The Beta's Blood: Rewritten

Chapter Four

The lake house was cloaked in air that pulsed with heat and something unspoken, an electric hum that trembled between restraint and ruin.

Felix’s fingers hovered just above Ace’s skin, his breath uneven; his gaze caught between longing and hesitation. “Ace,” he whispered; his voice raw with need. “Please… let me touch you.”

Her heart faltered. The war inside her... the one between guilt and desire... paused, trembling on the edge of surrender. She bit her lip, then nodded once. That was all it took.

Felix’s eyes lit with a flicker of boyish wonder before his mouth found hers. Gentle, reverent, then desperate. The kiss deepened with unspoken promises and old familiarity. His hand slid along her hip, fingers tracing her skin like he was memorizing it.

A soft sound escaped her throat. Half sigh, half plea. His touch was warm, grounding, almost enough to quiet the ache that lived beneath her ribs. But even as her body responded, her heart rebelled. Because deep down, she knew this comfort was borrowed, fragile, and not meant to last. Then-

BANG.

The front door slammed open, cracking against the wall with enough force to rattle the glass. The air fractured.

Felix froze, his body going rigid. “For f**k’s sake,” he hissed, stepping instinctively in front of her. Footsteps echoed down the hall. Heavy. Controlled. Dangerous. And then he appeared.

Jameson.

He stood in the doorway, fury and heartbreak sculpting every line of his face. His dark eyes burned with a wild, electric light. The color of storms before they break.

A low, guttural growl rolled from his chest. “Don’t. f*****g. Touch her.” Felix’s hands went up instantly, palms open in surrender. “Okay, Alpha. I won’t.” His voice was calm, but tension rippled beneath it. The air vibrated, thick with dominance and defiance.

“Mine.” The word wasn’t shouted... it was claimed. It tore through the room like lightning, hot and possessive. Ace’s breath hitched, her knees weakening as the echo of the mate bond sparked faintly in her chest, painful and undeniable.

“I knew I shouldn’t have come,” she whispered to herself. Felix’s jaw tightened at the sound. “It’s okay, Ace,” he murmured, still shielding her. “I’ll fix this.”

Jameson’s gaze shifted to her then. Slow, deliberate, and consuming. When his eyes found hers, the world shrank until there was only the pounding of her heart and the ghost of what they once were.

“Leave,” Jameson said to Felix, his voice low, lethal even. Fear slithered through her veins, tangled with something she couldn’t name. Desire. Longing. The cruel, intoxicating pull of what was forbidden.

‘Focus on the fear,’ Felix’s voice whispered through the mind link. ‘We don’t want to excite him.’ “Alpha, I can’t leave yet,” Felix said carefully, “I’m sorry.” Jameson’s snarl tore through the silence. “You touched what is mine!”

Before Ace could move, Jameson lunged, faster than thought. He grabbed Felix by the throat and slammed him into the wall. The impact shook the room.

“Jameson!” Ace cried, stepping forward, but Felix met her gaze and spoke through the link. ‘Don’t. I’m okay.’ “Alpha,” Felix gasped, choking on the word, “you’re scaring her. Feel it. You can feel her fear.”

Jameson’s head snapped toward Ace. She hadn’t realized she’d stepped back, trembling, until the sight of her seemed to pull him from his fury. His grip loosened. Felix dropped to the floor, coughing, but immediately rose again, standing between them like a shield.

“Let me call Emily,” Felix said quickly. “She can take her home. I’ll cancel the trip.” Jameson didn’t answer. His gaze had locked back onto Ace. The weight of it was unbearable, searing her skin from across the room.

“Mate,” he whispered. The word broke her. A sob escaped before she could stop it. “Alpha, please,” Felix urged, desperate now. “Your father will kill her if you touch her. Please... just let her go.”

But Jameson’s voice rose, filled with anguish. “Ace, you’re my mate! You’re mine!” She clutched her chest, the pain radiating outward, splintering what little strength she had left.

‘Go to one of the bedrooms. Lock the door,’ Felix ordered through the link, steady despite the tension in his voice. ‘I’ve got this.’ She moved on instinct, retreating, heart hammering. She slammed the bedroom door shut and locked it, shoving the dresser in front of it with shaking hands.

Then silence. Until-

A crash. A snarl. A thud.

And then... softly... “Ace.” Jameson’s voice filtered through the door, rough with regret. “Please open the door. I just want to talk. I can’t live without you. I love you.”

Her tears came hot and fast. She slid down against the wall, curling into herself as the sound of his voice tore at her heart. “Jameson,” Felix’s voice called faintly, strained. “You know what your father will do if you cross this line!”

‘Felix?’ She whispered through the link. ‘Still here,’ he answered weakly. ‘You’re doing great, Ace. Just stay calm.’

But the silence that followed stretched too long. Ace rose shakily, edging toward the balcony. The drop below wasn’t kind but in wolf form, she could make it.

“Mate…” Jameson’s voice broke behind her, thick with anguish. “Alpha, please!” Felix begged. The door exploded inward with a violent c***k.

“YOU JUST WANT HER FOR YOURSELF!” Jameson roared, his wolf bleeding into his voice. “SHE’S MINE!” Their eyes met. Hers, wide and tear-bright green; his, blazing dark blue fire. And then she jumped.

The shift tore through her midair. Bones reshaping, muscles snapping, beige fur blooming across her skin. She hit the ground hard, pain screaming through her leg as her joint rolled on impact. But she ran. She had to.

Earth and pine needles blurred beneath her paws as she fled, lungs burning. Behind her, a massive grey wolf thundered through the trees, gaining ground with terrifying speed. He caught her within minutes, circling, cutting her off with practiced precision. She stumbled to a halt, trembling, and shifted back, clutching her wrist.

“Please…” she whispered. Jameson shifted too, the sound of his name was dying on her lips as he knelt beside her, their breath ragged. His hand brushed her cheek... warm and trembling.

“Ace… look at me,” he said softly, pulling her into his lap. Sparks ignited where he touched her, faint but real. Echoes of a bond that refused to die. “You feel it too,” he whispered, voice cracking. “You’re still mine. I’m still yours.”

She sobbed, torn between fury and surrender. His thumb traced her neck, soothing and dangerous all at once. ‘I can’t keep fighting,’ she whispered through the link, the words barely forming. ‘I’m trying, Felix. I really am.’

Jameson stiffened, feeling her link. His wolf surged to the surface again, possessive and wild. He gripped her chin, forcing her gaze up. “Come on, Ace. Please… look at me.” She did... and that was her undoing.

The storm in his eyes met the storm in hers, and the fragile walls she’d built crumbled. “I won’t let anyone take you from me again,” he vowed, voice rough with conviction. And though every instinct screamed to run, to resist, her heart betrayed her. When he lifted her into his arms and turned back toward the lake house, she didn’t fight him. Not this time.