The Mark of a Beta

fourteen

This chapter contains some difficult themes relating to LGBTQ+ struggles. You have been warned. 

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I spend the afternoon and early evening with Axel. After the best fucking shower of my life, my stomach began making unsavory noises. Axel mindlinked Cole to bring us some lunch, and I was secretly grateful that he didn't want to leave the safety of my house. It's not that I mind people knowing Axel is my mate, but I just want to keep the marking between us while it's still fresh.

Once the whole pack knows, it takes away the secretive aspect of it.

I also want to brag to Anya and Dan about it. Thomas already knows that Axel is my mate, but now he would have our permission to tell Alicia and our Alpha and Luna.

Axel asked me what food was around town, and I told him my favorite cafe to get food from was The Hills Cafe. I ordered my usual- a large portion of chicken alfredo pasta with a side of fries, a chocolate milkshake, and a pie to go.

Yes- a whole pie. I like every kind of pie, so whichever is the pie of the day, I'll fucking take it.

I never really get to go to the cafe because it's more expensive than I can afford (probably because I order half of the fucking menu every time I go there) and also because my mom will give me a hard time for going out instead of finding food at home or going to the pack house for dinner.

Since Axel's paying? Yeah, I'm gonna gorge on food.

He raised a single eyebrow as I gave him my entire order, and he thankfully only shook his head once before relaying the order to Cole over the mindlink.

While we waited for Cole to bring the food, we talked about our lives- well, I talked about mine. I made sure to leave parts out about my family. I did mention that they were strict and that I didn't know how they would react to Axel's mark. I guess that's partly true. Axel said it was fine that he didn't meet them this time as long as the next time he was in town he got to meet them.

I quickly changed the subject.

I told Axel as much about myself as I possibly could- my favorite color, any funny stories from my childhood, and my future plans of becoming a pack doctor.

Axel didn't open up much- like, at all.

"What's your favorite color?" I had asked him after my long-ass monologue about the different types of cheeses I liked and why swiss cheese and muenster were the best.

"I don't have one," he had said. Who the fuck doesn't have a favorite color?

"C'mon, there has to be a color you like! A color that when you see it, it attracts your attention or makes you feel something," I explained. He just looked at me like I was the crazy one.

"I like red," he had said after a while.

"Really? I thought you were gonna say something boring and Axel-like, like black or gray or some shit. Do you like bright red like cherries or a darker, maroon red?"

"Blood red," he replied with a glint in his eyes.

Anddddd, now I'm back to being slightly scared of my mate.

We ate and talked for hours, and I managed to get a few minor pieces of information from him. He doesn't have a last name- which I found strange, but he didn't seem inclined to talk about it more- and his best friend was Alpha Grayson. I also learned that he enjoys torture and training others in his pack, which I could have guessed.

The torture thing is going to take some getting used to.

By the time four o'clock hit, he informed me that he had to head back to Dark Wood territory. With a heart-stopping kiss, he left my house, but not before reminding me to keep our deal and call him four times a day.