Page 18 of A Second Chance for the Beta

“Yes.” I type.

“Ella.” Dante’s voice reaches my ears, and he carefully touches my shoulder. “We are landing soon.”

I blink my eyes open, feeling slightly disoriented. Dante has booked us first-class tickets again, giving us some privacy, and it takes a while for me to realize that we are in an airplane.

“Are you okay?” he asks, worry clouding his green eyes. “First it felt like you weren’t, but then you… I don’t know… Did you have a bad dream?”

“Just memories haunting me,” I admit, wrapping my arm around my necklace. It’s the one I inherited from my mom. Ever since I found it in her belongings, I haven’t taken it off. It just gives me some peace of mind to wear it. “I dreamed of the day my old alpha kicked me out of the pack and had me stay on my own in town. It was the time Annie befriended me. It was all so confusing back then because they harassed and beat me for years before that, but on that day, everything changed.”

Dante entwines our fingers, his eyes looking at me sadly. “I’m sorry you had to go through so much as a child.”

I frown. “You know… I’m starting to think that my dad did have plans to protect me,” I admit. “The small apartment and the money he put aside for me for college fees. He managed to hide it from Alpha Marcus back in the day. Back then I was really confused about what was going on. But now I know it was Emmet secretly watching out for me and my parents being prepared for the worst-case scenario,” I say. “And that my shit alpha was scared when he realized Annie was befriending me.”

“The luna came from an important family, didn’t she?” Dante asks.

“Her father was and still is an elite warrior and almost chosen as beta. He has always been very well-liked by his pack and a good friend of his alpha. Back then I didn’t understand pack politics, but now I know Alpha Marcus didn’t want any attention on the pack and on what he was doing. He was terrified of me befriending Annie and telling her about what was happening. And he couldn’t get rid of me anymore without raising suspicions.”

“And making you rogue would have raised attention too,” Dante concludes. “Emmet probably spread some rumors about Annie’s family. He waited for the right time to get you off the pack grounds. Seems like he played it right.”

“Sly old man,” I say with a smile, warmth filling me. Growing up, I felt a lot of resentment towards everyone. I hated my parents for leaving me alone; I hated the pack and every single member of it; I hated everyone around me. That was until I met Annie and later Dave.

It’s not like my life magically turned well from meeting them. Being alone tampered with the relationship to my wolf. When I turned seventeen, and Nefeli awoke, we were barely able to connect because I’d been on my own for so long. It was just my gift that stopped her from going feral. She was able to put a cocoon over her mind to protect herself and prevent us from going crazy due to the loneliness.

“I wish I could have known you back then,” Dante says.

“If you had known me back then, it would have been creepy,” I tease. “You are almost ten years older than me. Imagine, we would have met when I was in school.”

Dante scrunches his nose. “Right, forget that I even said anything. This just made me look like a creep.”

“While it was hard to grow up the way I did, I also met Annie and Dave that way,” I say. “And then we freed Red Claw, and I met you as an adult.”

“Did you ever feel it’s weird that I’m older than you, that you were my second chance instead of my first?”

“No,” I lean my head against his shoulder. “You were so patient and kind and waited for me to open up to the idea of having a mate, of being able to rely on someone.”

“You were a gift,” Dante says. “To me you were a gift. After I lost my first mate, after Maria died, I thought I would never be able to be happy again. Then you came along.”

“I don’t know the kind of childhood Charlie had up to now,” I say. “But I want to find him and make sure he grows up safe and loved. It seems like Dad was more prepared than I gave him credit for, so maybe he did take precautions.”

Dante nods. “After everything I know and you told me, I strongly believe he did.”

Dante and I make sure to grab our luggage and try to find a cab to take us to our hotel. It’s then that Nefeli stirs in my mind, sending goosebumps over my arms. It’s almost like I feel cold for a moment.

Do you feel that?I link Dante.

Feel what?

It’s like someone is watching us,I mutter, carefully glancing around while trying not to be too suspicious.

No, I don’t feel it.Dante says.But if you do, then Nefeli caught up on something. We should take it seriously.

I can almost see his beta senses kicking in, and I love him for it. I love that he takes me seriously instead of telling Nefeli and me that we are paranoid. That weird dream and walk down memory lane made us a bit emotional. Yet, he doesn’t question us.

Can you feel from which side they are watching us?

I allow Nefeli’s senses to come out further, stretching our mind’s capacity. With Liam’s help, I’ve been able to train it. It works like a scan now, like our mind expanding and carefully touching on our surroundings to see what’s lingering in the dark.Left side,I mutter.

That’s where the exit to the taxis is,Dante mutters. He puts his arm around my shoulder and kisses me, putting on a playful front.We are going to take the subway.