BELLA & THE BETA

Three

"Say it"

"Say what?"

"Whatever's on your mind, Beverly. Otherwise, I'm afraid we'll spend the rest of the day standing here with you fidgeting with my already perfect tie. In case you forgot, I have a ceremony to get to"

"I have nothing more to say. It's not like you'll listen anyway. You've already made your decision" she mumbled the last part drawing a smile out of him.

"And clearly, you don't approve of it"

"It's your life, Nigel. I have no right to interfere"

"Last chance. Speak up before I walk out that door" She hesitated for a few seconds then made up her mind and said,

"I tried to bribe Violet. I told her if she backed out, I would pay her a lot of money. Guess what she said"

"No?"

"I wish. She told me bribing was beneath me"

"You can punish her when we come back from our honeymoon"

"That's just it. I didn't feel the least offended because I knew she was right. But what else can I do? I'm out of options. She's a good woman, Nigel. Both of you are good people. But if you come across your mate, will you leave her to be with your fated? After promising her forever? I don't want either of you to get hurt"

"You worry too much. For all we know, my fated could already be dead"

"What if she's not? What if she's waiting for you?"

"The pack needs an heir. If I take too long to produce the next beta, what will happen to Leander?"

"Why are you so obsessed with heirs?"

"It's almost time. Let's not keep the guests waiting"

"Nigel..."

"I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine" he sidestepped her and left the room. When they'd first met, he hadn't pegged her for a worrier. He'd thought she was a spoiled brat who could only give Roman heirs but was not fit to be their Luna. But after she came back from Russia, she was a completely different person. Roman only told them bits and pieces of what happened but not all of it. However, he knew she'd narrowly escaped death. To his and everyone's surprise, the new version of her was more likable. As time went by, she proved that she was meant to be Hell Manes Luna. There was no doubt that they would all die for her. Now if Violet turned out to be half the person Beverly was, what more could he ever ask for?

On his way out of the dressing room, he bumped into Shaw "Is everything ready?"

"Are you nervous?" Nigel gave him a look that had him nodding "Right. This is like a business transaction for you so there's no need to be nervous"

"Excuse me?"

"The boss's words. Not mine"

"Last I checked, I am also your boss"

"Yes, you are. Congratulations on your big day, boss"

"Out of my way" one would think his members would be happy for him since he'd decided to settle down but they were all acting as if he was making the wrong choice and as a result, the world would come to an end. He was doing what was best for the pack. Instead of trying to dissuade him, shouldn't they be... He froze at the door. His nose twitching as he caught the unfamiliar yet tantalizing scent. Shock and disbelief made him dizzy "No f*****g way" Nigel mumbled, his hand tightening on the knob. Was someone playing tricks on him? But how? How did they know where to find her? Of all days, why that day? Everything was already in place. He was set to mate with Violet in a few minutes.

They would go on their honeymoon for two weeks, then come back and spend the rest of their lives quietly. If he met his mate in the future... Well, he didn't owe her anything. But he'd saved some money aside to give her as compensation for not waiting. If she was the type that caused trouble, he had different ways to deal with her. He'd thought of every outcome and how to handle it. Everything except the damn showing up to his mating ceremony. If he had felt the bond snapping in place, it meant she knew too. Was she going to stop him or run away? He hoped for the latter. Because whatever happened, he was going to go through with the ceremony and mark Violet. Nothing would change that. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he pulled the door open and walked out. The closer he got, the more overwhelming her scent got.

It took a lot of restraint to smile at Violet and not seek her out. He despised the fact that he was curious to know how she looked. Or that a part of him was already regretting not listening to Rome. Maybe if he'd waited a few more days or a month... Would she speak up? Did he want to ruin the ceremony?

"You look nervous," Roman said moving to stand in front of them. Violet glanced at him and smiled. He gave her another stiff smile.

"Let's get this over with" he replied not paying attention to what he was saying. If he wasn't so distracted, he'd see the flash of hurt in Violet's eyes. But he was fighting with his wolf. He hadn't known the damn animal would be so persistent. Behind him, people settled down and Roman must have said funny because laughter filled the air. Nigel didn't hear a word. He took Violet's hand and kissed it. There were more words he couldn't make out but two stood out "...mark her..." His fangs extended, his eyes locked on the spot where he would mark her. Once he went through with it, everything would be fine. All the confusion in his head would clear and he could go on with his... No, things would never go back to the way they were. When the roar filled the air, Nigel knew his life was over.

What he couldn't understand was why he'd just accepted his fate. She'd disrupted his carefully laid out plans. Yet the moment he caught a glimpse of her, a part of him was grateful that she hadn't run out. At least she wasn't a pushover. As blonde hair floated toward him, he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Violet jumped back just as the woman reached him and to his wolf's delight, she knocked him down.

"You bastard! I am going to skin you and use your fur to wipe my window"

Nigel held back a scoff. That was the worst she could think of doing with his fur?

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