BELLA & THE BETA

Eight

"Hey, Al. I'm told you're the only person who knows this place inside out. Mind giving me a tour?"

"Sure let's go"

Bella smiled. To outsiders, it looked like Hell Manes was one of the most dangerous places to be in. Especially if you had ill intentions. Vance had a reputation for killing first and asking questions later. She'd been wondering how she could get in without arousing their suspicion. But now that she was inside, she realized how laid back they all were. Or maybe they'd just let their guard down because they considered her a part of the pack. So far, she hadn't caught anyone keeping tabs on her or sneaking around her room. Aside from Nigel, no one else seemed to care about her origins. The members were kind and they smiled at her whenever she walked past them. Genuine smiles. It was the kind of place she'd hoped to end up in. A place where she could finally be herself. Too bad things hadn't turned out the way she'd imagined.

"This is where the enforcers and warriors normally train. According to Mikaela, the best time to be here is early in the morning"

"Because there's no one around and you can have the place to yourself?"

"No. It's usually full of the guys training. I never understood why she thought that way" the kid shook his head "Besides, she always ended up just watching them instead of joining them"

"Oh, I get it now. It's a woman thing"

"That's what I also thought"

"Will you introduce me to this great woman later? I think we'll get along just fine" She didn't mind starting the day off with watching hot sweaty men tackle each other to the ground. But as usual, everything she did was for a reason. Despite not having decided on what to do with Nigel, she still had to be on alert. By watching the men train, she could gauge their strength and know who she might be able to handle should the need arise. It also wouldn't hurt to make Nigel a little jealous. So far, she was the only one who lost her mind whenever she saw him with that woman.

Rationality flew out the window and she wanted to tear her to pieces. All her life, Bella prided herself in the way she handled situations. Grim used to call her a chameleon because of how fast she adapted to any new place she went to. But for the life of her, she couldn't understand why she wasn't able to control her emotions. Nigel was always taking that woman's side because she pretended to be weak. Any other time, she would have won by also pretending to be weak. In terms of acting, no one could come close to her. So why was she losing her s**t when it came to him? Was it because he was her mate? Did other mates react the same way?

"They say you're the beta's mate. Is that true?"

"What do you think?"

"I think you're pretty enough to be his mate"

"Al, you can't judge a person by their looks alone or you'll be disappointed"

"I know"

"Do you really?" He just shrugged "What is he like?"

"The beta? Boring. We barely ever see him because he's always working and when he does show up, it is to either yell at someone or stop the Alpha from killing someone"

"Really? Does your Alpha kill a lot?"

"Not really. You don't have to be afraid of him or the beta. They would never hurt you"

"And the Luna? What's she like?"

"She's nice and pretty. Have you met Addy? I think she's the prettiest baby I've ever seen"

"So she's never lost her temper at you or anyone or suddenly became mean?"

"Who Addy? No. She's the sweetest"

"No, I meant the Luna"

"Fishing for information from a kid? How very adult of you" someone said approaching them. Bella looked over her shoulder. She recognized the man since she'd seen him around the house.

"What do you mean? We were just getting to know each other"

"Yeah right. I'll take it from here kiddo. Addy's looking for you" She'd never seen a kid move so fast. The man shook his head smiling and Bella found herself dreaming again. Would they love her kids the same way? What was it like? Being surrounded by people who loved and protected you?

"So what did you want to know about our Luna?"

"Nothing. It's just that I heard rumors about her and I was curious"

"You mean the ones about her being cray cray?"

"Your words. Not mine"

"Don't believe everything you hear. I'm Beau by the way"

"Bella"

"I know. Everyone is betting on how long it'll take for you to crack the boss"

"Crack?"

He chuckled "Most of the time he's not likable. Not because he's a bad person but because all he cares about is work. The Alpha is second on his list and the rest of us only show up when he needs us"

"That bad, huh?"

"Not really. How do I say this?" He scratched his chin, looking from side to side. At one point, he looked over his shoulder. She immediately figured out that someone had sent him. Was it Nigel? "The boss was too busy working so he didn't have time to go looking for you. The only reason he picked Violet was because he needs an heir"

"Really? What an ass"

"No, no. I meant he was just... Violet knew about it. He didn't lie to her"

"That makes him an even bigger asshole. I'm not sure I want him now"

"Please don't say that. I'm supposed to convince you he doesn't have feelings for Violet. Not create an even bigger distance between you two"

"Who sent you?"

Beau blinked, "What? No. No one sent me. I'm just... I was... Are you messing with me?"

"I'd never do that. Just like how you'd never try to play matchmaker"

"We heard about what happened at Violet's house and didn't want you to misunderstand them. Their relationship was more like a business transaction. There's truly nothing going on between them"

It was clear they cared about Nigel. She could see now that they were being nice to her on his account. If she wasn't his mate, they'd treat her differently. Before she could reply, a familiar scent filled her nostrils. Making her panic. Without thinking, she turned around sharply, her eyes searching for him. Why was he there? She'd only been in Hell Manes for two days. There was no way Grim had found out about her connection to Nigel and sent that bastard. Did he know? What was he planning this time?

"What's wrong?" Beau asked reminding her of his presence. If she wasn't so rattled, she would have brushed the incident off as a mistake. But that scent...

"Do you smell that?"

"What am I looking for?"

"Lavender" that disgusting, nauseating smell. She hated it with every inch of her being.

"Yeah. Where did it come from? There aren't any lavender plants nearby"

Bella's phone chimed, indicating she'd received a message. No doubt from that creep. Instead of reading it, she turned to Beau. For some reason, the worried expression on his face annoyed her. Why were they so trusting? Didn't they know how dangerous she was? It would take her less than ten seconds to kill him. Especially since he wouldn't expect it.

"I have to talk to Beverly about something. See you around" She took a few steps before he grabbed her arm. She swallowed. Was he suspecting her already? She'd hate to kill him. He wasn't her target or making things difficult for her. But if he was already suspicious of her... "What?"

"Don't tell them I failed"

"Huh? Tell who?"

"The Alpha and Luna"

It took her a moment to understand what he meant. So the Alpha couple had sent him. You'd think they'd be too busy raising their children to care about what a stranger thought of their beta.

Back at the house, she sat on the bed and weighed her options. That bastard's appearance had snapped her back to reality. She wasn't making a decision because she didn't want to. Not because she couldn't. The first one would be to kill Nigel, earn her retirement, and go far away to a place where no one would ever find her. Assuming she could survive the death of her mate. Or she could stay and kill anyone who tried to harm him. That would mean going against Grim. Would he let her betrayal slide? Highly unlikely. Which left her with the third option. Tell Nigel about the bounty on his head then go back and admit defeat. If she wasn't going to spend her life with him, why would she even retire? It wasn't as if he wanted her either. She could- should leave and never look back. Jumping up, she grabbed her bags and started packing.

"f**k it" she didn't need a family. She'd grown up without one and had turned out fine. She would survive just like she always did. But even as she was trying to convince herself that, her heart broke. Because deep down, having a family was the only thing she'd ever wanted so badly. And now that it was never going to happen...

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here... Packing. Why are you packing your things? And while you're at it, tell me why you're crying"

"What? I... I'm not..." She swiped a hand over her cheek and frowned when it came away with water.

"Did something happen?"

"No. I made a mistake coming here. Give me a few minutes. I'll get out of your hair"

"I never said you were in my hair. Did someone say something to you?"

"Nope. I just decided to leave. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"No. At least not before we have a talk. Sit down. I'd like to know what was so hard about telling me your name, Miss Arabella Kent"

She sighed. He sounded so proud that she didn't know how to tell him that name was also a fake. One of many. But if he dug deep enough, he might be able to find the real Bella.

That was if she even existed, to begin with.

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