Page 90 of Defiant Beta

Vincent continues, “Xavier and I knew Aly was ours since we were kids. Our parents died when we were in high school, but we had each other. Then Levi came to town and we just fit.”

I nod as if I understand, but there’s a lot that I don’t think I will ever truly grasp. I’m a beta. Some betas are part of a pack, but we will never be its heart in the way an omega is. A beta provides a balance between a dominant, strong-willed alpha and a submissive omega, but even then, I’m not sure.

“What will you do when you find the killer?” I ask.

“Kill them.” Vincent doesn’t even hesitate.

“Good.” I sit up in my seat, determined to get justice for a girl who died way too young. “I need a notebook or a piece of paper.”

Vincent and Levi stare at me.

“There are a bunch of teachers at that school. Maybe you can keep them straight in your head, but I can’t. I need paper, your suspect list, and time to think about everything strange I heard about them.” I frown. “The science teacher hates kids, so he’s at the top of my list. What the hell is he doing at a school? There must be easier ways to earn a buck.”

“Mr. Irwin is already on the list,” Levi explains as Vincent disappears into his office and returns with a piece of paper and a pen.

I start a list.

Being a newer student doesn’t help. Being nosy does.

Fifteen minutes later, we have ten names on the list when a muffled vibration pulls Vincent’s gaze downward.

He fishes a silver cell phone from his pocket, glances at the screen, and straightens.

“What is it?” Levi asks.

Vincent returns his cell phone to his pocket. “I have to deal with something. Stay with Della.”

“What’s wrong?” Levi asks, frowning.

“A minor inconvenience.”

Levi and I watch him leave.

I cock my head, still studying the front door as the sound of a car engine starts up outside. “Why did I think he was hiding something?”

“You’re not the only one,” Levi mutters. He walks over to the TV on the wall and finds a news channel.

A reporter stands outside the downtown council building, a white stone structure with columns and a staircase leading to double doors.

“There have been whispers that a vote of no confidence is on the table, and it will decide the future of our city. Can Dexter Pieter survive this, or will his leadership end now?”

“A minor inconvenience,” I mutter. “Yeah right.”

Chapter 29

Levi

Turning off the TV,I face Della.

She blinks at me, curious. “What is it?”

Her deep blue eyes are slightly red, with dark smudges beneath them that give a haunted look. She hasn’t been sleeping nearly enough, and I know what haunts her.

I left my room to get water before my morning workout and saw her dropping her comforter at the top of the stairs. She had bled through her T-shirt.

She hides her pain behind a bright smile, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t hurting beneath the surface. If anyone knows how to hide a multitude of crap from the world, it’s me.

I never show my scars. It’s easier to pretend they don’t exist. But to get her to accept my help, I had to expose my vulnerabilities.

---