The Beauty And The Alpha-Beast (Completed)

Chapter Ten

8 years ago

"Belle! I have something to tell you. It's a secret, will you promise not to tell anyone? Especially the boys! " Darlene said in a whisper as we sat on the bed in her bedroom.

The whole room was pink, with baby pink walls and small circular mirrors dotting around in a strip around the whole room and a hot pink bed. Even her small sofa was neon pink. It made me smile as I looked at her wearing a magenta night gown.

"Of course, I promise! I'm your best friend, I'll keep all the secrets we share." I gave her an excited smile.

Dar grinned satisfactorily and made a motion for me to lean into her which I did so. She leant towards my ear and I could feel her breath tickling my skin.

"I... I like Chase," she confessed.

My mouth dropped as I registered what she said. " As in you have a crush on him?" 

She nodded in confirmation, her eyes glowing with a wide smile on her cherubic face. A grin spread onto my face as well.

"Do you think he likes me back?" She asked me, worry in her eyes.

"He'll be stupid not to," I reassured her. "You're such an amazing and beautiful girl!"

"Thank you so much Belle! You're not too bad yourself!" She giggled, pulling me into a tight hug.

I hugged her back, glad to see her so ecstatic.

//

Present

Belle's POV

Skipping school on the first day I returned wasn't such a great idea but it wasn't too bad. I was more aware of the different wolves who were from Daryl's pack. There were only about 10 of them, including Daryl, Wolf A and Wolf B, also known as Brian and Jeff respectively.

I ignored them as best as I could though I couldn't help but feel my heart pace up every time I sensed their scent nearby. The other wolves ignored me as well but I could tell Brian and Jeff were definitely upset about what had happened, I could always feel them staring daggers at me.

I tried my best not to dwell on it and focused on the person standing beside me. Not just any person, but my mate. After what happened yesterday, Adrian took it upon himself to escort me everywhere in between classes. He had his arm around me the whole time and I could feel everyone in the school staring at us.

He wasn't in a good mood I could tell, from the way his forehead creased just a little and his mouth in a tight line.

I recalled this morning when I woke up, I was surprised to find myself in my mate's room, in his arms. I had to quickly get out of there before I did anything foolish. But the whole process wasn't as easy as it seemed.

First off, he didn't have his shirt off. Fine, that was my fault since I practically ruined it for him yesterday when I cried my eyes out in his arms. I couldn't help but check him out at the same time I was trying to untangle his arms from me. Don't judge, a mate's bond always came with lust.

Then I had to stop myself from running back into his arms or kissing him. It was so difficult. You don't understand, a mate's bond is very strong. Once you find your mate, you need to constantly be around him and be with him, or you would feel very insecure and empty. It's been two years, and every single day passing only made the urge and restlessness even worse. I wondered how long more I could take hiding the truth from him. Every time I looked at him, my eyes would travel down to his lips and all I could think of was kissing him. All thanks to my wolf who doesn't understand the situation and only wants to get her way.

I sighed, breaking off my train of thoughts as the final bell rang, signalling the end of school. Everyone rushed out of the room before I even started packing.

I took my time gathering my books into my arms before making my way out. I needed to stop over thinking it. I could only do one thing at a time. And right now, I was going to go pick up Lily and spend some time with my baby sister before going home. I was more than excited for our little date.

As I exited the classroom, I was surprised to see that Adrian wasn't leaning against the wall waiting for me like he did with all my previous classes.

Before I had time to think about it, I felt a tug at my mind link. Pulling the barrier down, the voice that came into my mind was Adrian's, "I'm so sorry Belle, I know I said I was going to join you and Lily today, but something suddenly cropped up and I have to go settle it. But I won't take long. Will you be fine? Do you need someone else to accompany you? Chase is with me right now but I'm sure Eric wouldn't mind."

"Its alright Adri, I will be fine on my own. Besides, that's not the important thing. What happened, is everything alright down there?" I asked in concern.

"It's alright, I'm just settling the treaty with Daryl. I want it done as soon as possible."

"Of course," I heaved a sigh of relief, glad that nothing bad had happened.

"You be careful alright?" I could hear traces of worry from his voice.

"I promise I will, don't worry about me."

"You know that's impossible." He sighed, "alright, say hi to Lily for me. I'll call you again once I'm done."

As I had the conversation with Adri through our mind link, I had gone to my locker to put my books in. Right now, I was already on my way to Lily's school which was only a quick walk away.

Looking around the familiar surroundings where I grew up in, I felt glad to be finally back. There was a quote that had always stuck with me since I was little which said: smile and let the world wonder why.

And that was exactly what I did. Today was a great day, I should be grateful for it. I smiled at the trees, the flowers, the old ladys walking by and the small children holding on to the hands of their mother. And the most incredible thing was watching them smile back at me.

As I reached Lily's school, I was greeted by the cute little girl who had her honey blonde hair tied up in a high pony tail and a huge smile plastered on her face herself.

She squealed as she saw me, jumping onto me. I laughed, spinning her around before putting her back down onto the ground.

"Hey Tiger Lily! How was school today?" I asked, patting her head gently so that it doesn't mess up her hair.

"It was great, Belle! We learnt a lot today!" She squealed in excitement as she proceeded to tell me all about what she had learnt in school.

I smiled at her enthusiasm. Nothing beats seeing her so happy. With her small hands in mine, we started to walk towards the mall where we would go for lunch. 

Lily's eyes were shinning with happiness and her curls were bouncing as she swung our intertwined hands back and forth while we walked. There was a spring in her step and all I knew was that I was glad to be back and a part of her life again. 

"So there is this boy who kept following me around all day. He's name is Jayden and he's pretty good-looking. Almost all the girls I know is all over him," Lily said, laughing.

"Really? You better not let Eric hear you say that!" I teased.

"I know! Or else he will go overprotective on me again. We're just friends, and even if he is pretty good-looking, I don't like him like that. I think the only reason why he seems to like me is because I don't like him back." She explained, smiling cheekily.

I laughed, "That's my little sister."

Lily replied, "Of course!"

We continued walking in comfortable silence with Lily humming a small little tune. And then it hit her, like a lightning bolt in between the clouds, signalling the start of a huge rainstorm.

"AHHHHHH!" Lily let out a bloodcurdling scream and it took me a moment to quickly compose myself.

"Okay, Lily. Shhh, everything's gonna be alright okay. I'm getting Eric, he'll be right next to you. We'll be with you through the whole thing. Relax Lily, it's gonna be fine." I tried to calm her down but all I could see was her small face contorted in pain. All I wanted to do was to take it away from her. I remembered the pain I experienced from my own Transformation and there was only one word to describe it: unbearable. 

Eric, she's shifting! I told him through the mind link.

Shit, where are you guys? I'll be right there! Came his immediate reply.

I looked around and realised that we were right in the middle of a street. 18th Arwood Road, I quickly told him when I spotted the green signboard at the end of the street. My heart sank when I recalled that 27th Arwood Road was the segregation line between the two packs, but it was only effective in the woods. However, I had to bring Lily into the woods because I couldn't risk anyone seeing her shifting. 

Looking down at her, I knew I could only try my best to bring her into our territory before her transformation started. 

"Here, put your arms around me. I'm gonna get us out of here, relax Tiger Lily. I know you're strong and you're going to make it through this. I believe in you, stay strong!" With that, I piggy backed her gently before taking off into a run down the road, heading straight for 27th Arwood Road.

Her arms tightened around my neck as I ran, I could tell her transformation was going to start anytime soon. I had to bring her into the woods. Without warning, I felt her teeth sink into my shoulder blade as she muffled her scream. I cringed, holding in the pain as I continued my sprint. 

"I'm… gonna…" Lily tried to say.

"Yes, I got it. Hang in there for me sis!" I cried back as my legs turned around, bringing us into the direction of the woods. 

We didn't have a choice, hopefully the other pack would be kind and understanding. My heart was palpitating wildly as I brought my sister further into the woods where the residents would not be able to hear or see her while she shifted. 

And that was when it happened, she screamed "Belle!"

My body was hit by the force of her bones breaking and I was pushed away from her. It hurt like hell as I felt myself hitting the hard ground but I quickly got up to be by her side. "Lily, Lily. I need you to relax so that your bones can reshuffle. If you are too stiff, your muscles will prevent your bones from doing so." I tried to explain to her.

"Okay, now take deep breaths. Follow me, inhale…. exhale," I guided her with a strong calm voice even though inside, I was nothing but panicking.

"Imagine something peaceful and happy. Think of Eric. Think of his smile, his laughter, how sweet he is towards you… focus on that." I whispered gently into her ears as my hands ran through her hair comfortingly. 

"Everything's going to be okay, he's coming for you." And slowly, but surely, I witnessed her face relaxing as she thought about her mate. I breathed a silent sigh of relief but it was cut short when I heard a loud growl from behind.

I stilled, not wanting to face whoever it was. I took a deep breath and that was when I recognised who he was. I could never, in my life, ever forget his scent. The scent of the person who almost raped me… Brian.

Adrian, please come. I sent a message to him immediately as I whipped around to be greeted by those dark black eyes that haunted my sleep. 

I was not going to let him beat me again this time. The last time, I was shocked, but I knew I wasn't weak. All the trainings I did with Adrian was not to waste. I knew I was strong enough and I could beat him. I was not going to let him harm my baby sister, not after what he nearly did to me. But the rationale part of me told me that I should not be rash. RIght now, the priority was Lily. I could take my revenge another time. I should try to persuade him to leave us alone first so that I could be there for Lily. 

I turned around to see how she was doing, only to close my eyes immediately. Shivers ran down my spine as that image scarred my eyes. She was in a crouching position, her face buried by her hair and arms as she shivered violently.

"Look, we mean no harm." I said everything slowly, emphasising the words as I stared straight back into those black cold eyes.

"My sister is going through her transformation. Leave us alone. As soon as it's over, we'll be gone immediately, I promise." My voice was strong, I was not going to be weak in front of this man again.

Apparently, what I said was not enough. He continued to growl at me angrily, warning me to leave immediately. I wanted nothing but to do that too but I couldn't, not when Lily was going through her transformation. 

"We. Are. Not. Leaving. We. Can't." I stated again, my teeth gritting. 

I didn't care what he thought, I had to get back to my sister. With that, I turned around to go back to my sister but Brian seemed to have a different plan. I had a feeling he harboured very hard feelings against me after what had happened yesterday, even when it was clearly not my fault.

I was struck down as he pounced onto me from behind. Groaning, I quickly shifted and jumped away from Lily so that we wouldn't hurt her by accident. 

I narrowed my eyes at him, anger once again boiling through me with such passion and heat I was sure it could cause a wildfire. Without waiting for him to strike again, I head butted him roughly, using as much force as I could, causing him to be flung away.

I could feel Adrian tugging at my mind link but I ignored it, focusing myself on the battle in front of me. I didn't waste a moment as I ran towards him, sinking my sharp teeth into one of his hind legs. This caused him to howl out loud in pain. He was furious, I could see it in his eyes. But I couldn't back down now, I had to be strong, I urged myself. 

Before I could strike again, Brain sunk his teeth onto my shoulder, causing a burning sensation to spread throughout my body, almost setting it on fire. I held back my groan, not wanting to pleasure him in hearing me in pain. 

I ignored the blazing pain and attacked him again, this time succeeding as he had become slow in his movement from the injury on his leg. I grinned internally as he was once again flung onto the ground with a loud groan.

However, I knew he would not stop. We were werewolves, and all werewolves had one common trait - pride. We did not back down easily, it would be a disgrace to not only ourselves, but our pack as well. I hated that about us, even though I held that trait so tightly it almost felt like a tattoo on my skin. 

I cursed silently, wondering where the boys were. I had no choice, I had to injure him until he could no longer fight. That was the only way he would stop attacking us. Leaping towards him, I sunk my teeth into his stomach before flinging him away once more. The sound of bones breaking ripped through the air, causing my eyes to snap towards Lily. She was entering the last phase of the shifting, I prayed that it would be over soon.

Being distracted, i did not see Brian coming from my side and it was too late, he pinned my body down with his legs, preventing me from moving or escaping. I struggled as my mind flash backed to yesterday, reminding me of how he had held me in a similar position. No, I wasn't going to show him that I was weak, because I wasn't.

I struggled harder, my teeth snapping at him. I used all of my strength and pushed against him. I wasn't sure if it was surprise but I was able to bite into his neck, making him flinch back, releasing his grip on me. That was all I needed to push him away from him.

Just as I was thinking what move I should make next, a brown chestnut wolf swooped in, tackling him to the side. 

Adrian.

Relief flooded through me. I looked to see how Lily was and found Eric crouching next to her, whispering softly into her ear. 

Focusing back on Brian, Adrian was pinning him down this time, growling at him warningly. I could tell that Brian knew he was not going to win against an Alpha but he was struggling to admit defeat. Finally, after what seemed like ages, he bowed down his head as a sign of defeat. 

Adrian looked at him warningly before releasing him slowly. He made no move to retaliate so Adrian started to walk away from him, but that stupid bastard, being a sore loser as he was, full of pride, decided to attack him from behind. That was low, I wanted to scream at him them and warn Adrian about it.

Adri must have sensed that something was wrong but he wasn't quick enough to dodge his bite. It ended up on his leg instead of his body which Brian was most probably intending to attack. But none of that mattered, all I could feel was pain coursing through me. It came with the bond, I felt the pain my mate was bearing, especially when our bond was only growing stronger each passing day. I didn't care though, I ran towards him, concerned only about his injury but he didn't let that bring him down. He jumped up, head butting Brian away forcefully. 

Before anything could escalate into bloodshed, Daryl, so coincidentally, came into the picture, again.

I didn't know what to think. But there he stood, confident and bold, as if he owned the whole world. "What's going on?"

Adrian looked at me, so I lifted the barrier against our mind link out and explained: I tried to explain that we would leave as soon as Lily has completed her Transformation but he wouldn't listen. He attacked me first.

He nodded once, fire glowing in his eyes as he shifted back into human form. However, since he had came in a hurry, he had shifted into wolf form without taking off his clothes, causing them to be shredded into pieces; it had also happened to me since I shifted immediately after being attacked. That meant that he was standing right in the middle of the clearing, in all his naked glory. 

I turned around, so glad I wasn't in human form or my whole body would have been bright red. I focused on Lily instead, and was delighted to see her in her small sandy brown wolf form. She seemed relaxed with Eric right next to her. Relief blossomed inside my heart. She had made it through successfully.

"One of my pack members were going through her Transformation. Technically, it was breaking the treaty. However, we couldn't very well let her shift on the street in broad daylight when everyone can see us. That would be threatening the safety of all of us. We were not going to do anything in your territory and we mean no harm. If your Beta had only left us alone, we would have already returned to our territory once her Transformation was complete. Rules are flexible, I would have thought your pack would be understanding in such a situation, as we would be if it had happened to you." Adrian said, not letting Daryl or Brian interrupt him. I turned around, my eyes zoning in on the injury evident on his leg.

Daryl merely frowned as he took into the sight in front of him, he didn't even seem a slightest worried about his next in command, lying injured on the ground. 

"We're sorry about it, I'm sure Brian meant no harm." Daryl explained calmly, a grin on that annoying face of his.

MEANT NO HARM? I screamed in my head, wanting nothing but to rip him up into pieces, and that was saying something since I was never a violent person.

Adrian clearly shared the same sentiments as me but chose to ignore them. "Really?" It was Eric who spoke up instead. "Then how do you explain the injuries - "

Adrian held up a hand to stop him. He must not want to have the two packs in any more conflicts and tension than it already had even though he was furious himself. 

"Well, at least everyone's alright now, aren't we?" Daryl asked, a challenging tone hidden in it. "Besides, her Transformation was completed. Noting to fret about. Now, I was actually wanting to talk to you guys about this, we are having a party this Saturday, and we, the Dark Fire Pack, would like to invite you guys, the Moon Light Pack to join us. It could be a formal introduction between us packs."

My frustration level rose, how could he just brush it off as if nothing important had happened? 

Adrian continued to hold himself well as he replied, "I'll let them know about the invitation. For now, it's best that we leave." With a last nod, he shifted into his wolf and turned around, signalling us to follow him back to the pack house.

With one last hateful glare at the pair, I turned on my heels. 

*~*

As soon as we reached the pack house, our injuries were mostly healed. That was one of the best advantages of being a werewolf. I brought Lily to my room to guide her in shifting back. Eric had already taught her to use her mind link but she hadn't said anything to me yet. I was a little worried but I decided to let her be.

Once she had successfully shifted back, the first thing she did was jump onto me and put her face against my chest to muffle herself as she let out a scream of excitement. 

"Eric is my mate!" She squealed in delight.

I smiled back at her, "That's great! Have you told him yet?"

"No! I don't know how to, what do I do? Just go there and say: guess what, I really am your mate?" She asked, nervous.

"Yes, that's what you should do. The longer you drag, the harder it will be to tell him." I replied truthfully, my mind going back to two years ago.

She nodded her head slowly, still unsure.

"Don't worry. Just tell him, he is waiting for you. If you don't tell him now, he may start to doubt whether you are mates. If you want, I can always go with you for support?" I suggested.

Her mouth was set in a straight line as she pondered about it. After a while, she looked up at me, "It's alright, I think I can handle this alone. You're right, I'll go tell him now."

I gave her a huge hug. "You're so grown up now aren't you? You had your Transformation and your very own mate!" I laughed.

She smiled back sheepishly. "Don't worry, I won't forget you even then."

Laughing, I planted a huge kiss on her cheek, "Better do it now before you don't allow me to do it anymore!"

She faked disgust before breaking out into a wide smile. "Thank you for just now, for being with me and defending me from that bad wolf. I wouldn't have - "

I stopped her before she could continue, "What are you talking about? I'm your sister, I would do anything for you in a heartbeat. No need to get all formal with me now."

She grinned back happily. 

"Alright, go on now, Eric's waiting!" I urged her.

She nodded her head and left. 

When she had left, I let out a huge sigh, of relief? Not so much. Exhaustion probably - after all that had happened. I fell back onto my bed and groaned. The third day back home and I've already been through more than I had in the past year.

"Are you alright?" Adri asked, leaning against the edge of my door casually. But I knew better.

"I'm fine, just tired." I replied, looking up at my ceiling. 

He didn't move, neither did I. It was a comfortable silence as we were deep in our thoughts. It was me who broke it first.

"So what are we going to do about them?" I asked, not moving to face him.

He let out a deep breath as he moved forward to lie down on my bed, next to me.

"This is what I used to do when you weren't around. I bet you noticed my scent when you first came back."

I didn't say anything, and he continued, "Just looking at the ceiling, thinking about you, about us." 

He laughed, "Now I don't have to. It's hard to believe."

"Well, believe it. I'm staying here for good."

I knew he was only trying to get the conversation flowing before we talked about them. "So, the Dark Fire Pack." He started, stress evident in his voice.

"They're definitely up to no good." I stated calmly, not having the energy to feel anything about it anymore.

"I know, but we don't have any evidence. There's nothing we can do about it, at all."

That was when Chase barged in. 

"Guys, I just heard what happened. You guys okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Alive and kicking," Adrian replied, smiling.

"At least you can still joke, that means everything's good." He was about to leave when Adri stopped him.

"You're here at the right moment, we are discussing some things about the Dark Fire Pack. Join us."

Chase nodded, settling himself on the other side of me. We were squeezed together on my small bed and it was a miracle it didn't just collapse, considering how heavy those two weighed.

"What's up?" He asked as all of us faced the ceiling.

I filled him up on what happened at the clearing and the invitation for us to join them at their party.

"I don't like them, they're up to no good." He said once I finished my story.

"Exactly what I said," I pointed out.

Adri laughed, "Yes and I said that there's nothing we can do about it. I think we should join the party."

I wanted to argue but decided to let him finish what he wanted to say.

"Daryl's right. We need to have a formal introduction within us two packs. At the same time, we have to be very careful with them. We will go to the party and observe them, see if we can find anything about them. That's the only thing we can do right now. Until we find any evidence, we can't report them to the council."

My heart sank. I didn't want to sit back and not do anything, but he was right. I only hoped it wouldn't be too late by then.  

"Yeah, you're right. But their pack only has 10 people and they're mostly teens and young adults. I have a feeling their definition of party is not the same as ours." Chase explained, "I heard them talking about stocking up their alcohol supply in school today."

"I had a feeling so. I guess we will just get the teenagers to go, but we will have to warn them beforehand." Adrian said.

"But if we tell them about it, there will be some tension between us and they will definitely notice." I pointed out.

"But if we don't, we can't make sure nothing's gonna happen to them." Chase rebutted.

"They're all guys aren't they?" I asked.

"Yes. Ten of them," Chase confirmed.

"Then let's warn the guys and have them watch out for the girls because if something were to happen, they're gonna target them." I suggested. "We have 10 of us too. The four boys plus the four of us, I mean…." I stopped short.

"Plus Nicole and Anne." Chase continued.

"Alright, then Chase can look after Darlene." I suggested, hoping it wasn't too obvious.

"And I'll look after my Bella, Eric Nicole and Taylor Anne. That's the best that we can do." Adri finalised, "I'll run it through my dad afterwards."

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