Page 66 of Overcoming the Beta

Chapter thirty-three

Three Little Words

**June 2004**

Kate

“Kate,”Soniawavesmeover to the couch where she and Rebeka are sitting drinking their afternoon tea.

“Ladies,” I plop down on the couch next to them and pour myself a cup of hot tea. This is a new daily tradition we started last week.

Sonia saw an article in a magazine about high tea and said she wanted to do it. Rebeka told us that her mother and friends would have tea and gossip every day at three p.m. sharp, so here we are. We have fruit, pastries, tea sandwiches, and tea. Most importantly, we bond for an hour every day, shutting the world out. Hopefully, other females in our pack will start the same tradition with their personal circle of friends.

“I’m going to go grab some more cream, I’ll be right back.” Rebeka says grabbing the porcelain cream carafe and walking to the kitchen.

“Did you hear from Kelsey?” I blow on my hot tea.

“Yes, two days ago. He sounded exhausted.” Sonia takes a bite of a pastry.

“Same with Ian. He said there had been no losses or major injuries.” I sip my tea.

“Yes, Kelsey is so proud of his warriors.” Sonia beams with pride.

Suddenly I’m hit with a sharp pain in my chest. This is a different pain laced with fear. I put my teacup down and bend forward, grabbing my chest. I inhale and exhale slowly.

“Are you okay?” Sonia rubs my back. “Are these the same as before?” I shake my head no. Suddenly there’s a loud crash, followed by the sounds of breaking plates.

“No!” Rebeka screams and cries, grabbing the wall for support with one hand and clutching her chest with the other. “Goddess, no! Please no!” Her yowls and sobs are heard throughout the packhouse.

“Go, I’m fine.” I instruct Sonia as I catch my breath from my pain.

Everyone comes running, including Alpha, Luna, and my parents. My parents rush to my side when they see me bent over.

“Is it the same pain as before?” My dad asks while he and mom sit on either side of me.

“No… something bad happened.” Tears fall down my cheeks as I listen to Rebeka’s pain-filled cries.

It’s been a long and tortuous four hours since Rebeka and I started experiencing pain. We have heard nothing, not even from Kelsey. My dad says that is normal, that the battlefield can be chaotic, and the last thing anyone thinks is to call home. I wait in the common area of the packhouse, figuring I’ll be able to hear any news here first.

They took Rebeka to the clinic and gave her a sedative to calm her nerves, and Sonia is caring for her twins. Now, she is being escorted through the packhouse with Alpha and Luna on either side of her. They’re holding her up while she walks. They’re being followed by a couple of omegas carrying luggage. My heart sinks watching her walk by and the blank stare on her face. Her face is red and swollen, and her eyes are bloodshot from crying. My gut screams something bad has happened. I feel so helpless.

As I watch Rebeka being escorted through the packhouse my phone rings, startling me. With Shaking hands I fumble with my phone, dropping it in my lap before flipping it open.

“Hello?” My voice shakes from fear.

“Hello, love.” He says through heavy breath.

“Ian!” I exclaim as the tears flow. I never thought I’d appreciate hearing his voice as much as I do right now.

Ian

I’ve never felt so helpless as I do right now, sitting next to my best friend… fuck… he’s more like a brother than a friend. Sitting next to my brother as he lays unconscious, hooked up to a thousand tubes, is killing me. Everything happened so fast, and in the blink of an eye, Zane is fighting for his life.

We had moved in and flushed out Alpha David from hiding. He refused to go down without a fight. So, we gave him one hell of a fight. After ten long days of battling, Zane ended it all by ripping Alpha David’s heart out. After hearing of his death, his followers began surrendering one by one. The battle was finally over, and we could finally relax. We rescued the Luna, who was on death’s door. Her finger was gangrene, and she hadn’t been given water or food in three days. The doctors expect her to make a full recovery.

Zane and I were making our way through Emerald Lake’s village, along with five warriors from the royal palace and Prince Malachi. Twenty of Alpha David’s loyal supporters, who had initially surrendered without incident, ambushed us. These fuckers didn’t fight fair, either. They used bows and arrows and knives made from silver and dipped in wolfsbane. Angry that we had killed their precious Alpha, they wanted revenge in his honor.

With arrows whizzing around us, we fight in our wolf form. We quickly take control of the fighting on the ground. This group is not trained fighters, and it shows. Suddenly my wolf, Alex, is hit with a searing pain through his left front leg. We look down and see an arrow hanging out of our flesh and fur. Then I hear Max, Zane’s wolf, cry out in pain from behind us.Shit!We turn to find Max laying on the ground with an arrow in his side. My heart races. I have to get to him.

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