Beta (12 page)

"Are we going
home?" Christian asked.

"Do you want to
go home?"

"No. I wanna see
a movie."

I thought for a
moment. A movie might not be a bad idea. It was a nice public place
and until I found the missing link in this insanity that was
quickly falling on us, I didn't want to be home without Titus. I
wasn't sure how far Claire was willing to go but I wouldn't put it
past her to stalk our home.

"Okay," I
agreed.

"Really?! You'll
take me on a school night?"

"Yep. Get your
stuff ready," I prompted.

He started
packing his backpack as Titus walked back inside and closed the
French door behind him.

"I'm meeting her
here in twenty minutes."

"How did you get
her to come?"

"I told her I
wanted to talk about everything and to bring her daughter to meet
Christian."

I held back the
irritation because I knew it was just an act but I wasn't sure how
much longer I could keep my cool with this situation. I felt myself
starting to lose my carefully composed grip and just become a feral
wolf in Claire's presence but that wouldn't do anyone any
good.

He ran his hands
over my hips and linked his fingers together on the small of my
back, pulling me as close as possible.

"You are so sexy
when you're jealous," he whispered in my ear.

I rolled my eyes
and pushed on his chest but he wasn't releasing me any time soon.
He nipped at my ear, effectively sending a shiver down my spine.
That man certainly knew how to win me over.

"I'm not letting
you out of our room from the second I step through the front door,"
he said as he kissed me lightly and released me.

I tossed him a
pointed look but his smug grin let me know he wasn't buying my
indifference. He knew the affect he had on me, especially when he
made promises like that.

"I love you,
Lizzy. I'll see you in a bit," he said.

"I love you
too."

Christian started
pulling my hand, excitedly trying to get me to leave.

"Aren't you going
to say bye to Dad?"

He released my
hand and jumped up for Titus to pick him up. He hugged him but
quickly came back to me in an attempt to get me to leave. I shook
my head lightly and told Titus we would be at the movies for a bit
but we would be home right after.

I loaded
Christian into my car just as I noticed Claire pulling up with
Brittany. I didn't want her to see Christian and blow the entire
thing so I quickly shut the door. She looked over at me and smirked
like she had won some prize but little did she know she was being
set up. She thought Titus would cheat on me with her or something
and then divorce me but that would never happen. If he didn't want
to be with me, he would never cheat on me. He would simply tell me
and divorce me whether I liked it or not. One thing I could always
count on Titus for was brutal honesty.

********

Titus:

I watched
Lizzy leave my office with Christian and couldn't help but think
about what a great woman she is. She accepted everything life threw
at her and just rolled with it. I never understood how she was able
to accept things and deal with them. It was a trait I wished I had
but lacked. I could only handle so much, like any other person but
Elizabeth, she had this uncanny ability to just accept. She
accepted Christian, she accepted the fact that she had to raise
herself, even more amazing, she accepted me and my faults which I
thought would be an impossible task. I thought Claire coming back
would finally be Elizabeth's breaking point but she still seemed to
keep her cool; however, I needed to resolve this now because
letting it drag on wasn't fair to anyone, especially not
Elizabeth.

I sat
behind my desk and started in on a couple things I put off earlier
to spend time with Christian. He rarely came to work with me so it
was nice to be able to put a couple things aside and be with my
son.

Amy
knocked on the already open door, pulling my attention from my
paperwork.

"Claire
is waiting for you," she said. I would have been an idiot if I
didn't catch the disapproval in her voice. To be fair, it did look
bad to have had Liz and Christian leave and ten minutes later,
Claire shows up with a kid.

I wasn't
stupid. I knew what the situation looked like but I wasn't going to
give Elizabeth any reason to be suspicious by arguing with her. It
was better to stay as calm as possible with her to keep her from
reacting. My wife was never one to be over emotional but a threat
to her family would set her over the edge.

"Send her
in," I said.

Her
expression turned to one of disappointment. She surprised me by
stepping into my office and closing the door.

"Look,
Titus, I know this may be out of line but I don't think Elizabeth
would appreciate you meeting up with your ex fiancé."

I nodded
a little, "I'm sure Elizabeth would appreciate your concern but you
have the wrong idea. I want nothing to do with Claire."

"You've
met her twice without your wife. You should really talk to
Elizabeth about this. She should be here."

I sighed,
"Do you have any idea what putting them in the same room would do?
Claire would pick at Elizabeth until Liz blew up and then she could
say Liz is unstable. Trust me, I know what I'm doing," I
said.

She
nodded but she was far from okay with it. I appreciated her concern
for Lizzy but I knew what I was doing. I wasn't Beta because I was
quick to make decisions. I always thought through all options
before making a decision and this was something I pondered for a
long time. Of course I wanted Lizzy with me to confront Claire but
until I knew exactly what Claire was after, I wasn't going to put
my wife in the middle of this. It was my mess and I needed to
handle it without stressing her out.

"Hi,
Titus," Claire said as she ignored Amy on her way in.

I spotted
the girl she had with her. She had to be at least six and she was
clearly not Claire's daughter. She looked nothing like Claire at
all. The girl was a redhead with light, nearly translucent skin and
Claire was blonde and tan. I had no idea why I was ever attracted
to Claire but then again, it was one drunken night that damn near
ruined my life. If I had married Claire and met Elizabeth later,
this situation would be even worse. I couldn't imagine my life
without Elizabeth and I didn't want to. She was perfect-
emotionally and physically.

"Hello,"
I said.

"This is
Brittany," she said as she pulled the girl in front of
her.

I half
smiled at the girl and knelt down, "Hi, Brittany. How old are
you?"

"Six,"
she said shyly.

I nodded
and looked to Claire's panicked expression, "Six, huh?"

"Um, well
she's Daniel's, not exactly mine. He had her with someone else,"
she said quickly, "Where's Christian?"

I stood
up and walked towards the girl. I put my hand on her shoulder,
pushing Claire's hand off her shoulders.

"The lady
that brought you in will take you to get some ice cream," I said as
I walked her to the door, "Amy, will you take Brittany to the lunch
room and get her some ice cream?"

Amy
smiled at the girl and nodded, "Come on. What flavor do you
want?"

I closed
the door before I could hear Brittany's response. I turned back to
Claire to end this once and for all.

"Where's
Christian?" She asked again.

"He's
with his mother. Kidnapping your dead mate's sister is a new low,
even for you," I said.

She
glared at me, "I didn't kidnap her."

"Then why
is her sister on my territory looking for the two of
you?"

She
scoffed, "What did she tell you? That I'm some raging
lunatic?"

"No. I
haven't talked to her yet. They found her at the edge of the
territory, beaten and near dead. What is this really
about?"

"I love
you, Titus. I made a horrible mistake when I left you but I realize
that now and I want to make things right with you and Christian. He
needs to know who his real mother is."

"The only
woman my son will ever look up to is Elizabeth. She took on a
newborn and a mate without a second thought. When you abandoned
him, she loved him and raised him like her own. She may not have
contributed genetically but the bond she shares with Christian runs
deeper than any genetic bond. She will always be his mother,
Claire. Accept it."

She
nodded, "Maybe you're right. Christian needs Elizabeth. She spends
more time with him than you do anyway. Maybe she is all he
needs."

The way
she said that confused me but I didn't want to show it. I knew she
wasn't giving up so quickly but what did she have
planned?

"We could
give Christian the chance to be raised by her. You are just as
absent so why would you need to stick around?"

"Are you
saying I should leave my wife and son?" I had to ask, just to make
sure I had it right.

"She
cares more about Christian than either of us ever could. We could
start over new-"

"Are you
insane?! I would never leave my wife! I most certainly wouldn't
leave her for you."

"Think
about it Titus. What was she like when you first met her? You can
be overbearing and demanding. You set these ridiculous double
standards. Do you really think she wants that?"

While I
may hate Claire, genuinely hate her, she made me realize something.
I had been a shit mate since this started happening. I hadn't taken
Elizabeth into account because I just assumed she would handle it
like everything else but what if I was wrong? What if she wasn't
handling it well and I just hadn't realized. Maybe she was hurt but
not showing it.

"If I
ever hear something like that from you again, I will ban you. I
don't care if it will be considered treason or not. I don't want to
see you again and if you go near my wife and son, I'll kill you
myself."

She
looked shocked that I would react violently since I usually was
more diplomatic but with the threat of harm to my family whether it
was physical or not, I was willing to do anything.

"Fine.
Where's Brittany?"

"You're
not getting her back."

"What,"
she yelled. Her face tinged with red anger.

"It's not
happening, Claire. Leave."

"Titus,
think about all the great times we had together," she
begged.

"They
were few and far between."

"But they
were there," she reasoned.

"I don't
love you and I never will. Nothing you could do would change that.
Now leave," I demanded in the tone I knew would have her trembling.
It even made Elizabeth stop for a second but she was my mate, it
didn't affect her in the same way.

Tears
rolled down her cheeks but I didn't feel bad in the least. If I
wasn't clear, I wouldn't be rid of her. With one last look, she
turned and ran from my office. I sighed in relief but I knew this
wasn't the last I heard from her. She wanted something and Claire
wouldn't stop until she got it. I would just have to keep an eye on
her until she left completely.

********

I sat on
the couch waiting for Titus to come home. He was taking forever and
I slowly felt my nerves creeping up. What if something happened to
him? What if-

No.

I
wouldn't think that way about him. He assured me he wanted nothing
to do with Claire and I had to believe him. What was the point of
being in this marriage if I didn't trust him? I trusted him and
believed him wholeheartedly before Claire came in the picture so
why was this different? Why was I letting her get to me now? Titus
was a trustworthy man. He would never betray me and in my heart, I
knew that. I just had to convince my head of that.

I
continued to read my book as I also listened to Christian's steady
breathing upstairs. We had arrived home at about seven and after
his bath and dinner, he was tired enough for bed.

A
rustling out back caught my attention. We didn't have any animals
and our property was too large for it to be a neighbor. I listened
closely to try to hear what caused the sound but everything was
silent except for Christian's breathing.

Must have
just been a breeze or something.

I went
back to reading but I heard it again and I was instantly on alert.
I could smell something slightly off but I couldn't quite place my
finger on it.

I went to
the back of the house to look out of the wall of windows
overlooking the pool. My eyes scanned the back of the property,
looking for anything out of the ordinary. I spotted a shadow
slinking against the house and my heart dropped to my stomach. I
ran up the stairs to get Christian, my heart pounding every step of
the way. I knew whatever was outside wasn't human so until I knew
what it was, I assumed it was stronger than me. I wasn't taking any
chances, especially with Christian.