The Missing Beta

Chapter 26

~Katarina~

I’ve been up for a while now, unable to sleep. That’s been happening a lot lately, and I’m not too sure why that is. I have a trip to take today, though, so maybe I can sleep on the way. I want to check out a cabin the pack owns that we plan to honeymoon at.

King and I discussed it at length, and we didn’t want to go too far away right now. We wanted to stay close by but still have the privacy we need as a newly married/mated couple. I have a few things I want to set up for that time and want it to be a surprise.

The ceremony is in about a week and a half, and I’m slightly freaking out. I’ve been talking to my aunt and uncle about everything a lot lately. If I’m being honest with myself, I’m worried about making a mistake.

What if marrying King is the wrong move? What if us marking each other isn’t right? What if I find my fated mate after the fact? There are too many what-ifs that are freaking me out.

When it comes down to it, I just want to be happy. I want to live my days as a happy person with a happy family. I want to wake up each morning with a smile on my face. There are too many things at risk right now, and it worries me.

I sigh and walk down the stairs, my bags having already been taken to the car. King isn’t able to see me off because he had to go handle business off packlands. He took Dominic with him, so I will see him when I get back.

I walk outside and see two SUVs parked. The second SUV has the back door open, waiting for me to enter. I see my detail waiting for me to load up the cars. I’m taking four warriors with me, though I feel that it’s a bit overkill.

On the one hand, I’m glad I have so much protection. Then again, no one knows about me, so it’s a bit much. It will be good practice for later, I guess.

I look at the faces of the warriors, and my heart skips a beat. Among those faces is Aston, and I’m shocked. He isn’t part of my normal detail, so I never expected to see him here. I say nothing and try not to look at him. I steal subtle glances as I’m herded into the car. I watch him get into the first car and sit back as we pull out.

~Aston~

From what I understand, this is a wedding type of trip, so there’s that. I probably should have asked Wayne what was going on before I agreed to help him out. If I’m being honest, though, I probably would have helped him out anyway.

I know we are supposed to be heading to a cabin that’s a good while away from packlands. I’ve been told that we are going to be traveling five hours out, which is why we are leaving so early. King wants Katarina to be back the same day, so we have to get going to get back.

As we travel along the way, I can’t help but think about Katarina. I wonder what’s going on in her head. I saw a brief flash of surprise when she put eyes on me. I don’t know if it’s a good surprise or a bad one.

She and I haven’t even spoken much since that day in the woods. I’ve had so much going on that I didn’t really think much about it. Now that I remember our past together, I wish we could sit down for a while and chat. It seems like we were really good friends, and I want some insight as to who I really am.

The drive is long and feels even longer due to the silence in the car. I try to keep busy on my phone, but honestly, that’s hard to do. I don’t have any social media or many people to talk to. I play a few games, but even that gets boring after a while.

We finally pull up to a cabin in the middle of the woods. I have to say that it looks beautiful and peaceful. I scramble out of the car and do a perimeter check. I’m taking the immediate perimeter directly around the cabin, and my partner will take a wider path.

I hurry with my check and then gesture to the other car so Katarina can be let out. As she gets walked into the home, I look up at the sky. “Doyou see some bird or something?” I chuckle and shake my head.

“It looks like a storm is rolling in. Check the weather and see. We may be stuck here overnight. I guess it’s a good thing that we brought clothes just in case.” Deacon nods and pulls his phone out to check. It doesn’t take long before he pushes his phone in my face, and my suspicions are confirmed.

“I’ll let the Luna know.” I nod and take up my post outside.

~Katarina~

We’ve been here for a few hours, and it’s getting dark now. The rain is pouring down, but the sound is beautiful. This is my favorite type of weather. The cabin has an enclosed wrap-around porch. I take a seat on the porch and watch the rain fall around me.

A scent hits my nose, causing me to perk up. It’s familiar, yet I can’t really place it. I look to my side to see Aston standing on the other end of the porch. He’s standing stiffly, looking around the area. “I’m pretty sure that no one is out there waiting for me to sit on the porch so they can get me.” His deep voice chuckles, and it moves through me.

“Maybe not, but I have a job to do either way.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but how did you end up here? You aren’t on my detail.”

“I know. Wayne needed a favor, and I was free to help him out.” I nod and look back out at the rain. I don’t know how long it was, but warmth washes over me and goosebumps break out along my body. I turn my head again to find Aston standing pretty close to me.

“It’s beautiful out there.”

“Yeah, it really is.” I’m starting to feel a bit uncomfortable, and I move my thumb to start twisting my ring. I look down, remembering that I took my jewelry off as I moved around through the cabin. I twist my ring around or play with my necklace when I'm nervous or uncomfortable. I don’t know why, but being around Aston right now is a bit nerve-racking.

“Guess what?” Aston has moved in front of me and is looking down at me. I shrug my shoulders, not trusting my voice. “I remember how we were as kids.” I feel the smile on my face grow, and excitement courses through my body. My childhood friend is back, and I’m excited about it.