Page 79 of The Beta: Part One

I don't. Even if I am an omega, even if I go insane during my heats, I don't want to be anywhere but with Jasper. I bite my lip and shake my head, “No, I don't want to go to Corso.”

“Well, that settles it,” Bianca says, and kisses me once more. Then she regally glides to her rightful place in the center of her alphas and levels Devon with a look, “If you hurt our sister again, if she sheds another tear because of you fucking morons, I'll let Rory and Michael kill you. Do I make myself clear?”

He tips his chin at her and says, “They'll have to get in line.”

Then he plucks my bag from my hands and stomps off toward the car.

I turn back and run into my brother's arms for the hug I need, he squeezes me so hard that I lose my breath. “One word, just one, and I'll destroy every one of them.”

I raise up on my toes and kiss his cheek, then I rush to get into Devon's car.

We ride in silence for a long time before he says anything, and what he says is so unexpected that I almost laugh, “Your hair is long.”

I look down at the pile of hair in my lap. I was in the process of brushing it out when I heard the commotion and went to find out what happened. I can't think of what else to say, so I just comment lamely, “It is,” and I start separating it so I can weave it into a braid.

“Leave it loose,” he says softly, “Jasper will like it.”

So I drop it back into my lap and watch the city turn into towns that turn into rolling fields and wild countryside. At some point Devon turns on some music, and it is surprisingly soothing. I actually relax enough to fall asleep and when the car stops in the driveway I wake up with a cramp in my neck from leaning against the window.

Grabbing my bag from the back seat, I climb out of the car and roll my shoulders. It's chilly this time of night and I have goosebumps shivering up my arms and making my nipples pebble under the thin material of my dress; this is one time I am actually glad to have my hair hanging around me like a cloak. I never put my shoes on when we left Daniel's so I don't make a sound when I walk across the porch and through the door.

Kaleb, Trent, and Nathan are waiting in the kitchen but I don't even look at them; I walk straight through and tiptoe into Jasper's room. Remembering how much he hated it when I smelled like other males, I take off my dress and drop it outside the door into the hallway and crawl into the nest of blankets he's made.

At first he doesn't stir, and I cuddle into him, taking in deep lung-fulls of his scent and petting his tangled mop of curls. I know the moment he wakes because he wraps me in his arms and buries his face in my neck and weeps.

Neither of us talk, we both only seem able to cling to each other and cry. We fall asleep like that and the next thing I'm aware of is sunlight assaulting my face. I groan and turn away from the offensive rays, then I'm suddenly shrouded in darkness as Jasper yanks a blanket over our heads and settles on top of me, his hips cradled by my thighs.

“You came back to me,” he says softly.

I reach up and tug his earlobe, “I just wanted to keep you safe.”

My voice is just as soft and solemn as his, and we lay together just looking into each other's eyes and tracing our fingertips over each other's faces. Eventually, though, he hardens against me and I recognize the scent of his slick before I feel it dripping onto me from between his legs.

He huffs irritably, “I don't mean to try to fuck you first thing, I can't help it, though, It's almost time for me to go into heat, I've been having spikes. And I missed you so much.”

I pull him down for a kiss. “I'm yours, Jasper. You can fuck me whenever you want to.”

He gently slides inside me and I gasp. The way he moves and touches me, it's the closest thing to what I imagine making love must feel like that my breath hitches. It feels like he's trying to very slowly and gently thrust himself so deep inside of me that I'll never forget the feel of him. He's kissing me so desperately, like he’s trying to make sure I'll never go away from him again.

I'm clutching his back and shoulders tightly and my ankles are locked around his hips, I'm moving with his body more than letting him thrust. He goes to throw the blankets off of us but I catch them, keeping us hidden. I don't know if he's aware of the security camera, but I am and I don't want to share this with anyone who might be watching the feed.

In my mind, Jasper is making love to me and I want to cherish it. He gives me a strange look, but lets me keep the blanket around his shoulders like a cape as he rises up to thrust into me at a different angle. Soon, his movements become more frantic and his eyes darken to a hunter green rather than their usual bright grass green and I know he's approaching his release.

“Need you with me,” he grits out, and lowers his head to my neck where he gnaws on that wonderful place where my neck meets my shoulder and my orgasm crashes through me with a stuttering cry. He's right behind me, pushing his release into me as deeply as he can. He leans down and kisses my damp forehead, then collapses onto his side, dragging me to lay across his chest.

We lay like that, my ear pressed to his chest listening to his heartbeat, until I think he might be falling back to sleep, but Jasper has things to say. “I want to know where you were while you were gone, but it isn't important. I thought that if you ever came back I'd want to grill you about where you went and who you were with and things like that, but I don't care. I only care that I have you back, and that you're okay.”

I start to answer, tell him that I was with my brother's pack, but he shushes me.

“You can't leave me again. I felt like I was dying without you. Nathan was so afraid of how bad off I was that he actually used his alpha voice on me. He's never done that before. They were all so worried and afraid, but I couldn't pull myself out of it. I really did feel like I was dying. I wanted to. I can't be without you any more than I can be without them. I want them to bond you into the pack.”

My heart stutters. Jasper wants me to be a permanent member of his pack. As much as I'd like that, I know he isn't the only person who has a say in that decision. He can want me to join his pack from now until forever, but ultimately he's an omega; and unless one of his alphas agree to bond me in, it won't happen. It would have to be a unanimous decision from all of them before one of them would even consider it.

I would also have to agree to joining and allowing one of them to create a bond with me that would tie me to their pack. That would require me to fully submit to that alpha. He would be able to control me to a significant degree, and I would also have to give myself to his bite. I don't think I can let Devon bite me, even for Jasper. Nathan probably, Trent possibly, and Kaleb maybe. In that order.

“Have you spoken with them about that?” I ask, refusing to allow even a thread of hope into my voice.

“Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first. I've been thinking about it for a while. What do you think? Would you want to be part of this pack?”

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