BETA'S FATE

Chapter 3

Pearl's POV

"What? If this is some joke then it's not funny!" Nova says.

"And you think I ever joked about the issue of my mate?" He asks Nova and she just takes a second before she starts squealing.

Squealing like a crazy crazy woman. And I think her pregnant hormones are just making it worse. I look around and great.! We have attention now. How wonderful it should have been, this evening. And now it is.. just I don't know what to call it.

Ryan comes with Vincent in his arms. I also see Shane, Edward and Valerie. I look at them and they are looking at Nova who is still squealing with excitement.

"You didn't even tell me!" She asks and I just smile awkwardly at her before glaring at the green eyed man. He is happily having his Hamburger.

"What happened?" Ryan asks.

"My brother and Pearl are mates! I am not kidding" she says.

Just a second later, everyone around us are screaming. Perfect! Just the way I want this night to happen.

"What?"

"Really?"

"This cannot be real!"

"Seriously?"

And many more questions, statements and surprised reactions around me. But my glare is still fixated on the man who is smiling as he is having his dinner.

I look around and see everyone are curious to hear something from me.

"Yes. We are" I say and I hear another round of squeals.

Vincent starts clapping with wide smile even though he doesn't know what's happening. He looks that everyone is laughing so he does too. Like they say, happiness is contagious.

Nova holds my hand and she pushes me towards her brother. And before I trip before I stumble on to him.

Before he realises that and does something, I am already before him. I bump into him with his food plate flying in air. And just as he holds me so we both don't fall on the ground together, french fries fall on us and steak is on my head. Salad comes last and it is all over him and I.

"Argh!!!!" I scream and pull away from him.

"I'm really sorry. I did not see this coming" Nova apologises but I am already mad.

"Thank you so much for the party. The food must be great!" I say and walk away towards the pack so I can have a shower.

"Do me a favour and bring Vincent when he feels like it. If you want him to sleep with you, it's fine too" I say and walk away again without turning back this time.

I feel him behind me all the way back to home. But I don't even turn around to see him. He doesn't attempt talking to me too. He should understand it by now.

He messed up! He really messed up. And now I am embarassed. I scoff and I can finally see my house. I walk in and shut the door forcefully. I see him standing before my house but I don't even care.

I rush to the shower and stand under the hot drip. I want to cry but somehow I cannot. Because I cried way too much in the past. I don't cry for anything this small. I used to, but not anymore.

That too for someone like him? No f*****g way!

I take a long shower and scrub myself thrice to get rid of all the food smell on me. And once I walk out, I change into my sleepwear because I don't want to go back now.

Moreover the party must be done by now and it's past midnight. I cannot say this day is eventful but definitely embarassing.

I sit on my bed and grab a book from my tiny bookshelf right beside my bed. The subtle art of not giving a f**k by Mark Manson. What a book for what an occasion. Maybe I really need this because I am about to give a f**k to what people might think of my mate issue.

Before I finish reading the first page, I hear someone knock the door. I forgot that I locked the door. And I think that's either Ryan or Nova with Vincent.

But the fate is just not on my side. I open the door to find him again. He looks like he is showered too. I don't even invite him inside. I stand there with my arms folded and glare fixated on him.

"Thank you so much. I would love to come in" he smiles before pushing me aside and walking in.

"I thought you were here to apologise. How do we get to that part?" I ask him closing the door behind me.

"Oh! That, maybe when we both sit and talk the issue out" he says and I roll my eyes.

"How about I stop smirking and you stop eye rolling? We both do that a lot and let us both work on it" he says and I sit on the couch with him on the chair before me.

"Nice to formally meet you. I am Conrad Werner. Alpha to the Silver Salt Pack. I am twenty six year old. You know my sister Nova. She is the Luna here ever since she is mated to my favourite lad, Ryan. So for a couple years it's just my mom and I. I never had a mate nor imprinted on the chosen one. You are the one for me and that is it" he says and wow that is a lot of information to take in.

"Conrad Werner. Conrad. His name rolls off pretty nice" Mist says but I push her away. Not the time to be having a discussion with my wolf.

"If we should know why we don't want this, then we should at least communicate" he says and he is partially true.

"Well, I am Pearl. Beta of The Sundown Pack. I never had a family. I got rejected by Micah, my first chance mate. I fell in love with the Beta, Trevor. Got pregnant. And I even killed him the day I delivered my kid. So I guess you understand where my hatred towards men and love is coming from" I say.

We both sit in silence. And I focus on how intoxicating his scent is. It is getting hard to resist and I don't know what to do about it. I look at him and catch him already staring at me.

"So you have a history with men?" He asks and I smirk.

All men are the same! Jealousy, overprotective bastards.

"Yes. A rejection. A love story. Getting pregnant. Killing. Sounds like it's very much huh" I smirk and he nods.

"Yeah. Yeah. Sounds like it's very much. Makes me want to respect you more" he says and I am at a loss of words.

What?

"You got rejected. You still loved someone. You got pregnant because you fell in love with that someone. You had a child with him but still killed him. Maybe you have your own reasons. To me, you still standing tall as a Beta even after all you went through is speechless. Like I said, makes me want to respect you more" he says.

Wow. I did not see this coming. Ryan told me that men are usually keen and always up for s*x and s****l life. Moreover werewolves are known to be possessive creatures.

"So now am I supposed to go all soft and throw myself at you?" I ask him.

"No. I would rather understand why you wouldn't do that" he shrugs and honestly, now this is getting on my nerves more than our encounter before.

"Nova only told me a little about you. That you are the Beta and your journey till the title was not something a girl could afford. I was out there for a while thinking what could possibly happen that my sister who was an Alpha blooded herself. I couldn't bring myself up to knock on your door because every moment around you is making me go crazy" he whispers and I am just staring at him talk.

"I know that I need to keep my cool. Let me be totally honest with you, not everyone gets to see this side of me. To people Alpha Conrad Werner is someone who is always on his alert mode and gets thinks done just with a mere stare. Around you only Goddess knows how much of control I need. But now it's entirely different. Because now, even though I don't know you completely I know you enough to understand that you are not just any ordinary woman. You are someone incredible. A very incredible woman. So now self control is also being replaced by some respect" he says again.

"Wow" Mist says.

"Yeah. But remember the first time Trevor was all sweet talk too? Yeah, see where that got us now" I say and look at him before me but he is narrowing his eyes at me now.

"Yes. You just said that out loud. Not to your wolf" he says and I close my eyes cursing myself.

Damn! This just had to happen right today? I just need this day to be done. Technically it's past midnight and a whole new date but I don't know, the drama is still continuing.

I stare at him as he just looks around my house. This pack members built this for me with love when I was pregnant with Vincent. Also, Vincent is not here so that means he is either with Nova and Ryan or Selena. He loves Selena too.

"Whatever happened in past, I don't have a say. Because I wasn't there and I saw nothing. But all I can do, is trust that you chose the right path. This pack absolutely loves you" he says and that finally brought a smile on my face.

"That they do" I say and he smiles this time. A different type of smile.

"And your beauty is doubled now that you are smiling" he says and I just roll my eyes.

Mist is actually dancing and jumping in the back of my mind. I wonder if she contacted his wolf already. Human sides often make the matebond complicated but wolf sides instantly connect.

"My wolf Alan says your wolf is adorable" he says and I just want to glare at most right now.

"Her name is Mist I see. Never heard a name like that" he smiles.

"Yeah. During my first shift, it was beginning of winter season. There was mist all around. And my wolf was white so I just named her that" I say and he nods.

"See now, having a civil conversation without our egos is not that bad is it?" He smiles and chuckles but when I don't return that he rolls his eyes and shrugs.

"Anyways, I am going to be around for couple more days. And I hope I get to talk to you more. Because few minutes are just not enough with a lady like you" he says.

God! He is all sweet talk. Now it is scaring me more than ever.

"So, good night then. Vincent is with Nova. Ryan is helping your Gamma with the after party scenes where few people are drunk and refuse to go to their houses. It's funny how they don't care about the Alpha tone when they're drunk" he smiles.

"And that is amusing to you because...."

"Because we don't consume this much of alcohol. Maybe we should get high and see what we do and what our definition of fun is" he says and I nod with a shrug.

He stands up and I do too. He walks towards the main door and I follow him. I should be the one leading in the technical way but I am just happy that he is already leaving.

Right when he is about to open the door, he turns around and looks at me. He smiles once before taking a step closer to me.

Before I know, he is hugging me. His one hand at the back of my head. His other hand on my shoulder. I am frozen because these mate sparks are overpowering my will to pull away. We both stay like that for a minute before he pulls away.

"And whatever happened earlier, I was just goofing around. If I knew that wasn't the right approach to a woman like you, I wouldn't have done that. And I am genuinely sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way. That wasn't my attention. See you around. Good night" he smiles and walks out.

He waves at me before turning around again and just like that, he is gone. I bring my tee shirt's collar closer to my nose and I now smell totally like him.

I walk to my bed again and that night, I slept well despite everything that happened. As if his lingering scent on my clothes is doing miracles.