Beyond Beta's Rejection
Rejecting Strawberries Chapter 6

I glared out of the window of the Alpha’s office as I watched the Alpha talking to Tommy f*****g Kirby. Like it wasn’t him that attacked me.

I had finally started to enjoy myself at the party when he had come storming over, shouting at me. Damien was asking questions about sleeping with Harper. I tried to make sure none of the other guys knew the fated bit. But to be fair in their eyes, I had bedded a virgin. I was a hero in their books.

Then Tommy comes over and attacks me. I mean, I understood, but I was already beating myself enough about it all. We had both shifted, and he had actually got the upper hand, probably because Canyon was still pissed off at me and was trying to interfere when the Alpha came storming out. I knew I was f****d when Tommy opened his big mouth about Harper being my fated mate. But I didn’t expect quite the reaction I had got from my father. He had particularly turned purple with rage. Then I was sent in here to wait.

I turned from the window and looked at Damien, who was practically falling asleep. I kicked his legs as I sat in the chair next to him, and he started awake.

“I’m throwing you under the bus, you know,” I said, and he held his hand to his chest in mock hurt before laughing.

“Whatever dude,” he said, “Like I care.”

The door slammed open, and my dad stormed into the room.

“What the hell did you do?” he shouted at me. Man, he was really pissed off. The Alpha came into the office and went and sat behind his desk.

“I don’t get the issue,” I shrugged, and my dad snarled at me before kicking my chair over and sending me flying.

“Seriously, what the f**k!” I exclaimed as I slammed against the wall.

“You don’t get the issue, do you?” My dad said as he picked me up and slammed me against the wall again.

“Harper Kirby is your fated mate, and you f*****g went and rejected her!” his face was set in fury, only millimetres away from mine.

“It’s not like she is any sort of rank or anything,” Damien said, and my dad dropped me and turned on him.

“Not any rank?” he screamed, and Damien paled. “That girl is the only f*****g rank that matters.”

“What?” I asked. What the hell was he talking about?

“You say you don’t want that demon to take over you, boy?” he inclined towards my body. “Well, that girl would have been the answer to that.” My eyes widened as he spoke. She did seem to calm the other guy down when I was near her.

“I don’t get it.” Damien furrowed his eyebrows.

“The Kirbys,” The Alpha said, “They are the Order. It’s Tommy Kirby that watches the seal under the house.”

I couldn’t contain my shock. I grew up being told about The Order. I knew the pack house sat on top of a gateway to Hell. I also know that our demons, or the other guy, were more potent the closer we were to the gateway.

“Now you see why I didn’t want you to reject her?” the other guy growled in my head. “She is ours, and we need her so we can open the gateway.” That was it! That was why he wanted her. I was trying not to corrupt her, but it turned out that my fated mate was part of The Order. She was already way more involved in all this s**t than I cared for.

“So she’s a guardian?” I asked. I had seen the books in the library on the Order. The Alpha shook his head.

“No, Tommy is a guardian,” he said. “Darren thinks Harper is the next Divine Warrior.” I was speechless. I couldn’t believe it. My mate, my Harper, she was an angel. Well, that explained everything. I chuckled to myself at the craziness of it all.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” my dad growled.

“We take her back,” the other guy called in my head. “She hasn’t accepted the rejection. We can get her back.”

“Are you kidding me?” I exclaimed in my head, “I am more confident now more than ever that I did the right thing. Now you can’t touch her. You can’t corrupt my sweet strawberry smelling angel.” I felt a final sense of closure. Maybe I had known, maybe all this was to protect her. It didn’t matter anymore, because I rejected her and it was done.

Then I felt something strong. I felt myself being dragged back into the darkness.

“What the f**k!” I called as I tried to scramble for control again.

“Your love makes you soft, boy,” the other guy sneered. “But don’t worry, I will fix this for everyone,” I screamed as I felt the darkness closing around me, holding me tight in the back of my mind.

“Well, boy?” I heard my dad’s voice.

“Don’t worry dad,” I heard my own voice, but it wasn’t me speaking it. “We can fix this. Explain my error to Darren Kirby.” I could feel the grin on my face even from back here. “I’m sure he will be more than happy to help me get my angel back.”

***

I was trapped inside my head. I was desperate to get out. I needed to protect my girl as the other guy took over and called the shots for now.

We were in Darren Kirby’s office and I watched in sadness as the other guy slipped the ring onto my beautiful but very upset mate’s finger. He chuckled at my reaction as I tried to break loose from the darkness. Then he leaned forward and whispered in Harper’s ear.

“You’re all mine now, Strawberries.”