Danny~

It’s been days. Days of me being locked in this bedroom, away from everyone else. No one locked me in; I did that myself. I didn’t trust that I could be around people, around my mate and keep my eyes on the prize.

There have been knocks on my door, and there have been inquiries, but I’ve ignored all of them. I stayed in this room and pretended like the outside world didn’t exist. I’ve pretended that I’m alone on an island somewhere, just trying to survive.

I’ve even been keeping Mona out, as ill-advised as that may be. All she wants is our mate by our side. She wants him here to hold her, kiss her, and everything else that comes with that. I can’t trust that, I can’t trust that bond.

I look up at the ceiling, another day’s light cast over it. I don’t know how long I can stay locked away like this, but I guess time will tell. There are footsteps outside the door. I don’t move and try not to even breathe. The last thing I need is to make myself a target. That will make it that much harder to stay out of the way and invisible.

I watch as a sheet of paper is slipped under the door and floats into the room. There’s no knocking on the door, no sound. The shadow remains for a moment before moving away, footsteps receding.

I slowly pull myself up into a sitting position. I sit quietly, waiting for any other movement on the other side of the door. Do you notice anything, Mona?

Oh, now you’re talking to me? You’ve acted like I don’t exist since we’ve been staying here.

You know why that is, Mona. We can’t afford to get caught up.

We wouldn’t have been caught up; we would have been with our mate. There’s a huge difference between the two. I say nothing and watch Mona push back into my mind.

Mona isn’t wrong, but she has to understand where I’m coming from. We can’t afford to get caught up in the mate bond. Khalid’s safety depends on us getting this job done, and I can’t do that if we are caught up in the mate bond.

I slide my legs off the bed and sit up on the edge. I take a few deep breaths, just trying to anchor myself. I push off the bed and walk over to the abandoned paper. I slowly bend and pick it up.

There’s nothing remarkable about the paper. It’s mostly empty except for a sentence in the center of the page. It isn’t even handwritten, but typed instead. You can’t hide in the room forever… tick tock.

My breathing gets shaky, and the paper flutters out of my grasp. The nurse in the clinic wasn’t a fluke. He’s watching me, and that makes things that much harder to deal with. I can’t change my mind or alert anyone to what’s happening. He will know if I do, and Khalid will be punished for it.

I let out a long sigh and walk to the door. Clearly, hiding out isn’t going to serve me in this instance. I slowly open the door and step into the hallway. Maybe I should explore this pack. It may make things easier for me when the time comes to get that baby where she needs to be.

My stomach clenches at the thought of that precious baby being taken away from her family. She’s well loved here, and I know this would traumatize her. I’m not one for hurting kids in any form, but that’s what I’m being asked to do. How do I give her up to save Khalid or keep her safe and give up Khalid’s life? There’s no answer here or a clear path to travel down.

I step out of the apartment and quietly close the door behind me. I have no idea where I’m going, but that’s probably a good thing. I’ll try to stay as ignorant as possible until the last possible moment.

I walk toward the stairs, deciding that my next destination needs to be on the bottom floor. I just hope that while I’m exploring, I can avoid my mate. I take a step, my foot on the stairs, when a small voice stops me. “Pwetty.” I slowly turn to find the little angel right behind me with a brilliant smile on her face. This isn’t going to be easy at all.

~Brackston~

I lean back in my chair, drumming my fingers on the desk. I have to say that it’s been tough sitting back and doing nothing. It’s been tough having my chosen out of my sight. It’s been tough, but I’m managing as best as I can. It won’t be long before I have her by my side permanently. We will raise a gold wolf as our own and dominate the entire werewolf world.

The door opens, and I perk up at the scent that enters the room. I scoot my chair back and get comfortable. She quietly steps into the room and closes the door behind her. She walks to the middle of the office and stops, hands at her sides and head down. “You called for me, sir?”

My thoughts have been flooded with images of her. I haven’t been able to concentrate, and pleasing myself isn’t doing the trick. “Come here.” She takes timid steps toward me. I turn in my chair, angling my body toward the open space on the side of the desk.

“My d***k has been hard for a while, and I want you to help me with that.” Her sharp intake of breath is expected. She doesn’t want to be here, but I don’t care. I’m her Alpha, and she will do as she’s told.

As soon as she reaches me, she drops to her knees. Her hands shake as they reach out for the waistband of my pants. She takes a long time undoing the button. I huff in frustration and finish the task, then unzip my pants. I push everything down to my ankles and settle again in the chair. “Let’s go.” I make sure my legs are apart far enough to accommodate her.

She moves closer and takes my d***k in her hand. Her hand is cold and shaking. I close my eyes and try to picture her here in her place. Her mouth touches me, and I breathe in sharply. Her mouth is hot and dry. “Wetter.” Her tongue comes out and circles around my tip. She pulls me into her mouth, and I arch my back a bit. I let out a sigh and open my eyes.

This isn’t working. I’m trying to picture her here, but it just isn’t working. Before I can say anything, the door opens. “Uh, sir?” I look past her head to find Khalid standing in the doorway.

“Get up.” She hurries to her feet while I put myself back in my pants. She turns and hurries past Khalid, shutting the door behind her. “What do you need, little man?”