The Beta’s Alpha Mate

Nine

Julian’s POV

“Rogues! Northern border, ten, maybe twenty.” The mindlink from our patrol sent me into a panic.

Oh no. Oh no, I can’t shift until Grayson know about my wolf. But as the Alpha, I needed to get out there and fight. And it would be too slow to run in my human form.

Luckily, just as I reached the packhouse doors, I saw Fang’s beautiful white-gray fur running off towards the border, so I did some quick mental calculations and came up with a plan. I peeled off my clothes, shifted, and scooped my discarded pants and shirt up with Juno’s mouth before bounding off in the same direction as Fang.

I could already hear snarling and snapping as the rogues fought with my wolves. I dashed into a tiny grove of trees, out of sight, shifted again, and dressed before approaching the wolf who seemed to be the leader of their group. He too shifted back, standing naked in front of me. He had red eyes, like all rogues, with long black hair that hung to his waist.

“What do you want?” I asked him. “Why are you on my land?”

“We are looking for a special wolf, and we will find them,” he growled. “The wolf with blood that no magic can touch. If you hand them over, we’ll leave your pack alone.”

“There’s no such wolf in my pack,” I told him.

“We have narrowed it down to only two packs, and this is one of them. So are you so sure, Alpha? How well do you know your pack?” He smirked at me. The fighting around us had ceased, for now. Everyone was still in wolf form, watching us, waiting for us to give them a sign.

“I know there’s no special wolf here. We are all under the curse of the mate bond, if that’s what this is about,” I told him. “A special wolf wouldn’t be.”

He laughed, tossing his head back like I had made a joke. “You think this is about that mate curse? Oh no, though how touching to know you’re a romantic when it comes to mates. I’ll keep that in mind if I ever find out who yours is.”

I growled and felt my claws and canines extending. How dare this bastard threaten my Grayson?

The rogue leader laughed again, shifting into his wolf. Before I had time to react, he howled, retreating, and all the remaining rogues dashed over the border with him.

Around me, my warriors started to shift back from their wolf form, one by one, handling their post-fight work. My eyes sought out Grayson, and found him, a bloody claw mark on his back where a rogue had scratched him. My heart ached, even knowing he would heal soon. If I wasn’t such a coward, would he have gotten hurt all? Could I have killed the rogue that attacked him instead?

Juno grumbled in my head. We’re not cowards. You’re confused, Julien, you have a lot going on. We are doing our best to protect the pack and get our mate.

I sighed and turned back to chat with the patroller who had called in the rogue attack, gathering a few more details.

A light touch on my shoulder made me turn around. “Hey,” Grayson said. His green eyes looked soft for the first time today. I had forgotten how gorgeous he was when he wasn’t trying to murder me with his glares.

“Hey, how’s your back?” I gestured with my shoulder in the direction of his wound, helpfully, as if he didn’t know where it was located. Good, Julien. Smooth.

“Eh, it feels like a damn rogue slit it open,” he said, and we laughed. It felt nice to laugh with him. “Hey, Fang wants to go for a run, would Juno be up for it? I never did get to see your wolf the other day.”

“Oh,” I suddenly found the warriors behind Grayson very interesting. “I would say yes, but I think I’ll have a lot to do here for a bit, so, could we rain check?”

He frowned. “Yeah, whatever, no worries. I’ll probably just head back then. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Sure thing, I’ll let you know if anything comes up. Get some rest, buddy,” I heard myself say as he gave me a strange look and walked away.

Buddy? Juno rolled his eyes in my head. I am already mad that I didn’t get to kick that rogue’s ass for threatening our mate, and mad that I can’t run with Fang, and now you’re calling him buddy. I am retiring as a wolf after being paired with you.

Shut up, shut up, shut up, you stupid mutt, I groaned. I don’t know how to talk to guys.

Juno flashed me his wolfie smile. Here, I’ll tell you. Say, mine. And then sink your teeth into his marking spot. And then voila, we have our mate forever.

Even my plan is better than that plan. And I don’t have a plan.That’s a terrible idea, Juno, I grumbled at him.

But effective. Just keep it in mind, he suggested.

* * * * *

Three days later, we had made some progress on the case. I had made no progress with Grayson, but I had effectively kept him and Daniel so busy that they hadn’t had time to hook up. Well, Keely had actually been the one keeping Daniel busy. Something about helping her reorganize the library. Thank the Goddess for my baby sister.

The Moonstone pack was attacked in a similar way, leading us to believe they’re the other pack the rogues mentioned. So, the day after tomorrow, we plan to travel there to discuss the situation with Helix, Marcos, and Helix’s Beta, Cory. Daniel asked to come with us so he could see his sister, and I wanted so badly to say no, but I had no good reason to deny him. Keely offered to come, too, so hopefully she will keep him preoccupied.

Keely and Daniel actually got along really well from the first moment they met. If I didn’t know better, I would say she’s developed a crush on him. But my sister knows he’s in a relationship of some kind with Grayson, so I hope she knows better.

“Yo, Juls,” Kade greeted me as I sat down for dinner.

“Hi, Alpha Julien,” Brea smiled. Kade wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him. I wished I could do that with my own mate. I looked away, but not before Kade pressed his lips against Brea’s neck and I noticed her mark.

“Oh wow, congrats, you two!” I high-fived Kade across the table, who was also sporting a matching mark.

I heard Grayson groan as he approached behind me. “Damn it, Juls,” he complained. His hand snaked over my shoulder, setting my nerves on fire. I looked up in shock, only to see him handing me a fifty dollar bill. “You won. Less than a week til they marked each other.”

Oh. I had forgotten about our bet.

“You bet on our love?” Kade exclaimed, mock offense in his tone. Brea gigged beside him as Grayson took a seat next to me at the table, his plate piled high with food.

“Well my mate is a mysterious jerk, and my Omega friend is being held hostage by Keely, so it’s bet on you two, or play video games with Julien until I die,” Grayson said with a shrug, shoveling a forkful of chicken into his mouth. “And Juls isn’t that good at video games.”

“You’re such a d**k,” I rolled my eyes. “You lose sometimes.”

“I never lose, Juls,” his green eyes met mine and there was something there, flickering, challenging me. “Plus, you can’t afford to wager against me, you’d be owing me dinner every night.”

I focused on controlling my breathing so no one else could hear my heart speed up. Damn werewolf hearing. Was he… was he implying our bet was still on? Was I reading too much into his words?

“Oh, you’re on,” I smirked at him. He grinned back, that intensity still in his eyes.

“Haha, let’s go, I wanna see Juls get his ass kicked,” Kade laughed loudly.

Grayson and I turned to face him at the same time. I couldn’t see Grayson’s face, but my expression was probably not hiding my disappointment well.

But what could I say? ‘Sorry, Kade, you’re not invited. I think my little sister finally deprived my beta of his boy toy long enough that he’s desperate enough to have s*x with me, the fated mate he doesn’t know about and also hates for nearly killing him.’ Yeah, that wasn’t a sentiment I could voice out loud.

“Aha, more like Grayson’s going to get his ass kicked,” I shot back, faking a laugh.

Brea giggled and ran her hand down Kade’s chest. “Alright, well, let’s get this started, because I want to see someone lose, but I also want you, babe.”

His eyes darkened. “Whatever you want, princess.”

Soon we were all settled in Grayson’s room. Grayson and I were on the bed in our usual spots, and Kade and Brea were on the sofa, her arms wrapped around his neck as she sat in his lap. Kade had brought beer for everyone, the table lamps were giving everything that golden glow that made the room feel so cozy, and I couldn’t help wishing this would last. That my mate and I could work things out, and the four of us could have more nights like this.

Sure, they were all talking a lot of s**t about my Madden skills, and I was losing, and Kade had kind of cockblocked me, but they were part of my family and I loved them. I smiled, feeling content, and glanced at Grayson. He was looking at me, his green eyes darker than usual. His face was flushed, and he was biting his lower lip. Quickly, he turned back to the game.

Now I was the one blushing. I guessed I was the type of person who blushed now? I saw an opportunity and scored, taking the lead in the game. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a slight smirk on his face.

“Don’t just let me win, Grays,” I teased.

“Oh, trust me, I’ll make you earn it,” he growled back.

I shifted uncomfortably as my body reacted to his tone. Focus, I commanded myself. He’s talking about football. I squinted slightly, like that might block all the dirty images Juno was running through my mind, and tried to concentrate on the game.

“Damn it, Juls, you disappoint me,” Kade said, half an hour later.

“I just won!” I argued.

“Yeah, and I’m disappointed with that,” he laughed, making Brea giggle.

“That’s it, Princess, I need you so I’m taking you home,” he announced to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he scooped her up in her arms to carry home. “Night, guys!” They both called, Kade shutting the door behind him.

It was just the two of us now. I set my controller on the bed, grinning at Grayson, feeling a little drunk on the possibilities, and also a little nervous. Before, Kade was here, and I could blame him if nothing happened between Grayson and I. But now, I had to find out if he was actually teasing me, or if it was all just in my head.

“So,” I started, just as he yawned.

“I’m exhausted,” he said. “I think Brea and Kade have the right idea. You should probably head to bed, too.”

My heart plummeted. Really? Was he serious? I watched him carefully, waiting for any sign he was joking, but there were none. Slowly, still hoping, I stood up and made my way to the door.

Grayson had already taken off his shirt and was standing there in just low-hanging sweatpants, the contours of his abs driving me crazy.

“Night, Juls,” he called. “Oh, could you leave the door unlocked? Daniel’s coming over and I don’t want to have to get up again.”

I could feel tears forming, so I turned my back to him. “Yup, see ya,” I said, walking out and closing the door behind me.

“Sis, where are you?” I mindlinked Keely.

“In my room, why?” she responded. “Are you okay?”

“No. No, I’m not okay, Keels,” I told her, before cutting the link and rushing to her room. I had never been less okay.