The Beta’s Killer Bride

Chapter 3: Jace's POV

“Why am I your boring Beta?” I asked Killian while he checked the papers I just brought him.

Jennifer, who was by his side, snorted. She was my brother’s mate. They already had four kids. The first ones were completely identical twin Alphas, while the other two came two and three years later. The twins were five. They looked like my brother with dark, curly black hair but with Jennifer’s blue eyes. They decided to name them Kai and Kol. Not very imaginative, if you ask me, but who was I to judge?

Their other kid, Kloe, had light brown hair, a mix of my brother’s dark one and Jennifer’s blonde. She had beautiful big green eyes that she inherited from her grandma, my mom. She was three.

The last one was Jilmar, the only one without a ‘K’ in his name. He was a copy of Jennifer with her blonde hair and blue eyes. He was also in his terrible twos and could be a handful.

They all were, which was funny to watch. Like my brother and me, they were tribrids, but Kloe had inherited her mother’s blessing. The twin Alphas were very skillful. Even as kids, they could use almost all our powers from our witch, Lycan, and werewolf sides.

“Boring Beta?” My brother asked with an arched eyebrow, to which I nodded.

“Yes, boring Beta, I have to go to the city while Ian can stay here and deal with the pack,” I whined.

Ian was Jennifer’s twin. He was the first Beta my brother chose. We thought that would be it—my brother would be Alpha, and Ian would be his Beta. But then the pack became bigger, and Ian couldn’t manage everything.

That’s why my brother decided he needed another Beta to manage all our businesses, and he asked me to help him when I turned twenty.

I’m now twenty-six, and I still haven’t found my mate. My Dad was the last Alpha King, and he told me not to worry because he found Mom when he was older.

I knew she was out there, but it didn’t make it easier. I longed for my mate; I wanted my mate, and sometimes I wondered if she was fine. Perhaps she was trapped somewhere, so I hadn’t found her.

The thought of my mate being in trouble made my wolf try to take control. He was very possessive of our mate, even though we were both Betas by name; I was an Alpha by genetics.

“Ian would trade you his position in a heartbeat,” Jennifer commented. “Too much pack drama.”

“He can take it if he wants to; it is hard to deal with humans,” I mumbled.

Killian had the wonderful idea of expanding our enterprises, which meant we needed more work, and that included hiring humans.

“Really? More than the she-wolves that try to flirt with you?” Asked Jennifer, making my wolf, Ajax, growl.

He hated it when the females swarmed over us, and since I didn’t have a mate, they thought they could catch me. Kase, my twin, found his mate two years ago at twenty-four, but they are going through a rough patch, and he left to try to get her back.

“Every female that isn’t mated is annoying,” I commented. “I want my mate.”

Killian’s face filled with sadness. He knew how important a mate was for a wolf.

“You’ll find her, Jace; eventually, you will. The Moon Goddess always finds the way,” he said, trying to cheer me up, but my mood was already crap.

I left my brother’s office and decided to rest. I needed some time to process things, and for some reason, Ajax was pacing like crazy inside my head.

Is something wrong?” I asked him, but all I got was a snarl in return.

Wonderful…

“Jace!” For the love of… “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Hi, Rachel,” I tried to sound cordial, but I wanted her away from me quickly.

Rachel and I almost had s*x. Almost.

It was my birthday. I had turned twenty-four and hadn’t found my mate. I was angry and sad.

“Why don’t I cheer you up?” She purred, and because I had been drinking, I was tipsy.

I use magic to spike booze; that way, I can get drunk. Otherwise, it would be like drinking soda.

I looked at the person who spoke to me. Rachel and I were in the same high school, but she was two years younger. My parents had told us the importance of waiting for your mate, and I wanted to, but…

“What do you have in mind?” I asked while smirking. I was not behaving like my usual self.

I always tell girls no from the start so they don’t get any ideas, but I feel lonely.

“I could show you how good I can make you feel,” she purred and got closer. Her hands were on my chest. However, Ajax instantly got angry.

He snarled and growled, telling me to get away from her. And what did my stupid drunk self do? I shoved him to the back of my head and cut the link.

“Yeah, I think that would be great,” I leaned closer to her. Our lips were inches away, but Ajax didn’t let me get closer.

In the end, Rachel had to close the distance between us. She kissed me, but I felt as if spiders crawled up my skin.

It didn’t feel good.

“That’s because we should be doing this with our mate!” Ajax snarled and tried to take control of me.

"Stop it! She won't care," I said as I shoved him at the back of my head.

I continued kissing Rachel and tried to enjoy the kiss, although it was making me nauseous.

"Why don't we go to another place?" she purred, putting her hands all over my chest.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked; the alcohol was already leaving my body.

"Well... we are in the pack house, so... we could go to your room," her index finger was drawing patterns; she was trying to be seductive, but I found it annoying.

"Sure," I said and kissed her again.

One thing led to another, and soon, we were in my room while I undressed her; I stopped kissing her lips and decided to focus on her neck. She immediately moved her hands to my d**k, but it was limp.

Dead. She wasn't igniting anything, and she realized it.

Ajax’s anger became unbearable, clawing at the edges of my consciousness. It wasn’t just his growling—I felt it, too. Every fiber of my being screamed that this was wrong. The bond I craved so deeply wasn’t with Rachel, and pretending it could be made my stomach churn.

"Enough!" Ajax roared, forcing me to stop. My body stiffened, and I stopped everything, stepping back as if burned. Rachel’s surprised expression quickly morphed into irritation.

"What’s wrong, Jace? I thought this is what you wanted," she snapped, crossing her arms.

I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling a sharp breath to calm my wolf. "I thought so too, but I can’t... I just can’t."

Her blue eyes narrowed. "Is it because of her?"

"Her who?" I asked, confused.

"Your mate. The one you don’t even know exists yet. You’re holding out for some fairytale, Jace. Newsflash: maybe she’s not out there, and you’re just wasting your time waiting."

Ajax snarled again, but I swallowed my anger. "If she’s not out there, then so be it. But I won’t settle, Rachel. Not with you. Not with anyone who isn’t her."

Her jaw clenched, and for a moment, I thought she’d argue. Instead, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and stalked off, her heels clicking angrily against the floor.

"Finally," Ajax grumbled, his rage subsiding slightly.

I sighed and leaned against the wall. "You’re not making this any easier, you know."

"Neither are you," he shot back. "I won’t let you betray her like that again."

Guilt twisted in my chest. Ajax was right—I’d made a mistake I didn’t intend to repeat. But the ache of loneliness didn’t go away, no matter how much I tried to focus on other things.

"Hello! Earth to Jace!" Rachel waved a hand before me; I shook my head and tried to focus on whatever she needed.

I was still a Beta, so I had to listen to my pack members in case they had any trouble.

"Sorry, is it pack related? Because Ian handles those issues," I said before Ajax lost control. I could feel him pacing in my head, and he wasn't happy that Rachel was here.

"No, it is not pack-related, but I wanted to find a job, and I know you are the CEO of some of the major enterprises," she explained; I groaned on the inside.

"Job hunting my ass, she wants to be close to us; tell her no," Ajax said and then continued growling and snarling.

"You know I can't do that; I must check her curriculum," I replied, but Ajax didn't reply.

"Sure, give me your curriculum, and I will give it to HR," I said, noticing the disappointment on her face. We are looking for a new secretary, so it is the perfect time," I tried to cheer her up and make her believe she stood a chance of getting that position.

Of course, I didn't want her as my secretary, but I also didn't want to stir conflict, so this was the best thing I could do.

"I thought you could do this favor to me, especially since what happened that night," she fluttered her eyelashes. Perhaps she wanted to be sexy, but all she was doing was making Ajax angry.

I had to leave, and fast.

"I will tell them to consider you first, okay? That's the best I can do," I said; she nodded, and before she could say anything, I looked at my watch and made it seem like I was late for something. "Don't forget to leave your folder at the office!" I said as I ran to get my car.

Once I was inside my car, I let out a breath of relief. Ajax was still pacing inside my mind, but at least he wasn't as angry as before. When I reached the office, he was growling like crazy.

"What the f**k? Ajax, is something wrong?" I asked again, but he continued to give me the silent treatment. "If you are mad about Rachel, I can't tell her to f**k off; she hasn't done anything for me to treat her like that," I explained, but again, no answer.

I sighed; his constant pacing gave me a headache, so I decided it was best to leave. I couldn't work like this, so I grabbed my things and walked to the elevator.

Freaking wolf, he doesn't even let me work; Killian never had this problem; why do I have to deal with such an angry wolf? Wait... what is that?

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply; it smelled of raspberries and vanilla, making my mouth water.

"Mr. Hills, are you leaving?" I heard some secretary call me, but I didn't answer; I could only focus on that scent. I continued walking, following the scent, until...

I saw a woman; the scent was coming from her.

“Mr. Hills, are you okay?” The same secretary asked, making the woman turn around and wow...

"Mate!" Ajax howled in happiness.

She looked like a Goddess, with her light brown skin, curly dark brown hair, and those plump, rosy lips. She had curves to die for; I had never seen a woman as beautiful as her before. My d**k hardened at the sight of her, she was my mate, but from the look on her face, she didn't recognize me, meaning she wasn't a wolf.

I finally recognize the voice who spoke to me, it was Andrea, one of my secretaries.

“Everything is fine, Andrea. Thank you,” I answered, but I never stopped looking at my mate.

Goddess, she was gorgeous, and it was definitely worth the wait.

“Did you come for the interview?” I asked, hoping she would say yes. If she was human, I knew I had to be patient with her, and if she had applied for the position, it would make things easier. I could have her here, in my office, every single day.

Ajax purred at the idea. He wanted to mark and mate her the moment he saw her, but soon, he realized it was a bad idea.

“Yes, sir. I was told I would be called today; I was only waiting for the elevator,” she replied; her voice was like a freaking melody; I could hear it all day. I did notice she used a professional tone with me, but that would soon change.

“Call me Jace,” I said with a smile. I didn't care if she was up for the position or not; she got the job. “And you got it; no need for you to wait.”

I would never, ever let her go.