The Beta's Abused Mate

13. Brooke: Give me your sneaker

"Are you really his relative or the girl he was f*****g and is now tired of?" Vanessa asked, eyeing me up and down then walking around me, adding,

"You are so--- "

"Please don't body shame me. I know I'm skinny and malnourished, you don't need to point it out," I cut her off, hugging myself and feeling self conscious. She was pretty, and curvey and me, just a bunch of walking bones.

"I wasn't going to body shame you, I was going to say you look so young and innocent," she explained.

I pressed my lips into a thin line not sure what to say.

I was positive she was going to body shame me since she looks like a hotter version of Lynn. It's surprising how she didn't......

" What's your name again?" she asked.

"Brooke,"

"Well Brooke, don't assume people's character when you know nothing about them. Let's go, I don't have all day," she began walking and I followed closely behind her, feeling a little bit guilty, maybe I misjudged her and she's not like Lynn.

"It was only a matter of time till he left her," I heard someone whisper, I looked at her and she quickly averted her gaze adding, "They must have f****d in the Janitor's closet and now he got bored and left her,"

"I feel pity for her," the friend replied both of them shaking their heads and giving me looks full of pity.

"Why does everyone keep saying that Aaron is a w***e?" I asked vanessa as I sat in her expensive looking pink car that smelled absolutely amazing.

"Because he is,"

"No he's," I defended.

"It's because he's your cousin, that's why you are defending him, I doubt you are even his cousin," she muttered the last part pulling out of the car park as she continued,

"Aaron doesn't do relationships, he f***s and leaves, and if he hasn't had you yet he will, then walk away leaving you broken hearted,"

I wanted to defend him and tell her that it wasn't true but I kept it to myself.

Maybe him and his friends built up the facade so that he can hide the fact that he's a virgin.

I snickered a little at the thought, he didn't look like a virgin at all. He was So tall muscular with those panty dropping eyes of his, women would line up to f**k him.

I wonder why he's never made a move on any of them especially ---- I looked at Vanessa whose eyes were focused on the road.

She's hot and definitely looks like his type of woman given how hot he naturally looks and how well he dresses.

"I can tell you are not really his cousin," She said her eyes focused on the road.

"Huh?"

"News has already spread that he f****d you in the Janitor's closet this morning,"

"No he didn't," I quickly defended my cheeks heating up as I remembered the hot kiss, him touching me and ----

"Your face is saying otherwise," she pointed out.

I opened my mouth to defend myself but decided against it. There was no point in trying to prove that he didn't touch me, they knew nothing about the relationship I shared with him.

"This just proves that you are not really his cousin but his flavour of the day,"

" No, he likes me!" I defended but she just scoffed parking the car in the mall packing lot and getting out.

I did the same and Aaron's scent hit me full force.

On instinct, I looked around trying to spot him but I couldn't, strange.

Maybe I'm imagining things.

Vanessa led me to an expensive store that had price tags which required me to sell my arm and leg just to purchase something.

"Are you sure we are in the right place?" I asked her as a lady that I recognized too well came up to us.

Gwen. She was from my pack, she never really bullied me like everyone else but never helped me either.

"Hi welcome to Scarlet clothing store, I'm Gwen and will be your helper for today," she said smiling lightly at Vanessa, completely ignoring my existence which I was thankful for.

I didn't want her asking what I was doing here.

"Give me all the extra small sizes you've got," Vanessa said and Gwen smiled happily leading the way.

Vanessa grabbed each item Gwen claimed was pretty and afterwards made me try them on.

I tried on a red figure hugging off shoulder dress but winced when I saw the scars covering my arms and legs and my collarbone, including the large looking hickey that was on my shoulder were Aaron sucked and scraped his teeth.

Seeing myself like this made me feel self conscious again. I looked terrible.

"Hey, are you----," I let out a scream picking the jersey trying to cover myself up when Vanessa randomly opened the door.

She widen her eyes in horror looking at the scars.

"Why --- why do you have so many scars?" she asked closing the door to the stall behind her and facing me.

I didn't say anything else and instead just quickly removed the dressed and wore the clothes I was wearing earlier while a lone tear escaped my eye.

She was the last person I wanted to see me like this.

Her reaction confirmed everything, the scars were bad. Aaron won't accept me.

"Answer me Brooke," she tilted my head to face her.

"Who did this to you?"

I bite my lip. She didn't have to know anything about me, her seeing the scars was more than enough. She didn't have to know anything else.

"Does Aaron know?" She asked but I shook my head saying,

"I --- let's continue shopping,"

"I can't help you if you don't tell me," she softly whispered cupping my cheeks and wiping the tear with her thumb.

"I don't want to talk about it," I whispered back, sniffing lightly.

Vanessa let out a sigh but wrapped her arms around me saying,

" I don't know who did this to you but as long as you are with me and Aaron, you will be safe, I will make sure no one ever hurts you again okay," she unwrapped herself from me then kissed my forehead.

I blinked looking at her, she's a copy of Lynn. She should be disgusted by me, not kissing my forehead and promising to protect me!

"Shouldn't you be disgusted by me?" I asked.

"Why would I be?" She asked

"Because I'm broken and abused," I whispered, my eyes downcast.

" To me, I only see an amazing girl with a beautiful heart. Let's continue shopping," she kissed my forehead again leading the way out of the changing stall.

We continued shopping and this time she only got long sleeved shirts, dresses, hoodies, jeans and leggings.

All the while I could smell Aaron in the store but no matter how much I looked, I still couldn't see him, his scent was everywhere and yet his face was nowhere to be seen.

"Your bill is 40thousand pounds," the cashier said looking at us.

"That's -- that's too much, I don't think I can pay for it," I said shaking my head and looking at Vanessa.

" Just use the card in your pockets the one that William gave you,"

"No I can't use it, it's not mine," I said shaking my head,

" He gave it to you to use," she said it like it was obvious.

"But ---" before I could even say more, the landline that was on the cashier's table rung and she picked it up.

After saying a few yes's and okay's she hung up then grabbed the receipt looked at me and said,

"Here is your receipt, your bill has been paid for,"

"Paid by who?" Both Vanessa and I asked at the same time while I wonder who could have paid all that money and why they chose to pay for me.

The cashier just shrugged her shoulders while I took the receipt from her.

"Hmm Aaron probably did it," Vanessa thoughtfully said as we grabbed the bags walking out of the store, Aaron's scent still lingering around.

"Why would he do that and where did he get all that money from?" I asked ignoring his scent, the scent that was stirring up Cassy.

"I don't know but ------" Vanessa quickly turned around looking behind us and I did the same but there was nothing.

"I feel like someone is following us," she whispered to me, her eyes vigilantly searching around while making sure that she was closer to me.

"Me too," I whispered back, knowing exactly who was following us but I couldn't tell her that, I didn't want her asking how I knew.

"Let's go hide there," she said pointing at a random corner,

I nodded my head and followed her lead until we were in a deserted part of the mall.

There was a long lonely hallway and just at the end was another corner where we quickly hid with me at the edge of the corner while she stood next to me.

"Is he coming?" She asked,

I peaked through the corner and there he was --- my mate ----- wearing a black hoodie with the hood covering his heading, giving him the mysterious vibe.

He was slowly walking towards us while occasionally looking behind him,

'Funny,' I snickered ready to sneak attack on him and see his scared face.

"Tell me," Vanessa whispered, I could hear her heart beating loudly, was she afraid?

I nodded my head looking at her wondering why she looked so scared.

"Good, give me your sneaker," Vanessa whispered, putting the bags down and stretching out her hand.

"what, why?" I whispered back equally putting the bags down, Aaron's scent growing stronger telling me that he was near.

"Just give it to me,"

I shrugged my shoulder and removed my sneaker handing it to her.

"On three. One ------ two ------- three ----- Aahhh!!!" she let out a battle cry coming out of hiding and running towards Aaron.

I equally came out of hiding just in time to see Aaron's wide eyes staring at Vanessa who was running at full speed ready to smack him in the head but Aaron quickly removed his hood lifting up his hands in surrender yelling,

"Calm down Vanessa it's just me, Aaron!"

Vanessa came to an abrupt stop and I burst into laughter while Aaron just stood there like a kid whose been caught stealing candy.

"What are you doing here? and were you stalking us?" Vanessa asked her hand on her chest.

"Um," Aaron looked flustered, he opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water.

"Yes, Aaron were you stalking us?" I asked walking closer and biting my lip, trying my best to hold in the laughter.

"No, I wasn't --- I was just --- well, I was well um," he turned around and without another word, walked away from us.

" Wait Aaron, you just can't leave! Come back and explain!!" Vanessa yelled after him but he just jogged away, disappearing behind a corner.

"He's mad!" She huffed both of us picking up the bags of clothes, "I was so scared I thought someone wanted to kidnap me," she added leading the way out of the mall and to the car park.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I'm rich and a heiress duh," she said it like it was obvious.

"Ohh," I mouthed as she pressed a button on the car keys followed by opening the door of her car.

She took the bags and the moment she stuffed them into the car, an all so familiar scent caught my nostrils and my entire body stiffened, a cold chill running down my spine as the owner of the scent came into my line of sight.

Drake!