The Beta Series: The Redeemed Beta

Chapter 18

~Dominic~

There it is. It wasn’t the question I was hoping to avoid, but everything that comes with it. This is the part where I can tell a massive lie and make myself feel better and look good in the immediate, or I can tell the truth and risk losing her forever. I don’t know why, but I thought this would come further down the line. I guess that was my wishful thinking.

I had a plan, an amazing plan. I was going to be completely honest when this topic came up. It isn’t that I’m abandoning the plan; I just didn’t anticipate the feelings that would go along with it. I didn’t realize that it was going to be this hard.

I stand up and start to pace. I feel her eyes on me, but I can’t look at her. I don’t want to see her face when I finally say what I need to say. “Is everything okay?” I want to laugh at her question and the obvious concern in her voice, but I hold it in.

“Maybe you want to sit down.” She lets out a dry chuckle.

“Here I am thinking that I have the market on being a mess, but maybe I'm completely wrong about that.” I continue pacing, but watch her from the corner of my eye. She settles onto the couch and maintains a stiff posture. It’s go time, now or never. If I don’t own up to my missteps now, I won’t ever be able to make it better.

“So, King, Aston, and I grew up together. We were thick as thieves and did everything together until Aston disappeared right after his 18th birthday. There was no trace of him; no one knew what happened.” I keep moving, knowing that I’m barely getting started. “We looked in every city, under every rock. We found nothing, and we moved on with life.” I stop moving and take a deep breath. I let it out while looking at the picture she was just looking at. “I was born a Gamma, my father a Gamma before me. Aston was born to be the next Beta. When he disappeared, I was moved up to the Beta position, and Aston’s dad was training me.” I slowly turn around, but don’t meet Danny’s eyes. “There was a lot going on, a lot that I didn’t understand. I was seeing a girl named Tatiana, and I was falling for her. She came of age and found out that King was her fated mate, but King was with Katarina…”

“Luna Katarina?” I nod and swallow the lump in my throat.

“Yeah, our Luna. They weren’t fated mates, but King went after her. Aston had always liked her, but he was gone, you know? Anyways, I… well, I still wanted Tatiana and King made it happen.” I don’t miss the sharp intake of breath, but I ignore it. “We would do things with her together, or he would command her to be with me while he watched. It was wrong, but I was lost in my feelings, so I went along with it. Aston had been gone for four years when he came back, but he had no memory of the past. That’s when things got really crazy.” I could be here all day telling this story, but something is telling me that quicker is better. “King tried to keep Aston and Katarina away from each other, but it didn’t work. When Aston remembered his past, he remembered that Katarina was his fated mate. I was commanded to arrest Aston’s parents to get to Aston. We found out that King always knew that Katarina was a gold wolf, and that’s why he was determined to make her his chosen mate. I went along with King for a while, even though things were messed up. It took me much too long to stand up to him and tell him no to the things he was wanting me to do.” I finally let my eyes land on Danny. My heart is beating erratically, but this has to be done. “I was f****d up, and there’s no excusing it. I did things I had no business doing. Some was because I was Alpha commanded, and others was because I was misguided. No matter the reason, though, it was I who did the vile things that I did. I’ve asked for forgiveness and everything else, but that doesn’t make it okay. I’ve worked hard to be a better person and to try to make up for my wrongdoings. I tried to show everyone that I’m committed to this pack and to my Alpha and Luna.” I sigh and walk over to the couch. I sit at the opposite end of the couch and rub my hands together. “I told myself that when I found my fated mate, I would let her know about my past in the very beginning. I wanted to tell her who I really am so she can make her own decision outside of the mate bond. She needed to have all the information before she decided to tie her life to mine.” I turn my body and look at Danny. “This is me in all its ugliness. I felt that you needed to know.”

~Danny~

I have no idea what to say. There’s a lot to take in, and I’m not sure what to do with this information. I feel very… well, I have no idea what I feel.

The silence settles over us, and it becomes uncomfortable. Dominic’s words are playing on a loop in my mind, and I’m trying to decide how to proceed. I think it’s too much to sit here with him. I think I need to have some time to myself.

I stand and walk toward the hallway that we came down initially. I have no idea what room I’m meant to be in, but I guess I can figure it out. “I need… I just need some space.” I don’t wait for a response, and I really didn’t think I’d get one. I walk out of the room and down the hall.

Dominic’s scent is everywhere, as expected, but it gets stronger as I walk further down the hall. I stop at the first room I come across and dip inside, closing the door behind me. I breathe in deeply and am relieved when I don’t scent him in here.

The room is a basic guestroom. There’s a queen-sized bed against a wall, across from the wall with two doors. I assume there’s a bathroom and a walk-in closet. There are nightstands on both sides of the bed and a television mounted on the wall. The room is covered in a soft cream color, which is bland but also a bit soothing.

I walk over to the bed and let myself sink onto it. The blankets are soft, but that’s the last thing I need to be worried about. Well, at least he has issues as well. We can work with that.

Work with that? I don’t even know what to do with his information. We are here to help kidnap a child. I’m going to guess that where we’re coming from is much worse. The sooner I can escape from here, the better for us all.

What about Khalid?



Seriously, Mona?! I really don’t want to deal with this right now. I will find a way to get to Khalid without becoming a child kidnapper. I put the block up, not wanting to discuss this with her anymore. There’s too much on my mind, and Mona is not someone I want to focus on. I let my body fall back and close my eyes. f**k my life.