Beyond Beta's Rejection

Harper

"There, you are done," Katie, my best friend, declared and turned me around to look in my full-length mirror. I gasped at the sight of myself. I looked amazing, like really amazing. My normally boring straight brown hair cascaded in curls, framing my face and gracing my bare shoulders. My makeup, which was all silver and white, accentuated my features, from my prominent cheekbones with iridescent sparkles on them to my blue-grey eyes that looked bigger with the silver shadow. And all this was complete with my white lace dress that was fitted to my top and flared out at the waist and fell to just above my knee.

"Oh, Katie, I love it!" I squealed and hugged her.

"Anything for the birthday girl." She winked as she admired herself in the mirror. "You never know. The entire pack is going to be there tonight. Your mate could be one of them." I squealed again at her words.

The thought that my fated mate could live here in town right under my nose was enough to send goosebumps fluttering down my skin. And tonight was the night of the midsummer ball. It was a big deal and the Alpha and Luna of the Midnight Moon pack went all out. And it just so happened to fall on my eighteenth birthday.

When a werewolf turned eighteen, they could detect the mate that the moon goddess Diana decided was their perfect mate. It was called a fated bond, and there was nothing that compared to it in power.

"Oh, I hope my mate likes me." I was suddenly worried. I mean, I was no one special. My family didn't hold any sort of special rank in the pack, and I wasn't beautiful like Katie, with her mass of blond waves, piercing blue eyes, and ample chest size. Or even smart like my other best friend Louise, who was currently laid on my bed, refusing to get ready for the ball.

"Why would he not love you?" Katie exclaimed. "You are stunning and loyal. He would be lucky to have you."

Louise scoffed over on the bed but remained silent.

Katie stalked over to her. "And you, missy, need to get your sweet behind ready. We leave in an hour." Louise gave her a sideways glance.

"Told you I'm not going," she stated. "I don't see why I have to dress myself up for the lecherous dogs of this town to paw over, hoping they will get into my panties." Katie rolled her eyes, and I giggled. Louise was a firm believer in equality and hated pack life and pretty much anything werewolf. She thought the pack ranks favoured patriarchy, and the concept of the fated mates was supernatural mind control. She often declared that she planned on rejecting her mate if, and when she met him. She made her opinions very clear, loudly and often. I suspected she might have been kicked out of the pack if her father wasn't the pack Gamma.

"Louise, it's my birthday," I put on my best whiny voice. "Please come and spend it with me." Louise glanced at me and scowled.

"Fine," she gave in with a sigh. "But do not expect me to enjoy myself."

"Oh, we wouldn't dream of it," Katies said sarcastically. "Now up and ready, lady."

***

Forty-five minutes later, we were all downstairs in my small living room, with my mum taking pictures of us and my dad telling me how beautiful I looked. The pack colours were black, white, and silver, so all the balls and events had that colour code, and we were expected to comply. My father had a simple black suit with a black tie that held the pack seal in silver. He also had a silver seal on the collar of his jacket, which signalled him as a pack employee. My dad was the bookkeeper for the pack, and whilst there were no rank privileges, it gave the family enough money so that my mum and I were comfortable. My mum wore an elegant black evening gown that hugged her figure and ended just above her silver stiletto heels. Katie wore a silver-grey dress that left nothing to the imagination, and Louise had on a black fitted knee-length dress that showed her long legs.

We were all ready apart from one other person. I looked around

"Where's Tommy?" I asked. My mum rolled her eyes, and my dad scowled.

"Probably getting in trouble," he scoffed.

"Oh dear brother, you injure me with your words." My uncle Tommy walked in wearing a black tux and white shirt. He was my dad's much younger brother. In fact, he was only a year older than my sister Susie, who no longer lived with us. She had found her mate in the Star Dawn pack and moved there almost a year ago. Tommy looked at us and whistled.

"Damn ladies, you are looking good tonight." I rolled my eyes. Tommy had that James Dean bad-boy-type vibe going on, and the girls in our pack went crazy for it. I couldn't count the number of times girls tried to friend me because they wanted to get close to my uncle. I heard giggling and looked round at Katie, who had the biggest crush on him, which I found totally gross. I mean, he was twenty-five. That age gap was just creepy. But Katie had declared that she and Tommy were mates, and she was eagerly anticipating her eighteenth birthday to confirm it.

Tommy winked at Katie, which just made her blush, and then grinned at Louise, who just rolled her eyes. He then turned to me.

"Happy birthday, kid," he said as he pulled me into a hug.

"Not a kid Tommy. I'm eighteen now," I scoffed.

"Sure you are," he agreed. "But you'll always be a kid in my eyes, sprinkle." I glared at him, which earned me a laugh.

"Ok, let's get this show on the road," he declared. Tommy was our designated driver, while my parents would take their own car to the pack house. We all filed out into the warm midsummer night with Katie calling shotgun.

The drive was only about five minutes, and before long, we entered the grand hall in the pack house. It was decorated stunningly with silver and black cloth draping from the ceiling and white tea lights and lanterns leading out into the back gardens where the dancefloor was set up. Tommy held his arms out.

"Ladies, may I escort you to the ball?" he said in a mock chivalrous tone. Katie giggled and latched herself onto one arm, and he looked expectantly at Louise, who just glared at him and stormed on ahead. I noticed the brief look of hurt flash across Tommy's face before the smooth charm replaced it.

"Come on, my lovely niece, let's see if we can find your prince charming." I smiled and looped my arm around his, and we walked into the party.

The room and gardens filled up within the next half hour. After dragging Louise away from arguing with her dad once again, we managed to get a couple of dances before Alpha Daniel Chambers made a speech about the time of the year. He also said that even though the moon governed us, it was important that we must also give thanks to the sun. He talked about the balance of duality, which earned a loud, sarcastic comment from Louise, who was promptly pulled out of the room by the Gamma. Everyone, including the Alpha, laughed. They were used to Louise by now.

As the Alpha was coming to the end of his speech, I heard a noise from behind and saw the Alpha's son Damien sauntering in with his usual group. Of course, they were late because they could get away with being late. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to the stage when something stopped me.

There it was, the most beautiful scent I had ever smelled. I sniffed again, and my senses were slammed with that rich pine leaves and rustic fire smell, and I knew there and then that my fated mate was in the room somewhere. The smell seemed to get stronger every time I smelt it, and my wolf was going mental in my head, begging me to go find my mate. But I couldn't leave while the Alpha was talking. It was disrespectful and grounds for punishment.

The scent was so strong that I was struggling to concentrate on the words the Alpha was saying, and I was feeling like I was going to pass out. Then I felt people pushing in from behind. I turned and almost growled as they pushed right in between me and Katie. When I saw it was Damien, the Alpha heir, I lowered my head in submission and hoped he didn't notice my almost feral glare.

I tried to breathe through the scent. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get through this when I felt someone's hand on my arm. The touch sent electricity running through me, enough to make me gasp, and something came alive in me. I closed my eyes as I felt the hand trail down my arm. Whoever it was slid his hand into mine, entwining our fingers and gently squeezing.

"Breathe, Strawberries," a husky voice whispered in my ear, and I took a deep breath. I could feel his breath on my ear. "Open your eyes, let me see you, mate."

Shakingly, I opened my eyes and looked at the owner of the hand that was stroking his thumb along mine to calm me. Standing next to me was Colton Stokes. Best friend to Damien Chambers and the future Beta of our pack.

Harper

Oh my Goddess, oh my goddess. I was currently holding hands with Colton Stokes, and he was my fated mate. I shyly looked up into his eyes through my lashes and saw that he was watching me intensely, and I immediately blushed at the look in his eyes and looked away again. I heard him chuckle, and I blushed even more.

Alpha Daniel finished talking, and everyone clapped, and I had to break contact with Colton's hand so I could clap, too. Not that I remembered anything the Alpha had just said. The clapping died down, and I felt sparks on my back as Colton placed his hand on me and guided me through the crowd quickly. I attempted to look back to see Katie, but noticed that she was preoccupied with talking to Damien.

We left the room. Colton grabbed my hand and pulled me into the gardens and around the side of the building. Once we were around the corner, he spun me around to face him and backed me up against a wall. He buried his face into my hair, his nose grazing my neck, and took a deep breath, sending shivers down my spine.

He growled in appreciation and whispered, "MINE!" and began kissing down my neck. I gasped and held on to his arm. I felt a heat in my stomach when his teeth grazed the spot on the crook of my neck, and my breathing became shallow. Colton lifted his head, and he had a lazy smile on his face.

"Wow, Strawberries, you smell amazing." He hooked his finger under my chin and lifted my head to meet his eyes. From this close, I could see that his eyes were hazel, and there were flecks of gold in them. I took the time to really look at him. I mean, I had seen him from afar, but never this close before. He had a soft face that didn't have any sharp features, apart from the slight point to his chin. He had a heavy stubble, and his medium brown hair was shaved short at the sides but then longer on top, and it was slicked back. From what I could see, his body was basically that of a Greek god, but then he was a future Beta, so it was in his genes to be beautiful.

I trailed my hand down his clothed chest over his black shirt, and I felt his hard toned muscles, and my hand continued down as I felt his eight pack under my fingers. My hands ended up at the line where his shirt disappeared into his tailored black trousers, and I hovered there. Suddenly I felt very hot, and that heat in my stomach was getting warmer. I involuntarily bit my lip as I noticed a bulge in his trousers.

"See something you like, Strawberries?" His voice sounded husky as he watched me. I looked into his eyes, which seemed to have more gold in them from a few minutes before.

I tried to compose myself. "Erm...."

Shit. Think, Harper.

"Erm..."

Oh crap, I was struggling to think of, well... words at all.

"What's on your mind, Strawberries?" he teased. He knew what was on my mind. It was written all over my face.

"Why do you call me Strawberries?" I asked, and he grinned and buried his head in my neck again and took a deep breath again, and then nibbled my ear before whispering, "It's what you smell like to me. Strawberries." It felt like electric currents were running down my body, and I gasped.

"You smell like beautiful juicy ripe red strawberries." And then he was in front of me, and his lips were so close to mine, his voice was a low husky tone again.

"I wonder if you taste like them." He closed the gap and pushed his mouth against mine. His lips felt as soft as they looked as they pushed against mine. His hands glided to my hips, and he pulled me towards him, so I was flush against him. I gasped into his mouth, and he took the invitation and plunged his tongue into my mouth, and the kiss deepened. I put my arms around his neck, and he pushed me against the wall, not breaking contact with my mouth or body.

The heat in my stomach dropped, and something lower down awoke in me. He finally broke apart from me just as I started to wonder if you could die from kissing and if it was a worthy way to go. We were both breathing heavily and just looking at each other.

He looked at me with a heated expression. "As much as you match the name strawberries, I would like to know the name of my little mate," he breathed.

"Oh!" I gasped, "it's Harper."

"Well, nice to meet you, Harper. My name is Colton."

"I know." I nodded. Then blushed because I wondered if I sounded like a stalker. "I mean, that you are our future Beta, so everyone knows who you are." I felt very hot again. "But me, I'm not Beta, or any rank really, so I'm not known, really." He watched me with an amused look while I rambled on before he placed a rough finger on my lips to shush me.

"Calm down, sweetheart," he chuckled. "No need to be so nervous." I focused on getting my breathing back in control while he rubbed circles on my hand with his thumb again.

When I felt a little more composed, I smiled at him.

"Thank you," I said, and he smiled in return and placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Should we go back to the party?" I asked.

"I'd rather not," he said, with a low growl in his throat. "I've just found my fated mate after three years of looking, and the last thing I want to do is to take her back into a room full of sex-starved unmated werewolves." He looked me up and down with a look that made me want to clench my legs closed. "Especially when she looks this good." Then he leaned in closer. "And when I can smell the amazing scent of her arousal." I blushed again, and he chuckled.

"I'm a Beta love," he said, and I quirked my eyebrows. "Alphas and Betas tend to run on heightened senses and urges, including the possessive nature of a newly acquired mate, and I suspect if we went back in there, I would rip some guy's head off for just glancing at what is Mine." That last word rumbled into a growl, and I nodded, trying to avoid thinking about the powerful urges that my own body was expressing down below.

"We... erm, we could take a walk," I suggested, and he smiled.

"Could we head towards somewhere more private so we can get to know each other?" he asked with a glint in his eye. "I mean, I would take you to my room, but there is a big party downstairs, so not ideal for talking."

"Oh, yeah," I beamed. "My house is about twenty minutes away on foot."

"Perfect, lead the way, Strawberries." He linked his fingers in mine, and we started walking to the front of the house and down the drive.

We talked about so many things as we walked. I told him about my family. He knew of my dad and knew Tommy. We talked about his family, which was basically him and his parents. We also talked about hobbies, music, and TV. By the time we reached my house, I felt like I had learned a lot about him and knew he had learned a lot about me.

I let us in through the front door and switched on the light. Colton stood by the door, looking nervous. I looked at him, puzzled.

"What's wrong?" I asked, taking his hand. He smiled and looked down at my hand, and then when he looked back up at me, his eyes were pure gold, and there was a look of pure raw heat.

He growled before saying, "I am trying to be a gentleman here." He walked me into the wall behind me and both his arms on either side of me, trapping me between his hard body and the wall. "I don't know if I can control myself around you," I gulped and tried to suppress a moan.

"Then don't control yourself," I whispered. "We are mates, aren't we? It's only natural, so -" His breathing became more ragged the more I talked, and he crashed his lips down onto mine, interrupting what I was saying.

"Bedroom," he gasped as he broke contact. I pointed up the stairs, and he growled and smashed his lips to mine once more, claiming them as his, and lifted me easily as I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he carried me up the stairs to claim my body too.

Harper

Colton crashed into my bedroom door, pressing me against it. His mouth descended on my neck and sucked on the spot where he would soon leave his mark, right in the crook where my neck met my shoulder. The feel of it sent tingles through my body and turned some heat on inside my lower regions. I let go of him enough to reach around and grab my door handle.

It flew open as I turned the handle, and we fell into the bedroom. We landed on the floor, with him on top of me and my legs still around him.

"Ow!" I exclaimed as pain laced through my back from the impact, and Colton looked up, shocked.

"Shit, Strawberries, sorry." He pulled himself off me and stood up. He held a hand out for me, and when I grabbed it, he pulled me up, so I crashed into his hard chest.

He spun me around and ran his hands slowly along my back. He pulled my hair to one side and started kissing my neck and shoulder. I closed my eyes and allowed the feel of his lips on my skin to take over all my other senses. His hand found the buttons on my dress, and one by one, they popped open, revealing my back.

My breathing became heavy as he slid his hands along my shoulders, pushing the straps of my dress down my arms. At the same time, he places light feathery kisses on my back, sending shivers down my spine. I stood in my bra and panties as my dress slipped to the floor. I heard the rustling of clothes before his shirt came into view on the floor next to me. I went to turn around, but Colton caught me.

"Not yet, Strawberries," he whispered in my ear as he pulled my back against his front. "Soon." I felt my bra come loose, and as it was strapless, it just fell to the floor, exposing my breasts to the room. Colton ran his hands up my sides and grazed the side of my breast with his thumbs, and I gasped at the feel, the sparks sending an electric current right to my sensitive parts where I felt my panties beginning to get damp.

Slowly, his hands moved until he cupped both of my breasts, and he pulled me harshly against him.

"See what you do to me," he whispered as he rubbed the unmistakable bulge in his pants against my ass. He centred on my now very erect nipples and rolled both in his fingers, and I couldn't help but moan and rub my ass against him.

"Oh, baby girl," he groaned, sending even more shivers down my spine.

"Colton, please." I felt so much need in my body as one of his hands trailed down my abdomen and along the edge of my panties. He chuckled as he slipped a finger into the edge of them. And I gasped.

He spun me around to face him again and looked down at me with a heated look in his eyes. He dropped to his knees in front of me and captured my left breast in his mouth, running his tongue around my nipple. I moaned as his hand slipped into my panties and expertly found my pleasure point and began rubbing slow circles, each round increasing the heat inside me until my legs began to shake from the excitement coursing through me. I have obviously pleasured myself before, but felt nothing like this. Colton looked up at me as I gripped his shoulders to stop myself from falling and smiled slowly.

"Am I assuming this is your first time, Strawberries?" he asked as he ran his finger against my folds, leaving my nub pulsing for more. I gulped and tried to catch my breath to answer him, but settled for nodding. He smiled again.

"Don't worry, baby girl. I'll take good care of you." He pushed a finger into my entrance. It slid in easily. I cried out, and my legs gave way as heat rushed over me. I was vaguely aware of Colton catching me and lowering me to the floor as his finger moved in and out of me at increasing speed. I called out again as another rush of heat hit my body, arching my back briefly before I collapsed to the floor, panting.

Colton laid next to me, peppering light kisses on my body, each one sending shivers through me. He leaned over and captured my lips and took my bottom lip into his teeth. He let go again and grinned at me before moving down my body. I watched him, still trying to catch my breath as he lifted my legs onto his shoulders and settled between them, his breath playing along my core and his eyes never leaving mine.

"I wanna taste you, Strawberries," he said before running his tongue up my outer folds and finding my nub. I moaned, falling back onto the floor as he swirled his tongue around in circles before grazing his teeth against my sensitive parts and sucking deeply. I couldn't contain myself as I writhed under his expert tongue and cried out once more. He held firm as he pushed his tongue into my entrance briefly before switching back to my nub and back again. I thought it couldn't be more amazing until his figures found their way to my entrance, and he thrust two inside me, pumping them in and out, bringing me to the edge and pushing me over as I felt another wave of intense heat crashing over me.

"Oh, my Goddess!" I screamed, and he continued to pump his fingers in and out of me, and his tongue alternated between swirling and sucking on my nub and kept me riding wave after wave of orgasm that rocked through my body.

"Baby girl, I want you so much," he groaned, moving up my body and kissing me deeply, pushing his tongue into my mouth. I moaned against him, and he chuckled into my mouth. He lifted up from the floor and picked me up, pulling me into his chest, and I breathed in his scent of pine leaves and rustic fire, feeling at home in his arms. He carried me to my bed and laid me down. I watched as he unbuttoned his trousers and slid them and his boxers down, his manhood springing free. I gasped at the size, and he grinned proudly at my reaction. He slipped completely out of his pants and crawled on the bed between my legs so that his member rubbed against the outside of my suddenly very-much-throbbing-again core.

I gulped, suddenly feeling nervous. This was my first time, and I knew it wasn't his. I had seen him with various girls draped on his arm several times. Part of me, the wolf-part, growled at that, but the girl part, the inexperienced-me-part, was so afraid that I would be awful. Colton looked down at me and frowned.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" he asked, and I shook my head. He smiled. "Aw, Strawberries, you're nervous," he chuckled. "That's okay, baby. It's expected." He leaned down and kissed me lightly.

"Don't worry, you are going to be perfect, okay?" He searched my face again, and I smiled and nodded. He was my mate, fated to me by the moon goddess, and I trusted him completely. He smiled as I relaxed against his touch. He moved, lining his head against my entrance.

"Now, baby, it's gonna hurt at first," he said soothingly. "But I promise it will feel better real quick." I nodded again, nervously.

"I love you, Colton," I said, and he smiled down at me again and slowly pushed himself inside me, watching me as he did. I felt him hit up against my virgin barrier and winced. I knew it was going to hurt, but I was ready and so happy that I was losing my virginity to my mate. Colton smiled one last time and broke through with one quick thrust. I screamed as the pain hit me hard and grabbed his shoulders as tears escaped my eyes. He stayed still inside me and leaned down against my neck.

"Breathe, baby," he whispered, and I focused on his kisses against my neck rather than the full painful feeling below. I began to relax again and felt him smile against my neck. "There we go, good girl." He slowly pulled out partially before pushing himself back in. I gasped each time, and each time, the pain was less and less, and I started to feel the heat rising again as he increased his speed in and out of me. Soon, I was gasping for a different reason; the pain was long gone. I rocked against Colton as he drove his member deeper inside me.

"Oh goddess, baby, you are so tight!" he panted. "Fuck me, this is amazing." He continued to pound into me. I felt myself on the edge once more.

"Colton, please," I called, and he sped up at the sound of my voice.

"That's it, baby girl, cum for me, baby, scream my name." And I flew over the edge once more into an oblivion of pleasure and screamed his name as the orgasm ripped through me. I gripped onto him as he rode me hard and fast and dug my nails into his back. His movements became erratic seconds before he thrust himself into me one more time with a roar, and I felt his seed shoot deep into me before he collapsed on top of me, panting.

"Fuck me, Strawberries," he panted against my neck. "That was mind-blowing!" I giggled. "I knew sex with my mate would be different, but... wow!" I felt so happy that he had enjoyed it as much as I had and giggled again. I didn't even mind the ache between my legs or that he didn't mark me yet. He pulled himself off me and picked me up, pulled my covers down, and put me inside, which was fine because my legs were still shaking from the experience. He climbed in beside me and pulled me against his naked body, wrapping his arms around me. I relaxed into him as he nuzzled into my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

I felt my eyelids droop as I was enveloped by the beautiful scent and warmth of my fated mate, when I felt him kissing my neck. His hand lowers down my stomach and over my core. I wriggle under his touch, giggling.

"Oh my goddess, I'm not sure I can do that again." I breathe as I feel his fingers once again on my pleasure place as he rubbed circles once more. I instantly felt the heat building inside me as I moaned against his touch, and he chuckled again.

"You can do it as many times as I choose," he growled against my ear. "You are mine, Strawberries, to do what I want with." I felt a shiver run down my spine and let out a moan. He built up speed quicker this time, and I was already panting while gyrating against him. I was on the edge again, and I cried out as I got closer and closer to yet another amazing climax. He leaned in and grazed his teeth against my marking spot, and I called out.

"Colton, please claim me."

He chuckled and moved against my ear. "I, Colton Stokes, the future beta of the Midnight Moon pack, reject you, Harper Kirby, as my mate."

I screamed as simultaneously the pleasure of the orgasm and the pain of the rejection ripped through me.