Becoming Beta (Completed)

Chapter 9

Zeke

"Zeke" Ashlyn said as we drove into our territory. I glanced at her in the rear-view mirror. "Do you mind just letting us out here. I just need some time to figure out how I'm gonna tell everyone" she admitted.

I nodded my head, slowing down the car. Ashlyn hopped out, motioning for Leia to follow her. "I'll get the paperwork done, and tell Nick that your mate is joining the pack. I'll leave out her gender" I assured her. Ashlyn gave me a small smile, saying thank you. "Just make sure you're not late for the ceremony" I said sternly. Rolling her eyes, she closed the door and let me drive away. The car filled with silence even though Valerie was still sitting in the passenger's seat.

I cleared my throat. "Did you want me to drop you off at home?" I asked, glancing at her. She shook her head. "Where am I going then?"

"Can I just sit in your office while you do stuff? I'll probably accidentally tell my parents about Leia if I go home" she confessed. I nodded my head, driving towards the pack house. "So about our conversation at the food court" she said the words slowly; like she was holding her hand out to see if a dog would sniff or bite. After realizing I wasn't going to say anything, she continued. "I think I get what Ashlyn was saying about you. You're not that bad- don't take this as I actually like you. I tolerate you. And I think you-"

Not liking where this was probably going, I interrupted her. "Just act like it never happened" I muttered. She turned quiet. "Today never happened. We didn't hang out. We didn't talk. You don't tolerate me. You hate me; I hate you. Whatever you think you know about me is wrong. You're just a naive girl who doesn't know-"

"I get it" she snapped. "Just drive"

The rest of the ride was complete and awkward silence. I stopped the car in front of the pack house, and Valerie wasted no time in hopping out. But she didn't go inside the house. "Where are you going?" I asked, getting out the car. She ignored me. "Valerie" I called out, jogging up to her.

She spun around and glared at me. "Don't talk to me" she hissed. "You hate me, so don't talk to me. After all, I'm just a naive little girl, right?" she was being her usual sassy self, but I could tell that she was hurt by my choice of words. I'm not a complete idiot- I can tell when I hurt someone's feelings.

I sighed, shaking my head at her. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you have bad judgement- specifically with me" I clarified.

She shut her eyes for a few moments, taking in a deep breath. "You know what, Zeke? Just keep acting like this. Keep being a jerk to everyone and don't apologize for shit. Because that's who you are, right? You're the monster. You're a psycho killer asshole. And God forbid you actually care about a single person" her chest was heaving up and down after her outburst. "I might not know who you really are, but I do know who you're not" she turned around and walked away once again.

I was wrong- I knew that. But I also knew that Valerie pushed my buttons. She ticked me off a lot. She didn't do it on purpose, but that didn't mean I wasn't affected. I knew that one of these days, she would've ticked me off and no one would be there to stop my actions. I convinced myself that emotionally hurting her now would be better than losing it in the future and hurting her in another way.

A low whistle sounded from behind me, interrupting my thoughts. I turned and saw Nick leaning against the house. "Don't even say anything" I muttered, glancing back at Valerie who was getting further and further away. Nick rolled his eyes, giving me a look of disapproval. "One sentence. Only one sentence" I gave in.

"She's right"

I robotically walked inside, forcing myself not to go back to apologize to Valerie. I had a gut-wrenching feeling inside of me. I knew the feeling all too well. Guilt. "Ashlyn's mate is joining the pack tonight. I'll fill out the paperwork. Her mate is a rogue, but not a dangerous one" I assured him.