The Beta's Mate

by Tanya Gilford

  “I feel like Steve is not a very sociable person.” Billy grumbled.

  “Him and Anna had an argument recently. He’s avoiding Anna right now.” I informed them.

  “Smart man.” Debbie mumbled with a snort.

  ****************************************

  Anastasia

  I’m so happy that my friends are here. We have spent the whole day catching up and watching T.V. It felt just like old times. After dinner the entire pack joined us for a movie in the living room, including Steve. I couldn’t help but notice that Steve kept looking at Debbie.

  “Any idea why Steve keeps watching Debbie?” I asked Charlie through our mind link.

  “He’s nervous around Elves from past experiences. I had to tell him that she is an elf.” Charlie responded.

  I relaxed into Charlie’s arms with a sigh. “Thank you for this Charlie. I think I really needed my friends.” I whispered.

  “Anything for you my love.” He whispered back, kissing the top of my head. “I like seeing that smile.”

  Chapter 23

  Anastasia

  My friends have been here for almost a week and my birthday is now only 2 days away. Charlie drives us to wherever they planned every day. So far, we have had manicures and pedicures, gone clothes shopping, been to the hair salon, just visited a mall, and did some sightseeing. It felt like we were on a vacation here instead of me having to live here.

  Today, Charlie and I planned to visit my mother and Bo at her request. It seems odd since I haven’t heard from my mother in months. As we pulled into the driveway, I looked over at Charlie. “I’m going to ask questions that she’s going to try and avoid. How am I supposed to talk to her about being a fairy with Bo around?”

  “We’ll play it by ear.” Charlie assured me, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles.

  “I don’t want to be here too long.” I grumbled as we climbed out of the SUV.

  Charlie took my hand and led us to the door. He knocked on the door, then waited for an answer. My mom pulled the door open with a sigh. She waved us in and walked to the parlor without waiting for us to follow. We sat down on the sofa next to each other as my mom sat in an air chair across from us. “Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” She muttered looking bored.

  “That’s all you have to say? Seriously?” I replied. I wanted to scream at her, but I took a calming breath to remain in control of my emotions.

  “What do you expect me to say Anastasia? I walked away from that life when I married Bo. I honestly hoped you wouldn’t be burdened with it, but clearly I was wrong in hoping.” My mother shrugged.

  “How about, how are you feeling? Tell me about your abilities. I don’t know, just show me a little that you actually care about my wellbeing.” I spat at her.

  “I do care about you. You are my only child after all.” She retorted.

  “I’m sorry for that.” I muttered. “I have never felt like you gave a crap about me. Did you hear that I was kidnapped and held hostage for 4 days by a psycho who knew I was a fairy longer than I did?”

  “Carol told me, but you're fine.” She stated.

  “I’m fine?! How would you know how I am? I was beaten, chained to a floor, and forced to use a fucking bucket for a toilet.” I felt my anger rising and I struggled to keep it down. “You’re are the worst fucking mother on the planet!”

  “You're going to be 18, you can’t be babied forever.” She remarked. “As for your opinion of my mothering skills.”

  “What mothering skills? Carol is more my mother than you ever were!” I cut her off with a scoff. “I just want to ask you some questions, but if you're going to be so dismissive of everything, I think it’s better if we just leave.” I said as Charlie squeezed my hand for support.

  “You can ask your questions, but I asked you to come over so we could do a birthday meal. I tried my best with you Annie.” My mother sighed.

  “I hate being called Annie!” I snapped. “Did your father ever fight or work with a werewolf?”

  “Annie have you bumped your head?” My mom asked looking at Charlie.

  “No, I just became a fairy and sprouted wing in front of my super-hot werewolf mate.” I chided with a smirk of triumph. “Like you said, the cats out of the bag.” I leaned my head on Charlie’s shoulder. “Are you going to answer my question or are we leaving?”

  My mother huffed. “Fine. No, neither my mother nor my father ever cross paths with a werewolf. Why would you ask that out of all the other questions you must have?”

  “Because I was kidnapped by a wolf who called himself Henry. He told me my grandfather killed his family. Then the story changed to my grandfather and he fought when my grandfather refused to help him. I’m trying to see if he was telling the truth in any way. As for my other questions, I have Carol to answer them. She’s not trying to deny or hide from her real identity.” I replied coldly.

  “Werewolves are known to try and trick fairies. Though fairies tend to lie and twist truths to all creatures, so it’s hard to know what is true and what is not.” My mother explained. “As for you two being mates, I wouldn’t take it to the bank. Fairies and wolves don’t mix well. The only other magical creature fairies mix well with are elves, because we are very similar. Vampires and werewolves are vicious and gruesome creatures who kill out of will and instinct. Fairies and elves tend to love and cherish all life around them. Don’t you see why I surround myself with plants and animals. Living creatures who don’t kill for the fun of killing.”

  “Glad you think so highly of me.” Charlie mumbled under his breath.

  “That’s why Sal and Henry threatened to kill me if I didn’t help them with my powers when they came in.” I sighed. “You’ll be happy to know that I got my powers and escaped all on my own until I found Charlie’s pack. Charlie protected me from Sal and he’s protecting me from Henry too.”

  “Don’t fool yourself dear. Wolves all have hidden agendas for fairies. Once they know what you are, they start telling you what to do and when to do it.” My mother mused.

  “I’m done here.” I stated standing up and pulling Charlie’s hand to get him up too. “I love Charlie no matter what or who he is.”

  “You’re a child, you don’t know what love is.” My mother grumbled.

  “I know what you are.” I shot at her. “A murderer. A heartless bitch who only cared about herself. You used your second child’s death as an excuse to cover up your true vial soul. I hate you, and I hope to God you die a slow painful death like you caused my father.”

  I turned, pulling Charlie with me towards the door. As we moved green vines began spreading over the door like a barrier. Oh, hell no. I’m done and I’m leaving. I took a deep breath and focused all my energy on the door and blew it open. Then I turned around to her.

  “Do you really want to push me? I’m a fairy who doesn’t have complete control of her powers but I have an idea how to use them.” I reminded her. I focused my energy again and flicked my wrist. My mother spiraled backward and landed on the floor. I grabbed Charlie’s hand and pulled him out of the house. We got in the SUV and Charlie just stared at me. “Are you going to drive or are we going to have a staring match?”

  “What the hell just happened in there?” He stammered out.

  “Well, my mother used her lovely growing powers to try and keep me in place. I out power her. I used my power to set us free. Can we please just go home?” I asked.

  “Anna, you just shot lightning out of your hands, and then knocked your mom over with wind.” He pointed out.

  “I told you, I have powers. I feel the energy inside me. When I focus on it like my wings, I can manipulate it to do what I want.” I explained with a sigh. “I told you I used my powers to break the chain on my ankle somehow.”

  “Anna, this is dangerous. Let’s hope Debbie or Carol can help you learn to use them safely.” He sighed as he started the car. “I love you, but you scared the shit out of me there and I don’t scare easily.”<
br />
  “I love you, and I would never use them to harm anyone I care about. I could have fried her, but I showed restraint.”

  “Please promise me you won’t use them again until someone teaches you how to control them?”

  “I promise unless I see Henry again. I’m going to kill that bastard.” I swore.

  “Fine by me.” He chuckled. “My little fairy not only has wings but packs some serious firepower.”

  Chapter 24

  Charlie

  The visit with Pam the other day didn’t go as well as I had hoped. It’s been two days and I’m still floored about Anna using her powers. I was terrified that she was going to hurt someone, considering how angry she was. I made her promise to talk to Carol and Debbie, but I also made the call to not tell the pack about the incident.

  Steve keeps avoiding Debbie and Anna, which is giving everyone the vibe that he’s on edge with them being here. I decided to talk to him before a run today. “Hey man.” I called following him out of the house.

  “Hey. Shouldn’t you be inside with your mate? I mean it is her birthday.” Steve replied without stopping.

  “Dude, hang on. What is going on? You're barely around lately and I’m concerned.”

  “No need to be concerned about me. Your mate is the one you should be concerned about. She developed new powers but won’t tell anyone what they are, and she’s still being hunted by a wolf hell bent on forcing her to use her powers.”

  “I’m working on getting her to talk about it. Debbie seems to be making progress, which keeps me hopeful.” I informed him.

  “That elf?” Steve snorted. “I’m avoiding her at all costs.”

  “Why? She’s not that bad, the human is a bit much though.”

  “Dude, you don’t understand. I don’t like elves, but I’m mated to one.” Steve shook his head. “That Elf is mine, and I don’t know what to do about it. Especially with the human around. If he wasn’t around, then maybe I could figure things out, see if she feels it too.”

  “Give me ten minutes. Okay? Don’t take off until after I come back.” I suggested.

  He nodded and I ran back into the house. “Sophie, if Billy wakes up can you ask him for help setting up for the party? I need him busy and distracted from the girls for a bit.”

  “I can do that.” Sophie smiled.

  I went looking for Anna and found her and Debbie sitting on the couch watching T.V. “Good morning Charlie.” They both sang out and giggled. I rolled my eyes at them knowing they were using the stupid line from Charlie’s Angels.

  “Can I steal you two outside for a minute? It’s important.” I replied. They looked at each other then back at me with a nod. When they got up, I grabbed Anna’s arm and whispered in her ear. “Steve needs to talk to Debbie.”

  “Why?” She hissed back.

  “Umm, he thinks she may be his mate.” I quietly informed her. Anna smiled at me as the three of us snuck back outside. I led the girls down the path where I left Steve. “I feel like there is a lot of tension in the air here and it needs to dissipate sooner than later.”

  “I agree.” Anna retorted.

  “I’ll start.” Steve sighed. “Anna, I’m sorry you feel like I’ve been trying to make decisions for you. It wasn’t my intention, but because your Charlie’s mate, you are a member of this pack. You are a valued member of this pack. You need to know that the day Sal kidnapped you, we all went out looking for you. I met with other packs and made alliances to help us. They are still helping until we find Henry.”

  “I appreciate that. Thank you, Steve, and I am sorry I yelled at you. I was over tired, upset, and scared.” Anna explained. “I never meant to disrespect you. You and the entire pack have been nothing but friendly and nice to me. You all seemed to have adopted me and my crazy Aunt.”

  “You are our family Anna.” Steve assured her. “Can you please share with me what your powers are?”

  “I don’t really know, and I promised Charlie I won’t use them unless Carol or Debbie can help me learn to control them. But I have permission to use them on Henry.” She started placing her hand on her hip. “It feels like energy. I was so scared I’d hurt myself trying to escape. When I felt the new energy, I closed my eyes focusing on it and let it go. Next thing I knew the cuff was falling to the floor.”

  “How did you know to focus on your power?” Debbie questioned.

  “Well, Carol told me to focus on my wings to get them to do what I want, so I figured it would apply to my power as well.” Anna shrugged.

  “Wait, you have wings? Anne, you have been holding out on me.” Debbie replied. “Let me see.” Anna looked around to ensure it was just the four of us and unfolded her wings. “Wow, they're so pretty.” Debbie commented. Anna smiled and folded them back up.

  “Now, we have one other issue to address Alpha.” Anna mentioned. Steve raised his eyebrow at her. “You have been pretty rude to my friends since they arrived. I know Billy can be a handful, but Debbie isn’t like that at all.”

  “Your right, Anna. Debbie I am sorry I forgot my manners.” Steve held out his hand to Debbie, who took his and shook it. Debbie looked up at Steve with a shock in her eyes, telling me that she knew what Steve felt.

  I silently pulled Anna away to allow them to talk in private. “Did our two best friends just fall in love?” Anna cooed when we were out of ear shot.

  “Well, they definitely are mates.” I answered. She looked so happy and relaxed as I closed the space between us, taking her lips in mine. “I love you Anna, and I’m sorry I seem pushy. I’m just so scared for you.”

  “I love you too, Charlie.”

  “Come with me, I have something to give the birthday girl.” I remembered, pulling her back into the house. I led her into our room and closed the door. She blushed as I moved towards her. “Are you always thinking and hoping of sex?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.

  “Aren’t you?”

  “Touché.” I chuckled. “But I have something other than my penis to give you. I’ll give you that later tonight.” I kissed her forehead and handed her a gift.

  She carefully opened the gift. When she pulled the necklace from the box she gasped. “It’s beautiful, Charlie.” It was a simple 10 carrot gold chain with a wolf pendant on it. I helped her put it on as she smiled.

  “Now, I’ll always be with you.”

  “I love it.”

  “I was thinking of getting a blue winged fairy tattooed on my shoulder.”

  “That’d be something. Make sure the wings match mine.” She teased.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I promised as I lifted her into my arms for a kiss. I walked towards our bed and gently lowered us. I trailed my lips down her neck to her collar bone causing her breath to hitch. “You're so beautiful Anastasia.” I whispered. I grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head as she did the same with mine.

  I laid her back on the mattress, massaging her boobs through her bra causing her to quietly moan, when my bedroom door flew open. “Anne, we need you to come down…” Billy announced his presence but stopped when he noticed our current state. “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. I’ll be leaving now.” He quickly ducked back out of the room, pulling the door behind him.

  “Well, there goes that mood.” I sighed. “We better go see what was so urgent.”

  “We’ll pick up where we left off later?” She asked in her seductive tone.

  “You know it my love.”

  *********************************************

  Anastasia

  As Charlie led me downstairs, I was cursing Billy out in my head. I love my friend, but just ruined some of my time alone with Charlie. We entered the kitchen to find it empty. Where the hell was everyone? Charlie turned us around and headed towards the basement? Was I having a bad dream?

  I reluctantly followed him down into the basement, where music was playing. “Surprise!” Everyone shouted. I blinked a bit shell shocked. Charlie told me they were having a party
for me, but I didn’t realize what he was talking about.

  “Wow, guys. Thank you so much.” Was all I could manage. I was clearly working through some shit about being in a basement. The only difference is this basement is completely finished as game central. They hung blue and purple streamers from the ceiling and had a fancy two-layer cake with blue and purple flowers on it and 18 candles waiting to be lit. It’s not much, but it’s more than I was expecting.

  As I looked around, Sophie came and gave me a hug before Debbie stole me away. “Oh my God. You won’t believe what just happened!” Debbie quietly squeaked.

  “Billy interrupted me getting laid.” I commented.

  “Ugh, I’d kill him, but no. Steve and I are mates like you and Charlie!” She exclaimed.

  “That’s awesome. How are your folks going to take that news?” I wondered.

  “I don’t know, but I don’t care. This just means you and I will be more like sisters. I mean if you and Charlie return after Christmas.” She sighed.

  “I want to go home, because I’m home sick, but since you and Billy came here, I’m not as homesick. I feel like you and I can talk more like before. I worry that if I go back to dad’s I’ll just miss him and grieve him all over again.” I explained. “I think I’m going to tell Charlie that I don’t want to go to New England.”

  “That’s your choice. I need to figure out how to tell my parents I met someone here, without revealing he’s a wolf.” She hushed.

  “My mother told me that Charlie only wants my powers. Which brings me to the reason why Charlie made me promise not to use my powers again. My mom tried using her powers to keep us in her house after she bashed Charlie for being a wolf, I out powered her. I blew the door off the hinges then turned on her. I was so angry; I almost killed my own mother.” I confessed.

  “Damn girl. In your shoes I’d probably have done the same thing.” Debbie sighed. “At least these sister’s will be together again.”