Beyond Beta's Rejection, page 1
Beyond Beta's Rejection
Book 1 of the Divine Order Series
Aisling Elizabeth
Copyright ©2021 by Aisling Elizabeth
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Cover Design by Get Covers (www.getcovers.com)
For Lacey and Finley, my two beautiful werewolf obsessed children. This book and everything is for you and because of you.
But please stop howling, the neighbours already think we are weird.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Content Warning
Chapter 1
1. Chapter 2
2. Chapter 3
3. Chapter 4
4. Chapter 5
5. Chapter 6
6. Chapter 7
7. Chapter 8
8. Chapter 9
9. Chapter 10
10. Chapter 11
11. Chapter 12
12. Chapter 13
13. Chapter 14
14. Chapter 15
15. Chapter 16
16. Chapter 17
17. Chapter 18
18. Chapter 19
19. Chapter 20
20. Chapter 21
21. Chapter 22
22. Chapter 23
23. Chapter 24
24. Chapter 25
25. Chapter 26
26. Chapter 27
27. Chapter 28
28. Chapter 29
29. Chapter 30
30. Chapter 31
31. Chapter 32
32. Chapter 33
33. Chapter 34
34. Chapter 35
35. Chapter 36
36. Chapter 37
37. Chapter 38
38. Chapter 39
39. Chapter 40
40. Chapter 41
41. Chapter 42
42. Chapter 43
43. Chapter 44
44. Chapter 45
45. Chapter 46
46. Chapter 47
47. Chapter 48
48. Chapter 49
49. Chapter 50
50. Chapter 51
51. Chapter 52
52. Chapter 53
53. Chapter 54
54. Chapter 55
55. Chapter 56
56. Chapter 57
57. Chapter 58
58. Chapter 59
59. Chapter 60
60. Chapter 61
61. Chapter 62
62. Chapter 63
63. Chapter 64
64. Chapter 65
65. Chapter 66
66. Chapter 67
67. Chapter 68
68. Chapter 69
69. Chapter 70
70. Chapter 71
71. Chapter 72
72. Chapter 73
73. Chapter 74
74. Chapter 75
75. Chapter 76
76. Chapter 77
77. Chapter 78
78. Chapter 79
79. Chapter 80
80. Chapter 81
81. Chapter 82
Chapter 83
About Aisling Elizabeth
Also By Aisling Elizabeth
Acknowledgments
I want to thank my best friend Bre. Even though we are miles apart, I couldn’t have done this without your support while I ranted and told you every aspect of the story, and enjoyed your reactions to when I decided to kill you know who, and for constantly telling me that I am a good writer. Also, my other bestie Fay, for listening to my read through of chapters, making sure I ate and that I had the important real-life information, while I lived in my fantasy world.
To my fellow weavers Sydney and Tiffany, Emma and Steph in Concussion Recovery (all those slamming into walls really will do our characters damage someday) and all the support from my Puzzle Pieces in my group. Thank you for your amazing support and encouragement. Lastly, and more importantly, to my readers. Because without you and your continued support this would just be a pile of unfinished papers.
Content Warning
This book contains the potentially triggering elements listed below. If any of these elements are triggers for you please be cautious when reading. I try to be sensitive with the content and nothing is included for gratuitous reasons.
Sexual, physical and emotional violence.
Kidnapping.
Death of character.
Manipulation
An extra less conventional content warning. This book is based on a character that goes through a “weak to strong” transition. Character development is super important here and the main character could be perceived as “extremely weak” in the first part of the book. I assure you that if you continue to read though this you will see her come out of this “weak” phase and into a much stronger person. Yes, this part had to be involved so that you saw the weight of her development.
The book is set in the UK and is written and edited in UK English.
Chapter 1
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 ha
“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.
Chapter 2
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.
