Page 9 of Beta and the Beast (Beastverse #2)

Henry

" W here did you say Sarah was going tonight?" I ask Sam as I duck back into the coffee shop's small storage closet to help Gabe set up the new filtration system.

Gabe's been on cloud nine since Sarah's pretty beta friend asked for his number.

My cousin is a good guy, and I wouldn't have him or his guys working in the bakery or Sarah's shop and home if they weren't. That doesn't mean they're not idiots.

I can't believe one of his guys was trying to mark the whole coffee shop because he thought Hazel was attractive.

I don't hold it against him, considering Romulus and I want to fill the air with our scent whenever we see Sarah, but that's different. We want her forever.

"She didn't tell me, and not to be an ass, but it's none of your business.

" Sam is being gentle with me. A lot more gentle than I deserve since his sister felt it safer to call him and have him babysit me than she did to allow me in here on my own or even with her watching.

I'm hoping it's because she already had plans and not because she feels threatened by me.

She was aroused. If anything, you're wasting our opportunities by not pinning her against something and rutting her.

Classy.

She doesn't need classy. She needs a good alpha fuck.

I close my eyes and rub my temples. Thankfully, there's work to be done to keep my mind off of Romulus lusting after Sarah all the time.

"You know anything about her friend?" Gabe calls out, earning him a short growl from me.

I don't want anyone to know anything about Sarah and, by extension, anything about her friends. It's a weird possessive quirk I will not let get out of control. Gabe only snorts at me, not taking my growl seriously because Romulus hasn't shown up, and he also knows we hate fighting.

"Hazel?" Sam calls. "She's best friends with my sister, works at some alpha club, and isn't afraid to tell someone to go fuck themselves regardless of dynamic. Why?"

"No reason," Gabe says right as I respond with, "She asked for his number."

Sam's quiet for a long moment as Gabe shoots me a glare that tells me he would murder me if he could.

We finish setting up the ventilation system in the coffee shop, and I turn it on to check to make sure it's working.

By the time we leave the closet, Sam's checking his texts.

He looks up at us with a stupid smile on his face.

"Sarah says that Hazel was serious about wanting your number," Sam says before returning his attention to his phone.

"What?" Gabe shouts the question. "Did you ask her? I'm not trying to look like some insecure child."

"Well, I figured you weren't sure if she was serious after I told you she worked at a club." Sam shrugs, not seeing fault in his logic.

I let Gabe blabber on about how it makes him look pathetic for a bit longer while I grab the second ventilation system. When I bring it inside, Gabe is pink-cheeked and still looking embarrassed to be read so easily by Sam.

"You ready to take us upstairs?" I ask.

Sam gives me a short nod before locking up the front entrance to the coffee shop.

He shows us the back way into the alley behind the store to a locked gate that leads to the apartment stairwell for the apartments for the coffee shop and the bakery.

Technically, we own the apartment above the bakery, too, but there's no reason for us to use it.

Yes, there is.

No good reason.

It's the best reason. Don't you want to be as close to her as possible right now? What if she has an emergency? Don't you want to be the first to offer her comfort and safety?

Don't pretend like you care about her comfort and safety.

Romulus growls inside of us. Safety and comfort are important. I wish to care for her. And yes, those cares are also of a sexual nature, but all the others as well. You feel it, too. Don't deny it.

"No stinking up my sister's home." Sam gives me a pointed look as he inserts the key into the door.

"I make no promises," I tell him, holding my hands out to show I'm not trying to cause issues. I don't know if I can contain myself when I'm in her space. "There's a good chance Romulus comes out as soon as we're inside."

"And there's no way you'll just let Gabe go in alone?" Sam asks, his voice resigned already.

Romulus is out and snarling at the idea of another alpha in our beta's home. " Mine. " He bites out the word, directing it at Sam and then to Gabe, who's already looking at the ground and offering his neck.

"I can't believe you've been able to stay away as long as you have," Sam mutters as he pushes the door open. "Between you and Fenrir, you're showing that beasts have some pretty good self-control."

" Have to so I can bend the little beta in half. She's not ready for me yet, but she will be. "

I groan inwardly at Romulus's crude remark and wait for Sam to swing on us for talking about his sister that way.

Instead, he's typing away on his phone as he stands in the doorway.

It's almost like he's trying his best to ignore Romulus.

Smart. Nothing Sam does is going to make Romulus not want Sarah.

" I need to check the apartment, " Romulus says, not waiting for anyone to acknowledge him before he's off to the single bedroom in the apartment.

It's not a very big place, but he already knows where he wants to spend all of his time. No one stops us. It's not like they could even if they wanted to. Gabe's working on installing the new filtration system while I explore.

" If I were a little beta, where would I hide my sex toys? " Romulus muses to himself, quietly enough that no one else in the apartment can hear. He's only saying it out loud to annoy me. " I'm also saying it out loud to get you used to her being ours. You pin too much of this infatuation on me. "

Romulus rifles through her dresser drawers, not being quiet at all. The other two have to know we're snooping through Sarah's stuff right now, and if I were Sam, I'd be pissed. Instead, he's answering a phone call and stepping outside.

Romulus stays absolutely frozen, listening to the creak of the stairs down to the alley as Sam takes them. It isn't until he's confident that Sam's down in the alley that he works double time to find what he wants.

" Should've brought her a gift. A vibrator with a knot, maybe.

I bet she'd love to tease herself with it.

" Romulus says as he continues rifling through her drawers.

He finds her underwear first and acts like a total heathen as he grabs handfuls of them and lifts them to his nose to inhale.

" Too clean, " he murmurs, his eyes darting toward the laundry hamper.

Romulus, do not go through her dirty laundry.

Fine, fine, only because I'm searching for her toys. I want to fantasize about her using them. I bet she thinks of me when she does.

Our cock stiffens to near-painful levels at the thought of Sarah in her bed, all spread out, writhing in ecstasy as she imagines it's us bringing her all of that pleasure.

Before I know what's happening, Romulus has our khakis unzipped and our cock in his hand, pumping us furiously as he staggers over to Sarah's bed.

No, Romulus. Fuck no!

Mark her. Mate her. Make her mine.

Grab a fucking towel or something then.

No.

I struggle to regain control of our body. Romulus and I both know there's no way I'm strong enough to take over, especially not when he's about to climax. He grabs a handful of her blankets and tosses them lower on the bed.

Oh, fuck me, the first string of our come lands on her pillow. A second, third, fourth, he unloads our release onto her pillow, all the while imagining her coming home, seeing it, and riding the mess and her pillow to completion.

Get the pillowcase off and hide it.

Fine, fine. Ruin all the fun.

Romulus moves to grab the pillowcase right as Gabe calls for us from the living room. "Hey, I got this all installed. We're good to go."

I want to call out and tell him to give me a second, but Sam's back in the apartment, and he doesn't need to know that I just came all over his sister's pillow.

Not only that, but I've pumped her tiny apartment full of my pheromones.

If she isn't horny when she comes home, she will be when she gets a whiff of it.

Most alpha pheromones don't work the same on betas as on omegas, but Sarah likes how I smell, or maybe that's wishful thinking.

Either way, the new ventilation system should clear our scent up.

Can't have that.

Romulus leaves the pillow where it is, a new goal I gave him at the forefront of his mind.

" Let me check to make sure it's working, " Romulus says, stepping over the ventilation system and demanding I tell him how to turn it off.

I demand nothing. You're thinking about wanting it off, so our little beta is wet and needy for us all night. Get her used to our scent so she craves it. So she craves us.

I don't even argue with Romulus because he's right. I do want Sarah to crave us. I want her to do all the wicked and dirty things Romulus pictures her doing. I just wish she also wanted them.

She's a beta. I only need to convince her. Seduce her. Whatever you want to call it.

I groan as our fingertips work over the ventilation system. We turn it off and then add a password key to it, so even if Sarah does want to turn it on, she won't know how. Not without contacting us.

It's fucked up. I know it. Romulus knows it. And a part of me is pretty sure Sam and Gabe know we're doing it, too.

Romulus stares them both down as we leave. Gabe doesn't look at us, and Sam gives us a shake of his head, even though a smirk is playing on his lips. I follow them both out of the apartment.

"When my sister finds out how obsessed you are, she's going to run," Sam tells Romulus. There's no condemnation in his voice, no concern. He's stating a fact, nothing else about it.

" I like to chase, " Romulus answers, his tone is the opposite of unaffected. He wants Sarah more than he wants anything else, and the mere idea of her not wanting him in the same way is enough to make him spiral.

"She's a strong-willed woman," Sam tells us, spinning his keys around his pointer finger. "Just remember that. You can't break her."

" No plans on breaking her, " Romulus says, his snarl fading. He shakes his head. " No breaking. "

Sam gives us a final nod before hopping into his car. As he's driving away, we help Gabe pack everything up in the work truck. He's on edge since Romulus is still out. Romulus is only out because he doesn't want us to go home tonight.

" I hope you and the little beta enjoy one another, " Romulus says, trying to be polite to our cousin as he hops in the work truck.

Gabe gives him a confused look before replying. "Hazel?"

" Sure, yes, the other beta. " Romulus flutters his hand in the air like it isn't important. Gabe bites back his smile before giving Romulus some much-needed advice since he's so keen on trying to impress a beta.

"You should call your beta's friends by their names, Romulus. They like it when you care about who they care about."

" I care about my little beta, no one else. "

"Mhm, well, she's going to think you're an ass." Gabe closes the truck door before Romulus can lunge for him. He throws his head back and laughs as Romulus snarls at him through the window.

"I'm just helping you out!" Gabe shouts through the glass. There's no way he's rolling it down when Romulus could lunge for him again. "Take my advice or don't. I'm just trying to help you impress a woman."

Romulus snarls at him again and doesn't stop until Gabe pulls away from the shops, his laugh still ringing in our ears as we watch him drive down the street.

Romulus watches the road with narrowed eyes until the truck disappears.

Then, he's running to the back alley, opening the locked gate with our key, and settling on the floor of the empty apartment above the bakery.

Sarah will have to come home eventually, and he's willing to wait for her all night if he needs to.