True Beta

Disappearing

James' POV

It wasn’t happening. She wasn’t going to see him alone. No. Over my cold dead body.

She stood with her arms crossed over her chest. Her jaw was set and anger was written across her beautiful face.

We went back and forth for the last 3 hours. I would not let her go. I could command her, but it would be something she would never forgive me for. She was being stubborn and so was I. I had already come too close to losing her. I couldn’t bear it again.

I finally sank onto the couch. She wasn’t going to change her mind, but maybe we could do that and keep her safe at the same time.

“Trackers.” I sighed, “If you are going to do this, then you wear a tracker. If anything goes wrong, I'll know exactly where you are, and I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way.”

Her hazel eyes softened as she kneeled in front of me. Her tiny hand came up to wipe the tears from my cheeks. It hurt too much to think about losing her. I had already come too close. I would die without her. Just the idea of her going there with them was killing me.

“Baby, please? Please don’t leave me. We can find them. Leon's men are already packed and ready. We could call the council. Or maybe Alpha Delilah can command them to bring the pups. Please don’t leave me again.” I pleaded with her. I knew it wasn’t going to change her answer. The pups were completely innocent in all of this. They didn’t deserve to be used as pawns in a twisted game.

Her thoughts were a big part of what made her such a wonderful Luna. They weren’t even part of her pack, and she was willing to put herself in danger to save them. We had our own pup, and she was willing to give up her life to save someone else’s.

“No matter what happens, I love you.” She whispered, smiling softly.

“No! Don’t go into this like you’re going to die. You’re not dying. Not now, not for a very long time and I’m going first.” I crashed my lips into hers. She was very much alive as her body heated up at my touch.

She pulled away, her chest heaving. I could smell her, driving me up the wall and back down again. I wanted her. If she wanted to say goodbye, then I would bury myself deep inside her and make her last memory of me perfect. I moved her dress up to her waist, dragging my fingers across her inner thighs. I found my way to her already wet center. I pushed her panties to the side, I ran my fingers over her folds. I softly brushed her bud again and again. Brea started rocking her hips, wanting more friction, but I pulled my hand away. I was going to take this slow.

I rubbed slow deep circles on her c**t, loving her soft moans. I kept my thumb on her while I inserted two fingers deep inside her. I thrust into her, keeping my movements long and hard. She rode my hand until I felt her inner walls clamping down around me.

“Gonna c*m, beautiful?” I asked, slowing down my pace. I wanted to feel her heat surrounding me.

She pouted as I finagled my pants and boxers down from under her. She looked down at me, licking her lips. I gave her a knowing smirk before picking her up and slowly sliding her down my length. She immediately started to bounce, chasing the release I had stolen from her. This was my show. I gripped her hips, stopping her movements, I wanted to ravish her, bend her over the couch, and spank that perfectly round ass, but this time would be just like the first. If she was going to say goodbye, then I would make her feel loved, cherished, not just f****d.

I knew if Alexander got his hands on her, he would force her to mate again. Killing both of us, which is exactly what he wanted. If we were going to die, then I wanted our last memory together to be slow and tender.

I slowly started thrusting up into her. I could feel every muscle ripple as I made love to her. Her orgasm rolled through her in waves. She dug her nails into the skin on the back of my neck as we rode out her orgasm together.

“I love you, Brea. So f*****g much.” I kissed her neck over her mark. I pulled her dress down to see her perfect breasts. I kissed the tops of each one, suckling gently. I had already marked her twice, but I craved the taste of her skin. She was so sweet.

I could feel my balls tightening as another soft orgasm rolled through Brea. Her pants had become deeper, the rise and fall of her breasts, the taste of her skin had me at my apex. I flipped over and began pounding into her. She screamed as we came undone together. I filled her with my seed, her tightening muscles pulling me deeper.

I couldn’t move, I didn’t want to, but I knew Brea couldn’t stay with me while there were pups in danger. The guilt would eat her from the inside. She kissed me deeply, wrapping her legs around my waist. I couldn’t help but moan as I got instantly hard again.

I stood up, pinning Brea to a wall. I thrust into her hard, pulling out until just the tip was in, then shoving myself deep inside her. Her lips moved against mine flawlessly. I allowed her to take control of the kiss. She swept her tongue over mine, just as I found a pleasure spot inside her. We moaned together, our bodies syncing together. She started to bounce against me, matching my movement.

She broke our kiss, looking me straight in the eyes. I pressed my forehead to hers, opening my mind to her. I showed her everything from the day I saw her small figure in the snow, to her giving birth to our son. The day she became my wife, the night I claimed her. I showed her exactly how much I needed her. She gripped my head, baring my neck to her, kissing and licking a spot she liked. I gripped her hips as she sank her canines into me. I thrust one last time, bringing us both into a mind-shattering orgasm.

It was almost unheard of for mates to mark each other twice. With a mark, the bond was sealed, her life was my life and vice versa. I could feel her emotions, pick small things out of her mind, but a second mark was more. I wouldn’t just feel her emotions, they would become mine. Her mind was always like an open book to me. There were no barriers between us now. In some cases, a double-marked mate could see through their mates’ eyes. It was as if their bodies became one.

I set Brea on her feet. Hot tears streamed down my face. It was almost time for her to go to Raymond. I hated feeling like I could do nothing to stop her, but I knew it would be useless. She needed to do this, and I needed to let her.

“Whatever happens, keep our son safe. You take him and run if you must. Don’t let him be an orphan like we were. Raise him to be kind and fair. Tell him that I loved him no matter what.” Brea cried as we stood on the edge of No Man's Land.

I pulled her into my arms, inhaling her wonderful scent. She still smelled like me. And I loved it. Gray was whimpering his goodbyes to Lei as we held on tightly to our wife. He was just as upset with the plan as I was, but he trusted Brea. He understood her. He loved her enough to know that she needed to do this.

“Alpha, it’s time,” Ky said, gently patting my shoulder.

I took a shaky breath, pulling back to look at Brea. I committed her features to memory. “Brea, are you sure?” I knew the answer, but I needed to hear her say it.

She couldn’t speak, but she nodded. I moved as Ky placed the tracking device right under her skin. I felt the prick of the needle. Her pain was mine. Ky double-checked that it was working before embracing Brea. She loved him like a brother, as did I. She whispered something in his ear that made him choke. She moved away from him, standing again in front of me.

“If anything goes wrong, I will find you. Even if it kills me.” My voice was broken, and I tried to hold back my own fear.

I didn’t trust Alexander not to pull something. I trusted Raymond even less. They knew if they had Brea, I would give them whatever they wanted. What they wanted was me dead.

“I love you, James McKenzie.” She gave me a watery smile, cupping my cheek in her small hands.

I leaned into her touch, “I love you, Brea McKenzie.”

She didn’t say anything else as she turned on her heel. I noticed her body stood taller as she walked into the clearing. Gray was giving her some of his True Beta aura. It still didn’t ease the pit at the back of my stomach.

I was pacing at the edge of the territory. Gray hadn’t spoken since Brea walked into the clearing. I had felt a prick in my neck, but the pain was tolerable. I felt it again and again, but she was still alive. According to the tracker, she hadn’t moved. It had been hours since she went in. They were too far into the forest to hear anything. I didn’t like it.

“Alpha, there’s movement,” Ky said. We had borrowed a heat-seeking drone from Deacon. Currently, there were five heat signatures. Only three of them were moving towards us.

“Is it her?” My voice hitched.

Ky shook his head as he looked at the tracking device.

I wanted to yell and punch something until I felt blood, but it wouldn’t help. I went on defense when I heard movements coming closer to us. Three children came out of the thick brush clinging to each other. She had done it! Ky grabbed blankets and wrapped them around each of their shoulders before starting my truck and settling them in the back seat. I felt the pride from Gray that our mate had done such a thing, and for someone else’s pack. Just as the pride came, so did the pain.

I felt a gripping shock in my forehead. I clutched at it, knowing there would be no blood. It wasn’t my pain. It was hers. Brea, my beautiful Brea. My last thoughts as the world faded to black and I sank into the darkness.

Brea's POV

Darkness. It was all around me. It engulfed me. It was cold and empty and familiar. It was how I felt before James came into my life and surrounded me with warmth and love.

I wanted to run and find him in the abyss, but I couldn’t move. I was trapped. This was my eternity. Alone, cold, with nothing but bittersweet memories of my perfect mate.

I felt the memories fading like it had been a lifetime since we made love in my office. Maybe it had been. Time stopped in this place. It didn’t matter anyway. I didn’t want to be in a place where I couldn’t have him.

Who was he? That beautiful man? He was someone special. A stanger. I hoped he would be happy. Darkness. Empty. Cold.

James's POV

She wasn’t dead. She wasn’t dead. I was still alive, so she wasn’t dead. But where was she? After I felt the bullet pierce her skull, I passed out. I woke up at the hospital. Mya had given me test after test. It was the double marking. I felt everything she did.

We sent warriors out to the clearing, but not even the trackers could scent her. She just vanished. No one had seen or heard from Raymond or Alexander. The council had put a million-dollar bounty on them. Dead or alive. They had better pray to every deity out there that someone else found them first.

Blackwood had been dissolved since their Alpha had abandoned his pack. The Beta was standing trial for all the crimes of the pack, selling of she-wolves, force mating, torture of pups, blackmail, not reporting the conduct of his ranked wolves.

Blackstone was given to the Beta. He had no previous knowledge of selling she-wolves and though he knew about the force mating, he, himself, had never done it. Thanks to Alexander’s mate, Brenda, and Kara, we found their hunting cabin. The entire pack was built on underground tunnels. Alexander had been using the tunnels to get into the packhouse and took the pups with the help of a she-wolf. She was now dead.

I sighed again. Throwing myself backward in my chair. It had been days since the clearing. Since Brea…

SHE IS NOT DEAD! Gray growled at me. It was the only way he spoke to me at all.

Then where is she? Why can’t we find her?

She is not dead. Gray cut the link. That’s how our conversations went. He was angry that we had left her. He felt we should have been stronger. We were the Beta to the True Alpha. A gun shouldn’t have taken us down.

But it did. It took her too.

“Daddy?” Reese was sitting on his play mat with his trucks.

“Yeah, come here, baby.” I picked him up, settling him in my lap. He looked so much like Brea it hurt. He couldn’t understand why she was gone. I couldn’t explain it to him because I didn’t understand either.

“Shirt.” He handed me his bear. Brea was secretly jealous that it was my scent that he seemed comfortable with. She would never say it out loud but, and she loved that I was bonded with him in that way. She was still jealous.

I rubbed the t-shirt bear all over my face and neck, making sure it would smell like me for at least a week. Reese snatched it away, his little eyebrows furrowed.

“Momma, Shirt.”

I choked back the lump that formed in my throat. He wanted Brea's scent on his bear. He never asked for her scent. Not even at bedtime. Though lately, the bed has felt so empty that I had moved a small mattress into Reese’s room.

“Buddy, Momma… is gone. We're gonna find her though, okay? I promise.” I tried to hug him, but he pushed me off. He jumped off my lap, grabbing one of my fingers, pulling me towards Brea’s and my room.

He stood in front of the closet and pointed up at the handle, “Momma, Shirt.”

I hadn’t been inside her closet in weeks. I opened the door, her scent hit me like a ton of trucks. I never wanted to leave. It was like a breath of fresh air. Like she wasn’t really gone, just out. I softly ran my fingers over her dress. I found the purple sweater she wore the day we got married.

“Momma, Shirt.” Reese was trying to pull down a t-shirt.

It was covered in paint stains and had a large rip on the hem. I laughed as I remembered her getting stuck on the edge of the door, ripping the shirt and splattering the gray paint all over the freshly painted white walls. I found the sweatshirt she wore when she first came to me. The night I knew she would tip my world upside down. I went through her t-shirts. Her favorite was the one she had stolen from me the first week after Reese was born. He had eaten too much and spit up down the back of it and while I was changing his clothes, he proceeded to pee all over me. Brea thought it was hilarious.

I let Reese pick a shirt he wanted. He grabbed a purple one. I smiled. Purple was always my favorite color on her.

“Gran!” Reese sped out of the closet, leaving me alone with my memories.

I pulled a shirt to my face, taking in as much of her as I had left. My heart was broken and only she could heal me. If she was alive then, where was she? She couldn’t have just left and never come back. If not for me, then for Reese. She never would have left him alone.

Sobs rocked my body as I fell to my knees. I wrapped my arms around my legs and cried. I was a broken man and without her, in my life, I wasn’t sure how to go on. She was my everything. My world had grown cold and empty.

I loved my son and I would keep my promise to keep him safe, but without her, I was just a shell of a man.

Brea, if you can hear me, please. Please come back to me, baby. I called out to her. To Lei. To anyone who could bring her back.

I pulled out my phone, texting my mom. I needed to get out of this house. This room. I knew she would gladly watch Reese while I figured out how to go on with my life without my mate.

I packed a bag for myself, staring at the shirt I had cried on. I threw it in too. I couldn’t live without her scent. There were a few new cottages that had just gotten finished, picking the one farthest away from the packhouse. I climbed into bed and fell asleep, clinging to Brea's shirt. To life from before.