Page 46 of Overcoming the Beta

Ian gives the prince an icy glare, almost daring him to make a move. The standoff between the two of them is tense and I hate it. I wrap my hand around Ian’s bicep to relax him, but it doesn’t seem to work. It’s quite the opposite. I feel the muscles in his arm tense up.Oh no, he’s angry with me, too. What have I done?

“Kate, we’re so happy you joined us today. Jessi is so excited that you are here.” Adam walks up to us with another man at his side. That’s when I see Zane and Kelsey approach from the other side of the SUV. Kelsey is angry. Both he and Zane glare at Prince Lazar as well. I’m not liking being in the middle of all this testosterone. A wave of heat hits me as my stomach churns from anxiety.

“What’s going on here?” The man standing next to Adam asks sensing the rising tension in the air.

“Ian, please accept my sincerest apology. I did not know that she is your mate.” Prince Lazar offers Ian his hand.

“Oh, brother… really?” The man next to Adam sighs out.

“No worries, Prince Lazar, mistakes happen.” Ian shakes the prince’s hand, but I can tell Ian is still agitated.

“Kate, this is Prince Malachi,” Adam introduces the younger prince to me. I don’t remove my hand from Ian’s arm and just wave at the prince, keeping my eyes fixed on the ground. The uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach makes me want to vomit. I just hope I can make this right by Ian.

Chapter twenty-four

Disdain

**May 2001**

Kate

“Thankyousomuchfor seeing me today, Dr. Patrice.” I sit nervously on the examination table in the pack clinic.

“Of course, Kate. Looks like the last time I saw you, we started you on birth control. What brings you in today?” Dr. Patrice sits on a low black stool with thick padding and wheels. She looks over my medical notes attached to a clipboard then up to me.

“I haven’t been feeling well, and… there’s these pains in my chest.” I pat my chest with one hand.

“Chest pains? Eighteen… you’re young to be having chest pains.” Dr. Patrice writes a note on her clipboard, then looks back up to me. “Tell me about these pains.”

“Well… they don’t happen all the time.” I fidget with my fingers, “they come and go. Sometimes they’re mild, other times they knock the wind out of me. When they go away, my energy is zapped. All I want to do is sleep, but I can’t.” I stretch my shoulders back, trying to ease the tension in them.

“Um hmmm… when did the pains start?” Dr. Patrice continues to write notes without looking at me.

“They started about a week after Ian left to go back to school the second time.” I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans. I’m not too sure why I’m feeling anxious talking to Dr. Patrice about this. Maybe, it’s because she’s the first person I have spoken to. Maybe, I’m nervous that something medically is seriously wrong with me. Either way, I hate this nervous feeling that’s building inside me.

“Ian… Beta Charles’ son?” She looks up from her clipboard.

“Yes. I discovered that he is my mate on my eighteenth birthday. We spent the day together, then he left to go back to school. He came back two weeks later, and we spent the weekend together…then he left.” I sigh, thinking about how much I miss him and hate that we’ve been apart so much. “I haven’t seen him in two months. Finals and all.” I look up at the ceiling, concentrating on the ceiling tiles so I don’t start crying.

“And the pain started a week after he left the second time?” Dr. Patrice says looking over her notes.

“Yes.” I adjust in my seat.

“Interesting… how often is the pain?” She rolls her stool closer to me.

“Daily… sometimes twice a day.” I breathe out heavily.

“How long does the pain last?” Dr. Patrice makes more notes, then flips the page. Her note taking is starting to agitate me. Why so many notes?

“Not long, maybe ten minutes.” I turn my head from side to side, popping my neck. The tension that was in my shoulders is now spreading throughout my body.

“Are you okay Kate?” Dr. Patrice sits up straight and takes a deep breath.

“I’m just a little… anxious.” I take a deep breath and blow it out.

“You said you hadn’t been feeling well. Tell me about that.” A nurse walks through the door and hands her a piece of paper, “thank you.” She says to the nurse, then reads the paper before looking back at me.

“What’s that?” I lean forward trying to get a peek at the paper.

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