Beta Bond

Lexi

“It’s nothing,” he said, though his body betrayed him. His hand tightened at his side as he fought back a sharp grunt. “I need you to stop snooping around. There are people here who plotted against Dean. What if one of them gets to you?”

“How are you injured?” I asked, completely ignoring his warning.

His jaw clenched as he looked at me, blue eyes hard, almost angry. “Just go to bed. Take this turn before Dean finds out you left without security. I’ll be the one to suffer for it.”

“Did he do this to you?” I asked quietly.

“No,” he said immediately. “I was bested. We had a little sparring session. That’s all. Just go, please.” His voice dropped on the last word, and there was something in his eyes I wasn’t used to seeing - desperation.

I didn’t argue. I turned away and slipped into the narrow passage he’d once shown me, the stone walls cool beneath my fingers. Within minutes, I was back in Dean’s room. I crawled into bed and forced my breathing to slow, pretending to sleep.

Dean came in not long after. I felt the mattress dip beside me, felt his lips brush my forehead, gentle and familiar, before he lay down.

Early the next morning, the soft sound of rustling fabric pulled me from sleep. Dean was already up, pulling on his clothes.

“Where are you going?” I asked, my voice thick with sleep.

“Our meeting was interrupted yesterday, my love,” he said calmly. “We need to conclude things by the end of this week.” He glanced at me over his shoulder. “You should go back to sleep.”

I knew I should. Every part of me screamed that I should. But I couldn’t let it go.

“You seem totally healed,” I said slowly, “and Jax is suddenly hurt.”

Dean paused only for a second before smiling. “Yeah. Had a little spar with Jax. It helps my body feel… rejuvenated. Jax just overexerted himself. It’s nothing.”

That was odd. Why didn't he ask me how I knew about Jax? Normally, nothing gets past him. Or did he already sense that I was there last night? Why didn't he say something?

I was still thinking of all of this when he kissed me quickly, already halfway out the door, and left in a rush. But as the door closed behind him, my thoughts latched onto something I couldn’t shake. It was a mark I’d seen on his back.

It wasn’t a tattoo. It wasn’t a scar either. It looked more like a birthmark. Only I’d seen Dean’s body a thousand times, and he’d never had anything like that before.

Something was wrong.

Dean had been in no condition to spar yesterday. Yet Jax was the one who’d looked pale and injured, while Dean looked perfectly fine. Too fine.

I got dressed and went in search of the library, but with every step I took, more of Dean’s hunters appeared. By the time I reached the hallway, there were four of them behind me.

I turned and looked at them. “What’s the matter?”

“We’ve been ordered to follow you wherever you go,” one of them said stiffly.

“Why?” I asked.

Another answered before the first could. “Someone has betrayed Alpha Dean. You might be next.”

“Well,” I said, forcing a polite smile, “I’m just going to the library.”

They didn’t move.

I sighed. “Guess we’re all going then.”

They followed me inside, their presence heavy and watchful. I wandered between the shelves, running my fingers along spines, pretending to search for love stories. What I really wanted was a history book, one that listed all past Alphas and their betas. I needed to understand that bond.

But if I searched openly, they’d report it. To Dean. Or worse, to Jax.

After stalling for a while, I pulled out my phone and texted the only person I trusted to get me out of this.

Gayle.

She replied almost immediately: On my way.

Not long after, the hunters began whispering among themselves. One by one, they slipped away until only one remained.

“Excuse us, Luna,” he said awkwardly. “There’s been an emergency.”

“With who?” I asked. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s a minor inconvenience. We’ll be back soon. Just press this if you need help.” He handed me a slim watch with a single button.

“Okay,” I said, holding back a smile. Everything screamed of Gayle.

I waited until he left before moving straight to the history section.

The book I needed sat on the highest shelf, partially barred, as if someone didn’t want it easily reached.

“What are you doing?” Gayle asked suddenly, making me jump.

“I’m just trying to get a book,” I said, pointing. “That one.”

“Normally, you’d ask permission,” she said, “but Keith and I have another way.”

“What way?”

“Jump and grab it. You’re a wolf.”

“The impact might send the shelf crashing down.”

“I’ll hold it,” she said with a grin.

“Fair.”

I jumped, snagged the book, and landed lightly. As I turned, Gayle eyed the cover.

“What are you actually looking for?”

“Something’s different about Dean,” I admitted. “I think the answer is in here.”

Normally she’d pry, but this time she just sighed. “I don’t like that guy. But I always thought he was just… weird.”

I laughed softly. “I should read this in my room.”

“Go. I won’t tell anyone,” she said, waving me off.

I hid the book beneath my dress, went straight to my room, and locked the door.

I read until my eyes ached.

There was a clear pattern. Every Alpha had chosen a beta from their own bloodline - a brother, a sister, a cousin. If they had no family, they had no beta at all.

No Alpha had ever taken a rogue hunter as a beta.

Rogue hunters only appeared during Derrick’s reign. Derrick was the first to choose one, Jax, and he did so only in the last three years of his rule. Then Dean followed suit, keeping the same rogue hunter as his beta.

But what disturbed me most wasn’t the choice. It was the way Jax was described. Of all the rogue hunters, Jax was set apart.

He wasn’t treated like a second-in-command. He was treated like a weapon. There was no bond of family, no partnership. Only duty to kill and obey.

Still, it didn’t fully explain it. Jax killed with a brutality that should have gotten him punished, yet they kept using him. Protecting him.

Was there another bond? Something deeper? Something darker?

A bond that allowed Dean to heal at Jax’s expense?

Footsteps approached my door. One set I recognized instantly. Dean. The other could only be Jax.

I shoved the book under the bed and picked up my phone just as Dean entered.

“My love,” he said, surprised. “You’re here? I thought you were at the library.”

“I didn’t find anything I liked,” I lied.

Jax stood behind him, completely healed. No paleness. No weakness. He’d recovered far too quickly.

His blue eyes narrowed when they met mine. He knew.

“Jax and I will be back soon,” Dean said. “We just have a quick errand to run.” He turned to Jax. “Help me with my things and meet me outside.”

The door had barely closed behind Dean when Jax turned on me.

“Whatever you’re doing,” he said coldly, “stop it.”

Then he grabbed Dean’s bag and left.

Their dynamic made my stomach twist. Jax moved like a servant, not a beta. And yet, he didn’t resist it. Worse, he didn’t want me to understand it.

I couldn’t sit by and do nothing. I’d already lost Dean once. If I lost him again without trying to stop it, I’d never forgive myself.

I pulled out my phone and texted Gayle.

I need you to give me a ride.