Beta’s Delight: Dixon Pack Book 2

by Bryce Evans

  Terry smiled as tears ran down William’s face, the younger boy shaking his head. He loved it when they cried. Even better, when this was over, he was going to gut the old man and fuck his sister, just because he wanted too.

  “Good boy, now run along before you’re late for work.” Rubbing his hands together, Terry smiled, knowing that in two days he would be seeing that bitch. He couldn’t wait to show her that there wasn’t anywhere in the world where she was safe from him. Nobody could run and hide from Terry Dunn.

  Chapter Twenty

  Simone stood over to the side of the room with a glass of punch in her hand, still full, and it was likely to stay that way. She recalled Bane warning her about it, and she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself by getting drunk. Her emotions were everywhere this evening without the added assistance of alcohol. She told Bane to stop playing with her, but deep down she wanted that man.

  She watched the wolves with mild interest. Some she had met before, while others were just as curious about her as she was to them. Jade came and stood beside her. “How’s it going?”

  “I’m great. I love this big cabin. It’s beautiful. The artwork is extraordinary.” Simone said, trying to make conversation. She knew Jade was a good person, but the looks she was getting from some of the women were borderline nasty, and Simone hadn’t done anything to any of them. Maybe they just didn’t like humans, Simone thought. Or perhaps these women felt that she was encroaching on their territory, a non-pack member in the home of wolves.

  Jade followed Simone’s gaze and frowned. “Oh, I see you met the haters.”

  “Who is that woman?” Simone asked, nodding toward the blond hair woman pointedly glaring at her without shame.

  “That is Alice Samuels. She’s the local pack whore. Alice couldn’t get her claws into Arden, so now she thinks she’ll move on to my brother.” Jade answered. Alice really was bad news, that much was obvious, but what shocked her was that Bane was the woman’s next choice.

  “Is she not a wolf too?”

  Jade coughed. “Well, I would disagree, but technically speaking yes, she is a wolf.

  “I thought you waited for your mates. Why would she think Bane would mate with her?”

  “Technically, we never know if we’ll ever find our mate, ever. We can imprint on someone and live out our life with that person, without ever meeting our mate. Alice thinks that she’ll be second in charge of the pack, a Beta in her own right, if she imprints with Bane. As if he would ever imprint with her, the stupid girl.”

  Simone was really confused now, “Imprint?”

  “Imprinting is what happens when two people fall for each other, but aren’t true mates. They can even fall in love and want to be around each other all the time, just like mates, but it’s not the same.”

  “What happens when their true mate comes along?” Simone asked, unsure.

  “The imprint can either block them from feeling the mate bond, or the mate bond will be so strong it will break the imprinting bond. It can give the one that’s left behind terrible pain, headaches and nausea, and feelings of depression so intense that some have taken their own lives.”

  “Oh my God.” Simone put her hand over mouth. “That’s awful. Why would anyone do that?”

  “Not many do, but the pull to be with each other is so strong that they take the risk. Anyway, you just fall in love with the person.”

  Simone thought about what Bane had said about her, how he truly liked being around her. Maybe they were imprinting on each other, but she wouldn’t allow that to happen. The thought of Bane killing himself or losing his true mate was unimaginable. She had to stay away from him, no matter what either of them really wanted. Sometimes you had to give up what you longed for most. Besides, there was the plan to consider, and dammit she was going to stick to it.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Simone didn’t want Bane to settle for less than his one true mate, no matter how badly she wanted him. “Sounds kinda stupid to me. Why would you want to be with someone because you couldn’t wait for your one and only? I would never do that.” Simone answered as she glanced over at Alice. She couldn’t even pity the woman; she didn’t want Bane for the man he was. No, Alice wanted him because of his status in the pack. He was the Beta, second in charge. Alice craved only power and nothing more.

  “I feel the same way, but sometimes we meet someone who we really care about and want to be with that person. It happens. I hope I can hold out for my soul mate, but I don’t think I’ll have anything to worry about. I already know my fate.” Jade said with sadness in her voice.

  Before Simone could reply, Tate ran inside and told everyone that they were pulling up. The room quieted down, and like everyone else, Simone watched and waited for the door to open.

  As soon as Quinn walked in, everyone yelled, “Surprise!” Simone wanted to laugh at the shocked expression on Quinn’s face. She turned around, shaking her finger at Arden, who was laughing too. She could also see the love on her face for him, and for the pack members who came up to her to say happy birthday.

  She longed to feel that for herself, but sadly Simone wasn’t pack, and she never saw herself bringing a family into her unpredictable life. One day, she thought, one day I will be happy and content with my bakery. At least she wasn’t looking over her shoulder for Terry. Instead, she had a blonde bitch standing in front of her.

  “Let me get right to the point,” Alice began.

  “Please do.” Simone answered like she smelled something awful.

  “Do you really think Bane would choose a human to be with?” The threat Alice brought grew as the woman’s friends gathered around her, surrounding them both. The evil smile on the blonde’s face said she knew something that the human baker did not.

  Simone laughed, and then burst into giggles. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. It didn’t matter that nothing about this was funny, she wasn’t going to let anyone run her in the dirt again. Alice may be a wolf, but Simone knew how to fight dirty. Alice frowned, looking around at her friends.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Simone had enough of people dragging her down. It was like something inside of her snapped. The fear she once always had when facing this kind of aggressive person shifted into something else. She doubled over, holding her injured side, and kept laughing. Then she popped up and got right into Alice’s face, making the wolf take a step back. She always carried a pocket knife in her purse, and before Simone knew what was happening she had it in hand and at the ready, holding the blade to Alice’s chest.

  “Now you get this, you little gold digging whore; I don’t care if you want him. Go on and make a fool of yourself, but make no mistake, I will cut you from ear to ear and not lose a bit of sleep about it. So run along and try your best. But pick someone who gives a shit what you think.”

  Simone turned toward the group of men and woman who were near enough to hear the conversation and said, “Hey, did you hear that? Bane the Beta is hers and nobody else can have him. Did you hear that? Alice wants everyone to know. I think I’ll take an add out in the local paper so everyone knows who Bane belongs to.”

  Alice didn’t know what to do. Her face turned red, embarrassed that a human had just taken her own tactics and used them against her. “Now run along, so I can spread the news.”

  Jade started laughing, and everyone around them followed suit. Even one of the girls who was with Alice snickered, until the blonde shot her a look. “This isn’t over.” Alice hissed, then rushed out of the room.

  “I have never seen anyone do that before. You made her look like a complete idiot.” Jade cackled. “That was awesome.”

  Simone smiled and shrugged. “Sometimes you just have to let them know you’re not scared of them. Besides, she thought I was going to cower to her.”

  And that’s never going to happen again.

  Jade turned her head sideways, like a wolf would do. “You speak from experience?”

  “Maybe.” She wasn’
t about to tell her ugly story with this many people standing around them.

  “Simone!” Quinn screamed out, running up to her and hugging her. “I’m so glad you’re here. Oh no, you have the punch in your hand.” Quinn grabbed it and set it down on the coffee table. “That shit is dangerous—don’t drink it.”

  “Bane warned me before I got here, I was just holding it to be polite.” Simone smiled. “Hey, happy birthday. I brought you some sweets. Bane put a box aside with your name on it, so you have some just for you. I didn’t have time to get you anything, but I will.”

  “No you won’t. Those sweets are all I want, because if I even thought that I would get any of those…” They both turned toward the dessert table and found the bears, Tate, and others chowing down on the desserts.

  They both shared a laugh. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Me too, but I can’t stay long. I’ve got to get up early. The weekend will be here before I know it, and I want to be prepared for the crowd. At least, I hope there will be a crowd.” Simone said with a light laugh.

  Putting her hand on her shoulder, Quinn reassured her, “Don’t you worry, there will be a crowd for your sweets. Just look at those people.” They watched as the bears and wolves made quick work of everything she had made. “In a few minutes, they’ll be all gone.”

  “I’ll talk to you in a few, I need to have a word with the sewing club.” Simone watched as Quinn made her way over to some of the older ladies sitting together, eating, and drinking, with a quilt spread out between them. As soon as they saw Quinn, they smiled and presented her with the quilt. Simone smiled, thinking how lucky Quinn was, but she didn’t belong here and it was getting late. She looked around, trying to locate Bane. But when she looked in the hallway, Simone found Alice, her arm wrapped around Bane’s neck.

  She wanted to cry at the sight of the two of them, but couldn’t. Bane wasn’t hers, and Simone didn’t belong here. Bane was a big boy and could handle her. If he fell for someone like her then that was on him.

  “He doesn’t care about her.” Jade said behind her.

  Simone schooled her emotions before she turned around. “It doesn’t matter Jade. Your brother needs to find his mate. I just hope he isn’t that stupid. Hey, I’ll be back, I just need some cool air. It’s getting a little warm in there.” Simone said, making a show of fanning herself with her hand. “I’ll see you in a few.”

  Deciding she had had enough, Simone walked outside and headed for the driveway, pulling on her jacket to ward off the wind chill. Why did she always have to fall for the wrong man? Couldn’t she just get it right for once? She continued to walk, not a car in sight as she picked up her pace, when she heard a branch break to her right, deep in the woods.

  Shit, what was that? She was getting a little worried now. She had left the party, walking home without telling anyone.

  What a fool you are.

  Simone walked faster as another branch broke, this time on the other side of the road. Now she knew something was out there, following her.

  Instead of waiting to find out what, Simone took off at a sprint, running down the road. Glancing back, she caught sight of something running after her—at least four dogs were chasing after her. But they weren’t dogs; they were wolves. The next time she looked back, they were right behind her. She wouldn’t be able to outrun them. She was going to have to try to fight them off. But when Simone stopped to face them, all she saw was a very human fist slam into the side of her face.

  Everything went black.

  * * *

  Bane searched around the house, but he couldn’t find Simone anywhere. Her scent had faded; he knew she wasn’t inside the cabin anymore. Deciding to check outside, he opened the back door and looked around. Nothing. She hadn’t come out this way, but he continued walking around the house.

  Jade was outside; she looked concerned. “Did you see Simone?”

  “She said she needed some air, but I didn’t see her come back inside and I got worried.” Jade and Bane both inhaled and started walking down the driveway, where her scent was the strongest.

  The further they got, the more worried he became. Bane started running down the road and stopped—he could smell her fear. It was stronger the more he ran. He stopped and pointed down the road.

  “Oh God.”

  Bane started running until he saw her lying in the ditch. Her body was turned on its side, face down in the dirt. The moment he saw her, he started to shake in fear. When he turned her over, she was bleeding from the mouth and a wound somewhere on her head; there was too much blood to see exactly where.

  “Run to the house and get help. Bring a car.” He knew he didn’t have to say anything else to his sister. She had shifted, leaving her clothes on the road.

  “Please, please be okay. Please!” Bane bent down to see if she was still breathing. “Thank you, Lord. Simone, Simone!” He was afraid to shake her for fear of hurting her further, but she wasn’t waking up or moving at all.

  He didn’t know if she had been hit by a car, or something else. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, letting his wolf come to the surface. It was a faint scent, but he caught it—Alice. If she had anything to do with this, he was going to kill her, with Arden’s support behind him. He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear. “You’re safe now.”

  Arden and Quinn pulled up, along with Tate, Monica, and Jade. More vehicles continued to arrive, including Ben Renshaw.

  “What happened?” Quinn demanded.

  “I don’t know. I came outside looking for her, followed her scent, and found her like this. She’s hurt; we need to get her to a hospital.” Bane ordered. He was starting to go in rage thinking of how scared she must have been and he wasn’t around to protect her.

  “My healer is here at the party. She can help her.” Ben said from the road.

  “She’s only human.” Bane corrected.

  “Doesn’t matter. She can heal her. She’s different.” Ben explained, looking over at Monica.

  All Bane wanted was for his mate to be alright, to be healed. He closed his eyes, and knew in that instant that Simone was his mate. She was his mate. He slowly picked her up and held her close to his body. A snarl came out of his throat when Tate tried to take her. Nobody was ever going to touch her again.

  “Don’t touch her.” The anger that came out of his voice surprised everyone. The looks they were giving each other, they all knew that Simone was his mate. Why did it take Bane so long to figure it out?

  “I will give her back to you. Just let me have her until you get in.” Bane growled, but hesitantly put Simone in his hands just long to jump in the backseat and hold his hands out. He was too close to the edge already; Simone had to stay with him. She had done nothing to deserve this violence, but Bane vowed to find who did and make them suffer in return.

  As soon as they pulled up at the house, Bane carried her to his bedroom. “Bring the healer in here.”

  Jade and Quinn hurried in, pulling down the covers so Bane could lay her on top. One by one, he took her boots off. There were holes in her tights where Simone had skidded across the concrete. Dirt and leaves were mixed in with the blood on her head but he could tell she was bleeding a lot for a head injury and this wasn’t a good sign.

  “Let’s get these off her so the healer can see if she’s hurt anywhere else.” Quinn reached to pull the tights off, but Bane wasn’t having anything to do with it. He would take care of her. He pulled what was left of them off and threw them in the trashcan.

  Putting her hand on his shoulder, Jade whispered, “The Healer is here.” Bane watched as a young woman came into the room. She looked to be only twenty-one years old, if that.

  “Can you move for a few minutes so I can check her out?” The healer asked. Bane hated moving even an inch from her side, but he wanted her well. Right now, he didn’t even know what was wrong with her. Simone could have brain damage for all he knew. Reluctantly, he moved off the bed, but refused to leave the room.
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  The healer pulled the blanket down, held on to her feet, and closed her eyes. At first, nothing happened. Then Simone’s body lit up in different places. Her head, her left arm, and her right knee area all glowed.

  The Healer went to her head first, putting her hands on each ear, then closed her eyes again. The soft glow came from her hands, as Simone’s body seemed to relax. Her color had returned when the Healer released her, but as she stood up, her eyes rolled back in her head. Tate reached out and caught her before she could hit the floor.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Arden asked, concerned.

  One of the bears answered, “Simone had a lot of damage to her head, and it took a lot out of energy out of her. She’ll be okay, but she needs to rest before she can heal Simone completely.”

  “We have a spare bed room.” Quinn offered, and went with Tate to let the Healer rest.

  Bane walked over, picked up her hand, and sat down beside the bed. His fingers skimmed over her face, moving her black hair behind her ear. Why didn’t he see it? It didn’t matter now, she was his and nobody would ever take her away from him.

  Quinn returned with Arden right beside her. He could see the fear in his Alpha’s eyes. All shifters played the ‘what if’ game, and that could have been his mate. He shuddered, thinking that it could have been worse. She could have died.

  “What happened?” Arden asked.

  “I don’t know why she would have left the party alone. A car might have hit her, but I don’t think so. I could scent her fear once we hit the road.” Bane looked over at his Alpha. “It was only a hint, but I scented Alice.”

  “Alice tried to pick a fight with her at the party. She told Simone that she was crazy if she thought you would choose her, a human to be with.” Jade laughed before she continued, “She gave it right back to her and made Alice look like a fool in front of some of the pack members. I wouldn’t put it past her to do something like this.”