Page 40 of Bonding with the Beta (Fated Souls #2)

40

KAYDEN

“ O kay, in this box, we’ve got kid’s clothes and shoes,” Jaxon says as he taps the cardboard box with his hand. “And these are women's clothes and other necessities.”

The Alpha of the new pack in our district, Cole, looks beyond grateful, his eyes crinkling as we work around the donations we’ve managed to collect to help them to settle into their new home after having nothing. “Thank you,” he says before taking his wife's hand. “You have no idea what your kindness means for us.”

Jaxon smiles in return. “I know what it’s like to feel like no one wants to help. I don’t want you guys going through that as well. It’s good to have you in the district. If there is anything else we can do, let us know.”

“Oh, you’ve done more than enough for us.” Priscilla, his wife, places a hand over her chest. “We’ve needed a new start for a while, and you are our saviours.”

Cole nods. “We must return the favour.”

Jaxon dismisses his idea. “All I ask is that we can join forces as an alliance and know that we have each other's back in this district. We’re strong, but with you, we could be even stronger.”

“Agreed.” Cole claps a hand on Jaxon’s back.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I step away to find Kayleigh’s name on the screen. It’s late, but I know she’s been out celebrating with Evie. My thumbs fly across the screen as I reply, and her responses come right back.

“Get off your phone.” Jaxon’s jaw tenses as he steps to my side. “We’re here to help, not to seem uninterested.”

I glance at him “Give me a second. I’m texting Kayleigh.”

Jaxon hums and returns to Cole and Priscilla.

Kayleigh:

I can’t wait to see you.

Kayden:

I can’t wait to see you either

Three dots appear after my text for a few moments. I wait for her to finish typing, but she doesn’t. I frown but shove my phone back into my pocket and start helping the volunteers separate the boxes into the correct piles.

An elderly woman tells me where to place the items, but instead of listening, my mind is completely distracted. Bright lights and high-pitched noises start blasting inside my head. For a moment, I’m blind and subject to the sound of the sirens erupting in my brain. My ears feel like they’re about to bleed.

I groan and step back.

Something is wrong.

Something is severely wrong.

And all I can think about is Kayleigh.

Fire burns its way through my blood, devouring my body in what I thought at first was pain, but it’s actually deep distress and fear. I scratch the back of my head when small glimpses of Kayleigh’s voice float through my mind like I can hear her thoughts, but she’s not thinking them—she’s saying them.

“Something’s wrong,” I say as I make a beeline to Jaxon.

He smiles politely at Cole and draws me to one side for some privacy. “Have you lost your mind? We are here to help; not for anything els?—”

“Kayleigh,” I blurt when the loudness inside my head becomes almost unbearable. “Something is wrong with Kayleigh. I-I need to go.”

“What?”

I step back. “Please just trust me. I need to go. I’m sorry.”

Without looking back, I rush towards my car and slip into the driver’s side, digging for my keys and slamming them into the ignition. I’m not far from her university, and the second I press my foot down on the acceleration, I don’t think. I don’t have time to think at all.

Kayleigh is my only priority right now.

You best tell me everything's okay when you get to her, Jaxon’s voice booms through my head. He’s not pleased, but I am not ignoring these signs.

I will. I’m sorry.

The second I get onto the main road, I race down the country lanes. The hairs on my arms begin to stand as I fidget in my seat, becoming more and more uncomfortable with every second that ticks by.

Every second I’m not there.

When I see her building in the far distance, I barely have a chance to rip my keys out and park before I race up to her dorm room. My feet move at double speed as I almost trip over myself.

I burst into her room, thanking the Goddess it wasn’t locked. My eyes take in the scene in front of me. Kayleigh’s quiet whimpers wrap around my sternum as I stare at the back of a tall frame, shoving her into the wall aggressively. His vile hands roam her body.

My nostrils flare as I step forward as he says, “Why do you have to be such a bitch, Kayleigh? No one is going to want you. No one is going to stick around for you.”

I grab onto the back of his T-shirt, and within a second, I rip him from Kayleigh with only half my strength. He might be tall, but I’m taller. He stumbles into me as I shove him back against the opposite wall, my fists tightening into the collar of his top.

“I swear, if you ever touch her again, I will fucking kill you.” I seethe.

As I stare back into his bloodshot eyes, I don’t have to guess who he is. I recognise his face from around campus when Kayleigh pretended not to know who he was.

He flashes me a lazy grin as if he’s asking for trouble. “She begged me to come around. Don’t get it fool–”

Without giving him a chance to finish his sentence, I pull back my fist and punch him until blood splatters against the wall. The sound of bone crunches beneath my knuckles, and the rush through my body is blissful.

Before he has time to recover, I throttle him with his own collar and push him even further back. His head hits the brick wall, and his face turns sickly pale due to the lack of oxygen.

I’d happily let him die.

I’ve killed men before.

Yet I haven’t killed someone who touched what’s mine.

Maybe it’s time to change that.

“I dare you to say another fucking word, you piece of shit,” I spit in his face.

He struggles against my hold, most likely amazed at the strength I have against him. I wait for him to say something stupid so I can punch him again and again but he doesn’t reply. Coward.

“If you even look at my girl again, I will fucking rip you limb from limb.” I slam him against the wall again, his head smashing into the bricks. “Do you understand me?”

He groans in pain. He better be in pain. He touched her.

He. Fucking. Touched. Her.

Goddess, I want to tear him apart.

Anger bubbles through my veins, and I punch him again, blood trickling down his face and over his chin. His eyes are now partially closed, and I release him before I get carried away.

“Do you fucking understand me?”

“Yes,” he chokes.

He scrambles out of the door, not looking back once.

I twist my head to Kayleigh, who is trembling across the room. Her eyes are damp from tears that have stained her cheeks. I cradle her face in my hands and give her a quick once-over, looking for anywhere he could have hurt her.

If he had, I wouldn’t hesitate to drag him back here and finish the job.

“Did he hurt you?” I demand, her blue eyes watching me, and I notice a glimmer of relief in them. “Kayleigh, I need you to tell me if he hurt you.”

She shakes her head. “N-no, he just scared me.”

I wrap my arms around her. She buries her face into my chest, and I press a kiss to the crown of her head. My hand gently smooths over her back, and I hold her tight.

All I want her to know is I would do anything and everything to protect her.

I will never let anyone hurt her—not again.

“Come on,” I say as I slowly remove myself from her, gripping her arms. “Pack some things. There is no way in hell I’m letting you stay here tonight.”

Kayleigh trembles. “Okay.”

I grab one of her travel bags and help her pack some clothes and toiletries. I watch her carefully, but I can tell she’s not thinking straight. How can she after her ex-boyfriend tried to assault her?

My breathing begins to increase, and I clench my fists, lowering my wolf’s anger. He might not accept her as his mate, but he knows I have a deep connection with her, which makes him want to protect her as much as I do.

As I take the bag from her hand and we walk to the door, she pauses.

“Kayleigh,” I say softly.

Her eyes finally meet mine, and the sadness behind them almost defeats me. “He was lying,” she murmurs.

“What are you talking about?”

Her lips tremble, and her eyes squeeze shut. “When he said I begged him to come over. I didn’t. I didn–”

Tears fall from her eyes, and my heart shatters. I cup the side of her neck, and she eventually peels open her lids. The worry of not believing her settles on her expression. It’s pained and uncomfortable and I despise it. Her eyes practically beg me to see the truth in her words.

“You think I’d believe anything that comes out of that prick’s mouth?” I quirk a brow. “I know you, Kayleigh. I know you’d never do that to me.”

She takes a shuddering breath of relief, and I take her hand, tugging her out of her dorm room before she turns around to lock it. We walk down to the car park, where I open the passenger’s side for her.

When I sit in the driver’s side, she’s curled up into a ball in her seat, resting her head against the window. I start the engine and drive off silently.

We are on our way back now. Sorry for bailing. I mindlink Jaxon.

Everything okay?

No. Kayleigh’s ex-boyfriend. It was a mess. I almost killed the guy. My fingers grip the steering wheel tighter.

Shit. She okay?

She's not hurt, but she’s shaken.

I’ll see you at home.

I roll a hand down the curve of my temple and glance over at Kayleigh. Her eyes are shut, and she wraps herself up in her arms. My chest begins to bleed from the inside out.

When I pull up outside the pack house, I slip around to the passenger door and crack it open. She stirs from her sleep and rubs her eyes. “Sorry,” she murmurs, and I shake my head.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”

I take her hand as she undoes her seatbelt and exits the car. We approach the front door, and I silently take her upstairs. She perches on the edge of my bed as I lower her bag to the floor beside her.

“Can I borrow your clothes?” she whispers.

“Yeah,” I say as I grab a T-shirt and pair of sweatpants from my wardrobe. “Here.”

Her fingers cling to the fabric. “Thanks. I’ve got a pounding headache.”

“I’ll go grab you some water and paracetamol, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Kayleigh merely nods before I press a kiss to her forehead and leave my room to head downstairs to the kitchen. Ava and Jaxon are standing whispering at the island, and as soon as they see me, Ava walks in my direction. “How is she?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “She’s in shock. See how she feels in the morning.”

I grab a glass and fill it with water before rummaging in the cupboards for some tablets.

“How did you know something was wrong?” Jaxon asks.

I glance in his direction. “There was this overwhelming pressure inside my brain. It’s like all my senses were heightened and were trying to get my attention, then I started hearing her voice. It was weird, really weird.”

Ava blinks at my words. “That’s like a…fated mate reaction.”

“I know.”

“And she’s not?”

My head shakes. “She’s not, but she’s clearly something else.”

“And you still haven’t gone to see the elders?” Jaxon folds his arms over his chest.

“Quite honestly, Jaxon, I haven’t had the time.”

He stares back at me with narrowed eyes.

“I know what I feel for her,” I state. “Regardless of what they tell me, I know I want to be with her, so it’s not going to change anything.”

Ava’s face softens, and she steps towards me. “Tell her I’m always here, okay?”

“Of course. I should get back to her.”

When I head upstairs to my bedroom, I push open the door and find Kayleigh tucked beneath my sheets. I place the water and tablets on the bedside table and remove my clothes before climbing in beside her.

“Hey,” I whisper.

“Hey,” she croaks. “I’m so tired.”

I wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head over and over as she slots in against my chest perfectly. “Get some sleep,” I murmur into her hair. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

“Okay.”

“For as long as I live, I will never let anything happen to you. I will fight anyone who tries to harm you because you mean so much to me, Kayleigh.”

She sniffles and clings to me. “I’d fight anyone who tries to harm you, too.”

I crack a small laugh. “Then we’re settled for life then, aren’t we?”

“Yeah,” she whispers before falling asleep in my arms.