Chapter 10 THE BETA’S TRUTH
Monty’S POV
The silence is deafening. I can hear her heartbeat accelerate. Feel confusion and shock bleeding through our new bond.
"That's impossible," she finally says. "The mate bond doesn't work that way. It's instant, on both sides, or it doesn't exist."
"I know what the legends say." I force myself to look at her. "But my wolf knew. And I've been hiding it ever since."
"From Ray." It's not a question.
"From everyone." I run a hand through my hair, laughing without humor. "Do you know what it's like, watching your best friend fall in love with your mate? Hearing him talk about her, seeing him happy, knowing you have no right to feel gutted because he got there first?"
"Monty…."
"Then the bond broke." I keep talking, unable to stop now that I've started. "You were dying. And my wolf saw a chance. A terrible, selfish chance." I meet her eyes. "So when Pascal asked for volunteers, I raised my hand. Not to save you, though I'd do that anyway, but to finally have you. Even if it means sharing. Even if it destroys my friendship with Ray."
The confession hangs between us like broken glass.
"That's why you volunteered," she says slowly. "Not loyalty. Not duty. You've wanted me all along."
"Yes." The word is both relief and damnation.
She stares at me for a long moment. Then, impossibly, she reaches out and touches my face. Her fingers trace the line of my jaw, and the mate bond sings.
"Three years," she whispers. "You've been carrying this for three years."
"Every day." I lean into her touch like a starving man. "Watching you from a distance. Pretending I didn't know what you were to me."
"That must have been torture."
"You have no idea."
Her thumb brushes my cheek, and I realize I'm shaking. When was the last time someone touched me with gentleness instead of desire or duty?
"I don't know you," she says quietly. "Not really. You're Ray's Beta. His best friend. But to me, you're still a stranger."
"I know."
"But the bond…" Her hand drops. "I can feel it. How much you want me. How long you've wanted me. It's overwhelming."
Shame burns through me. "I'm sorry. I should go."
Her hand catches my wrist. "Stay."
I freeze. "Alicia, if Ray finds me here."
"I don't care." Her eyes are fierce. "I'm tired of everyone making choices for me. You've been honest. That's more than anyone else has given me tonight." She tugs me closer. "Stay. Just until I fall asleep. Please."
It's the please that undoes me.
I shift, settling beside her on top of the blankets. Careful not to touch more than necessary. She curls on her side, facing me, and I can see the exhaustion in every line of her body.
"Tell me about it," she murmurs. "The day you saw me. What was I wearing?"
So I tell her. Describe the leather jacket, the way her hair caught the light, the intelligence in her eyes. I tell her about the border negotiation, the tension in the air, the moment my wolf recognized its mate across enemy lines.
Her breathing evens out halfway through. By the end, she's asleep again, one hand resting near mine on the mattress.
I should leave. Ray will lose his mind if he finds me here.
But my wolf is finally calm for the first time in three years. And I'm selfish enough to steal these few hours.
Just before dawn, I force myself to stand. I tuck the blanket around her, allowing myself one moment to brush hair from her face. Then I head for the door.
The hallway is grey with approaching sunrise. Empty.
Except it's not.
Ray stands at the end of the corridor, arms crossed, face carved from stone. His storm-grey eyes are completely black with rage.
"Monty." His voice could strip paint. "What the fuck were you doing in her room?"
My hand is still on her doorknob. My scent is all over her space. There's no excuse that will satisfy him.
"Ray, I can explain…"
"Explain?" He moves toward me, every line of his body screaming violence. "Explain why my Beta is sneaking out of my mate's room at dawn? This should be good."
The word mate hits me wrong. "She's not just yours anymore, remember? Elder Pascal made that pretty clear."
Wrong thing to say. Ray closes the distance between us in two strides, slams me against the wall hard enough to crack stone. His forearm presses against my throat.
"She was mine first," he snarls. "Before you. Before Kai. Before Logan. Mine."
I could fight back. Should, maybe. But guilt roots me in place.
"I wasn't…" My voice comes out strangled. "We didn't…"
"Then what were you doing?" He presses harder.
The truth sits on my tongue like poison. Three years of secrets, three years of lying, all coming to a head in this moment.
I meet his eyes and make my choice.
"I was telling her the truth," I say quietly. "That I've wanted her since long before you ever touched her. That my wolf knew her as mate three years ago. That I've been lying to you about it ever since."
Ray's expression doesn't change. But something flickers in those black eyes, hurt, deeper than rage.
His arm drops from my throat.
"Get. Out." Each word is carved ice. "Get out of my sight before I forget we're brothers and tear your fucking throat out."
I straighten. Nod once. Start to walk away.
His voice stops me.
"Twenty-eight days, Monty. We have twenty-eight days to figure this out." He's not looking at me anymore. "But after that ceremony? When all this is done? You and I are going to have a very long conversation about loyalty."
"I know."
"And boundaries."
"I know."
"And whether you still deserve to be my Beta."
That one hits like a physical blow. But I just nod again.
"Understood, Alpha."
I walk away, feeling his eyes burning holes in my back. Feeling the mate bond with Alicia pulse warm and steady despite everything.
Three years of secrets.
Twenty-eight days until the Claiming Ceremony.
And a friendship that might not survive either.
Behind me, I hear Ray's fist hit the wall. Once. Twice. Three times.
Then silence.
The worst sound of all.