Page 62 of Beta Lies and Cursed Lives
“You said three options,” Rai says.
“Kill yourself.”
I jolt.
“Look,” he grumbles and rubs a hand down his face with a sigh, “we can’t have a feral Cursed here, or anywhere. She would endanger us all. And the sickness is already starting in her.”
“What?” Rai and Colt ask in unison.
The more Caius speaks, a weight increases on my shoulders, trying to push me into the ground.
“It starts small. Minor aches, irritability. But they don’t go away, and things escalate. Before you know it, she’s rampaging, endangering everyone around her, those she loves. And she has power running through her veins that will cause more damage.”
No. There’s no way. Not Miranda. She’s too...good.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Colt growls at me. Fucking mind-reader. “I’m glad I can read your thoughts, you asshole. You’re un-fucking-believable.” He looks at Rai. “This dumbass thinks that Mira won’t fall victim to instinct.”
Rai stares at me, more anger in his face than I’ve ever seen. “I don’t know why you keep ignoring your bond with Mira. We’re out of that place now. We can be a pack. What the fuck are you so afraid of?”
Loving her. Losing her. Like I’ve lost everything before.
Colt’s hand is on my shoulder again, his voice softer than before. “Life is too short to be this scared to live, Aubs. You have to let the past go so you can move forward with her. With all of us. Don’t you want to change things for the better?”
A strange sensation forms in my throat, a thickness I’d long forgotten. Emotion wells up from my chest.I want her,I think at Colt.I love her. She’s all I could think about when I was on the auction block.I send him a droll look.And you two idiots.
Colt lets out a puff of laughter before turning serious again, something I’ve seen happening more these days. “You need to make things right with her, bro. She feels rejected. And I don’t need to read her thoughts to know that.”
He’s right, of course. I’d fucked up a lot of things in my life, but this could be the biggest fuck-up of them all.
Miranda
The reconstituted soup lunch was...different. Dry powder in a sealed cup turned into a creamy broth by adding boiling water.
One thing I had to give the academy was that they fed us well. Although I suppose that was like preparing livestock for slaughter, keeping us complacent until we’re sold for as much money as they can get.
Aubrey sat beside me at the table, which was odd for him. Nice, but odd.
When we finished, Caius said he had work to do, and Willow told us she wanted to show us something.
I had no idea it would be so...beautiful.
In a large room off to the side of the living quarters were sculptures of all sizes, marble, bronze, and everything in between. Statues of people, of animals, and even trees and plants. Speaking of which, living plants also filled the room, vines creeping along the walls and ceiling, hugging the sculptures, huge leaves bowing from tall stalks, flowers forming a rainbow all around us.
It takes my breath away, and I can feel the awe of my Alphas.
Willow approaches the wall near me, and the vines there reach for her extended arm and wrap loosely around it. She smiles and hums a little song, then turns to look at us all. “My power started as a simple ability, allowing me to help plant life grow. When I got a little older, I found I could bring plants back from the brink of death.” She strokes the vine’s leaves like it’s a pet, and it draws back to the wall. “I’m going to do my best to educate you all, but know that there are a lot of knowledge gaps.” She gestures around her. “This city was a treasure trove of lost history, and many who came before us squirreled away information from all over the world to protect it.”
She moves along the wall, the vines and leaves all reaching for her as she moves, her love for them apparent in her delicate touches and whispered musings. Then she addresses us again. “More often than not, packs are made up of four members. The literature and artwork in this old city depict groups of all different mixtures, many of them including Betas.”
I blink in surprise, but it’s Colt that speaks, voice tapering off. “That’s…”
“Difficult to believe?” She gives a sad smile. “Given current circumstances, absolutely. But things weren’t always this way.” She gestures for us to follow her to a wall with an impossibly thick layering of vines. Willow raises her palm, and the vines slowly retreat, slithering like snakes and parting like a curtain to reveal a wooden door, which she opens and beckons us through.
The floor beyond is carpeted, couches and plush chairs ready for social gatherings, a desk in the corner, and paintings covering nearly every inch of the wood-paneled walls. I gape, perusing the images. Ancient paintings, much like the ones in the city hall, groups of four, five, even six, some armor-clad and battle-ready, some lounging in gardens and interior settings, some nude and in various phases of mating, many depicting group sex.
My face flames. Would my Alphas want that?
Colt laces our fingers together, squeezing my hand tightly, and my embarrassment rises.
