The Beta Series: The Redeemed Beta

Chapter 5

~Dominic~

I hit the bag again, watching it swing back and forth. I don’t usually mess with the bags; hell, I’m not even really into boxing. I’ve just been feeling a bit overwhelmed and needed to get it out in some kind of way.

Self-reflection. That seems to be the crux of what I’m doing these days. I reflect on all the mistakes I made. I reflect on how I changed after Aston disappeared. In some places, the change was gradual. I’d let time chip at my morals and my limitations. I told myself that King was coming into his own, and he needed me to be a certain way to stand by his side. I somewhat reinvented myself in order to be able to stand with him and support him.

At some point in the midst of that, I became someone I didn’t need to be. I became someone who ignored others' feelings and pushed forward with whatever I wanted to do. Well, not what I wanted, but what King expected of me.

I suck in a breath and go at the bag much harder, keeping up a fast pace. “Did the bag offend you in some way?” I stop abruptly and turn to look behind me. Katarina is standing there, staring at me.

She and I have had few conversations since everything played out two years ago. I get it, though. I’ve done questionable things, and while many were under Alpha command, others were of my own free will. We never really discussed what happened then or how we felt about it.

If I’m being honest with myself, I’ve been afraid to talk to her. I really don’t know what to say. Yes, I’ve apologized; I apologized to everyone. I don’t believe that an apology is enough, though.

I’m thankful that no matter what has transpired between us, she lets me get close to her daughter. That little girl is the light in my life, and I don’t want that to change. I realize, though, it would be good to have a better relationship with Katarina, especially when she gets older.

I step back and scratch the back of my neck. “Uh, everything is okay, Luna. I’m just a little stressed. It’s nothing I can’t handle.” She nods, then casually walks into the room. She doesn’t seem to have any destination in mind, and she isn’t looking for anything. “Is there something you needed?” I’m starting to feel a bit uncomfortable because we aren’t usually around each other like this. I would bolt, but she’s my Luna, so I know it would be best to chill out.

“Are you, uh, busy right now?” I shake my head slowly. “I was hoping we could go on a walk and clear the air a bit.” I’m not going to lie, Katarina's words make my stomach drop to my knees. I have no idea what she plans to say to me, and a massive part of me doesn’t want to find out.

I swallow past the lump in my throat, as painful as that is. “Sssure. We can definitely do that. Just let me get my water.” Katarina nods, and I walk over to the side of the room where the benches are. I grab my towel and wrap it around my neck. I pick up my water and slip my phone in my pocket. I gulp down half the water. I’m not even really thirsty, but I need something else to focus on.

When I put the cap on the water, I slowly turn around. I school my features to remain neutral, and I walk over to where Katarina is. “I’m ready. After you…”

~Katarina~

How strange is it that I’ve barely spoken to the Beta of my pack in like two years? So much has happened that I didn’t know how to approach him or what to say. Aston and I have talked about it a lot, but he’s always encouraged me to do whatever made sense to me. I love that about Aston, never pushing me to do anything.

I’ve been watching Dominic all this time. I’ve seen him try his hardest to make amends to people, in both words and actions. I’ve watched him step up and be the kind of Beta every Alpha wishes they had. I’ve also seen him get close to my little lady.

I will admit that I had a fleeting thought, long ago, to keep him away from my child. I kept thinking about everything that had happened and felt that he shouldn’t be around her. Aston made a passionate speech about second chances and all of that. I begrudgingly agreed to leave it alone, and I haven’t been disappointed in my decision at all.

Dominic is truly amazing with my love. He takes the time to build her up, play with her, just be anything she needs him to be. She loves her ‘Uncle D’ fiercely. There’s no way I could separate them, and I wouldn’t even try.

Lately, I’ve been wrestling with our relationship. I’ve been trying to figure out how best to make it work in everyone’s favor. The fact is that Skye is growing and doing so fast. I don’t want her to have to choose between Dominic and me. There’s no guarantee that I’d be the person she chooses.

The fact of the matter is that mistakes were made and not-so-nice things were done. We have all ventured past that time, and we’ve moved on. I think that if moving on is the key, we need to do it completely and not just here and there. So now it’s time for me to figure out how to see Dominic as he is now, not as he was then.

We step past the treeline, neither of us saying anything. I continue walking, taking us to the spot that Aston and I loved so much. I guess it’s such a comforting spot for me that it pulls me anytime I need a special area.