Page 21 of Star-crossed Betas

“I love havin’ you all to myself. I’m a twin, I’ve shared everythin’ my whole life, and I like that you’re only mine. Seeing you is always the best part of my week. Nobody makes me laugh like you do; nobody makes me feel as safe as you do. Honestly, I really hope one day, things change enough that we can claim each other in public. If need be, we’ll be the ones to make that change. I’m not worried I'm missin' out on anythin’. Everythin’ we’ve ever done has felt good for me, so maybe ask me before you start makin' wild assumptions about whether I’m satisfied, okay? I'm not goin' anywhere.”

“Okay.” He nods.

“Great, so where did we end up landing on the whole, you givin’ me a blow job then?” I say teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

An hour or so later, we’re both lying on our sides, facing each other under a blanket. Fee’s fingers make gentle patterns on my naked back.

“Hey, when's your birthday?” I ask. His hand abruptly stills on my back. Burying his face in the crook of my neck, he mumbles against my skin. “What was that?”

“September 26th…” Fee repeats loud enough for me to hear this time but keeps his face hidden.

“You little shit,” I shove him lightly so I can see the sheepish look on his face.

“I forgot?”

“Mhmm. Sure you did. I guess I owe you a blowjob then.” He glances down at his spent dick.

“Maybe give me half an hour first?” We both crack up laughing before I return to smushing my face into the light dusting of hair that covers Fee's chest.

“Did you mean it when you said you’d want to claim me in public one day?” Fee asks over the top of my head. I shuffle a bit so I can see his face.

“Of course I meant it. Don’t you want that one day?”

“Every time we’re together, my teeth ache with the need to mark you. Sometimes, I wonder if we went ahead and mated, our families wouldn’t have a choice but to eventually get over it.” I’m shocked by what he’s suggesting because there’s a high possibility we’d both end up expelled from our packs if we mated without permission. But it’s also more complicated than that, and I know I need to come clean.

“There’s somethin' I need to tell you, but I need you to fully hear me out before you react, okay?” I ask him.

“Okay...you’re starting to freak me out; what is it?” I take a deep breath, and I really hope he loves me enough to get past this.

“So you know my best friend, Will? I’m sure I’ve mentioned him before.” He nods slowly. “Uhm, we’re sort of promised to each other,” I blurt out.

“You’re what?” Fee raises his voice slightly and sits up. I move to mirror his position, keeping us face-to-face while I try to explain. His eyes are wide with shock.

“Just hear me out, okay, please?” I beg him.

“Have you been engaged to someone else the entire time we’ve been together?”

“We’re not exactly engaged, it’s complicated. I promise I’m not cheatin' on you, and I’m not cheatin' on him. You know how my pack doesn’t have much money? Well, Will’s family does. He has four parents. Both his mums and his dads were mated, so they had Will together. One of Will's mums is from old money, and all four of them are big on status. They joined our pack when Will was eight, and he’s been best mates with me and Niamh since then.

“Nothin’ haseverhappened between us, not even a kiss, but when we were sixteen, money got really tight, and Will’s mums agreed to give the pack a pretty hefty lump sum of money, butonly if my da promised me to Will. They really wanted their son to marry into the Alpha’s family. I didn’t get any say in it at the time, and I’ve never intended to go through with it, I promise. I just haven’t found a way out of it yet.” Fee looks shell-shocked by my revelation, and I can’t say I blame him.

“When are you meant to marry him?” he asks in a choked voice.

“Once we’re both twenty-one, but I’ll find a way out of it by then,” I promise, and I mean it. I know I’ll never feel that way toward Will. “I love you—only you. I really hope you believe me.” I reach out and cup his cheek with my hand, using my thumb to wipe a tear that's slipped free of the soft, brown lashes framing his soulful eyes.

“That’s a lot to process,” he whispers.

“I know. I wanna give you time, but please don’t give up on me?” I ask, my own eyes welling up.

“I don’t think I could give up on you if I tried,” he says with a sniff and a tentative smile.

“I’m all yours, Fee; if you try to run, I’ll track you down and stick to you like a limpet.” This earns me a small chuckle from him, breaking some of the tension.

“Yeah? Get over here and limpet me then.” I waste no time crawling onto him and wrapping my arms and legs tight around him, and when he hugs me back, a weight has been lifted. I know this isn’t fixed by any means, but keeping this secret from Fee has been eating away at me, and it’s a relief to have it all out in the open.

“I want you to know that if things were different, I would mate with you in a heartbeat. But right now, if we went behind my da’s back, I’d be cut off from the whole pack, including my family. We’ve already lost our mum; I can’t do that to them,” I say, hoping he understands.

“I know. I just wish it was different. It’s so stupid we have to keep this a secret because fifty years ago, two Alphas fell out over something, with zero proof, might I add,” Fee says, exasperated. “I hate that you’re promised to someone else.” He sounds deflated.

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