BELLA & THE BETA

One

"When was the last time you came alive? I bet you're all shriveled up and dead inside. We need to do something about it"

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Eden, Bella's roommate asked poking her head through the door.

"My v****a. I can't remember the last time it was serviced"

"Goddess, you're such a weirdo"

"You wouldn't be the first person to call me that. Why are you up so early?" They'd known each other for two weeks. Which was the exact amount of time they'd spent in Hell Manes. Well, it wasn't really Hell Manes per se. The place used to belong to Blue Moon pack but Alpha Vance had built fancy apartments where people who'd left their packs but didn't want to be rogues could stay. Anyone was welcome as long as they followed the rules.

No stealing.

No killing.

No spies allowed.

No criminal activities (whatever that meant)

And most importantly, no judging (By that, they meant, it didn't matter where you came from. As long as you weren't there to cause any trouble, you were welcome to stay)

Her favorite part was that they didn't dig into the tenants' background unless you gave them a reason to. Bella didn't know whose idea it was to add that last one but she thanked them and prayed for them every night before going to sleep. For the first time in her life, she could sleep all night without worrying about someone coming to kill her. She'd arrived two weeks ago and immediately hit it off with Eden while they were checking in. They couldn't afford to each rent an apartment so they'd decided to share one. Of course, during the first week, Bella hadn't slept a wink. She was alert, in case Eden turned out to be a spy or someone that bastard Aries had sent. But she soon learned that Eden stayed up all night writing erotica romance online and spent all day sleeping. If she wasn't writing, she was watching some Asian anime. The earliest she was up was three in the afternoon. It was a surprise to see her awake at... Bella shifted her eyes to the clock on the nightstand. 9:15 am.

"I forgot to tell you," she said pushing the door further open and standing at the threshold. The other thing Bella liked about the woman? She respected boundaries. Unless asked to come in, Eden would never step foot in her room "There's a mating ceremony at the pack and we're invited. Anyone who feels like going is welcomed"

Bella was out of bed in record time "Two things. Will there be booze and d***s?"

"Duh. It's a party"

"f**k yes. I'm coming. It's been so long since I got laid. I'm worried my p***y has stopped working" Plus this was her chance to meet him and do some investigation on her assignment.

"Get ready then. I'm broke because I spend my money on clothes and heels. You can borrow anything you want from my closet"

"I swear you'll go to werewolf heaven, Eden" Maybe she came straight from the garden of Eden. It would explain why her parents had chosen the name.

"I would like to find my mate before I do that. I have way too many scenes I would like to recreate with him. Anyway, hurry up. We leave in an hour. I hear the enforcers are downright sinful. I'd like to bag myself one or two"

"I will be done in thirty," Bella said already heading to the bathroom. She took a shower and then went through her closet just to be sure a dress wasn't hiding among her old clothes. There was a red spaghetti one she could wear but it was the only dress she had and she'd worn it a few times already. There was no harm in taking Eden up on her offer. Leaving her room, she went next door and knocked.

"Come in" Bella entered and found her standing in front of her bed "What do you think? Black or blue?" She held up both dresses.

"Blue. It'll go well with your eyes" and she wanted the black one.

"Right? I thought so too. Look around and pick whatever you want"

"Actually, I'll take the black one" Eden raised her eyebrows in suspicion which had her rushing to explain "You can still go with it if you don't like the blue one and I can pick something else"

"No. It's fine. Are you sure you don't want to look around?"

"Positive" the black bardot wrap split dress was figure hugging and had a thigh-high slit. The long sleeves covered the tattoos on her arms while the plunging sweetheart neckline gave a peek of her cleavage. She left her hair down and went with silver strappy heels. The sparkling blue v-neck gown Eden wore fit her like a glove. Showcasing her curves sinfully. The back was strappy and ruched. Emphasizing her hips "f**k, you look hot. Any chance you changed your mind and feel like swapping dresses?" Bella asked jokingly. She didn't know if she could pull off that dress the way Eden did.

"Are you into threesomes? I've never been with a woman but I could totally do you. That tattoo peeking through the slit has aroused my curiosity. I'd like to peel off the dress inch by inch until..."

"Back to reality. I'm not one of your characters"

"But you could totally be. A hot tattooed babe and a shy writer set out to find their Mr. Right. Plot twist? They're lovers and looking for someone to spice up their relationship"

"Fine. I'll be your muse just this once. Go wild"

"It's a deal baby" Eden agreed high fiving her "Let's go collect some d***s. I hope the men don't disappoint"

"If they do we'll just stick to the booze and food" She'd been to a mating ceremony once but it wasn't to celebrate so she was looking forward to this one. Since Alpha Vance owned both territories, they'd built roads that connected the packs so that Hell Manes was only an hour away. Forty-five minutes if someone was in a hurry. Cars had been made available for those who were going to the ceremony. She and Eden shared an SUV with a couple. The guy, Allen volunteered to be their driver. His mate, Stella was a chatterbox who was just as excited as they were.

"I hear the ceremonies at Hell Manes are always lit. Alpha Vance doesn't hold back. And did you know it's the beta... What was his name?"

"Nigel" Allen provided

"Yes! Nigel. It's his mating ceremony so you can imagine how big the party's going to be. I'm so excited"

"Nigel? As in Nigel Devoe?" Bella asked, her back straightening at the mention of his name.

"Yeah. Do you know him?"

"No. Never met him but I've heard of him" Who hadn't? He was famous for being the best beta in the werewolf community. Some even went as far as to say, Roman Vance, the Alpha of Hell Manes couldn't have made it to where he was without him. The two balanced each other out. Without one, the other wouldn't get far. She was looking forward to meeting him.

"I saw him once when we first arrived. He just was doing routine rounds and guys I'm telling you that man is..." Stella snuck a glance at her mate and bit her lip. She didn't have to say more. As women, they understood what she meant.

"Too bad he's taken or we would have tried our luck," Eden said. They sighed simultaneously then burst out laughing.

Normal life wasn't as bad as she'd thought it would be. Making friends wasn't hard either. As long as she wasn't planning on killing them, she could see why people valued friendship. For the first time in her life, she had no motive for befriending the people around her and it was a new experience.

Bella wondered what her life would be like after she completed this mission. Finding her mate was at the top of the list but after that, what next? Could she settle for being a stay-at-home mate and mother? What if she didn't get along with him? Or he didn't like her? Or he found out about her past and rejected her?

"Are you nervous?" Eden asked, startling her.

"What?"

"You're wringing your hands"

Before she could answer, Stella spoke up "Girl, you have no reason to be nervous. I hear the people there are welcoming and rumor has it that the Luna is the real boss. Even the Alpha has no choice but to listen to her"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I also heard that she is badass. Some Alpha got on her wrong side and she offed the entire pack except women. Can you believe that?"

Not really. For a woman to take on an Alpha and his enforcers, she had to be freakishly strong and fast. The most she could handle at a time was seven opponents. Any more and she would be struggling. Add an Alpha to the mix and she wasn't confident she could get out alive. Unless the woman had a past similar to hers, Bella couldn't see how that was possible.

"...bodies and heads were separated. It happened when Blue Moon still existed. Oli, our neighbor, says she'd been at it all night and the people who found her had to jump over headless bodies to get to her. So whatever happens, don't go pissing off the woman"

"What is she? A hybrid or..."

"No idea. Just steer clear of her. You guys have fun but don't offend anyone from Hell Manes. She's super protective of her people"

Bella ran her tongue over her teeth. How come she'd never heard of her? There were all types of rumors about Roman and Nigel but no one had ever mentioned the Luna. Only a highly trained assassin could do the things Stella claimed she'd done. And she wouldn't have managed to do it alone. Perhaps she had help? If not then what was her secret? Thoughts of Nigel were pushed to the back of her mind. Bella shifted her attention to the Luna of Hell Manes. If she was going to be a hindrance then wouldn't it be ideal to get rid of her first? But if she did, she'd have to deal with Roman before getting her hands on Nigel. As one of the strongest Alphas out there, could she handle him?

She wasn't confident. Doubts started creeping in, making her wonder why she'd thought she could do it when the others had turned their boss down. Grim had thrown her a bone and out of desperation, she'd caught it. Because he'd promised to let her go if she successfully completed this mission. Of course, she could always back out. But if she did, it would take her another year or two to convince him to let her retire. That wasn't an option. She was going to find a way to do it and walk away with her life intact. This was her only ticket to retirement. No matter what happened, she wasn't going to give up.

Nigel Devoe would die by her hand.

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