The Beta's Mate

by Tanya Gilford

  “That’s terrible, I’m so sorry Charlie.”

  “We’re wolves, we know the risks that come with battle.”

  “And the witch story?”

  “One of the former pack members made a deal with a witch for a potion to help heal them from a silver wound. Which fairy blood heals, but fairies don’t always give up their blood to a wolf.” Charlie chuckled. “The witch gave him the potion in turn for one of his eyes. Another sought a location spell and had to give that which her fertility.”

  “Oh my God!” I gasp. “Yes, let’s not trifle with a witch ever, no matter what. I think we have enough resources. You go me as your fairy, the pack as our muscle, Aunt Carol as the fairy and seer, and Debbie is our elf. Though I don’t know exactly what elves can do.”

  “We will have a very unique army. Our children will be even more interesting since they will be mixed species. Wolf and fairy as well as Alpha wolf and elf.” Charlie chuckled. “No one’s going to want to mess with us or the future pack. Hopefully, many will want to be allied with us though. Steve is very hesitant about telling other packs that we have a fairy mated to one of us, never mind that he himself is mated to an elf. It could be dangerous until we are all together and established.”

  “He knows what’s best for the pack. I trust him, I just don’t like when he makes the decisions for me. He doesn’t know me enough to do that, I’m not Sophie. The only one besides me and Carol that I want deciding things for me is you.” I explained. “I trust Steve, I just like to have control over my life.”

  “I understand.”

  We spent the rest of the day decorating the living room and kitchen for Christmas. I was very careful not to display any Santa Clause’s, not that we had many. Carol came over to see how we are settling in and noted that we should go Christmas tree shopping, since Charlie has never done it. Charlie was so cute, worrying about the snow we got last night.

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

  Charlie

  “Seriously, the roads are going to be extra icy with all that snow.” I continued to try and talk the ladies out of driving around today.

  “We’re in New England dear. They plow, sand and salt the crap out of the roads a lot better than they do out west.” Carol explained. “Plus, we’re supposed to get what we call a Nor’easter sometime tomorrow. That will keep us all inside for a couple of days until the town can plow everything out. Let’s get the tree, get it resting in the garage then go grocery shopping for the week.”

  “I agree, plus I need to get some things to cook for Christmas Eve when Billy and Debbie come over. And I need to get some food for Christmas dinner. I would like to make the ham.” Anna replied.

  “I will be over Christmas for dinner as always, and you know I’ll bring my pies. Charlie is there a type of pie that you like?” Carol asked.

  “Um, honestly I’ve never had pie as a dessert. I’ve had chicken pot pie, Shepherd's pie and mince pie.”

  “Oh, so this will be so exciting for you. How about Christmas?” Carol asked as we began bundling up to head out.

  “No ma’am. We celebrate Yule not Christmas. This is all new to me.” I confessed.

  “I promised we will celebrate Yule next year together, so I can see how he celebrates his holiday. Then we can perhaps combine the holidays to make our own.” Anna announced.

  “Oh, that would be nice as long as the rest of the pack is okay with it.” Carol replied.

  “Well, Anna and I were discussing buying some land near the pack house and building our own house to live in together. You know a home of our own. A home we can build a nice future together in.” I informed her.

  “That will be wonderful.” Carol agreed. “I should tell you, Annie, that Ray left you a lot of things for your future. This house is yours to do whatever you want; you can sell it and keep the money or keep it. He also left you a large sum of money in his will. He hoped you’d use it for college, but building a home of your own would be good.”

  “I have the funds to buy the land and build the house. Anna can use the money Ray left her for college, then the left over can go to other things she may want in the future.” I injected. “Maybe we can buy you a new car of your own, or just save it for a vacation.”

  “One step at a time lover boy.” Anna said, rolling her eyes as we climbed into the truck with Anna driving. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t freaking out at all about Anna driving in the snow, but I don’t want her to think I don’t have faith in her.

  As we got to the tree lot all I saw were rows and rows of fir trees and people walking around looking at them intently. “What are we doing exactly?” I whispered to Anna.

  “Picking out a nice tree to put in the living room to decorate with lights, and ornaments. It’s a staple in Christmas tradition.” Anna explained with a smile. “You’re here to be my muscles.”

  “Am I now?” I asked with a smirk. Damn this girl loves to flirt with me.

  “Oh, this one looks nice.” Carol cooed as she pulled a tree up.

  I went over and helped steady it. Anna and Carol walked around the tree inspecting it, but something told me Anna was checking me out as well. She walked around me and the tree twice, each time she went she dragged her hand lazily across my ass. I shook my head with a laugh. “Are you trying to turn me on?” I asked her through our mind link on her second pass.

  She looked at me over her shoulder with a smile. “Maybe. I just like doing human things with my big werewolf boyfriend. Plus, your fun to tease since we both know how much you like to tease me in bed.” She replied through our link.

  “I tease in bed because I know how much you truly enjoy it. You’re teasing me for the fun of teasing me.” I tsked at her through our link. She just shrugged as kept moving.

  “I like this one.” Anna finally announced.

  Carol agreed and we carried the tree out to the truck after we paid for it. Anna drove us back to the house and we set the tree on a stand in the garage to ‘open up’ as they called it. We went to the grocery store where we spent over a hundred dollars on food and the damn vegetables weren’t even that great looking. When we finally returned to the house, I helped the girls carry in all the groceries. Once everything was put away, Carol left and Anna began cooking us dinner. I carried in the tree to place it in the living room where Anna said she wanted it.

  “It smells nice, but it makes such a mess. If we do a tree, I want it next to a door for easier cleaning or we won’t have a tree.” I told her with a smile.

  “Fair enough. So, you're going to build some nice sliding glass doors in our living room?” She teased.

  “You are in charge of thinking about how our house should look.”

  “I’ll come up with a few options, but I want it to be something we both like. I’ve always wanted a large parlor with big windows, a sliding door to the backyard. Just big and open with lots of natural light, and a nice fireplace.”

  “I could live with that. What about your kitchen?”

  “Open concept, and island. I’ll need to research that design, but I want it to open into the dinning room so we only have one big table and an island. You know, like something you would see on the home makeover shows.”

  “How many rooms?”

  “Depends…” She shrugged. “How many kids do you want to try to have?”

  “That’s a tough question. Do you have a number in mind?”

  “At least two but no more than four. Hopefully one or two of each. At least three years apart.” She replied. Clearly, she has thought about this.

  “Someone has thought about this.” I teased.

  “Being an only child, I grew up thinking about it. But if that’s not what you want, I’m okay to settle for just one.” She sighed.

  “Your numbers seem reasonable. Four is the cut off number. You’re not willing to deliver an entire pack of fairy pups?”

  “You’re an ass. We will have babies, not pups.” She scoffed.

  “Hone
y, I’m a wolf. My children will be wolves as well. Baby wolves are called pups.”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “I know what baby wolves are called, but my children will not be called pups.”

  “But mine will be my love.” I leaned over and kissed her. “Fairy pups, but we’ll have this argument when the time comes that we have one of our own.”

  “Deal.” She retorted as she began plating our food.

  We ate dinner in silence and I was content. Sitting next to my mate, seeing how she lived growing up, and how moving around the kitchen seemed so natural to her. I liked that we seem to be talking about our future together.

  “Okay, so two to four babies. How many rooms?” I asked getting back to the plan for our house.

  “At least five bedrooms, six for a guest bedroom. I think we can do five bedrooms, but leave an idea for an option of an addition if needed. One master bedroom with an en suite bathroom and walk-in closet, a nursery that can be turned into a bedroom as the child grows. A guest room until it needs to be a bedroom. A home office so I can do my homework for college, until we need to change it into a bedroom. Then a playroom for the kids until it needs to be changed, but until we have kids you can have it as a game room or something.”

  “See you’re a natural.”

  “I would like a mudroom to help cut down on the cleaning like here. Also, a den or a finished basement. I would like a laundry room in the basement and maybe a home gym?”

  “Anything else?” I chuckled.

  “A two or three car garage? A wrap around porch with a wooden porch swing and an inground pool.”

  “I guess we’re going to have a nice house.” I replied. “Color?”

  “I need to see it first.”

  “At least we have some ideas of what we want.” I said as we sat down together on the couch. “I’ll Get on looking for land when we return to Kansas.”

  “Okay. You know there’s no rush on getting a place of our own.”

  “I know, but I really want us to. I love the pack, they’re my family, but I want us to begin to build a life of our own together. I want to see you this happy and relaxed always without worrying if someone is going to tell you what you can and can’t do. I see how much you like to cook, but at the pack house that’s Sophie’s job. And my room is only so big, you can’t really make it ours. The house is home for every member of the pack, but it’s modern and neutral colors to avoid anyone not liking it. I want us to have a home, Anna, that one day will be filled with the laughter of our children, but for now a home where I make memories together.” I explained. “I honestly would like to begin building our home this spring, since it sounds like it may take awhile to build. Maybe buy the land and have an idea of the design and set up by the time you graduate?”

  “You really want this?” She asked me with a smile.

  “Yes, Anna. I want this more than anything in my life right now. I know you don’t want to get married any time soon, and I’m okay with that. I’m asking you to take this step with me and let’s build a house that will be our forever home. Even if it’s not done until a year from now, I just want to put it in motion.”

  “Let’s do it then. Let’s start planning to build a house.” She giggled.

  “I love you so much Anna.”

  “I love you too Charlie.” I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her soft lips, gently caressing her cheek. This young woman is my heart and soul, and my entire future.

  Chapter 30

  Charlie

  The holidays went by in a blur of lights. Billy and Debbie came over on what they called Christmas Eve, and then the next day Carol came over for Christmas. All this work and mess for a single day makes no sense to me. Maybe if she had more time to set everything up and I saw it more than a week, I may kind of see it. I’m so lost trying to learn how humans celebrate and spend so much money. I swear all the prices of things have been raised. Anna says it’s the same prices as all ways, but in Kansas things are cheaper.

  New Years was interesting to say the least. We went to a New Years Eve party and everyone was drinking and talking. Then just before midnight they turned to the T.V. and counted down from ten then began to shout. They were all acting like a pack of wolves.

  Don’t get me wrong, we wolves love to drink, barbeque and party but I’m shocked to see a bunch of human’s acts like this. At some point there was even a fist fight, all that was missing was shifting and it would have been like I was home for the occasion. Next year we will be, as long as Debbie moves to Kansas. Steve is really debating on telling Billy no. It is way too dangerous to have a weak human, in the sense that he has no magical abilities to save his own skin if needed. I’m sure we can encourage Billy to attend college, and visit periodically then after graduation revisit the request to join the pack.

  As we’re on a plane back to Kansas I begin to think about what our house will look like. I want to at least have it framed out by the graduation ceremony in June. I know that’s a tall order, but I would like to do it. I’ve been talking to Steve for years about building my own little house, so I know he’ll be okay with the idea. I need room to breath from all the drama that is in that house. Justin always bringing home random girls, Paul leaving his trash everywhere, Steve constantly disappearing to the bar when there’s no threat. Not to mention the new Sophie and Robbie relationship that brings its own drama with their age.

  I need space, and I was happy to hear Anna was feeling the same. Though hers was wanting more alone time with me, but I’ve noticed she spends a lot of time in our room curled up in the armchair next to the window reading a lot. She also disappears when she’s on the phone which I would do in her situation. When Debbie and Billy were there Anna was a different, more social person, but now I feel like she’s going to go back to keeping to herself. I hope not. I hope I can give her more attention like I have been this past week and a half. I hate knowing she feels like she can’t always talk to me when she wants to.

  I leaned in close to her as the plane began to make its descent to the ground. “I promise to make more use of our time while we’re in the pack house.” I whispered in her ear. She chewed on the inside of her cheek then nodded like she wasn’t paying attention to my words. “Are you okay?” I asked her.

  “Yeah, I’m good just going through the motions in my head.” She muttered without looking at me.

  “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

  She turned her head and smiled. “I know.” She replied as we stood up to get our luggage and exit the plane. As soon as we made it out of the damn airport, I let out a loud sigh. I hate crowds.

  “I see Paul.” I told her as I took her hand in mine and led the way. Paul was sitting in the SUV waiting for us. “Hey man, thanks for coming to get us.” I replied as we got in the back seat.

  “No problem. I needed to get out of the house. Sophie’s cleaning.” Paul replied with a shrug. “We all know how it gets in the house while she’s on her cleaning frenzy.”

  “No kidding. Let’s take a nice scenic route home.” I sighed. Paul just nodded and turned the radio on. I reached over, unbuckled Anna’s seat belt and slid her over to the seat next to me and re-buckled her. “All of a sudden you don’t want to cuddle? What’s wrong babe?”

  “I don’t know. My anxiety is high and I’m trying to figure out why I’m feeling so anxious.” She mumbled. “The hair on the back of my arms is standing up, I feel like my energy is draining, but my powers are pulsing at the same time. It only started when we landed.”

  “Call Carol, maybe she can give some insight to what you're feeling. It may be nothing, but she’ll know if you need to worry about it or not.” I suggested.

  She nodded and pulled out her phone. She explained to Carol what she was feeling and Carol told her it’s probably nothing, but keep an eye on it. Hard to tell with the changes going on with Anna. She hung up the phone with a sigh, as I wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her arm up and down to warm her.

  “It’ll b
e okay baby, I’m here and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” I assured her. She smiled and laid her head on my shoulder. “Hey Paul, any chance we can find somewhere to get food?” Paul laughed.

  “Wow, you two really don’t want to go home.” Anna murmured. “Is it that bad when Sophie cleans?”

  “Between the overpowering smell of bleach, her screaming at anyone for going near a recently cleaned living space, your best bet is to stay out of the house until the Sophie tornado has settled.” Paul replied. “Steve took off to the bar with Justin, and poor Robbie has been put outside for the day.”

  “Damn.” Anna said. She lifted her head to look at me. “I promise I’m not that crazy when I clean. And I won’t toss you out of the house. I’m used to cleaning around people since I would always help my dad clean the house growing up.”

  “I’ll remember that.” I chuckled.

  After lunch we were still driving the scenic route when I saw land for sale. It was basically on the other side of the woods. I asked Paul to stop the car and climbed out, pulling Anna with me.

  “What do you think?” I asked her. “Can you see this working for our home?”

  She looked around the vast land. “What are you going to have on the farm?” She asked with a smile.

  “No, but I like the idea of having a large yard to work with. Maybe put the pool on one side then a patio or something on the other side. And just on the other side of the woods is the pack house. I’ve looked into this plot years ago, I’m sure it’s gone down in price. What do you say?” I replied a bit excitedly.

  “You really like this plot?” She questioned looking at me seriously. I nodded with a pleading smile. “Okay then.”