Todos los capítulos de Fated to the Grumpy Beta: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 8

{Earlier that evening…} ༺ ELARA ༻ “Are you going to keep staring at him all night?” I jumped, nearly choking on my wine as a voice spoke right beside my ear. My gaze snapped away from the far end of the hall. Sigrun was standing right beside me, a soft, mischievous smirk curving her lips. I hadn't even noticed her walk up to me. “Gods, Sigrun!” I gasped, clutching my goblet. “I wasn’t staring.” She raised a delicate eyebrow. “You’ve been staring at Darren for the better part of ten minutes. I walked all the way down from the dais, made small talk with a few dignitaries, and stood beside you for minutes without you noticing.” “I was looking at the beautiful tapestry behind him!” I blurted. Sigrun glanced across the room toward Darren, who was standing stoically behind Alpha King Varul as dignitaries walked up to pay their respects to the Alpha. Her eyes narrowed playfully. “The tapestry is on the opposite wall, Elara.” I pushed my glasses higher up the bridge of my nose, fe

༺ DARREN ༻Fu.ck.Fu.ck, fu.ck, fu.ck!What in the blasted seven hells have I just done?The heavy doors of the castle’s eastern wing swung shut behind me with a thud. The guards on duty bowed their heads in greeting as I walked past, but I ignored them. Down the long, vaulted corridor, the faint, thunderous sounds of celebration echoed from the Great Hall.I knew I should return to my post at the Alpha’s side. To my duty.But my boots felt as if they were bolted into the flagstones.I couldn’t move.I couldn’t fu.ck.ing breathe.I found an empty alcove and leaned back hard against the stone wall, dragging a hand down my face.I had known the rut was coming. It had been creeping through my veins all evening, threatening to breach my ironclad focus in the middle of the feast. That was why I’d slipped away and walked out into the lower courtyard.I would endure the fever in isolation, the way I mostly did.I was going to grit my teeth and hold back my beast, well out of sight.I was a

༺ ELARA ༻ By the time I reached the Market Square, my legs were numb, my dress was damp from melted snow, and tears were freezing on my cheeks. I pushed through the front door of the bookstore, which doubled as my home, slipping inside and leaning back against the wood, letting out a shuddering breath. "Pet?" a voice called out from behind the counter. My father stepped into the light, holding a brass oil lamp, his traveling cloak still draped over his shoulders. "Father?" I blinked through my blurred vision, hurriedly taking off my glasses to wipe the condensation off on my wet sleeve before shoving them back onto my face. "You're back early. I thought you wouldn’t return until a fortnight." "The roads cleared up faster than expected," he said with a tired, soft smile. He looked exhausted, his face lined and aged by endless weeks of traveling from border to border. He paused, his face shifting into concern as he stared at me. "Are you alright, pet?" I nodded and diverted my ey

༺ ELARA ༻ It was just three days at sea, and I had already developed a personal hatred for the ocean. It wastoo fond of throwing perfectly innocent people around for no apparent reason. I was beginning to suspect the waves had something against me. And on top of all that, the tea being served on the ship was disappointingly bland. I stared suspiciously into my cup. “It’s terrible,” I announced to my father, who was seated opposite me at the tiny cabin table, reading through a stack of notes he’d brought from the North. He looked at me over the rim of his spectacles. “The tea?” “Yes.” “But you’ve been drinking it for the past three days.” “I’ve been giving it opportunities to improve, Father.” His mouth twitched. It was the closest thing to a laugh I got out of him when he was absorbed in his work. I took another sip. No change. It was still terrible. I set the cup down and picked up my book. The cabin rocked gently bene