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THIRTY EIGHT
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The Beta's Rebound THIRTY NINE
ELOISEIt was like breathing. Running. I knew it like the back of my hand. I did it whenever circumstances proved to be too much to handle. I was doing it now. The only difference this time around was it wasn't working at all. I could still feel the hot tears burning my eyes, but I couldn't stop running. My chest hurt. Breathing hurt. It didn't even register to me that I was crying in a run until I tripped over something hard and unyielding in my path. A rock probably.As soon as I hit the ground, I rolled over onto my front. The impact jarred the air from my lungs and I curled into myself, clutching my side with one hand while trying to get my breath back with the other. I registered that I was outside of the Aster pack hall. The soft glow of the moon blanketing me and the shrubs were easy giveaways. I remained there wondering why I was doing this to myself especially since I had told myself that I wanted to be free. It wasn't hate I had for Matthan. Dream or not, I had forgiven
The Beta's Rebound FORTY
DECLAN What were the odds of meeting him again? I had smelled him from miles afar before our paths even crossed. A part of me was dead sure I should have taken another route because I knew what was bound to happen if I saw him. Yet, I had ignored that subtle warning in my head and continued on my way. Pack meetings were usually uneventful. My wolf seemed to want some smoke. I found him a few seconds later, his vehicle parked not too far away. His hood was up and his face was buried in the engine as he cursed away. Car troubles, I supposed. I knew not to get too close especially not with Alice on my back but I couldn't stop myself. He was cute. I stopped my vehicle right in front of him. His entire body paused for a moment and from the corner of his eyes, I noticed his eyes went my way only for him to pretend to busy himself with something under the hood so it would look like he wasn't paying me attention. It awakened something inside me. The hunter buried within. I remained inside
The Beta's Rebound FORTY ONE
ELOISE Shortly after the ceremony came to a close, Orla found me sitting outside with Matthan. The look on her face was pure gold. I figured I would explain things to her when we were alone. The urgency in her face alone showed she was not concerned with whatever epileptic relationship Matthan and I shared."Eloise, we need to talk."I looked at her, then at Matthan who was staring intently at empty space, content with just holding my hand. He didn't want to be involved with my problems but he didn't want to let me go either. His grasp tightened at my attempt to stand up. It was as if he was afraid that after tonight, things would change and I would go back to hating him and in all honesty, I couldn't promise him that it wouldn't happen. I could promise him tonight though."About what?""I suggest you give the Beta your goodbyes. The car is waiting. We'll talk there." Orla spared Matthan a dismissive look before returning her focus to me."Yeah... Sure..." I said, attempting to ignore
The Beta's Rebound FORTY TWO
ALICE Things were getting better. Declan had been very cooperative and as the days passed, he had even become bearable. Enough to get myself to believe that this could actually work. Next week was going to be big because he would be announcing in the next pack meeting that we were officially a thing and the ritual would commence. I danced around the room just thinking about it. The title of Luna would be mine soon and the sweetener was I had the Alpha of the Gardenia pack wrapped around my fingers. It was dark and Declan would be back from his pack meeting. I sat in front of the mirror and got to work. I fixed my hair, cleaned my face, and applied lipgloss, I put on some perfume and slipped into my dress. A black lacy gown that barely reached my knees. I looked at my outfit one last time and nodded in approval. This was going to be a night for celebration. I grabbed some chocolate biscuits, opened a bottle of champagne, popped open two glasses, and went out onto the terrace to wait f
The Beta's Rebound FORTY THREE
ELOISE The ride back to Orla's mansion lacked the luster and the peace of mind I was hoping to have finally achieved after braving through my fear of leaving a life of normalcy. I wished I had actually listened to Fergus. Knowing did make things worse. I just couldn't escape it. The floating thoughts. I barely remembered what happened that night. I didn't see or know how my mother died. But with Fergus' theory floating in my head, I could now picture a scenario and it sickened me even more now that there was a face to accompany it. What if Fadia had actually put up a fight to protect me and failed? I couldn't imagine the horrors that might have been going on in her heart when life began to leave her. Chill seeped beneath my skin as I pictured the despair of failure that would have been on her face. It was unbearable."We were home Eloise." Orla's voice pulled me out of my dark thoughts. She looked at me, concern written all over her features. "You okay?"I nodded but she wasn't convin
The Beta's Rebound FORTY FOUR
DECLAN I was woken up the following morning by the sound of trumpets. The ones that were only sung when someone of great importance arrived at the pack grounds. I slumped to my left expecting to see Alice but she was nowhere to be found. I immediately jumped to my feet and surveyed my surroundings. The clothes I had tossed around were nowhere to be found, implying that Alice had taken care of them. Had she been expecting someone? I wondered. My curiosity did not have to wait though. Servants came knocking soon after. I opened up my front door for them to enter my bedroom. They began cleaning up in haste. The main objective was looking pretty much like they didn't want anyone to notice that I had just spent the last few hours snoring."What is happening?"They ignored me and proceeded to go through my drawers, I watched carefully as they picked out clothing that had the Gardenia crest. Formal wear. That prompted the first question."Who was the trumpet for?""Your parents." They answ
The Beta's Rebound FORTY FIVE
ALICE"Did your son just threaten our daughter?" My mother scoffed at Declan's father. The mood in the room seemed to shift from what I had wanted it to be. I also seemed to vanish from the room because they all faced themselves, bickering almost immediately. Declan's father assured my parents that Declan wasn't going to do anything rash or stupid because he would soil his good name. In all honesty, that was all my parents wanted to hear. Assurance. But suddenly, it wasn't enough for me. Declan's wings were flourishing and escaping the cage I believed I had constructed for him. It made me wonder how long I could keep him in that cage. Without much of a thought, I excused myself from the room and raced after Declan"What was that?" I yelled at him before I even reached him. I half expected him to ignore me and continue walking but Declan stopped and waited for me to catch up to him."I should be the one asking that question but you know what. Just do what you want to do and leave me the
The Beta's Rebound FORTY SIX
ELOISEMy decision to still spend a few days with Orla turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I got to see Matthan every passing day. We went on dates and even on walks. It made it seem like a normal relationship. I did notice a difference. Unlike how it had been with John, I didn't feel fake. John had been great and I had loved him. He made life better. He was one of those people that actually made me enjoy life but the whole time we were together, there was just this voice at the back of my head, telling me it was all make-believe. Reminding me that no matter how hard I tried to be normal. I wasn't normal and I would never be. With Matthan, I really didn't have to hide some parts of myself. He knew it all. But that didn't also mean my relationship with Matthan was perfect. There were still cracks here and there. One thing that still bothered me was Matthan's dynamic when it came to relationships. It wasn't just the words Declan had whispered into my ears. I knew how he had been t
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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
