Mated to the Alpha and His Beta

Xander

| nodded curtly at Zane.

| wasn’t even a little bit interested in discussing that right now

Instead, | pulled the bedroom door shut behind me before Alice could step all the way inside.

Lanie was already gone, but her smell was still lingering in every corner of that room, and there was no way in hell | was going to give Alice the chance to identify it. | didn’t think she would smell it on us because she was too fixated on whatever else she wanted.

“Are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on with you guys today?” Her nose wrinkled as she spoke, a sign she was getting very pis sed off.

| used to think it was cute, but now | had zero patience for her short temper.

And to be honest, mine was even shorter.

| moved closer to Alice, forcing her to take several steps backward.

The bigger question is, where the f u ck were you last night?” My voice trembled with contempt.

“Seriously, Alice.” Zane advanced on her too, his eyes flashing with rage. “Who do you think you are demanding who we're with and what we're doing? This is our house, and you're our mate!

My lips curled into a mischievous smile, and | could sense Alice’s resolve crumbling.

She was no match for the two of us when we were on form.

And boy were we on form right now.

“Gabriela caught you sneaking back in this morning, so you sure as hell weren't in this house,” | growled. “And we already know you weren't with your parents, so don’t even try it.”

She bit her lip and her eyes shifted around the room, like she was looking for some other pathetic excuse for running off all night.

“W-why does it matter where | was?” She was trying to stand her ground, but she was shrinking under our collective rage. “It's none of your business anyway.”

Oh g od s, first Lanie, now Alice with this s hit.

| welcomed Hunter to the surface, flexing my fists as my claws shot out.

“You can’t be desperate to be our mate one second, and then sneak around behind our back the next,” | snarled.

Alice was backing away slowly now, but | was moving closer and closer.

Hunter prodded at me, a devil on my shoulder.

You don’t want her. Get her out of the way.

“Zane,” | said, my voice ice cold. “Grab her.”

Zane shot me a confused look. “Xander, she gets it, what the f uck are you doing?”

| waved hirn off. “Just do what | say.”

Zane took Alice by the arm, and she gasped. | could smell her fear growing.

“Take her to her quarters,” | commanded.

For a second, | thought he’d refuse, and then we’d have a whole other fight on our hands, but then he pulled her away and down the hall, stopping in front of her door.

“Get inside,” | ordered. When she stepped in, | slammed the door behind her.

All doors to the she-wolves’ quarters had latches on the outside, something my father once told me was a remnant from the Great Wars.

| didn’t ask questions, and | sure as hell didn’t plan on ever using them, yet here | was, latching Alice’s door from the outside. “What the f uck is this, Xander?” Zane growled, reaching to unlatch the door. But | swiped his hand away, my claws still extended.

“Until we can trust that you won't sneak off again,” | called to Alice, “this is what we have to do.”

She beat her fists on the door.

“You can’t, Xander! This is crazy!” she yelled back, her voice mu ffled.

| turned to walk away, but Zane clapped a heavy hand on my shoulder.

“You're treading a very fine line here, Xander.”

| shook him off.

“I'm doing this for us. I’m doing this for Lanie.”

LanieExclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

Iran straight to the edge of the lake.

| didn’t care if it was st upid or predictable, I'd been going to see Braden when Zane stopped me anyway. Now that he and Xander had humiliated me, I’d see if Braden was serious about his little comment.

I'd be happy to reap the benefits of being your sidepiece.

When | got back to the mansion, Braden’s smell would be all over me, smothering the last traces of the mistake I’d made sleeping with that as shole Alpha and his st upid minion Beta again.

When | reached the lake, | wasn’t surprised to see Braden waiting there. He’d probably smelled my distress from a mile away, from...wherever he lived.

1 shifted just as he turned around.

My clothes sat on the ground, but | didn’t even bother picking them up.

| walked right over to Braden and stood in front of him.

He looked me up and down, and his eyes darkened.

He reached out for me, his fingers softly tracing the curve of my waist. | shivered. “Lanie, what are you...”

But | shook my head and cut him off.

“I need you to stop talking...” | leaned in close, so our lips were inches apart. “And just kiss me.”