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SIXTY THREE
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Bab terkait
The Beta's Rebound SIXTY FOUR
ELOISE"We are here today to honor..." I tried to listen to the priest as he droned on about his mother but I was distracted. My mind was elsewhere. The words of the priest barely registered as I focused on what lay ahead. It was hard for me to accept mom had died. In fact, it felt so unreal it scared me. I didn't want to let go. But it wasn't like I had any say in the matter. I couldn't bring back the dead. I played with my fingernails as the priest went on to list all the good deeds she did for the church and the people around her. It made it hard to even breathe. She was a good person. She didn't deserve what fate she got.Matthan squeezed my hand in comfort. A gesture I appreciated in ways he wouldn't even understand. He looked over at me and said in a gentle voice, "You ok?"I nodded but didn't feel much better. The only difference was I could stomach it better. Clay stepped out to give his speech. It was long. It was also difficult for him to go through it all without bursting i
The Beta's Rebound SIXTY FIVE
ELOISE(A few days later)The full moon did come and when it did. Matthan decided it was time to perfect our bond. He took me somewhere. I wouldn't miss that narrow and crooked road. It was the same path we had taken when he lead me to the tree with a door. This time around, Matthan took another turn and we arrived at a clearing in the middle of the forest."We aren't using the tree door?" I asked getting down. "I thought the mating ritual was supposed to take place in the Gardenia pack house?"Matthan pocketed his car keys and joined me. "Yes. But I don't want us to have a sex orgy. This is special for me. Sacred. I want us to remember tonight sometime in the future."I smiled at him. "You are very romantic, Matthan Gardenia." I teased but my face fell when I saw how serious he looked. I quickly looked away, blushing.We stood facing each other, silent. Matthan looked down at me and then stepped closer until the two of us were touching. He gently placed his hand under my chin and rai
The Beta's Rebound INTRO
“Sleep tight, Eloise,” My father said as he tucked me in and gave me my favorite stuffed wolf.I yawned and pulled the blanket up to my chin, all the while studying the man leaning over me with a strange look in his eye. He had been acting strange for weeks, full of energy one day and then unable to get out of bed the next. Mother had told me that he was just going through a midlife crisis. I had no idea what that was. All I knew was that I just wanted my daddy back. The man staring at me felt more or less like a stranger, and he gave me a weird feeling. A chill that crept down my spine each time his bloodshot eyes travelled in my direction.“No matter what, I want you to stay in bed tonight, do you understand, Eloise?” He asked as he abruptly grabbed the stuffed wolf out of my arms and fixated his attention on it.“Please give him back, Daddy,” I begged as I stretched out my arms for the wolf I had come to depend on lately. Daddy wasn’t the only one who’d been acting strange; Mommy h
The Beta's Rebound ONE
ELOISEMy fingers found the sink valve and I twisted it open. The sound of water against the palm of my hand was the relief I wanted. Despite downing sleep pills last night, I has barely had any sleep and when sleep did come, my nightmare just had to butt in. I splashed the cool water on my face. It was the only thing strong enough to rouse me from the tight rein sleep still had on me. I stepped back into the bedroom and stared at my alarm clock. 5:30.Plenty of time for me to do what I wanted. I took my good time in the bathroom and prepared for work. It had been a year since I graduated from high school in the small town of Ashlake. I was supposed to leave for college two cities away but I couldn't manage. Mom and Dad already had a lot on their plates. A college so far away would wreck their finances. I didn't want that. Finishing up in the bathroom, I proceeded to dress and step into the kitchen at exactly 6:30. Mom and Dad were already there. No surprise. A plate of bacon and e
The Beta's Rebound TWO
ELOISE "Who hurt him?" One of my coworkers mouthed, looking into the distance. Particularly at a man who I had served coffee six times. The question was directed at me and while a snarky replay would have sufficed. I didn't know the girl's name. I didn't care to. What was the point of it anyway? But she was right. The man seemed to be troubled. He had been in the Cafe all morning. The sky was dark. The time was almost 7 PM. We were supposed to be closed minutes before but I wanted to stay. The Cafe was my only escape from my adoptive parent's constant concern. I planned to work all the way till eight before leaving. They ate and slept early. I had a spare key. It was a win-win situation. "None of my concern." I retorted. "As long as he keeps patronizing us, he can stay as late as he wants.""I see you are insensitive as always Eloise." The girl chuckled, wearing her bag. "Good night.""Good night," I whispered back and watched her leave. Now. It was just me and the handsome strang
The Beta's Rebound THREE
ELOISE The sun was what notified me that morning had come. The hot rays seeping through whatever cracks present made me turn to my side. The bed was strangely spacious and the sheet smelled different. It wasn't the sweat or the strange fluid that caught my nostrils. It was the soft sweet smell of strawberries. Cologne, I think. That was when my eyes shot open. I didn't use strawberry fragrances. I didn't use any for that matter. I had been right. The white sheets my body was pressed on were definitely not set by me. My eyes glanced around. The room in question was painted in black and gold. An odd choice but that wasn't the point. The question I needed to ask was where was I? Well, that question was answered when I looked to my left. Curved into a ball was the man from last night. He was naked and his hand was hooked around my hips. I...I was also naked. Usually, one would scream in this sort of situation but I couldn't risk waking the sleeping man. My memories were coming back. Ha
The Beta's Rebound FOUR
ELOISE "He is not our fated," I told my wolf out loud as I flagged a taxi down. One stopped and I hopped in. "Take me to Highwynne road," I told the driver."Highwynne road..." He mused. "Where is that?"The bout of the mental torture I was inflicting on myself as a result of the sudden arrival of the voice in my head stopped and I actually made some effort to look around me. The road looked different. Ashlake didn't have bad roads but there was just something more industrial to the road I was staring at. The houses around. They looked expensive and perfect. Nothing like the variety in Ashlake. It made me wonder–Scratch that, it made me fear I was in a different city. Surely Matthann was not sick enough to drive me to a different town just to get laid. "Where is this?" I asked the driver, reaching into my purse for my phone."Marblefay. Why do you ask?" Marblefay? The city I grew up in. The place of nightmares. I kept my cool and opened my device. Not sure why. Perhaps I hoped the
The Beta's Rebound FIVE
MATTHAN I should have run after her. Heaven knows I wanted to. Why them did I stay back? I could lie to myself but the voice within told me it wasn't because I was afraid of being charged for public indecency. The feeling was odd. I wasn't one to stop chasing things or people that fascinated me but after Alice's rejection, I was starting to think in a more calculated manner. I hated it because it was unlike me. But I detested the thought of scaring her. Eloise. There was just something about her. Even when she has been dandy high on moonshine, I could recognize it. A spark that was calling on to me. There was no mate bond. Yet, my wolf lurched at the thought of her. I didn't think I would be able to get over Alice's rejection so fast but it was a pleasant surprise to know that I wouldn't be downing another lofty dose of moonshine or a good time at the Incubus brothel. I had to get back to the Cafe. I had to see her one more time. "Do we like her?" My wolf being the more rational ex
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The Beta's Rebound SIXTY FIVE
ELOISE(A few days later)The full moon did come and when it did. Matthan decided it was time to perfect our bond. He took me somewhere. I wouldn't miss that narrow and crooked road. It was the same path we had taken when he lead me to the tree with a door. This time around, Matthan took another turn and we arrived at a clearing in the middle of the forest."We aren't using the tree door?" I asked getting down. "I thought the mating ritual was supposed to take place in the Gardenia pack house?"Matthan pocketed his car keys and joined me. "Yes. But I don't want us to have a sex orgy. This is special for me. Sacred. I want us to remember tonight sometime in the future."I smiled at him. "You are very romantic, Matthan Gardenia." I teased but my face fell when I saw how serious he looked. I quickly looked away, blushing.We stood facing each other, silent. Matthan looked down at me and then stepped closer until the two of us were touching. He gently placed his hand under my chin and rai
The Beta's Rebound SIXTY FOUR
ELOISE"We are here today to honor..." I tried to listen to the priest as he droned on about his mother but I was distracted. My mind was elsewhere. The words of the priest barely registered as I focused on what lay ahead. It was hard for me to accept mom had died. In fact, it felt so unreal it scared me. I didn't want to let go. But it wasn't like I had any say in the matter. I couldn't bring back the dead. I played with my fingernails as the priest went on to list all the good deeds she did for the church and the people around her. It made it hard to even breathe. She was a good person. She didn't deserve what fate she got.Matthan squeezed my hand in comfort. A gesture I appreciated in ways he wouldn't even understand. He looked over at me and said in a gentle voice, "You ok?"I nodded but didn't feel much better. The only difference was I could stomach it better. Clay stepped out to give his speech. It was long. It was also difficult for him to go through it all without bursting i
The Beta's Rebound SIXTY THREE
ALICE Since I made the call, I hadn't known peace. It wasn't guilt. I very much knew what was going to happen to Eloise and her brother when I informed Judas Carnation about his daughter. The trouble that I faced was when I would hear some tragic news. Judas' main target was his daughter but there was a big fat chance that others would be caught in the crossfire. Some days later, the effort of my hard work came to fruition, the day strings of murders came ringing into the Gardenia house. Someone had murdered some individuals working in a diner at Ashlake. The supposed unfortunate news was followed by another mother. A woman with the surname Carter had been brutally murdered. This time she hadn't been killed with the typical weapon. The stories they spun made me remember who else had died like that. Fadia Carnation. Eloise's biological mother. Joy could not describe the feelings I experienced. My heart was wrung and I couldn't stop smiling throughout that day. An added bonus was Dec
The Beta's Rebound SIXTY TWO
ELOISEMatthan took my hand and led me out into the cool air and towards the woods behind the house where his car was. I looked back and watched as the fire swallowed the house, the last remnants of it fading into a cloud of red smoke. I couldn't help but smile seeing it burn to the ground. I truly hoped no one decided to make this double tragedy another social experiment. The horrors that had occurred in this ground deserved to remain just ash and cinders forevermore.I could hear faint sounds of a siren coming from town; someone must have called an ambulance, but I doubted they'd get here before it was too late. Matthan opened the car door and helped me in, then buckled me in. He sat down on the opposite side of the car, putting on his seatbelt. The moment he clicked in his keys and started up the engine, I looked at the house one last time. I had wanted to stay but Matthan had been against it. Even with many in high places acknowledging the existence of shifters, most still didn't
The Beta's Rebound SIXTY ONE
ELOISE Judas seemed to become smaller in my eyes. My bones cracked and twisted. I expected pain. True undiluted pain but there was nothing. Only rage. There was something else too. The shock in his eyes was almost liberating. As if on instinct, I grabbed him by the throat and threw him against the wall. He dropped like a broken toy. The air felt strangely stale around us. I felt different. The air I was taking in didn't feel like fire anymore. The choking had stopped and even though the fire that now engulfed the room singed my body, I was strangely unaffected. My attention wasn't focused on the burning wood that collapsed here and there or the exploding window frames. I had my eyes only on the cowering man."You will never hurt anyone again," I told him. "Tonight will be the last day you terrorize my life and all those innocent people."Judas must have seen an opportunity because the color of his eyes shifted into gold and claws grew from his hands and feet. His skin became grey, cov
The Beta's Rebound SIXTY
ELOISEMy body hurt all over. He had broken something. The sting surging to my brain like a radio signal was a dead giveaway. I also could barely move. I wanted to run. I just couldn't do it. No matter what I did, I couldn't move a single muscle. It felt as if someone had stuck needles into all my muscles with a blunt object and twisted them around until they were stretched tightly and painful beyond description."Let's go back to your mother's room," Judas said, seizing me by the hair and dragging me up the stairs. I cried out in pain but it didn't make him stop. As we ascended the steps, I screamed at him, and tried kicking him but nothing worked. I couldn't fight him because every movement sent pain shooting across my body. "Do not be difficult Eloise. I do not want to hurt you now." He didn't stop until I was back in the room. I obeyed him. I stopped being difficult. Not because he had asked and it definitely wasn't because of the pain that assaulted my body with every movement tha
The Beta's Rebound FIFTY NINE
ELOISE I walked through the streets of Marblefay with nothing but questions in my head. I wondered if Judas would even be there considering I might now have the upper hand with the help of teleportation. I could also be wrong. Maybe Judas wasn't working alone. Maybe he had people on his side who were just as sick as him. A man like him couldn't have survived all by himself, right? When I left Matthan's house, the sun was out. When I reached the house I was born in, the house my father burned to the ground, the sun had become a pretty orange hue, and the birds sang. I could smell flowers blooming in the gardens of the home I grew up at, hear cars passing by on the highway, and feel the wind that brushed against me. This was not how it happened. The house I stood in front of looked exactly the same, though. That renovator kept to her word. The house looked nothing like it should be. It looked beautiful. I stayed outside, wondering if people had already moved in. A quick g****e search to
The Beta's Rebound FIFTY EIGHT
ELOISELike clockwork, the door unlocked and out of it appeared Matthan. It was a strange thing to admit but seeing him made things a bit easier."Your place or my place?" He asked."No one will be barging your place anytime soon," I replied. At least, that wasn't a lie.True." Matthan took my hand and led me towards the door. I looked back at my room one last time. There was a possibility this was the last time I was going to see it. I had been afraid of telling myself that since I had made the Carter home my home but now that it was happening, I wasn't so scared anymore. I looked forward, trying not to think about what could go wrong. We both walked through the door and I shut it. Now wasn't the time to think. I needed to act. I knew Matt would ask questions. Many I wouldn't want to answer and the last thing I wanted was to recruit him to die along with me so before those questions could leave his pretty mouth, I grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him hard on the lips.He was taken
The Beta's Rebound FIFTY SEVEN
ELOISEI don't think I was able to cry. The numbness overpowered all my other senses. It was like an out-of-body experience where you could see it all happening but there wasn't much you could do about it. I dreaded what was to come. I dreaded passing by the sign welcome to Ashlake and eventually getting home. By the time we arrived, I could already hear the wails of sirens and the chatters of passersby. No miracle was happening. I looked outside the car window and that was when the numb feeling exploded into something I knew like the back of my hand. Men dressed like paramedics carried a big black bag from the house as they loaded the body inside the ambulance."It's not real," I told myself, and how I wished that were true. What I would have done to let that be my truth."Miss, there is–" I didn't even let the butler finish before I opened the car door and stepped outside."Tell Orla that I am grateful for everything she has done for me." I managed to say while holding my tears. Tha
