Beta

two

The Gala couldn't come at a worse time. More and more Lycanthropes from the nearest village, which was more of a city really, were going missing, and being found dead with wolfsbane powder around their lips, their bodies destroyed by the poison.

The planning for the event didn't have much to do with her, Luna Aria had done the planning. Mina was more in charge of making sure people were safe up to and after the Gala.

Today, the European Alpha, Beta, and other group members would be arriving, and she was supposed to greet and accompany them to the Alpha's House, where a dinner would be held in their honor. The rest of the Alpha's would be arriving throughout the week, each with another feast in their wake. A feast for every Alpha, all before the Gala itself. She pitied the castle staff, making a mental note to review their finances to see what she could do in terms of compensation.

She's just getting ready to leave when she catches a glimpse of herself in a hall mirror, pausing momentarily to observe herself.

"You look absolutely exhausted." She tells her reflection. Her long brown hair fell down her back in soft curls, a feature that she did love about herself. Her blue eyes, a trait she gained when given the title of Beta, were dull and tired. No amount of concealer could conceal the bags under her eyes. The bridge of her nose would probably be bruised in a few days with how much she had been pinching it. She shakes her head at herself before continuing out the door.

As she approaches her car of choice for the day, her usual black SUV, she can't shake the feeling of eyes on her. She knew to trust her gut feeling, and so after packing her bags, she turned her eyes to the forest near her house.

Her home is known simply as the Beta House. Every Beta has lived there, and while it was technically called a house, it was a castle. It sat atop a hill, giving her a vantage point over the village a few miles down the road and the Alpha's House, which was a larger castle.

The original Alpha and Beta had chosen this land centuries ago, and built each castle in close proximity to each other while still retaining privacy. Both had been remodeled over the years, so she had state of the art appliances with a touch of the Old World.

With the large stone fence surrounding the property, she doubted anyone had snuck onto the grounds, but with everything going on, she wouldn't be surprised.

"Are you on your way?" Cain asks as soon as she answers his call and she nods.

"I'm pulling into the airport now. They won't land for awhile as far as I know." She replies as she does indeed pull into the local airport. She parks as well as she can before transferring the call to her phone as she gets out.

"Why are you there so early?" He asks, and she sighs.

"This place has a good cafe so I thought I'd get my coffee here." She says with a shrug and she can basically hear him roll his eyes. She couldn't tell him that she was lonely in that castle all by herself. With damn near 15 bedrooms, she felt like it was a waste for her to stay there.

"Of course it does." He chuckles before sighing loudly into the phone, and she pulls it away from her face as she finally enters the building, rubbing her boots onto the carpet as well as she can. She didn't feel like tracking mud all over the place. "Send me a text when they arrive and you start to lead them here."

"Will do, boss." Her destination was in sight, and she could already smell the coffee.

40 minutes later, with one coffee down and another already waiting for her in the SUV, she was pulling her vehicle onto the runway, parking it alongside the 4 others already there.

As she gets out, wind whips her hair around her face, causing her jacket to billow around her. She shoves her hands into her pockets, stilling the fabric slightly as she stalks over to stand before the steps leading up to the plane.

Pack warriors bow their heads down to her as she passes them, and she nods at them, releasing them from the formality. She refrains from checking her watch, knowing it might come across as rude. She just didn't want to stand out in the wind for awhile.

Finally, the door to the plane opens, and men start to file out. The Alpha is the third man to exit, and as the men all stand before her, she bows at the waist, showing her respect.

"It's a pleasure to formally meet you, Alpha William." She says upon standing straight once again. The man standing before her was intimidating. He was tall, like all Alpha's, but his broad shoulders and thick arms made him even more imposing. His dark hair was closely cropped, and his red eyes were bright with intelligence. His Beta, Arthur, was slightly smaller, and had sandy brown hair. His blue eyes, similar to her own, were regarding her with pathetically concealed disgust. "Same to you, Beta Arthur."

"The pleasure is all ours, Beta Mina. We've both been waiting to meet the first female Beta." William says, and she smiles easily at him.

"I promise I won't disappoint. Is this everyone in your party?" Her confidence seems to surprise them, and amusement flickers in the men's eyes. The Beta casts an eye around them, before his brows furrow.

"Your nephew is still on the plane." He says, and William sighs.

A man suddenly bursts out of the doors, rushing down the steps toward him, and Mina's breath falters in her throat. Never had she smelled something so comforting in her life. He smelled like everything she imagined a home would, bringing her an instant sense of safety, and reassurance. Before she could make eye contact with him, the one thing she could do to confirm what she thought was happening, her phone starts to buzz in her jacket.

It takes all of her willpower to turn away, mumbling a short excuse to the men before answering when she saw it was the Alpha calling her. His words cause her blood to chill and she agrees to his terms before turning to the nearest pack warrior.

"Escort them to the castle, I will follow shortly after, more bodies have been found." He nods at her words, and she then turns to her guests. "There is a situation I must attend to, please excuse me. You are in excellent hands here."

The man who had been descending the stairs finally makes it to the bottom, stopping short as he finally gets Mina's scent, and he instantly starts to look around, but she's already to her car. She risks a glance back and their eyes meet.

Blue meets brown, and her breath catches in her throat before she floors it away.

She didn't need a mate.