BELLA & THE BETA

Five

"When did you find out?"

"On my way out. Before the ceremony started" he replied, his eyes on the people eating and drinking outside as if the ceremony had gone through. Why were they so happy?

"Damn. You were going to ignore her and go through with it?" Roman chuckled "Now I understand her reaction"

"The f**k was I supposed to do? Humiliate Violet in front of everyone?"

"You could have pulled both of them aside and talked to them"

Why was he suddenly acting mature? Had he already forgotten what he did when Beverly arrived?

"I wouldn't be surprised if you or Beverly had something to do with this. How did she end up here?" Nigel whirled around to face him "Did you know about her?"

"If I did, I wouldn't have waited until today. What are you going to do with Violet?"

"What do you think I should do with her?" He'd be an asshole if he asked her to wait until he handled Bella. Who knew how long it would take to talk some sense into her? She looked determined to stay and turn his life upside down. But he also couldn't ignore her and mate with Violet. She was a part of Hell Manes so he couldn't ask her to leave either. The only solution was to convince Bella that they had no future together. Compared to Violet, she was like a ticking bomb. Somehow, he knew his life would never be the same again.

"Get to know her before casting her aside. She's your mate. Don't make the same mistake I did with Beverly"

"She lives in NG apartments. You know what that means"

"No, I don't. All I know is that she's strong enough to kick my beta's ass and therefore qualified to be one of us"

"She threatened to kill Violet if I didn't ask her to leave"

"Good luck with her, my friend. I'll be rooting for you from the sidelines"

"As the Alpha..."

"You're a grown-ass man. If you can't handle your mate, you have no business being a beta"

"Some friend you are" Nigel murmured under his breath. Most of the time he liked how Roman always valued strength, especially when it came to picking pack members. It meant that no one would mess with them and if anyone was stupid enough to do it, they could defend themselves. No one would drag them behind. But at the moment, he hated it. There was no doubt that they were going to support Bella. Hell, if she wasn't his mate, he would be the first to convince her to stay. She was exactly the type of person he'd befriend.

But as his mate? He'd pick Violet over her any day of the week. Now if only she understood that and accepted it, wouldn't life be easier?

Shaw drove her back to her apartment while Beverly sweet-talked Leo into leaving his room so she could settle Bella there. Since Leo's room was right next to his, he didn't think it was a coincidence. As if that wasn't enough, he had to listen to everyone as they congratulated him for finding his mate. As if he'd gone looking for her. The moon goddess sure had a way of showering him with her love.

"There you are. I've prepared Bella's room but tomorrow you'll have to go shopping with her so she can pick whatever she needs"

"On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you?"

Beverly nudged his arm with her shoulder "I only want you to be happy. If things don't work out between you guys, it won't be too late to mate with whoever you want"

"Where is Violet? I need to talk to her"

"Will you ask her to wait for you?"

"I don't know" he sighed "I don't know what to do. Will it be okay if I ask her to wait? How long will it take Bella to realize I'm not the person she's looking for? But what if... What if..."

"Nigel," she moved to stand in front of him, forcing him to give her all his attention "Take your time and think things over. I already talked to Violet and she's fine. The person you need to worry about is Bella. Have you stopped to think about how she ended up here? What happened to her family and pack? At least I had Gail with me when I left Blue Moon. She doesn't seem to have anyone"

"How would you know that?"

"Vic already looked into her"

"Impressive"

"All I'm saying is be nice to her, Nigel. At the very least get to know her before making a decision" She walked away asking "Has anyone seen Addy?"

He thought about what Beverly had told him and came to the conclusion that it wouldn't hurt to get to know her. If she was alone, he could make sure she was taken care of for the rest of her life. That didn't have to happen in Hell Manes. With enough money, she could move anywhere. Of course, that was easier said than done. Especially when it came to Bella. The moment she came back, she refused to sleep in the room Beverly had prepared. Claiming she wasn't comfortable with sleeping in a bed another man had used unless it was him. Nigel was forced to let her stay in his room. He didn't mind sleeping in what used to be Leo's room. That was until he saw the smirk on her face and knew she was pushing his buttons.

It dawned on him then. That she'd insisted on moving to the pack house so she could get revenge on him for not waiting for her. The moment he gave in and allowed her to stay, she'd won.

Or at least she thought she had.

Suddenly, he remembered how Beverly behaved when Roman took her there. He'd thought she was a spoiled brat and wanted her gone. But in reality, she had her own difficulties that she couldn't tell anyone. Could Bella be the same? Why had she decided to move right after they'd met? Another woman would have been heartbroken or at least hated his guts. How could she be okay with living with him despite knowing he was in love with another woman? He wasn't but she didn't know that. Since he'd decided to mate with Violet, everyone else assumed he'd fallen in love with her. Why would Bella think differently?

"Bella?" He stopped her before she closed the door "What is your full name?"

"Eager to look into my background. Are you?"

"Normal procedure for new members"

"Have you decided to let me stay then?"

"Are you serious about being a part of Hell Manes?"

"We shall see" she replied and closed the door. Nigel noticed that she hadn't answered his question. He could use the information she'd used to rent the apartment but that could be easily fabricated. Since they didn't do background checks on those people, there was no way of knowing who Bella was. Unless she told him, it would be hard to find out. And if he didn't know who she was, how could he figure out what she was after?

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