Page 42 of Beta and the Beast
"I told you she'd think it was weird," Jace says through a mouthful of half-chewed cereal.
Henry's lips flatten as he glares at the other alpha, who only snorts in amusement. Jace can handle the ribbing while I open the new cereal box and pour myself a bowl. Henry watches me as I make my breakfast and continues to watch me as I eat. It's strange. My brothers behave the same way toward their mates, so I'm used to it. But it's weird to have this energy directed at me when Henry and I aren't mates yet. I mean, not mates at all.
"Thinking too much," Henry mouths to me, not in the least bit embarrassed to have been caught staring at me.
No, it's me who's embarrassed because he's calling me out on exactly what I'm doing. When I shoot him a teasing scowl, he winks at me before grabbing his bowl and drinking the last of his milk.
"You about ready to go?" Henry asks Jace.
He's got his bowl upturned, slurping to get the remainder of his milk. I'd think he wasn't being given enough food, but I know how much Sam makes at the center for the boys. They gothrough a whole week's worth of food for me in a matter of hours up there.
"Yeah, but should we wait to make sure Sarah gets to work?" Jace asks, and I have to work not to choke on my cereal at the laugh trying to come out.
I swallow my cereal and make sure I don't sound too amused when I say, "I think I can make it downstairs on my own."
"Yeah, but–" Jace clamps his mouth shut, his jaw working like he's either not sure what to say or doesn't want to say whatever he's thinking or what Vilkas is thinking.
"But nothing," Henry answers for him. "She's gotten herself to work just fine before she knew us. She'll get herself to work just fine without us hovering."
Jace doesn't seem to like that answer at all, his face screwing up a bit, his nose crinkling. But he doesn't argue with Henry about it. He does, however, grab the empty bowls from the counter and take them to the sink, rinsing them out before sticking them in the dishwasher.
"Alright," Henry says, patting his thighs as he stands from the stool he's sitting on. "Let's get up to the center and see if I can find someone for you to stay with tonight."
Jace's eyes go wide, darting over to me like I've somehow changed my mind about letting him stay here, and now he's about to be shipped off somewhere with people he doesn't know. At least that's what the look on his face tells me he's thinking will happen.
"He's staying here," I tell Henry. He responds with a low growl that, given how quickly Henry works to silence it, has to be coming from Romulus.
"No arguing with me about it," I tell him, pointing my spoon at him. "He can't stay with you until your paperwork's complete, or it might mess something up. This way, no one has to report him, and he has a nice warm place to sleep at night."
Romulus rises to take control of their body and lowers his face close to mine so he can ask in the smallest of whispers, not meant for Jace to hear, "And me, beta? Where am I to stay?"
I snort at how dramatic he's being about this whole thing. "Across the hall. In your apartment."
"I'm just going to wait outside…" Jace's voice trails off as the front door opens and closes behind him.
"This isn't going to work," Romulus tells me, standing back up to his full height and rubbing the back of his neck. "It won't work."
"Yeah, I know." I try to shrug off the twinge of pain in my heart at him finally saying out loud what I've been thinking this whole time. I thought I'd at least get laid before we had this talk, though. I dump the rest of my milk down the drain before rinsing my bowl. "Don't worry. I didn't take anything you said last night or this morning seriously."
I don't even hear Romulus come up behind me. I don't know he's there until his body is pressing into my back, his mouth lowered to my neck, where my pulse is now hammering.
"What are you talking about?" he asks, a purr rumbling through his chest. He's trying to keep me calm enough to answer him, as though his purr affects me as much as it will whichever omega he finally ends up with.
"You can't do this," I say, repeating his words and shrugging. I don't try to turn my head to look at him. I don't want to see his face when I tell him, "I know this isn't anything real. It's okay. You don't have to let me down gently or anything."
"Beta," Romulus purrs the word like a prayer, sending shivers down my spine when he grabs me between his teeth for just a moment. He pulls away without biting me, but the thought of it has my insides twisting into the most pleasurable of knots at the idea of him sinking his teeth into me, claiming me as his.
"You think about this going poorly too much," Romulus says, his hands moving down my arms in soft, soothing strokes as he kisses my pulse again. With each touch, I soften against him, I arch into him, wanting, no needing more of him. This is why Romulus is so dangerous. He makes me feel too good. "I need you to trust me, sweet mate. Because you're mine. When you start overthinking things, you think about that. Not about how this will end or how you're not an omega. You remind yourself that you are mine. The only one who will ever be mine."
His lips press against my pulse again, his hands moving to my hips before squeezing them once. He steps away from me before I can say anything more, and I'm too confused by his words to turn around and face him.
"I'll see you tonight," Henry says, back to controlling their body and not refuting anything Romulus said.
I peek over my shoulder to see if there's any regret on his face, any sign that everything Romulus said was out of line or that he doesn't feel the same way. I don't get an answer because his back is already to me, and the front door is closing behind him.
I stand in the silence of my home for a minute or two, trying to let my thoughts settle. When I think I can go about my day without constantly replaying Romulus's words, I grab my phone off the counter and send a quick message to Sam, asking him if he's willing to make some changes to the bakery.
I have a plan to help my coffee shop, but it means more time around Henry and Romulus. If things end badly between us, this could get awkward. I hope there's some truth in what Romulus said, and they aren't just words said by an obsessed beast just to get in my pants.
