Spare Me Alpha but I Want Your Beta

Chapter 10- Questions and Answers

Alexa's POV

It was seven in the evening, and still no sign of Nate. I had to say I was a little disappointed. He had a busy life being Beta. I was sure something came up. Still, I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing. He was supposed to come, but maybe he had some things to take care of. The sun had already set. After I ate dinner, I cleaned up the room. Picking up Lia's things made me realize that we were going to separate eventually. After seven years of taking care of her, it wasn't going to be my responsibility anymore. She had Mason now. I would be alone I broke down into a silent sob, holding her sweater to my chest.

My phone started ringing, making me break from the pity-party. Walking over to the kitchen counter, I looked at my cell to see who was calling. It was Mason's.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Lex... Whatcha doing?" Lia said.

"Oh, nothing great, just picking up after my slob of a sister," I smiled. She laughed.

"Hey!" she said. While giggling, I heard muffled sounds in the background. "Mason, stop! I'm on the phone with my sister!" she scolded him with a quick slap hearing Mason yelp in the background, a chuckle escaped my lips.

"What's going on over there?" I questioned in a firm tone, getting a rise out of them.

"Nothing Lex, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Seeing that I hadn't seen you since last night. I didn't get a chance to see you this morning either, and I miss my sister...and I wanted to let you know that the movie we're going to see tonight starts at ten, so I wanted to know if I could stay over at Mason's?" Although she whispered the last part, I caught every word with my wolf senses.

"Dahlia, I don't know about this. I know he's your mate, but sleeping over at his house on a school night?"

"No, look-it's a convenient option. The movie ends late, so we could crash at his place, and I could just go straight from his house to school. It'll work out perfect."

"I guess you have it all figured out, huh? What about clothes?" I questioned.

"Oh, Mason took me to the mall after school and got me a couple of things. Don't worry, I will call you the minute I get back so you know I am safely at his house. Please, Lex? Nate said it was okay as long as I talked to you first." I sighed, rubbing the right side of my temple. I knew this was eventually going to come.

"Fine, but you behave, Lia, and stay close to Mason. We don't know this town or the people."

"I will guard her with my life, Alexa," Mason said. "You're on speaker, Lex. I will let Nate know you said it's fine. We just left."

"Oh, I was hoping to talk to him real quick."

"He's with that red head from last night; she came looking to talk to him." The minute those words left her mouth, it felt as though someone had poured ice cold water on me. So that was the reason he never came back. Was everything he said to me some kind of pickup to get into my pants? I was so upset that I forgot I was on the phone.

"Hello... Lex, are you still there?" Lia said.

"Ah...yeah, sorry, I spaced out for a minute. You two have fun at the movies. Be safe and I love you," I said, trying to suppress my shaky tone.

"Alright. Are you sure you're okay? You sound upset. I can cancel and come home." I could hear the worry behind her tone.

"No, I'm fine, just a little tired, is all. I think I need to hit the bed. I'm getting old now-- I can't hang out like you." She laughed, and we said our goodbyes.

I sat down, knowing that my legs wanted to give out any minute. He played me hard, that asshole.

'You don't know that, maybe it was a meeting, pack related.' My wolf had this sudden change of attitude towards Nate, which annoyed me even more.

'Why are you defending him? You may be right, but it's not my fault if I feel the sudden surge of jealousy!' I huffed.

I wiped my angry tears away. He wasn't anything to me, although he said he wanted me. I wasn't too sure if there was a double meaning behind that. Feeling dejected, I took a shower and went to bed. I had to make some moves tomorrow. I wasted a whole day cooped in the motel, which wasn't what I was supposed to do. Letting my head hit the pillow, feeling the exhaustion take over, I fell into a deep sleep.

Nathaniel's POV

Before I could get back to Alexa, I was informed that there were rogues lurking around the perimeter of Crescent Falls. I called up the guys to run rounds. This was going to take most of my afternoon.

"Adam and Marcus, we'll take north and west. Matt, Connor, and Kyle, make rounds around the east and south of the perimeter. We'll meet back here. If you spot any rogues, you take them out," I growled.

I shifted into my dark brown wolf, running through the trees, letting my paws claw the dirt. I was itching for a kill, until Marcus brought me out of my thoughts by popping up in my head. I groaned.

'Nate? What's up with you and that rouge chick?' Marcus asked. I growled.

'None of your goddamn business. Who are you, my fucking keeper?' I hissed.

'Dude, it was just a question. Addison told us last night what happened. She told us you had the rogue over at your house for dinner.'

I turned and pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. My wolf didn't like the way he spoke of Alexa, growling down at him.

'Oh shit! Nate, what the fuck are you doing?' Adam asked. I didn't even look away from Marcus. 'I'm going to tell you this one time, and one time only,' I hissed through gritted teeth. 'You are not to speak of them like that. They will be a part if this pack, because they are my family now, got it?'

He whimpered. 'Nate, I didn't mean anything by it. Shit, it was just a question!' I eased up. He pushed himself back on all fours. I was shivering now; what was I doing? My emotions were all over the place. Marc was like my brother.

'What's going on, Nate?' Adam spat. Standing by Marcus, both wolves facing me, waiting for my next move or response. I turned and started walking away from them. We had a job to do, and it wasn't badgering each other with questions. I heard them follow behind.

'Her sister is Mason's mate.' I heard them stumble, but they didn't pry any further, which I was grateful for. Finishing the rounds, we came up empty. We returned to the pack house to meet up with Julian and to give him our reports. Walking into Nick's office, I saw Julian sitting behind the desk. I had a feeling he never was ready to give up his position as Alpha. He just couldn't let it go that he was no longer Alpha.

"Julian, we came up short. Their scent never passed our lands. I assume they were just passing by. There are no sightings of any rogues," I informed him. He stood up from the desk, walking to stand in front of me. Since I was already standing tall with my arms crossed over my chest, I was still a foot bigger than him, even though he had Alpha blood.

"So you say, but we still do have rogues on our territory. Who, I hear, you're getting closer with. Is that true?" he asked, a stern expression on his face.

I suppressed my unnatural anger yet again. Things had changed-Alexa was not a rogue to me, not after what happened this morning. I wondered why that was so, but it wasn't something I could help. "Yes, that is true Julian, but I don't see how that has anything to do with it. She's no harm; we already determined that when she told you her story in this very office," I said.

"Well, you're certainly right, Nathaniel, but they will be gone by the end of the week nevertheless," he said, turning away to sit behind the desk.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening, Julian. I am going to present them to pledge their fidelity to the pack," I stated. He looked taken back by what I just said. Then a sinister smile played on his lips, but I had no intention of telling him why. My loyalty was with the Alpha, and he was not one.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to attend to, Julian. If you have any more concerns regarding Alexa, you can bring them to my attention first." I bowed in respect. His lips pressed in a thin line, and I thought he was going to add something more, but he simply nodded, and I walked out of the office, leaving out the back towards my truck.

Something didn't feel right talking to Julian. You could feel the tension in the air, and it was thick. It had never been like that with Julian. I'd always respected him-the whole pack had. But after Alexa and Dahlia arrived here, he'd changed. What was he hiding? What did he know that we didn't? I couldn't find the answers to my questions. I decided to deal with it later.

Looking at the time, it was already seven thirty at night. "Shit" I said to myself. Pulling in the garage, I saw Mason's Audi. Interesting-I'd thought he would be out.

Throwing my keys on the counter, I called out his name. "Mason!" immediately, I heard his thunderous footsteps coming down the stairs, and he walked into the kitchen while I pulled out a beer from the fridge. He was leaning against the island with Dahlia by his side.

"Hey Dahlia, I didn't know you were here. What are you guys up to?" I questioned. Mason grabbed Dahlia and wrapped his arms around her from the back, planting a kiss on her neck.

"We're heading out in a bit for dinner and a movie. It's a late movie, so I asked Dahlia to stay the night and we could head out to school together." He looked at me with pleading eyes, not wanting an interrogation.

"So, Dahlia, what did your sister say about it? I know she doesn't like you away too long; it makes her a little uneasy." She put her head down, then looked up at me. My brother was very lucky for getting such a beautiful mate. She was as beautiful as her sister.

"No, I haven't spoken to her about it yet," she bit her lip. "She does know I am going out tonight, but not that I want to stay over."

"Well, I don't mind you staying here, but you have to ask her first. If she's okay with it, then so am I," I smiled at her.

"Use my cell, babe, it's on my bed upstairs. I'll be there in a minute," Mason told her. She nodded, waving to me, and went upstairs.

"Mace, dude, what are you doing? Already having sleepovers? You've got to take it easy, man, if she's as innocent as she looks. I don't want her sister coming for your balls," I laughed while clamping my hand on his shoulder. He huffed.

"That's why I got you, big brother. Anyway, we decided on mating after her first shift," he smiled, turning to head back to his mate.

"Oh, but that doesn't mean we can't explore other things," Mason added while moving his brows up and down. I chuckled; little shit.

"Remember, you're older than she is."

"By two years; that's nothing, and I love her. I would never force anything on her that she doesn't want. Nate, come on man, give me a little credit."

"Just keep her safe, she's your responsibility," I stated.

"I know, bro. Thanks for everything."

I turned back to the fridge and grabbed the leftovers from last night; I was famished. Looking at all the leftovers, guilt washed over me. I needed to apologize to my boys.

While I was eating, the doorbell rang, bringing me out of my thoughts. Taking a swig of my beer, I headed for the door. Mason and his mate were coming down as well. I opened the door to find Addison, looking like a deer caught in headlights, with an apologetic expression on her face.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked, and then looked at the two behind me.

"Privately," she added.

"Okay, we'll talk in my study."

"Nate, Dahlia and I are heading out now. See you later."

I said my goodbyes to them, and then faced Addison. Seeing there was no one in the house, how much more private could she want?

"Talk."

"I thought you wanted to go to your study?" She questioned.

I sighed. "Addison, no one's here now. What is it that you want to say? I have things to do." I walked into the living room, and she followed behind. I sat down on the sofa chair, leaning forward with my elbows resting on my knees. I watched as she sat in front of me on the table.

"Nate, what's going on? That wasn't you yesterday. I was really upset by the way you kicked me out. It messed with my head all night," she purred.

She leaned forward and put her hands on my thigh. She was cute, I had to give her that, but she was not what I wanted anymore. It was cruel, I knew, but it was the truth.

"Addison," I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to hold my temper. "I'm sorry, okay? But what you did wasn't cool. I had guests, and I told you about not coming to my house without me calling you to come over," I stated, firmly moving her hands that were way too close to my groin.

"What, you're telling me that you don't want me anymore?" her voice rose a little. I just sighed. "So I was just a fuck buddy! Tell me, Nate, because you didn't seem to mind the other day when YOU came looking for me!" she yelled.

"We were never a couple, Addison. Yes, we slept together, but I never gave you any kind of notion that we were exclusive. You know you have a mate out there. Why would I start something that can never be?" I said.

"But I love you, Nate. You can't tell me we were only sex, because I felt a connection with you," she whispered. "I really did. And you must have, too! You must!" Grabbing hold of my neck, she started sobbing. I felt bad for hurting her, but she was not the one for me.

"Addison, I just want to make you understand right now. I need to take care of my brother and his mate," I stated, while prying her arms off my neck. Her makeup was smeared all over her face. She looked crazy. She started laughing ridiculously outta nowhere, and I was confused. Maybe she just popped a screw?

"That's it? It's her, isn't it?" she sobered up real quick. She was pissed.

"You like her, that's why when she caught us, you tensed." She was shaking now, her wolf wanting to surface. I stepped close to her, putting my hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes to show her that I wasn't playing.

"Listen to yourself; let go. I don't want anything with you anymore, nor do I want you showing up at my house half naked. I don't owe you anything, and neither do you. We're not going to work out, Addison," I said seriously. "It's the truth. I think you should leave."

She looked shocked for a moment, but then her expression hardened. She threw her hair over her shoulder, and her chin came up defiantly. "Fine Nate, if that's what you want. But I can assure you that you'll be back, begging on your hands and knees, and maybe I won't take you back."

With that, she left.

After she was gone, I sighed and fell down on the couch, trying to sort out my head. Then all of a sudden, the thought of Alexa waiting for me in her motel hit me, and I checked the time. Shit; it was past ten. I needed to go to her.

I picked up my car keys and dashed out of my house to see the brunette beauty that'd been on my mind the whole day.