Page 60 of The Beta: Part One

“Jasper, baby, princess, I didn't tell you because telling you wouldn't have done a thing but upset you. I'm fine now. Seth will eventually get what he deserves, and in the meantime he can't hurt any omegas. That's the best I could do. Will you treat me differently now that you know?”

He shakes his head, “No, of course not.”

Then I change the subject. I don’t want to talk about Seth Pratchett anymore tonight. “Did you guys find anything useful while Jasper and I were on the platform?”

I don't get an immediate response. I don't know exactly what they're upset about, it could be any number of things if their night went anything like mine.

Trent breaks this chunk of silence, “We heard a lot of whispering about a couple rogues who are trying to gain support from influential packs and council members. We caught a few words about where their camps might be. Nathan will have to clean up the audio to see if we have anything evidence-worthy. We actually gained more from that shit show on the platform. They were really gunning for you weren't they, cupcake?”

I shrug, “What can I say? I'm really good at making friends.”

Devon scoffs, “What you're good at is making enemies. Can we count Zaphir and Harris as allies if things go to shit?”

I think Corso would be an ally if it came to it, and I think Harris would be a safe haven if we needed one. But I can't count either of those as a fact, “I want to say yes because I hope so, but I'm not sure enough to tell you they would be for sure. I know neither of them would actively hurt us.”

Devon agrees with me and we go back to a tense silence that lasts until we get back to the house.

I'm ready to put the anxiety of this night to bed, but Devon has other plans for me. I've just changed into leggings and a tee shirt when he stalks into my room and barks at me to sit down on the bed. His jaws are clenched and his mouth is tight, but his shoulders aren't squared and he isn't exhibiting any other aggressive body language, so I can't tell if he's angry, irritated, or just carrying and processing the stress of the night.

I sit on the bed and wait for him to say whatever it is that he needs to say. He starts pacing and when he starts speaking I can hear the strain from the grip he has on his tone, “I was all set to let you stay with us because Jasper has such a crush on you, no questions asked. You have been a good beta for my pack and you make Jasper happy, that alone is enough for me to let you stay. Unfortunately, you have more enemies and skeletons in your closet than I care to deal with. I want you for Jasper, I really do, but I cannot allow you to put him at risk.”

He's going to tell me to leave.

He's going to kick me out, and I'll never see Jasper again.

Will he even let me say goodbye? Can I fight him on it?

“Wait, please wait. Don't make me leave. Please don't make me leave him. I won't let anybody hurt him, I'll keep him safe. If anybody ever comes for me I'll leave before they can get to him, I'll lead them away, I promise. Please don't make me leave. I'll never touch him again if that's what you want,” I'm close to choking on my words.

He sighs, “That's the only reason. That right there. Because I believe you, Talia. I believe that you would never intentionally put him in danger. I know you would stand between him and anything coming at him just like I would. I know you would lead trouble away to keep him safe. I know you really wouldn't touch him if I said that was a stipulation of you being allowed to stay. I know there's something, some kind of connection between you and him, but he is my omega. Mine. You are not my beta. You are not pack. And you need to understand that the second he's at risk because of you then you're gone. The second he's done with you, you're gone. The very moment the trouble for having you near him outweighs whatever pleasure and enjoyment he has with you, you are gone. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

“Nothing changes between you, for now. For as long as he wants you I won't stand in the way. Despite anything else, you are good for him. I'm not stupid enough to not see that.”

“I understand.”

“Don't tell him about this conversation. He's already so upset over all the bullshit from tonight that I'm sure the only reason he's in Kaleb's room instead of yours is because he's terrified to say the wrong thing. He wants to send Kaleb to kill Seth, and I'm not sure I disagree with the idea; but that isn't a fight we can take on right now. He's just as upset about finding out you have history with Corso Zaphir. He isn't mentioned in your file.”

“He wouldn't be. I requested that his name not be included with all the others because of the circumstances.”

“You really left his pack because you thought they needed more than you could give them?”

I have to take a breath before I answer that one. It doesn't eat at me anymore like it used to, but I didn't know until tonight that Corso is still carrying it around. “They need an omega. I didn't want to stand in the way of them finding one. Imagine being an omega and finding out that your alphas mated a beta before you. Imagine telling an omega that they have to share their alphas and their place in the pack. No, I couldn't put Corso, the omega he will find for his pack, or myself through any of that.”

“Fair enough. The next few weeks are going to be intense. Jasper is on a twelve week cycle, which means we have ten weeks to sort out what we can before his next heat. Nathan is going to start cleaning up audio and video of tonight in the morning, and Jasper is probably going to be a nervous wreck for a few days. You should reach out to your mother to see if she heard anything that we might have missed.”

I'm sure she's heard plenty from her own network of eyes and ears, and as much as I'd like to put off calling to avoid answering any questions about Jasper or his pack, we need to see if she has any more or different information than we have. “She's probably too agitated to deal with a call tonight, I'll call her tomorrow to see if she has anything helpful.”

He gives me a curt nod and then leaves. I’m too tired to do anything but flop back onto my bed and stare at the ceiling until I finally fall asleep.

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