The Beta Series: The Redeemed Beta

Chapter 34

I’m not sure how long we sat in silence, but she’s the first to break it. “I never thought I’d see a Beta just sitting in front of a cell.” I feel my lip turn up, but I keep my head down.

“Life is full of surprises. I found that out in a way that would probably be too real for most people.”

“Ain’t that the truth?” I slowly bring my head up and look at her. She looks drained and hollow. Her back is resting against the wall, and her head is pushed back, her eyes closed. There’s a weight in her voice that makes waves.

“You’ve had a life of surprises?”

“If you want to call it that.” I want to ask more, but I don’t want her to shut me out like she has been. “I’ve been alone a long time. I’ve been alone even before I was alone.” I sit up a bit straighter, hoping that she will tell me more. “My dad died when I was 16, out of nowhere. He was just coming home from work on day and a drunk driver ran into him.” I swallow, scared to break this spell, but needing to say more.

“Wasn’t he a shifter?” Her laugh is dry and without humor.

“Yeah, he was, but that wasn’t enough to save him. He dabbled in things that weakened him and his wolf, but he was a great dad.” The pain in that last word almost tears my heart out. “My mom…” A sound of disgust leaves her lips, and Gideon is instantly on alert.

Relax. We don’t even know what happened yet.

Whatever it was, it hurt our mate. We need to make it better.

How about we listen to her first before we decide to commit murder? Gideon grumbles and retreats, but he doesn’t interfere.

“My mom changed a lot of his death, or maybe she was always that way and it was my dad who made her better. I’ve asked myself which it was for years, but I still have no idea.”

“They say the death of a mate is a life changing experience.”

“That’s right on so many levels. My mom just stopped. She stopped mothering, she stopped caring. Drinking and drugs became her go-to, all day and every day. She sought out the things that were made to incapacitate a wolf, specifically. She would party all the time and I was left to fend for us all alone.”

Did you catch that?

Yeah, Gideon, I heard that.

Who’s the other part of this ‘us’? I have the same question, but I won’t ask that. I need her to trust me, confide in me. I won’t get that if I bombard her.

“I struggled to get to school and complete my work. She started to sell anything she could get her hands on to support her habit. I tried to work so we could at least eat, but there were times when she would find my money and steal it. I thought that’s the worst that could happen, and I was handling it, but then she just moved us one day. She did this a few times, and every time we moved, that place was worse than the last. We had bugs and still no food. There was no stability, no security.” Danny sighs, and my heart breaks. I give Gideon a lot of credit, though. As upsetting as all this is, he’s taking it pretty well. He’s keeping his bloodlust to a minimum.

“You know that my mom found a man, and for a fleeting moment, I thought things would be better. I mean, we had a home and food, the things we didn’t have before, but she was still using, still shirking her mom duties. That guy she was with was abusive. He would hit her and speak to her horribly, but she stayed. He also fed her habit, so I’m sure that’s the main reason why she wouldn’t leave. Anyways, I became Cinderella, almost, until the night I almost died.” My throat closes up, and fear grips me tightly. I close my eyes and try to breathe through it.

“Wha… what happened? How did you almost die?”

“I wouldn’t give in to him. I wouldn’t let him have me. I fought him, and he almost killed me.” I didn’t want to, I knew I wasn’t strong enough. No matter what I knew, I had to look at her. I slowly open my eyes, and I’m immediately broken. She has tears falling from her closed eyes, and her face is scrunched up in pain. My heart bleeds for her, but I can’t do anything from out here. “My mom came to see me in the hospital, and she was mad at me. Can you believe that? He comes after me, and she gets mad at me. She gave me my stuff and told me to leave. We left, and I haven’t seen her since.” I let the silence hang in the air, not really knowing what to say. That was a lot; she had a rough childhood. I wish I could have met her then because I would have protected her with every fiber of my being.

“You keep saying we…” I really didn’t want to go there, but I feel as if I have to. I feel like this will tell me a lot more than anything else.

“Yeah, we. My little brother and I. She didn’t want to be a mom to either of us, so she threw my bag at me and threw him at me. She said to never come back.”

“H-how old is your brother?” Danny lets out a sigh. It’s full of pain and resignation.

“My brother, Khalid, is only 8 years old.” And there it is, that right there. She’s been a mother to her younger brother. If there’s something going on, if it’s outside of her control, I’m sure it’s because of her little brother.

“Danny, you came here alone. We didn’t detect anyone else at our borders. Danny, where is your brother?” I look at her, waiting for her answer. Danny starts to fidget, and my nervousness is setting in. “Danny?”

“I… I can’t tell you. I… I don’t really know.”