Filed to story: Mated to the Alpha and His Beta Novel Free >>???
She did, and it was f ucking annoying. Did Gabriela really think we’d let her send Lanie out alone to do something like that?
“There’s no way Lanie is doing that alone,” Zane said, taking the words right out of my mouth.
“I’m going with her,” I said, before Xander or Zane could offer first.
Xander narrowed his eyes at me. “No f ucking way,” he said. “Not after you ran out on Lanie when sh it got hard before.”
How dare he use that against me now? He was no better than me.
“When s hit got hard?” I snarled. “You mean when you stole my pups from me?”
“And then you went and stole them from us!” Xander cried, stabbing his finger at me.
My blood was boiling now, but I took in a deep, steady breath, trying to prove that I could keep it together when Xander couldn’t.
“Neither of you are going,” Gabriela said. “Not when you’re acting like this.”
“I think Lanie should decide,” Xander said, seething.
“I agree,” I bit back..
“I agree with Gabriela,” Lanie said, crossing her arms.
“You’re both too close to the situation,” Lanie said. “think it should be Zane.”
Asurge of jealousy cut through me.
“But he’s just as close to this as we are,” I argued. “He cares about you and those pups just as much.”
“Yeah, Zane’s a huge part of all this, too,” Xander actually agreed.
Gabriela held up her hands to quiet us down. “Yeah, but is he arguing right now Xander and I both looked at him. It was obvious he wasn’t happy, but he had stayed quiet. Dam n, I guess he was handling this better than Xander and I were.
“Zane can keep his head on straight, even when things get crazy,” Gabriela said. “It’s literally his job to talk you down, Xander.”
“And I know for a fact that he’ll go to any lengths to make sure he does his job well,” Lanie said, turning to Zane. A loaded look passed between them before Zane glanced at Xander, then looked at the floor. And…was he blushing?
What the hell was that all about?
“Zane,” Lanie said, walking up to him. “Will you go with me?”
“Of course, I will,” he answered. Another hot rush of jealousy flashed through my body. Was I about to be trapped here with Xander while Lanie and Zane did some se xy, dangerous mission together?
I knew it was petty to think that way when they were both putting themselves on the line, but the wolf Inside me couldn’t help it.
But before I could ask or complain, a thudding sound drew my attention away.
“Ma!” Xander yelled.
I looked over, and Gabriela was splayed out on the ground, not moving.
Xander–
me I ran to my mother, but just as quickly as she’d fallen, she got back up and waved me away.
“I’m fine,” she said irritatedly, but I could tell that she wasn’t. “Let’s just finish figuring out the plan.”
I nodded but kept my eye on her.
“So Xander and Mason are staying behind…together?” Lanie asked warily, glancing between the two of us.
I could tell she thought that was a terrible idea, but to be honest, so did I.
“Is that wise, considering the whole Alpha thing?” Zane asked.
I shot him an annoyed look. Way to remind me that my ba stard brother might steal my title away from The last thing I wanted to do while Zane and Lanie were off rescuing the twins was argue with Mason–
over who was the bigger, badder wolf.
It was me. duh.
“I just don’t want you two fighting over Stella.” Lanie crossed her arms. “Or worse, ignoring her while you compare d ick sizes,” she mumbled.
Rhiannon barked out a laugh, and I shot her a death glare. I’d always appreciated that Lanie had a mouth on her, but no one else was allowed to give us s hit like that.
“Til behave if Xander does,” Mason said.
I rolled my eyes. “Right back at ya, bud.”
“They’ll both behave,” Gabriela said. “I’ll make sure of it. I’ll stay here with them and help with Stella.”
She wrung her hands and looked down at the ground. She looked meeker and more unsure than I was used to her being. “I’m certainly not going back to Constantine….where else would I be?”
Her voice cracked, and she spun around, planting one hand on the wall to steady herself.
I was ready this time, and grabbed her shoulders, helping to hold her up. She placed a shaking hand on her head and her eyes fluttered closed.
“What is it, Ma?” I asked. “Are you okay?”
“I think Gabriela is mourning,” Lanie said in a small, sad voice.
S hit. Of course she was. My father was a s hitty person and an even shi ttier mate, but he was her mate And when mates died, she wolves felt it. Especially Lunas.
I’d heard it described in school once. It was supposedly like having your body ripped in half, a pain that And on top of that, my mother had lost her pack to the Council and my father’s evil plan. The whole pack was on lockdown without an Alpha, Beta, or Luna, and if any of us tried to return, we’d be imprisoned at best, and killed at worst.
But here I was worrying about what kind of arguments Mason and I would get into while Lanie was gone, Asting of guilt pierced through me as I walked my mother over to the couch and sat her down gently.
Lanie threw a blanket over her.
“You’re right,” I said to Lanie. “I hadn’t even stopped to think about all the s hit she’s been through with my father.”
Lanie grabbed my arm and squeezed it. “It’s okay. You can be there for her now,” she told me through our mind link.
Her words sent a comforting flush of warmth through my body. I nodded. Out of the corner of my eye. I saw Zane nod, too.
Mason was watching us closely. He still didn’t know we could communicate like this again, and now was certainly not the time to tell him.
But my chest swelled with a hint of satisfaction.
Lanie and I had a secret, and Mason would never get to share it.
Zane–
“I feel much better about leaving Xander and Mason together now,” Lanie said as we threw our stuff into the car a while later.
We’d already said our goodbyes. “At least they won’t be alone.”
“So do I,” I agreed.
Gabriela was in intense emotional pain from Orion’s death-I had faith that Xander wouldn’t do anything that would make her life harder right now.
He could be a stubborn pain in the a ss, but picking a fight with Mason wasn’t worth causing his mother. even more pain and frustration.
To be honest, I really hoped Xander and Mason used this time alone to come to some sort of agreement on the whole both-
being-true-Alpha thing.
Because that was kind of a walk in the park compared to what lay ahead with Lanie, Stella, and the twins.
Goddess only knew how we’d handle those issues once we were all back together…
“I think I’m ready to go,” Lanie said, taking one last look at the bags in the trunk before slamming it shut. She glanced toward the house, taking in a deep breath, then letting it out slowly.
“She’ll be okay, Lanie,” I told her. I knew she was f ucking terrified to leave Stella alone, and I didn’t blame her. I felt extremely protective of Stella, and I’d only recently learned she was mine. But Stella and Lanie had never been apart from each other.
I climbed in after her and gave her leg a squeeze before peeling away.
I was sad and scared, too, leaving them behind and thinking about the task ahead of us.
But I couldn’t lie, a small part of me was grateful for this chance to be alone with Lanie, to finally have her all to myself.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?