The Missing Beta

Chapter 37

~Katarina~

I feel….I feel sick. I feel…I’m confused. The air is thinning out, and I feel like I can’t breathe. I hurry out of the office, stopping right outside of the door. I look to the left and see Luna Trina with her people. They are facing me, but I can’t deal with them right now. I turn to my right and hurry away. I bound down the stairs, surprised I didn’t fall and crack my skull. I can’t see anything clearly, and I think I’m starting to hyperventilate.

I stumble out the front door and fall on the grass. I take huge gulps of air in and shakily let them out. I can’t believe this; it can’t be right. This isn’t true, is it? Calm down, Katarina. We are okay.

Are we? Are we really okay? You just claimed a mate, and it isn’t our fiancèe. What the fu.ck is going on?

I know what I smelled. I know who our mate is, and I’m not wrong.

It can’t be. Why didn’t we know it sooner?

I don’t know, but it’s true. We have to see him. I guess Hope’s right. We won’t know; well, I won’t know for sure until I see him. I need to see him and catch his scent.

My mind is made up, and I set out to find Aston. I have no idea where to look, and I don’t want to mindlink him. Actually, I don’t even know if I can mindlink him. I’d assume he’s still linked to the pack, but who knows?

I walk to the training area, searching the sea of warriors for his familiar face. There’s a training session going on, but I don’t see him training. I walk slowly toward the warriors, making sure to breathe in deeply as I go. My brain goes fuzzy when I catch that scent in the air. It’s faint, but it’s there, teasing me. I look around again and sigh, realizing that Aston isn’t here.

I turn around and walk away to be stopped by a deep voice. “Luna?” I turn and see Dominic smirking at me. He knows I hate that title because I’m not the Luna yet. At this point, I may never become one.

“Katarina.” His smirk turns into a smile as he nods at me.

“Yes, yes. You don’t like being called Luna, but it’s inevitable. You should just get used to it already. The wedding will be here before you know it.” I sigh and struggle to keep my eyes from rolling. I turn away and then feel his hand gripping my wrist, causing me to turn my head back. “I’m sorry to upset you. King did say you were extra sensitive these days. I guess it’s the stress of the upcoming ceremony.” This time, I do roll my eyes at him. “Look, King isn’t here, but I can find him for you.” I pull my wrist out of his grasp. I take a step back and look him up and down.

“I wasn’t looking for King.” I turn and walk away, ignoring my name being called behind me.

It doesn’t take long for Aston’s house to come into view. Seeing the house brings many memories to my mind. I walk up to the door and ring the doorbell. The door opens, and Shawna stares at me. “Katarina… uh, I mean future Luna. What an honor to see you.” I shake my head fiercely at her words.

“Please, don’t. You’ve known me all my life. I used to come over here as a small, ashy child always inviting myself to dinner and whatnot. Please, it’s just Katarina. No future anything.” Shawna takes a minute, but she smiles and holds arms open to me. I quickly step into her embrace, missing these hugs she used to always give me. ,

“I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” Shawna brings me inside and closes the door. My nose is assaulted with that scent again. If I was unsure before, I’m more sure now. There’s no doubt in my mind what’s going on here, and I’m super confused. “Is, uh, is Aston here?” Shawna raises an eyebrow and looks at me. My nerves set in, and I’m feeling anxious. “Where are my manners? How have you been? How’s Eddie?” Shawna shakes her head with a smile on her face.

“It’s okay, you know. I know you care, so don’t feel bad asking for Aston immediately. You know you’re the only one who made sure to see about me and Eddie every year on his birthday and the day he went missing. We always appreciated the care you showed.” I give her a sad smile. If I’m being honest, those days were tough for me, no matter how much time passed. After a while, King didn’t want to talk about Aston anymore. Checking on them gave me the opportunity to remember him like before. “Aston isn’t here. I haven’t seen him, and he has a block up. I was trying to talk to him earlier.” I nod and look around, not knowing what to do with myself. “Go. It’s okay.” I give Shawna a weak smile before walking toward the door. “Go now, but you owe me a dinner.”’

“Promise.” With that, I hurry out of her home, ready to search for Aston everywhere I can think of.

~Aston~

Okay, so no one won that little scuffle, but it felt good to get some licks in. I’m not sure we would have stopped if it weren’t for King being summoned to the packhouse. I think it’s safe to say that he and I are no longer friends, but now I’m wondering if we ever really were.

Once Aston left, I tried to focus on training but couldn’t. I put a block up and went for a run. Dario enjoyed the freedom, and we went pretty far. When Dario got tired, we shifted, and I started the journey back to the packhouse.

A light in the poolhouse grabs my attention, and I find myself going that way. Usually, the poolhouse stays empty. People use it to change in and out of their swimming outfits, but that’s about all. We keep lights on in the pool and along the edge, but they aren’t usually too bright.

I walk closer to the pool but find the area clear and no one swimming. I slowly approach the poolhouse, straining to hear anything that would alert me to anyone in the area. There’s no sound, and I see nothing when I look into the window. I turn to walk away when my arm is pulled, and I'm pushed against the wall. I let my eyes adjust, but I didn’t need to. Her scent was enough to alert me to her identity.

“Mmm…chocolate and vanilla. That’s such a yummy combination.” She steps back after breathing deeply. I look at her, her face mesmerizing. “I’ve been looking for you for a while now.” I don’t say anything, not sure what all the cloak and dagger mess is about. “So, you’re my fated mate, aren’t you?”