All Chapters of THE BETA AND I: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

CATHERINE. I wished for the pain to stop, but it never did. So I took the coward’s way out and left my home and my pack. There was no way I could live in the same house with the female who shattered every dream and fantasy I built around Tyler and me. I had to leave while there was still some sanity left in me. My name is Catherine Galhart, a second-born Alpha Female from the Galhart clan. My brother, Jackson, is the Alpha of the Black Shadow Pack. And his Beta — Tyler Salvatore — was my first heartache. Almost a year ago, I left our pack and traveled to another continent to forget the man who broke my heart. It was not an easy journey, but I slowly learned to accept that he was not meant for me and that there was someone out there whom the Goddess deemed worthy of my love. One day, when I’m ready to fall in love again, I will meet him. I waved at the man who held a placard with my name, and he immediately came to help me with my luggage. I just landed at Harley Airport after

SIX MONTHS LATER. TYLER. I puffed the cigarette in my hand as I stared at the darkness in front of me. I was standing outside Jason and Jessica’s home in Bernice City. Alpha Jace and Luna Amara, together with their son Colton wanted to visit their grandparents and Catherine. Catherine had been living here since she got back from traveling abroad. She was moving on with her life while I was still stuck in the same place I’d been — still lost and trying to find meaning for my existence. She rarely visited the territory, and I knew it had something to do with me. I had no idea which was hurting me the most: losing the chance to love her or losing the friendship we had nurtured since childhood. A car stopped in front of the gate of their home, and Catherine climbed out, giggling, before waving to her friends. I glanced at the clock on my wrist. It was already past six in the evening. Does the university end classes around this time? "Tyler?" Her voice came out soft and sweet. I m

*FLASHBACK.Catherine - 8 years oldTyler, Jace, Austin - 10 years old CATHERINE. I wore a light purple t-shirt that I tucked inside my white shorts. I had already slipped on my running shoes, and my hair was pulled up into a ponytail to make sure it wouldn’t go to my face. I was all geared up for play. I just needed to wait. I sat at the end of my bed, hands clasped together, watching the clock intently. When the big hand pointed to the number 9, I jumped up and ran out of my bedroom. It was fifteen minutes before four in the afternoon. I heard Jace telling Tyler and Austin they would go to the clearing inside the forest at this time. I ran down the stairs and out of the front door. I was right. They were already walking away with the other boys around their age. I stopped at the top of the steps and counted how many there were. One, two, three, …. seven, eight, nine. Yes! There were only nine! They would need one more! I skipped the stairs and ran fast to follow them, b

TYLER. “I missed you...” I whispered, hoping she would say those words back, but there was just silence, and it hurt. “Please, let me make it up to you. Let’s start over again.” Catherine sighed deeply before pulling away from my arms, but she didn’t move too far. Our faces were so close that her breath was fanning against my skin. “I’m not sure I understand what you are expecting when you say start over again.” She said “Pick up where we left off before you went to Australia.” “I’m not the same person anymore, Tyler. If you think I’m still the same girl who’s head over heels for you….” “I never meant that way.” But that truth hurts. It was a confirmation that I was not the center of her universe anymore. “Can we go back to being friends, and will you allow me to pursue you this time?” She was just looking at me, and I was having a hard time reading her thoughts. Was that a no? “I can wait too. If you don’t want me pushing myself on you, I can wait. But I mean, can we still be

TYLER. I was lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling, still thinking about how the night turned out perfectly. Before I met Zoey, Catherine and I would spend most of our time together whenever I was not overloaded with work. She would even sometimes hole up in the office with me, doing her schoolwork while I finished my task. And yes, she would flirt with me, but I had learned to mask my emotions from her and simply ignore her at times. But tonight, it was refreshing to let my guard down around her. I always liked when she flirted with me way back then. Even though she wasn’t doing it at this point, she was starting to loosen up, and seeing her cheeks turn scarlet red when I complimented her warmed my heart. “Oh, fuck!” I grunted as I got up from bed. I grabbed my shirt, pulled it on my head, and put on sweatpants before leaving the bedroom. I headed for her room, and after three soft knocks, she opened it. I almost choked when I saw her in her satin short pajamas with her nipples