The Beta Read online

  Nodding, I exit his office and head for my room, desperate to get some sleep before facing my mother in the morning.

  Sipping my coffee, I transfer my steak from the skillet onto the plate. I don’t usually have steak for breakfast, but I thought I’d treat myself since my nightmare woke me up earlier than I planned. After a shower and throwing my sheets in the wash, it wasn’t even close to five in the morning. I ended up watching television until my stomach started protesting. It’s seven in the morning now, still earlier than when I usually leave my house to deal with pack issues for the day but that’s okay. With enough coffee and a hearty meal, the lack of sleep won’t be much of a problem for me. I’ll still be able to get through the day.

  Hearing the faint ringing of my phone, I head into my bedroom and grab it off the nightstand where it’s charging. Seeing my sister’s name on the screen, I try not to groan out loud. On the bright side, at least it isn’t mom and dad calling. Pasting a smile on my face despite knowing she won’t see it, I answer the call with an overly cheery voice. “Hi sis, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “Cut the shit, Negan. I know you’re faking how happy you are to hear my voice. In fact, I bet you’re trying to smile like a normal person but in reality, it just makes you look constipated.”

  Laughing out loud, I shake my head and say, “It does not make me look constipated.”

  “It does. How else would I know you’re faking?”

  “Well, we did grow up together so I’m sure you know my tells just like I know yours. It’s why you can’t beat me at cards. You can’t poker face for shit.”

  “No, you cheat.”

  “I do not.”

  “Yes, you do. You’re a card shark little bro.”

  “That’s just raw talent. Not cheating.”

  “Uh huh, sure. Like I’ll ever believe that.”

  “So, why are you calling this early? It’s rare for you to be awake before noon.”

  “Oh hush. I’m calling because I have someone, I want you to meet.”

  “Please tell me you aren’t trying to set me up again.”

  “Where would you get that idea?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, from the last four blind dates you sent me on that ended in disaster?”

  “They weren’t that bad.”

  “Really? How about the one who threw wine in my face because I wouldn’t agree to a threesome with her and her boyfriend? Or the one who planted a cockroach in her soup, so we’d get a free meal? Or last week’s disaster who pretended to slip and fall and said she was going to sue me for injuries because I pushed her?”

  “Okay…so they were kind of bad, but this time will be different, I swear.”

  “Not gonna happen.”

  “Come on, Nee, it’s just one date.”

  “No.”

  “I know losing Amelia was hard, Nee, but you can’t let it stop you from moving on. You deserve to be happy.”

  “It wouldn’t be the same.”

  “No, it wouldn’t be an all-encompassing kind of love but at least it would be something. As your older sister, I can’t just stand by and watch you live the rest of your life alone without someone to share it with. Just, give the girl a chance okay? If you don’t like her or things go badly, I’ll let it go, but you have to try.”

  Sighing, I say, “Fine.”

  She squeals happily, and I know I fell right into her trap. She’s always had a way of getting me to do what she wants. “Great, I’ll tell Jenna you’ll meet her tonight at seven at the usual restaurant. Don’t be late.”

  “Wait…I can’t do tonight.”

  “Why not?”

  “I have a meeting this afternoon.”

  “Postpone it.”

  “I can’t do that. It’s a strategy meeting for the next lab raid.”

  “Fine…I’ll tell her you’ll meet her for lunch then. Does noon work for you?”

  Rolling my eyes, I nod and say, “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  “Great.”

  Hearing the phone beep in my ear, I look at the screen to see she ended the call. Sighing, I transfer my breakfast to a paper plate, fill a to go mug with coffee, and exit the house so I can get an early start on all the things I need to deal with and get to lunch on time. I’m not looking forward to another blind date but, it makes my sister happy, so I guess I’ll have to grin and bear it. Keeping my to go cup cradled in the crook of my arm, I hold the plate in front of my face and eat while walking to the pack house. Since Joel mated with Alistair, I’ve been handling more of the pack’s business than before, so he has time to spend with his mate and family. Joel doesn’t come into the office until ten thirty and he’s out of here by six, so the bulk of things lands on me.

  Joel mostly handles the pack accounts and approves of any new members after they’ve been properly vetted, among other things, but I take care of the rest. When pack members come in with grievances, I’m the one who deals with them, only involving Joel when necessary. I might be working too hard doing the bulk of what Joel used to take care of before meeting Alistair as well as handling the raids, but I can’t bring myself to cut back on how much I’ve been doing. Sure, I’m exhausted, and the nightmares aren’t helping any, but immersing myself in work to the point of exhaustion gives me no time to dwell on the loneliness clawing at my heart.

  When I enter the pack house, I spot the night shift enforcers eating breakfast in the main kitchen having just switched with the daylight rotation. Nodding at them, I head into my office, tossing my empty plate in the trash can by my desk before I sit down. Booting up my computer, I start going through my emails before tackling the stack of paperwork on my desk. Mostly it’s budget and expense reports that need to be approved before any construction projects can be started, transfer requests, and grievance reports. Our accountant is the one who usually takes care of the budget and expenses but before any money can change hands, it has to be approved by me and Joel. As for the grievance reports, it’s usually minor things I can take care of without having a meeting with the person who filed the report or involving Joel.

  Thankfully, we have a pack full of amazing people and the only grievances I get are usually petty things like some of the pups chasing a members’ chickens and scaring them so much they quit laying eggs for a few days. Or someone playing music too loud while having a party. Most of those things I can take care of without too much trouble but there are occasions, albeit few in number, where I get reports about that can’t be ignored. Like when I got a report from a child who said his father kept hitting his mom and that she was too afraid to tell anyone about it. The pair were only bond mates, so once I informed Joel of the situation, their bond was dissolved, and the man was banished from the pack.

  Those kind of reports don’t happen very often and I’m thankful for it. I hate having to punish people, but it comes with the territory and isn’t something I can avoid unless I let someone else take over my position. Which is something I’d never do unless I got too old to do much good or lost a challenge for the position. My wish has always been to have a child take over for me the way Axl will eventually do for Joel but without a mate, having a child is unlikely unless I use a surrogate and raise the baby on my own. Hmm…now, there’s something to think about.

  At least with a child, I’ll have someone to love and won’t be as lonely as I am. Yep, it’s definitely worth exploring. Maybe after this whole business with Carmine and his dark coven is done with, I’ll start searching for surrogates. Before I can even think about bringing a child into the world, I want to make sure it’s safe for the little one. Which means, getting rid of the asshole experimenting on paranormals and anyone associated with him as soon as possible. With the new information we have, that goal is a lot closer than it was before. It’s only a matter of time before this whole situation comes to an end. While I don’t think I’ll ever be able to set foot inside a lab again, I still want to see this thing through to the finish even if it means doing it from the sidelines.

/>   A ding from my phone draws my attention from what I’m working on. Seeing a message from my sister has me groaning out loud, it’s almost lunch time and she’s reminding me about the date. I’m not looking forward to it but since I did agree and it’s too late to back out, I’ll have to suck it up and attend. Why does it always have to be women though? Can’t she set me up with a man at least once? Snorting to myself, I shake my head. No way am I opening up that can of worms. As soon as I tell her I’m attracted to both men and women, she’ll be throwing every eligible bachelor and bachelorette at me that she can find. It would mean twice as many dates than usual. Yeah, best not to go there. Let’s just lock that ludicrous idea in a vault and throw away the key. Or, maybe I’ll, you know, melt the thing in an imaginary pit of lava so I can never bring it up again. Knowing my luck though, I’ll let something slip and she’ll latch onto it like a dog with a bone.

  After sleeping until lunchtime, I took a shower and went for a little walk around the coven. I’m sure I made myself look like a lost puppy because every time I’d see my mother I’d turn and walk in the opposite direction. She finally caught up to me in the kitchen and after giving me a lecture on not calling to tell her I was visiting and avoiding her all morning, we had a long chat to catch up. When she tried to bring up my love life though, I changed the subject. I’m hoping I got the point across that I didn’t want to talk about it but knowing my mother, she’ll find some way to con me into going on another blind date. It’s only a matter of how and when. On the bright side, at least she hasn’t brought my dad into it. My mom on her own is bad enough but get the two of them together on something and you’d be better off trying to steal a bone from a pack of wild wolves than getting them to back down.

  Hearing a knock on the door, I quickly put my guns in their holsters and exit my bedroom. Crossing through the living room, I answer the door. Vikan gives me a once over and says, “You’re loaded for bear, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “So, you do know this is just a strategy meeting, right?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “So, you don’t need to bring weapons.”

  “I never go anywhere without them.”

  He laughs and says, “You sound like my beloved. He says the same thing.”

  “I heard from Alistair that you’d mated. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. I have to ask man, what happened to your hair?”

  Laughing, I say, “After a rogue female ripped out a patch of it during a fight, I went to a local barber and had it shaved off. I keep my shiny baldness by using a potion I bought from a warlock that stops hair growth.”

  “Women sure love to fight dirty. I can’t believe she went for your hair and not the earrings.”

  “Oh, she tried, but the wounds will heal almost immediately. However, hair doesn’t grow back as fast. If it did, I’m pretty sure we’d all be walking around looking like Cousin It from the Addams family.”

  “True enough. So, are you ready to go or do you need to grab anything else? A bazooka maybe?”

  With a glare, I punch him in the arm and say, “I’m ready to go.”

  He raises an eyebrow at me. “No bazooka then?”

  “I left the bazooka at home.”

  “Pity. We could’ve had some fun with that. Alistair has been talking about putting in a pool. I’m sure blowing a hole in the ground would’ve been a great place to start.”

  “Alistair would kick our asses if we blew up the yard instead of digging a hole.”

  “What’s all this talk about blowing up the yard?”

  Turning towards the voice, I see a man coming towards us. Vikan grins at him and says, “Hey, I thought we were meeting you downstairs.”

  The man puts his arm around Vikan and says, “I’ve been waiting for ten minutes so I came to see what was taking so long. So, tell me beloved, why are you talking about blowing up the yard?”

  Vikan points to me and says, “Leland here, has a bazooka. We were discussing using it to open up a hole in the yard for the pool Alistair has been talking about putting in.”

  “I’m pretty sure Alistair would frown upon using a bazooka to dig a hole. Not to mention the fact that if you damaged his garden in the blast, he’d string you up by your toes and use you as a pinata. Then, I’d have to kick his ass for hurting you and it’d just be a mess. Better to just hire a crew and avoid all that, don’t you think?”

  Vikan laughs and says, “You’re right. I actually already talked to a crew for an estimate, it just needs Alistair’s approval.”

  “Don’t look so sad, beloved, I’m sure you and Leland can find other uses for the bazooka. Maybe, instead of planting C4 on the next raid, you can blow the lab with a bazooka.”

  “I like that idea.”

  Trager nods and says, “Then it’s settled. We’ll bring it up at today’s meeting. I’m sure Negan won’t have any issues with it.”

  “Speaking of the meeting, we’d better get going if we don’t want to be late. Negan would have my ass if we’re late since we aren’t that far from pack lands and it only takes a few minutes to run there.”

  Trager growls and pulls Vikan in for a kiss, “No one is going to have your ass but me. Got it?”

  “Sir, yes sir.”

  With a final kiss, Trager smiles at him and says, “Good, now let’s go.”

  He walks down the hall with Vikan at his side and I follow them, trying not to let my feelings show. Right now, I envy Vikan. He’s found his beloved and seeing them together makes me long for a beloved of my own. Maybe I should go on that blind date my mom is trying to set me up on. It would be an opportunity to see if the man could possibly be my beloved. But if he isn’t, then I’ll have to keep looking. I can’t focus on that right now though. My attention needs to be on this meeting and what I’ll be required to do.

  After running through the woods for a few minutes, we exit the forest into a clearing filled with houses. Vikan and Trager lead the way to one house where a few other people are entering ahead of us. As soon as we walk into the house, I see it really isn’t a house for living in. It’s more of a command center. With the weapons lining the walls, I’m reminded of the vault at council headquarters that contains a number of weapons and tactical gear for the enforcers.

  I find a spot in the corner to stand so I can keep an eye on everyone in the room. Years of training has me always keeping my back to the wall and my eyes on everything, including the door so I can see who comes and goes and if the person entering is a threat or not. I keep an ear on the conversations going on around me, so I know when the meeting is about to start while focusing my gaze towards the door.

  Just then, the door opens, and a man walks in. Well, hello sexy. The man is wearing dark jeans, a black t-shirt, and a green long sleeve flannel. What has me smiling though is his shoes, they’re high top sneakers with a scene from Batman printed on the side. When I look up from his shoes, my gaze lands on his handsome face, well, one side of it at least. His head is tipped back slightly, there’s a small smile on his face, and his eyes are closed. He appears to be scenting the room, but I don’t entirely understand why. Maybe he’s taking in the new scents. I did spot a couple other vampires when I entered the room. Ones who were part of the coven before but moved on to other endeavors. Alistair must’ve called them too.

  The man glances around the room briefly and moves to the head of the table that is in the center of the room covered with maps and other papers. Once he’s taken his position, he clears his throat and conversation stops. “Is everyone here?”

  A chorus of ‘yes’ echoes through the room and the man continues, “Good. Let’s get started then. As most of you have probably noticed, we have some new faces joining us for this meeting. In light of recent events, Alistair and Joel thought it would be best to bring in more vampires and demons who are immune to the gas we encountered a few weeks ago. They’ll be part of new entry teams and will go into the labs first to clear it of any traps before shif
ter teams are allowed to enter.”

  He unrolls one of the maps on the table and pulls out a red marker, circling a number of locations. “Recently, paranormal kidnappings from nearby towns have been on the rise. We think it’s Carmine becoming desperate to replace the paranormals he’s been using for his experiments as more and more labs are shut down. With the help of someone from Asphalt Bay who was one of the people kidnapped recently, we’ve gotten some very good intel about other lab locations as well as the type of people Carmine is working with.”

  He puts the cap back on the marker and crosses his arms. “Carmine has managed to get control of a demon who he is holding hostage with a threat to the demon’s brother. If we find the demon, we’re to take him in. No harm is to come to him as he isn’t participating in this willingly. We have also learned that Carmine is working with a dark coven so from here on out we need to be especially careful. Which is why, along with the demons and vampires, we’ve enlisted the help of a couple local magic users.”