Page 58 of Overcoming the Beta

“Nikki, shut the fuck up. Kate,” Ian says as he tucks his dick back into his pants, quickly zipping up before rushing to me.

“No!” I shout, backing up. “How could you, Ian?” I say through tears. Any makeup I had on my face was washed away by my own tears.

“What the fuck, Ian? Tell her the truth. We knew she’d find out, eventually. She’s your mate and I’m your mistress. This is what we agreed on.” Nikki crosses her arms and stomps her foot. I look from Nikki to Ian with shock and disgust on my face.

“Please… let me explain.” Ian walks towards me. I feel like I’m going to throw up… I can smell her on him. It’s all so clear now. I turn and run, mindlinking to my mom that I need help.

I’m almost back at the palace ballroom when I see Kelsey and Zane walk out the side door, looking around. My guess, Ian mindlinked them and they’re looking for me.

“How could you, you bastard?” I run up to Kelsey and hit him in the chest with my fist.

“Kate,” my mom says as she and my dad walk out the ballroom side door, followed by Ian’s father.

“You lied for him. You knew!” I shout, “you fucking knew he was cheating on me with Nikki. You covered up for him. I’m your sister, Kelsey. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” I shout and sob. Never feeling rage in my life, my body trembles as the rage seeps from my pores.

“Kate, please let me explain,” Kelsey grabs my shoulders.

“No!” I pull away from his grip. “You are nothing to me, either of you.” I point between him and Zane, “you… you’re dead to me.” Ian catches up to me at the palace with Nikki quick on his heels. Before he can say anything I run to the safety of the forest.

I make it to the tree line, but I can hear multiple footsteps closing in on me. Positive it’s the three bozos coming to talk sense into me, or maybe it’s the repulsive whore Nikki. I don’t know where I’m going, but anywhere has got to be better than back there. How could I be so foolish, shouldn’t I have seen the signs of him cheating? Could that human Cindy be right? She was his girlfriend? He let me believe I was crazy while he treated me like shit.

I run and run, tripping over my ball gown that is tangled around my legs, falling to the ground. The palms of my hands are cut on some rocks, and it becomes clear that I fell right at a cliff’s edge. Two more steps and I would have fallen to my death. That doesn’t sound bad compared to the hell I’m living right now. I hear footsteps closing in, and I quickly get to my feet.

“Don’t come any closer, Ian, or I will jump.” I shout and take a step closer to the edge of the cliff.

“Please don’t.” Ian halts and shouts.

“Go away!” I scream.

“Please talk to me,” Ian begs, taking a step closer.

“Go talk to your fucking whore, Nikki!” I shout taking a step closer to the edge.

“Come away from the edge, please.” Ian’s voice shakes as he takes a step back.

“Why?” I cry. “Wasn’t I good enough for you?” I am sobbing so hard that I can’t breathe.

“You are. I made a mistake.” Ian holds his arms out towards me.

Sasha cries and whines in my head. She and I are both hurting so badly. I see my dad walk past Ian. He has sadness on his face that I’ve never seen before. He holds his arms out to me. They look so warm and welcoming. All I want right now is to be in my dad’s arms and feel the warm touch of my mom’s fingers playing with my hair.

“Daddy,” I say through tears, then take a step. My gown is tangled around my legs and I slip and start to fall.

Very close to the edge, I don’t feel the ground under my feet, only air. My mom gasps and I close my eyes, accepting my fate that I will soon fall to my death. Before I hit the ground, I feel my dad’s powerful arms wrap around my body and pull me into his chest. He picks me up in his arms, walking away from the edge of the cliff towards my mom.

“Let’s go home, baby girl.” My dad whispers and my mom wraps her arms around me, too.

Chapter twenty-nine

The Old Oak Tree

**June 2004**

Ian

‘Ian,whereareyou?’Kate mindlinks.

‘Alpha’s office,’I mindlink back. She felt my emotions after our meeting with the princes and learning that Prince Lazar might have an ulterior motive, I’m sure of it. How am I going to explain to her I’ll be leaving for a mission, and that said mission is more dangerous than the previous ones? I don’t want to tell her, but I know I have to. We promised that there will be no secrets between us.

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