Beauty and The Beta (Bailey)

31

Chapter 31 Ellis

I had been looking for this girl all day. She was like hunting for f**g gold. I thought I had found her when I got told by the doctors she had arrived at the hospital, but by the time I had got away from Miles and reached the hospital, Harley’s parents told me she had left. Telling them she needed some time because she was struggling. Struggling with what exactly I am not sure. I am sure as hell that his parents were struggling a whole lot more. Their son mauled by my older brother to within an inch of his life… not that they knew that part of the story… oh no. I was under strict orders to depict a tale of a rogue attack. Us having been on a run together and finding him. In truth, Miles would not tell me what he was doing there, likely running off his temper like he so often did. His temper was beyond control at the best of times. But, I had been out for my usual training run, and had caught the scent of blood. It wasn’t a small amount either, making me concerned, because neither me nor my wolf could dismiss that as injured prey and continue on with our run like we truly wanted to. Integrity won over and made us go and investigate to find my brother’s wolf, Jet, ripping into the warrior guy. A guy I now know is called Harley. The moment I yelled his name, he oddly retreated like he didn’t expect to be caught in what he was doing, and he ran off for the trees. The blood… was everywhere… his injuries were h**d**s… worse than I have ever seen before… though I have never been in war myself… his clothes were torn, deep wounds littered his body… bites across his body… I was terrified Miles had already killed him… but I had to help. So, I scooped him up in my arms, my wolf pushing forward to lend me his strength, and we ran toward the hospital. Linking forward to allow them to prepare for his arrival. I could see smaller wounds were closing, but the larger ones I think were simply too much for his wolf to heal with the amount of blood he was losing. This guy was close to death. Of that there was no doubt. But, what I didn’t understand was why my brother would attack one of our own pack. He was meant to reign that temper in. Our Dad had told him he could attack rogues if he felt the need to take his temper out on anything larger than small prey… had he mistaken him for a rogue? Yet he

had so clearly been in human form, attacked unawares before he had a chance to shift and defend himself. This all looked intentional to me. That is what worried me. ‘Leave him to die. Miles’s voice had suddenly come through the mindlink. He did not sound in the slightest bit shaken by what had just happened. In fact, he sounded calm. Collected. Cold. ‘Miles. No. He needs help. His wolf is not healing him. You have injured him badly. Why?’ I asked as I continued the dash toward the hospital, glad of the additional support of my wolf. ‘Why?’ Miles roared through the link. ‘He deserved to die. You had no right in interfering.’ Interfering? How was I interfering? Was I not doing the decent thing and saving the warrior’s life? No man deserved to die at the hands of their Alpha for no reason. And, if I discover there was a logical reason for him to be punished, then he can be punished in an appropriate way when he is healed. If he can be healed… of course. Because the amount of blood that seemed to be leaking over me, was worryingly large. ‘He needed help. He is dying. I am taking him to the hospital. I told him bluntly. ‘Well, you tell them it was a rogue attack. Do you hear me?’ he was not with me, the attem Chapter 31 Elis power over nie, being the next in line. He was trying make me do what he wanted. Trying to make me lie on his behalf. He knew he had done wrong. You want me to lie?’ asked as I got closer to the hospital. ‘He deserved it. That is what I will say. I will explain when you hand him over? So, s**dly, I had done as he asked, I handed him over and the doctors did what they could. He was in a bad way. And when I returned later to the hospital look for Bailey, Harley’s parents were both so grateful to me for saving his life. Yet, in truth, I could not feel like a hero, not when I knew the truth. Not when I knew my brother was to blame. Miles had been waiting for me outside the hospital after had dropped Harley off, anger written on his face. He looked like he wanted to tear me limb from mb. “Why?!” he snapped, the moment I came close, and imply shook my head. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“There is a guy in there literally knocking on death’s door because of you. And you say he deserved it. I want to know why. Because he had to have done something serious to deserve that I mindlinked him, not wanting to risk any of the pack members wandering by overhearing our conversation. Miles gave me a dirty look. ‘He questioned me. I felt like my heart s**d a beat. He had to be joking, right? He questioned him? And that is what he did to him? How is he ever going to rule as Alpha if this is how he reacts to things? ‘He questioned you? And that was all?’ I linked in disbelief. ‘He has been with Bailey. And he implied I was lying about there being no matebond. He knew of our matebond. Knew I rejected her. He needed to go. His eyes look like pits of fire right now, as he stares at me. He seemed to think everything he did was more than reasonable. But, his words sunk in, he said he rejected her. That was different to what he had originally told me. He said she had rejected him. He had lied? My mind whirled with possibilities. He wasn’t focused on his words here, so chances are he was saying the things that first came to mind, making them more likely to be the truth. He had blamed Bailey back then to take the heat off him. ‘You almost killed him because of Bailey?’ I asked. I was surprised when I learned she had been his fated mate. I was shocked then that she had rejected him, but I am even more shocked now that Miles had rejected his own fated mate. Having met my fated mate, Hazel, I know the draw to them is something so strong once your wolf is there that it would be difficult to fight. How he had been able to torture her the way he had. Keeping her hanging on for a year, and seeing her around pack and not wanting her desperately made no sense to me. He had laughed with me so many times, telling me tales. of the things he had done to get to her, like he gained some sort of sick pleasure from hurting her through the matebond. Now, when I think back to the tales he told, there were so many signs that it was him that had done the rejection…. But, a small part of me wondered if he did like the connection they shared, and that was why he kept her around. He could not fight the decision my Dad had made to allow her to go to university, and I am glad for her, because I had heard how hard she had worked to gain that place. But, Miles had pushed for her to come back to our pack, despite Bailey begging to be given permission to work away from the pack. Dad was going to allow it, but Miles intervened saying he would be taking

over soon so he should be making that choice, and he thought she would be of benefit to the pack, so no permission was given. Now, I wonder if that was so she was close to him. 2/3 Chapter 31 Ellis +79% Had he hurt the warrior because he was close to Bailey? Or simply because he had somehow discovered their matebond, and he feared that it could get out? Either way, neither one was a reasonable motive for hurting someone, let alone putting them on the edge of death. ‘He argued back with me. I did not want him being a risk. I did not like how he was. Miles snarled, his head turning to look at me. “Did you tell them it was a Rogue attack?” he asked, and I began to regret my decision to do as he asked, but I nodded, “I told them we were out for a run, and we found him Said you had gone to check the woods, see if you could see anything. Make it seem more believable.” I explained, hating myself even more, for the lies I had helped my brother create. I did not like the man he was becoming. And in truth, I think I feared for the pack under his control. It was at that point I realized I needed to go and speak to Bailey, which was where my hunt for her had come in. I had misjudged her, because, of the things Miles had said. And, I owe her an apology. But, not only that, I needed to talk about this with her. I needed her opinion on it. I cannot hide this for my brother, even if it means putting my own life at risk, our pack deserves better than this. He is a danger to himself and to the others around us. But, I know I cannot do this alone. Miles harassed me non-stop about keeping my mouth shut. Threatening me with so many things. Including ejecting me from the pack the moment he became Alpha, so I was made a rogue if I so much as breathed a word of this. Though he also tried to use the fact I had lied about Harley’s injuries at the hospital as it already implicated me, so I would be seen as part of the problem, not the solution. I felt a little trapped, but I knew I had to do something. But, I knew I would have to watch my back, because I did not think my brother would think twice about harming me. The moment he had left me, I was onto my hunt for Bailey, her mindlink blocked. Though if my

brother was giving her s**t I could not blame her. And she was likely in pieces, having been told her boyfriend was severely wounded. Which was why I had decided upon trying the hospital first, thinking she would be by his side. After dashing from the hospital once I realized she wasn’t there and after spending a little time with Harley’s parents, I decided to make my way to the packhouse in the hope of seeing her Dad, our pack Beta. He may be of some help. I had tried his mindlink, but it was blocked for some bizarre reason, so I could only try his office. And it was only as I reached the corridor and I saw Bailey being led into his office that I knew I had struck gold…