Brynn's Beta

Chapter 5--Brynn

After the funeral, I felt listless. It was hard to get back to a normal routine when there was so much change happening around the pack. As I suspected, Alpha Maverick formally introduced Aspen as his mate. I was honestly so happy for both of them. I didn’t know Aspen well, but from what I had experienced, she would be an excellent Luna. I’m confident I wasn’t the only one who noticed she didn’t have a mark, but it wasn’t any of my business, and I refused to join in on the speculation around the pack.

Ivy and I were both thrilled that Lia was challenging for the Gamma position and we planned a low-key celebration for her after the challenge. I had no doubt that she would kick butt. Did I agree to plan it because secretly I was hoping Jace would be there? Yes. Was I going to admit that to anyone? Nope. Ivy knew how much I loved event planning, so that was the real reason I was so enthusiastic. The Alpha finding his mate who was a normal explained why I hadn’t seen Jace as much. He was probably busy covering for Alpha Maverick. At least, that’s how I explained it. My heart couldn’t take him avoiding me or thinking I had done something to make him hate me. I still dreamed about our moment in the hallway all the time. Sometimes, I thought my cheek still tingled a little or something from where his lips touched me.

Naturally, Jace showed up for Lia’s celebration. He was a great host—making sure people had drinks, turning up the music, joking around. He even did a nice toast for Lia and commented on how much he was looking forward to working with her and how qualified and fierce she was as a warrior. I was so proud of my friend and enthralled by what Jace was saying. If anyone had any doubt that a woman could do the job, Jace was doing his best to make sure people knew she was a boss. Internally, I was swooning a bit listening to Jace, but I hoped I was keeping my poker face. It would be so embarrassing if people knew I was crushing hard on him.

Jace barely talked to me at the party, but I caught him watching me a few times. Was it so hard to just come up and say hi? I decided to just ignore him. Instead, I started chatting with a super cute warrior who had been flirting with me for a while. I hadn’t done anything to encourage him, but why not? I wasn’t mated. Besides Sean was pretty hot, not as hot as Jace, but if Jace was going to ignore me, I wasn’t going to waste my time pining over him.

Sean brought me a beer and we clinked bottles before I took a sip. We barely started chatting before my brother came over and interrupted us, insisting that the Beta needed my help with something in the kitchen. I apologized to Sean and headed to the kitchen.

Jace was standing against the counter with his arms crossed, looking pissed.

“What do you need, Jace?” I asked, kind of annoyed.

“The party is running short of ice and drink mixers. You should pay more attention and refill stuff.”

“Are you kidding me? That’s why you made my brother drag me in here?” Now I was pissed. None of that stuff was running low.

“Get it yourself. I’m going back to the party. I was having a good time.”

“Do you like Sean?” Jace blurted out. I turned to look at him. His expression was hard, but his question seemed tortured.

I shrugged, “Maybe? How would I know? Why do you even care?” This was ridiculous, but I think in my heart I knew the answer, I just wasn’t prepared to accept it.

Jace shrugged, “You’re my friend. Sean is a player. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Is that all? The only reason?” I pressed.

“Yup,” Jace said with certainty.

I threw my hands up in the air, “whatever, Beta Jace. It’s my choice. I’m going back to the party. Get your own damn ice.”

I knew I was being a little bratty, but I didn’t care. Jace was out of bounds. I knew the rules about telling an underage wolf that you were mates, but if we were, he could be nice to me. Instead, he was the one being an ass. My heart sank a little as I realized what this meant. We weren’t mates and my crush was meaningless. My heart was a little broken at the thought.

Before I could leave the kitchen, Jace grabbed my hand, “You put a nice party together for Lia. I’m sure she’s grateful.”

I turned around and he was right there and still smelled incredible. I found my anger waning, but I didn’t look up at him, “thank you,” I muttered.

“I’m sorry if I seemed angry at you. I’m not. It’s just … it … I … it’s been a sh!t week. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

Before I could reply, my brother walked in and Jace dropped my hand like it was on fire. I grabbed some cups off the counter and headed back to the party before my brother started asking questions, more confused than ever. Jace’s hot and cold behavior was giving me a headache and a heartache.

Over the next few weeks, I was always working with Aspen. To say I was delighted to be working for her was a huge understatement. I don’t know what I ever did to Susan Gibson to deserve her bad treatment, but I was over it. Hopefully, this work with Aspen would turn into my permanent work assignment. Nothing had been formally communicated to me by Mrs. Gibson, but my schedule always reflected that I was designated as the ALA--"acting Luna's assistant." Pretty sure that was Mrs. Gibson's way of throwing some shade towards Aspen since there had been no formal Luna ceremony yet. Rude. There was no way someone as good hearted as Aspen and Alpha Maverick would let Susan Gibson’s reign of terror continue once they knew about it.

The first day I worked with Aspen, she greeted me enthusiastically. “Brynn! Thanks so much for coming. As you know, I’m new to all this ‘Luna’ business and I think I’m in a little over my head. I heard from Maverick and Jace that you enjoy event planning and coordinating pack functions, and I could use some help. Would you be interested?”

“I would love to! What do you have in mind?”

Aspen spent the next few hours explaining her ideas for pup camp and getting my input. Then she launched into her idea for a summer kick-off party.

I clapped my hands together in glee, “Ooh! Yes! A party sounds so fun. I have so many ideas. I love where your head is for pup camp. Sadly, we can get quite a bit done, but at some point we are going to need Mrs. Gibson’s help.”

“Oh,” Aspen paused, “I was hoping to avoid her if possible.”

“Not a fan?” I asked, trying not to pry, but curious.

“Not really …” Aspen hedged.

“Me either!” I quickly agreed, “In fact, I think most Omega’s would agree with you. She’s not well liked.”

Aspen looked relieved, “Cool. I don’t want to talk badly about pack members. I’m just learning my way around and meeting people. I’m just not particularly comfortable with her for a number of different reasons.”

“Don’t worry. I’m discrete and don’t think participating in the pack gossip is a particularly good look. I know trust is earned, and I hope to earn yours.”

Aspen smiled, “You already have. That’s why I asked for you specifically. Now, did you go to pup camp? Help me understand it better.”

We spent the next several hours revamping how pup camp should run. I provided her with a number of suggestions that some of us had talked about for years. Aspen was delighted and fully prepared to implement them. Hoping I wasn’t overstepping, I also gave her some tips on pack politics and how to demonstrate her new rank.

Since I had been working with Aspen, I had seen Jace around a bit more or heard his voice, but he studiously avoided me. I think he even switched his mealtimes so we wouldn’t run into each other. Randomly, yesterday, we bumped into each other in the dining room. I was grabbing a plate with Ivy and Haisley and there he was sitting at the head table with Aspen and Alpha Maverick. They were all joking and laughing about something. Suddenly, his head jerked up like he scented me or something, but that wasn’t possible. Because if he could scent me, it meant we were mates. We couldn’t be mates because he barely spoke to me. If he felt the bond, he would want to be close to me, talk to me, and spend time with me. Instead, he was mostly an ass except for those few times when he was so sweet.

I almost stumbled in the buffet line when he looked up and our eyes met. My heart did a little pitter-patter as he looked at me and gave me his little sexy half-smile. It was only eight days until my birthday, but it felt like it would never come. I wanted resolution—either Jace was my mate, and we could quit this stupid game, or he wasn’t and hopefully I could find my person and get over my crush. It didn’t help that Jace looked good—really, really good and that he gave me a little wink while I stared at him. I completely forgot what I was doing until Ivy elbowed me, “keep moving,” she hissed. “I’m starving. Make kissy faces at Jace later.”

I blushed, “I wasn’t. Whatever,” I mumbled and filled my plate with a bunch of eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns. My appetite had increased dramatically the last couple days in preparation for getting my wolf in the next week.

The next night was our renamed Summer Solstice party. I was at the barn all day overseeing the set-up. I was so excited and a little bit nervous. Aspen was there for a while in the morning helping, but I forced her to leave as politely as I could so she could get ready. I was confident that I could handle any of the last-minute details. By late afternoon, everything was ready and I ran back to the pack house to change so I could be back in time for the band’s set-up and sound check. As I walked into my room, I saw a lovely dress on my bed with a note, “Brynn, thanks for all your help over the last few weeks. Aspen.”

The dress was lovely, and I was touched. Quickly, I showered. Ivy did a beautiful fishtail braid in my hair while I did my makeup. I definitely spent a few extra minutes on my make-up and glammed it up quite a bit more than my normal look. I pulled on the dress and a pair of strappy sandals I borrowed from Lia. I was bummed Lia couldn’t attend, but it was her first night being in charge of the pack and I was proud of her. It was a big responsibility. She was a little bit stressed even though Alpha Maverick was still going to be on pack lands. There was no doubt in my mind that Lia would be awesome. Ivy was planning to babysit pups tonight because she wanted the extra money, so she made me promise to fully debrief the whole night with her tomorrow.

At last, the party was starting. I was kind of nervous because I wasn’t sure if Jace was coming tonight. Aspen and I hadn’t talked much about him, but my relationship status had come up a time or two. I was holding my feelings towards Jace close, but I did admit to a little crush on him. Aspen was actually super cool about it and joked with me about Jace’s moodiness sometimes. She helped me realize I didn’t have to embarrassed about my feelings and agreed with me that Jace was being an ass sometimes.

The music started, the lights dimmed, and everything was perfect. Pack members started to arrive and the hum of conversation was filling the place. Shortly, I saw Alpha Maverick and Aspen arrive with Jace. Holy sh!t. Jace looked so … handsome. He was wearing navy slacks, a white button up with a few buttons undone, and a dark gray vest. Mercy! Was it hot in here or just me? I tore my eyes away from him before he caught me eye fvcking him and checked my list. I noticed that no one was dancing and people were just mingling on the side of the room. Aspen noticed at the same time and I watched her drag Alpha Maverick to the dance floor to get the party started. That seemed to help people loosen up and soon the dance floor was full.

I was standing off to the side, near one of the bars making sure there was enough liquor. I caught Jace out of the corner of my eye, but chose to ignore him since he was ignoring me. My back was to him when Aspen came up to check on things.

“How are things going?” she asked. “Any issues?”

“Great, actually. People seem to be having a good time. I’m glad you guys hit the dance floor. That definitely helped break the ice for everyone.”

The band switched up the tempo just a little and I recognized the opening bars of my favorite song, “Isn’t this your favorite song?” Aspen asked.

“Yes!” I grinned. “I hope you don’t mind. I just wanted to hear a live band cover it.”

“No! I’m so glad you added it to the set list. I love it. You know what? I’ll watch things for a minute. You should go dance and enjoy yourself. You worked on this as much as I did. You shouldn’t have to work the whole night.”

“That’s … that’s ok. I don’t have anyone to dance with,” I murmured, and I couldn’t help but glance at Jace who was leaning against the bar nearest me, circling some amber colored beverage.

“That’s ridiculous. There are tons of guys here,” Aspen insisted. I watched as she motioned Jace to come over.

“Jace, you know Brynn, right? She helped me plan tonight, and I think she deserves a little fun. Plus, this is her favorite song. Dance with her,” Aspen demanded. Wow. She was an impressive wing woman. I owed her.

Without hesitation, Jace extended his hand to me, “May I have this dance?”

I tried to play it cool, like my heart didn’t just leap up into my chest at the thought of dancing with Jace, “I guess,” I replied with a little shrug.

As we headed to the dance floor, Jace commented, “You look really pretty. Are you having fun?”

“I am now,” I declared. It was a week until my birthday, I knew he couldn’t technically tell me if we were mates, but maybe for this one dance, I could pretend. Jace twirled me on the dance floor and pulled me close. Like really close. His arm went around my waist as my hand slipped up his shoulder and around his neck. Our fingers tangled together like it was the most natural thing in the world. We fit together so perfectly. I swear, as our fingers connected, something akin to tingles spread through my arm. It was the same feeling I had on my cheek after Jace kissed me, but this was stronger. The warmth spread down all the way to my lady parts. If this was arousal, I was enjoying it.

Jace dipped his head down just a little and took a deep breath. “Brynn …” he breathed as we slow danced, like he wanted to say something, but didn’t. I had a whole speech lined up in my head about how he had been acting, but my words were forgotten as the sensations of being this close to Jace overwhelmed me. He maneuvered us across the dance floor to a dark little corner. His arm tightened slightly, pulling me closer, and I leaned into him as we continued to sway to the music. I hummed in contentment. My mind wandered to some deliciously dirty places as we danced. I was a little shocked at my imagination, but not surprised. I was so close to getting my wolf, it was normal for my libido to surge accordingly.

“Jace,” I whispered, about to ask him why he had been avoiding me. I pulled back just a little to look at him. That was a mistake. His eyes looked through me and into me with such tenderness, I was rendered mute. His lips were right there and mine for the taking. I leaned forward just a hairsbreadth and as I was about to press my lips against his, the song ended and Jace abruptly pulled away like I smelled bad or something.

My cheeks flamed bright pink. I was so embarrassed! What was I thinking?! I thought all the signs were there, and I wanted to kiss him, so badly. OMG! Jace was the pack BETA and I basically threw my virginal self at him. I was no better than Ashleigh. My mortification was complete as I turned to flee. Before I could, Jace grabbed my hand, “Brynn, no, wait. Let me explain.”

“Let me go Jace. I …I …” I felt embarrassed tears start to well up. No! I would not cry. Not in front of Jace. I stomped my foot in an attempt to control my emotions.

“No, Brynn. Please ... wait ... I just ... fvck! Please, please don’t be embarrassed. I … I …” Suddenly, I was tugged back against Jace’s chest, his hand cupping the back of my neck, "fvck it," he murmured and kissed me--the way a man kisses a woman when he wants her. Suddenly, my back was pressed against the wall and Jace's lips were moving harder against my own. This wasn't my first kiss per se, but it was the best one so far. It felt so good, I was a little dizzy. My mouth opened and I felt Jace’s tongue begin to explore. Goddess, he tasted good. He kissed me until I was breathless and started kissing down my jaw until he abruptly pulled away.

I whined a little when he pulled away, confused. Did I do something wrong? I mean, I didn't have a ton of experience, but it seemed like we were both enjoying ourselves. All I knew is that I wanted more of his lips on mine and all over my body. I squirmed a little bit, feeling even more aroused. Mate or not, I wanted him, so badly.

Jace was breathing hard as he barely pulled away. Our bodies were still pressed together and I'm pretty sure there was a bulge in the front of his trousers. I saw his eyes glaze over at the same time as I heard some commotion on the other side of the barn, but I was distracted by my own desire. I saw Aspen yelling at Ashleigh, then making out with Alpha Maverick, who picked her up and left after yelling “mine!”

As soon as his eyes cleared up, Jace looked at me and the compromising position we were in with a little smirk. “You really do look amazing tonight. Stunning, actually. Thanks for the dance. I have to go.” He leaned forward and left another gentle kiss on my lips, then bent his head like he was going to kiss my marking spot, and I was going to let him! I felt his warm breath hovering as I tilted my head to the side, but at the last second he pulled back. Our hands were still entangled and my arm stretched out as he walked away. Silently, he squeezed my hand before releasing it as he left the barn.

My hand came up and my fingers touched my tingling lips as my heart rate slowly returned to normal. It was an unspoken rule that unmated wolves avoided the marking spot since it was an act of intimacy only between mates, and Jace almost kissed me there.

What just happened?!?!