Brynn's Beta

Chapter 4--Brynn

A few nights after the infamous assault, Ivy and Lia convinced me to hang out at a bonfire they were having. Lia promised that Aspen would attend and I wanted to see Aspen and thank her for helping me. Plus, the rumors were rampant about her and the Alpha and I wanted to get to know her better. I was still so grateful for her help the other day during my incident. Besides, I needed to get out of my room and continue living me life. I refused to be scared anymore.

Jace had come by once to check on me, but apparently, he was asking Lia every day during training how I was doing and if I needed anything. A fact that she teased me about constantly. What I didn’t understand was why Jace didn’t just come see me. It was annoying. He knew where my room was, he could just come ask me himself.

The day of the bonfire, I summoned my courage and headed to the clinic. I knew I needed to deal with my feelings around the incident. Dr. Fagan was there and invited me into her office right away.

“How can I help, Brynn?”

“I was hoping to get that referral for the therapist?”

“I’m so glad you came by. Alpha Maverick gave permission to allow a therapist from a local pack to come by each week. She will be here in two days, and I can slot you in for an appointment. Don’t worry about your job responsibilities. I’ll make sure you have the time you need.”

I sighed in relief, “That sounds great. I’ll be here.”

Dr. Fagan smiled at me, “Are you sleeping ok? Any nightmares? Can I help with anything in the meantime?”

“No. I’m doing ok. Been taking it easy the last few days. I’m going to a bonfire tonight with some friends.”

“That sounds good. I know you have a close group of girls. Just take things one step at a time. There’s no right way to recover. Do your best not to isolate yourself, ok? And my open-door policy stands. Come by any time.”

“Thanks, Dr. Fagan. I’ll see you in a couple of days for my appointment.”

Stepping out of the clinic, I looked around. Even though it was a straight shot from the clinic to the pack house, I still felt nervous. I paused and took a deep breath, then started to walk back to my room. My heart was pounding a little bit, but I kept breathing and remembered what Jace promised me. “I am safe. No one will hurt me.” Somehow, that made me feel a little bit better and I was back at the pack house before I could think any more about it.

Even though it was summer, the nights were a little bit chilly, so the bonfire felt nice. There were eight or so girls including Ivy, Lia, and my other bestie Haisley. Ivy and I walked out together because Lia was with Aspen. Apparently, Alpha Maverick didn’t like her unaccompanied on pack grounds. I was extremely suspicious that Aspen was the Alpha’s mate. Ivy and I both were, and had been watching them like a hawk to see if there were any signs. Aspen had been to lunch a few times with Maverick, and I caught the way he looked at her. I hoped my mate looked at me like that someday.

As soon as I had that thought, I wondered if Jace looked at me like anything at all. I’m sure it was wishful thinking, but sometimes, I think I caught him staring at me. I had been preoccupied the last few days, so I hadn’t thought about Jace as much. Maybe my crush was finally ending. I kind of hoped it was, but also I kind of didn’t. I was extremely confused.

Once the bonfire was humming, out came the wine. Many of us were technically underage, but the pack had much looser rules regarding alcohol consumption, so we were all a little tipsy and had a good buzz going on. Aspen was cool and funny. We were all giggling and having some good girl time—speculating about mates and gossiping about some of the warriors. I felt … normal, and it was a good feeling. No one treated me like I was different or weird because of what happened. It was a relief from a burden I didn’t realize I was carrying.

Aspen leaned over as things were getting started, “You look great, Brynn. That bruise is almost gone. Is there anything I can do to be supportive or help?” I was touched. Aspen was practically a stranger and probably hooking up with my Alpha, but she still cared enough to check on me. I was liking her more and more the longer she was around.

Of course, as soon as we started talking about mates, Jace popped in my head. The wine was kicking in, so I gave a dreamy little sigh thinking about him and how we almost kissed in the common room the other day. I wasn’t exactly paying attention to everything around me, but Ivy kicked my chair and I looked up. Alpha Maverick was coming over and it was clear he only had eyes for Aspen. In fact, it seemed like the world ceased to exist as they made eye contact with each other and he came close.

Once Alpha Maverick reached our group, he nodded, “Aspen … ladies.”

There was some giggling and general laughter as we greeted him. Aspen looked positively delighted to see him and she blushed as his hand squeezed her shoulder. Alpha Maverick looked down at Aspen and murmured something that sounds a lot like “good night.”

Aspen smiled and said something in return before she turned back towards us, but then it was like she changed her mind and looked back over her shoulder. Suddenly, she stood up, “Girls, thanks for a fun night, but I’m going to turn in.” It was so obvious that she was going with our Alpha. We all giggled and snickered at her, but she didn’t seem the least bit bothered. “Good night, Aspen,” I chimed in a sing-song voice.

Everyone returned to their booze, but I watched as Aspen shyly approached Maverick and took his hand. She looked up at him as he looked down at her and it made my heart hurt. There was such obvious delight in the way they interacted. I couldn’t wait to have something like that. Ugh. And I wanted it with Jace. Why couldn’t I get him out of my head?! Maybe he was my mate? But probably not, with our age difference and rank and stuff. But there was a little corner of my heart that held space for this idea.

A few days later I attended a wound care class that Aspen was teaching. I was thrilled that I was finally learning something new and different. In fact, I enjoyed the class so much that I thought about applying to become a pack nurse. My heart still wanted to do events and fun pack things like decorating, but if Mrs. Gibson was going to keep the stick up her ass and not let me grow in my role, I was going to have to take matters into my own hands. As we were wrapping up the class, we invited Aspen to join us to watch one of our favorite shows. We ended up ordering pizza and having a fun time mocking the reality show we binged.

That night, I actually ran into Jace for the first time in days. It was almost like he was purposely avoiding me or something, which made me sad. I counted him as a friend and missed our chats. I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking and my hands were full. Seeing Jace and his ... hotness distracted me and I tripped over my clumsy feet, twisting my ankle. Suddenly Jace's hands were around my waist steadying me.

"Whoa! Easy. I got you."

I giggled, "Oops! Hope when I get my wolf, she's more coordinated than I am."

Jace chuckled, "Clumsy wolves are cute," he murmured.

"Are you saying I'm cute?" I sassed, unsure of where this boldness was coming.

"Uh ... um ... I ... you're not, not cute," he muttered.

I laughed at him and his obvious discomfort. "Jace, you know you could pay a girl a compliment. Just agree and tell me I'm cute!" I demanded. (Again. Who was I? This was so out of character for my normally reserved personality.)

Jace's hands tightened around my waist and he pulled me closer. Suddenly, I realized we were very alone in a dark hallway. His lips came down to my ear and I felt his warm breath across my skin. My breath hitched. Was he going to kiss me?! His lips were hovering just above my ear, and I could feel the warmth radiating off his body. I desperately wanted to trail my fingers down the ridges of his abs which were clear through his t-shirt. I had never been so attracted to someone. Stupid crush.

"You are so much more than cute," he whispered then he left the sweetest, softest kiss on my cheek before he turned and walked away.

My hand shot up to cover my cheek and I was speechless. There was this new feeling from where his lips touched. What was happening to me?

A few days later, word spread around the pack that Maggie was dying. That idea was desperately sad. Maggie was such a wonderful Luna. Even though she was mostly retired by the time I was old enough to remember, she was present for the pack and so kind to us. Many of the reforms and changes she made as Luna had a lasting impact on my parent's generation which created a better life for me. Plus, Maggie was an outstanding baker and would make these incredible treats for the entire pack on special occasions. She was deeply loved and would be terribly missed.

A bunch of us wandered through her room to say our goodbyes during her last hours. Aspen was there, seemingly comforting Maverick and giving Maggie medicine to make her last hours easier. Alpha Maverick looked sad and I felt bad for him. He had lost both of his parents and his grandparents over the last year. That had to suck. I really hoped that Aspen was his true mate because I knew that would be comforting to him right now.

The next day, Jace found me and asked me to help with some funeral details. There was no repeat of the other night. In fact, Jace almost seemed hostile and offended that he had to ask me for help. I couldn't keep up with the mood swings of this man. I did notice that he smelled good. Like really, really good. It was a familiar scent, but I couldn't quite place it. I almost asked him what it was, but he was being such an ass, I cut our conversation short and walked away from him in a huff.

Later that day, Lia knocked on my bedroom door and asked if I had any cute "date" dresses for Aspen. Apparently, a "SOS" had been sent out because Alpha Maverick was taking Aspen on a fancy date and she didn't have anything that would work. Ivy and I were close to her size, so Lia was trying to track down some options. We agreed to loan her clothes, but only if we could come along and help Aspen get ready. Lia reluctantly agreed.

Lia was super cool and we all figured she would be named Gamma soon. I hoped our relationship wouldn’t change and that she would still be able to hang out with us. We had known each other our whole lives, and I didn’t think she was the type to let power go to her head, but you never knew for sure.

Aspen opened the door to her room and looked nervous. It was unusual for her.

She briefly explained what was happening, and I could help but be excited. “That’s so exciting!” I squealed, “I knew you were Maverick’s mate. There’s no way anyone else would be brave enough to storm into his office!”

Ivy agreed and started dreaming about how her mate would look at her someday before Lia hushed us and kicked us out so Aspen could finish getting ready. As we headed back downstairs, Lia looked over, “Not a word to anyone. I know you all are trustworthy, but let Alpha Maverick navigate this, understand?”

“Yes, Gamma Lia,” we chimed together, teasing her.

Lia blushed and mumbled something about it not being “quite official” while we giggled at her.

I stopped in the middle of the hallway and impulsively threw my arms around her neck, “you’re going to be such a great Gamma! I’m so happy for you!”

“You think so? It’s a lot of responsibility,” Lia commented in an unusual display of insecurity.

“Lia, you totally took down that shitbag who shall not be named without breaking a sweat, all the warriors already try to beat you, and you have tons of great ideas for improving schedules and pack defenses. You’ve been dreaming about earning this role for years. Now, it’s practically yours. If you don’t completely kick butt in the job, we don’t know you at all,” I argued.

Ivy nodded her head, “Brynn is right. You’re a natural and I’m so proud of you!”

Lia grinned, “thanks girls! But don’t think I’m going easy on you tomorrow just because we’re friends.”

Ivy and I both groaned. Our first training session was tomorrow and we were both excited and scared. At least now we would have the opportunity to defend ourselves should the need ever arise again. Mrs. Gibson protested about the Omega’s getting some self-defense sessions, but Alpha Maverick shut her down immediately. I can’t believe she argued about it! She was the absolute worse.

Lia wasn’t kidding. Training was brutal the next morning, but also empowering. I couldn’t wait to learn enough skills to protect myself and my future pups.