The Beta and his Mate
Bonus Chapter

Blaine’s POV

“Blaine come on, she’ll be fine” Xavier chuckled as I continued to stare at my little bundle of joy through the window of my parents house.

“I know that” I grumbled as I brushed my curly hair from off my forehead, the fringe already starting to fall out of my updo. “Just because I know she’ll be alright doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to worry about her” I defended, “this is the first time since she’s been born that I’ve been away from her for an entire night”.

He smiled over at me as he brought me into his arms, kissing the side of my head as he drew me into his chest. “I know, but I also trust your mum and dad to protect our little girl with their life. You and I both know that she’s safer here than anywhere else, especially with your dad around” he stated as he tried to calm my nerves.

Tonight was the night of the ball, the one that Anna had been organising for months in the hopes that wolves from across the country could come into a neutral zone and meet their mates. I had been hoping that we didn’t have to go, that I could skip out on it and spend an evening with my little girl, but as the Beta female of the pack who’s hosting it I was expected to attend. All I had to do was show my face, have a few conversations with other pack members, shove some food into my mouth, then I could leave and come back for her.

“Fine lets go” I sighed as I took Xavier’s hand in mine and lifted my floor length dress with the other so that I didn’t stand on it and trash the hem. Anna would not be happy with me if I ruined the dress she’d spent hours picking out for me.

I don’t honestly know how she does it. With two kids and juggling all the responsibilities of not only being Alpha female but also the Moon Goddesses messenger she still manages to replace time to come dress shopping with me, Hannah and Marie. I secretly think she gets it all done by not sleeping and living off caffeine and sugar.

“You look gorgeous by the way” Xavier smiled as he walked over to the passengers side of the car and opened the door for me.

“You don’t look so bad yourself” I smirked as I looked him up and down. “You should wear a suit more often”.

“If it gets you to look at me like this more often I just might” he whispered into my ear as he pressed up against me, the silk of my dress feeling cool against my heated skin. After all this time being with him I still reacted like a hormonal teenager girl whenever he so much as looked at me. I blamed the blood bond, but if I was being honest I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Xavier looked down at me with heat in his eyes as a small flicker of gold swirled in his irises, obviously feeling my emotions through the link we shared. I reached up onto the tips of my toes, which wasn’t much further due to the heels Hannah had forced me to wear, intent on pressing my lips against his, when Anna contacted us through the link.

‘I know what you two are up to and we don’t have time for that. Get your butts over here now, people have already started to arrive and you were supposed to be here before them’.

“I’m going to be so happy when this is all over and she goes back to her normal self” I sighed as I retracted myself from Xavier’s arms and got in the car as he did the same. “She’s been driving me mad all week with fabric samples and menu choices, she’s almost as bad as humans get on the run up to their wedding day”.

Xavier laughed beside me but otherwise didn’t comment, he knew what I’d been dealing with the past few weeks and knew better than to encourage my complaining and put me in a bad mood.

“Just think” he smiled over at me as he took my hand in his free one, “come tomorrow morning we’ll be waking up to an empty house. No Anna messaging us at stupid hours of the day and no cute little baby Charlotte to wake us up with her screams, demanding us to sing her a song to get her back to sleep” he smirked.

I did have to admit, I did like the sound of having a morning with just me and him, we hadn’t been alone since Charlotte’s birth. Not that I would change anything for the world, she was my little angel and I loves everything about her, but I would like one night just to be with my mate and enjoy some alone time together.

“I like the sound of that” I murmured as I brought out joint hands up so that I could kiss his knuckles. “Do you know what I’m most looking forward to though?” I smirked as I looked over at him.

“I have an idea” he grinned back at me before moving his eyes back to the road.

“A lie in” I exclaimed as I closed my eyes, already picturing what it would be like to wake up feeling rested and when the sun was already up high in the sky. Charlotte wasn’t much of a sleeper, she was so active and aware of everything around her it was almost comical. She was only seven months but she sometimes seemed so much older than that as you watched her eyes assess everything.

“You read my mind” Xavier almost groaned next to me and I couldn’t help but chuckle as his reaction to a possible lie in.

We drove for another few minutes and before long we arrived at the field where the party was taking place. I took in the size of marquee that Anna had hired and couldn’t help but marvel at the size of it. I had been wondering how she was going to replace something big enough to house everyone who had RSVP’d yes but now I see how. She hadn’t just hired a standard marquee, she’d pretty much hired a festival tent.

“She really went all out for this thing didn’t she” I whistled as we parked where all the others cars had started parking.

“Yeah I know” Xavier laughed as he took the key out of the ignition and got out of the car, quickly coming around to my side so that he could open my door and help me out. “The last one we hosted was such a success even more people decided to come this year. I had been helping her out with planning it before you arrived and helped her replace the company that hired out the biggest tents we could replace” he chuckled.

“And then I came along” I chucked as I took his elbow in mine.

“And then you came along” he laughed as he kissed the side of my head.

We walked into the tent and was instantly handed a flute of champagne each. We had decided to hire a human company to help cater the event so that everyone was available to attend the event if they wished to. We made the other attendees aware of this and were all under strict instruction not to show any signs of what we were just in case we were outed to the human population.

I smiled gratefully to the server before taking a small sip and walked further into the tent, feeling the bubbles tingle against my tongue.

“She’s definitely outdone herself” I muttered as I took everything in. The inside of the tent had been completely covered with hanging fabric, draping across the ceiling and down the walls in different colours of whites and beiges with fairy lights strung among them. On one side of the tent was the food and drink section, a large bar stretched the entire width of the tent serving every form of drink you could think of. There was also a hot and cold buffet with tables set up for people to sit and eat if they so wished.

The other side was left nearly empty, aside from a small stage where I knew a band would begin shortly paying all different types of music. The first half of the night would be more civilised, playing orchestral music whilst we all chatted amongst each other. By the later stage of the evening though it’d all change, the band would switch up their type of music and the whole place will come alive with lights as we danced the night away and had a laugh at each other’s moves.

That part was mainly put in for the younger wolves, knowing that they probably wouldn’t attend if it was just some stuck up ball where everyone had to eat delicate finger sandwiches and ballroom dance. To be honest I don’t think I would even attend if it was like that and I was friends with the person who organised it.

Whilst we waited for Anna and Jax to become available so that we could quickly chat to them and show that we had finally arrived, I linked my parents. I had demanded that they give us, well me, hourly updates on how Charlotte was doing. This was the first time I wouldn’t be there to sing her a goodnight song and I was worried she wouldn’t sleep because of it.

Upon hearing from my mum that she was doing fine and was having her evening bottle so that they could put her to bed, I closed the link back down. Not before demanding another update in an hour and to remind them to message me if they needed anything.

“So how’s she doing?” Xavier asked as he whispered in my ear. He could laugh at me all he wants about me being an overprotective mum but I knew that he was secretly feeling just as anxious about leaving her as I was.

“She’s fine” nodded as I took another sip of champagne. I watched as Anna and Jax said goodbye to the couple they had just been talking to and made their way over to us.

“Thats one pairing already found” Anna sang smugly as she walked over and pulled me in for a hug.

“Already? That has to be some kind of record right?” I exclaimed as I watched the couple as they walked over to the bar to get a drink.

“They actually met in the hotel last night” she laughed as she released me and pulled Xavier in for a hug. “The place they are staying in accidently booked their room out twice, James was showering when Elaine walked in and screamed her lungs out at replaceing a naked man in her shower. The screaming didn’t last long though when they realised they were mates, apparently they didn’t even bother with complaining to the hotel and just stayed in the room together” she laughed.

I couldn’t help but laugh with her, replaceing it to funny for it to be real. “That’s something you’d see happen in a movie or something” I laughed as I thought about all the RomComs I’ve watched over the years.

“I know right!” Anna laughed harder before looking up at Jax and leaning into his side.

“So how’s it all looking?” Xavier asked as he took a sip of his own drink.

“Good” Jax and Anna replied at the same time, both nodding as they looked around to take everything in.

“Although there is one thing I’d like to talk to you about before-” Anna started but was interrupted as a man and woman walked over to us, both looking a little tense as they stared at me and Xavier.

“Hello” the man spoke as he held his hand out, for for me to shake then Xavier. He offered Anna and Jax a small bow in acknowledgment but otherwise didn’t say anything as both him and his mate stared over at us.

“May we help you?” I asked as I look him over, I couldn’t figure it out but he seemed almost familiar somehow.

“Beta Blaine, Beta Xavier it’s lovely to meet you both” the woman suddenly piped up as she took a slight step towards us. “My name is Linda and this is my mate Simon, we are the Alpha and Luna of the Moon Lake pack” she explained as she took her mate’s hand in hers. “I hope you don’t mind, but we decided to come and talk to you in person when we heard about what happened to your family and thought I’d be best to talk in a neutral setting” she continued to say as she looked around the tent.

“So what can we do for you?” I asked as I tried to hold my nerve. The news of Benjamins fighting ring how spread like wildfire, no one could believe that a Alpha in line could done something like that to their own people. We’d heard some reports of the captured replaceing their way back home and reuniting with their packs and families, a lot were still missing though. We helped out as much as we could but there wasn’t much we could do besides talk to my family to see if they remembered seeing any specific people.

“Well...” she muttered as she looked back up at her mate, I could tell they were both silently communicating about something and it wasn’t long before Alpha Simon sighed and nodded a small nod at his mate.

“I hope you don’t mind me bringing it up but... my brother...” Alpha Simon sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

That’s when I realised what he was trying to tell me and why he looked so familiar to me. “Your brother was Benjamin” I confirmed, saying it as a statement rather than a question.

Alpha Simon sighed before nodding his head in confirmation.

I thought I’d feel something when I eventually had to come face to face with his family, that I’d feel some form of anger or disgust at having to talk to the people who were related to the monster who kidnapped and harmed my family for so long. I waited for the telling signs, for the inevitable feelings of anger to bubble up to the surface, but was surprised when nothing happened. If anything I just felt sorry for the man who obviously felt such remorse and guilt for what his brother had done.

I felt Xavier tense next to me, preparing himself for how I was going to react, but he quickly relaxed when he felt nothing but acceptance through our mate link.

“Thank you for coming to talk to me Alpha Simon, I really appreciate it” I nodded as I smiled over at him. His brother may have been the reason for me living on my own for over two years and the countless deaths of many wolves over the course of his fighting days, but that was just it. It wasn’t him that had been responsible for those crimes, it was his brother, and it’d be unfair for me to hold him accountable for his relatives actions.

Alpha Simons shoulders sagged slightly, clearly relieved that I wasn’t going to cause a scene and hold him accountable. “I just wanted to come on my families behalf and apologise to you in person for everything that Benjamin put you though” he explained as his eyes flicked between the four of us. “And also to thank you for stopping him before he could harm any more people” he continued, “we never knew he was capable of doing anything like that and if we did you have my word that we would have stopped him long before he could have hurt anyone”.

“You are forgiven Alpha Simon” I smiled at him as I held my hand out for him to shake.

He looked down at my outstretched palm for a second, staring at the scars that the wolfsbane had left, before taking my hand firmly in his.

“Truce?” I asked, my eyebrows raised and an amused smile on my face.

“Truce” he nodded back at me with a small smile before released my hand and moving to shake Xaviers. “I’m glad you managed to survive the wolfsbane Beta Xavier” he nodded to my mate before moving on to talk to Jax and Anna. “If it is alright with you both, I would like to take over the search for the missing wolves, it’s the least I can do to try and help redeem my family name”.

Anna smiled up at him before looking over at Jax, waiting to hear his verdict. We all knew he was going to say yes though.

The rest of the evening went by in a blur. The whole event was a success and even through not everyone found their mates, not even half of them, it was still seen as the highlight of their year. Anna had outdone herself and it wasn’t long before we were all stumbling into taxi’s and getting lifts home thanks to the ridiculous amounts of alcohol we had all consumed.

Xavier and I all but fell into the house at gone one in the morning, both of us laughing at the fact that neither of us couldn’t get the key in the door on our first attempt. It was a good job I hadn’t insisted Charlotte and my parents to stay the night here, with the amount of noise we were making I knew we would have woken them up.

“So you’re definitely okay?” Xavier asked me, it had been the hundredth time he’d asked since we’d met Linda and Simon and every time I sighed and rolled my eyes.

“Yes” I exclaimed as I downed a pint glass of water. “Is it really so shocking that I wouldn’t run around guns blazing after replaceing out who he was?”

Xavier smirked at me as he took the glass from my hand, refilled it and downed it himself. “Honestly? Yes” he laughed as he placed the glass in the open dishwasher. “You’re like my little firecracker” he chuckled as he scooped me in his arms.

“I’m not that bad” I tried to defend myself as I playfully hit him on the shoulder. “Besides, he seemed like a nice guy” I shrugged, “not many people would have the courage to step into our territory during an event in front of hundreds of wolves and admit to what his brother did. That took guts, even for an Alpha” I stated as I stared up into his eyes.

“Mmmhmm” he smirked as he kissed my forehead before trailing his kisses down until they landed at the base of my neck. “Come on then, lets see if I can bring that firecracker out of you again” he whispered against my skin before lifting me up so that my legs were around his waist.

“Sounds like a fun challenge to me” I breathed against his lips before reaching forward so that they were against mine.

Done and done :) I hope you guys enjoyed the epilogue :D

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