Beauty and The Beta (Bailey)
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Chapter 2 – Bailey

A Year Later

Yet another birthday party for our beloved upcoming Alpha. Ha. Not my beloved upcoming Alpha. Ihated the f**ker. Breaking my heart without a second thought. What I had done to deserve that I hadnever got a proper explanation from him. Other than the frequent insults, of why would he want tobe with someone like me? Did I look like Luna material to him? I had no clue. What the hell did Lunamaterial look like in his eyes? Some blond bimbo, no doubt. They were the she-wolves he tended tospend his time with within our pack. The ones who worshiped the ground he walked on. That woulddo anything he asked of them. Ones that I highly doubted read much more than the work set ofthem at school.

“Bailey!” my Mum yelled at me from the stairway of our family home. “Will you hurry up?!”

“Do I really need to come to the party?” I responded. “I am telling you, Miles will not be bothered if Iam not there!”

“Your Aunt and Uncle will be though. And I am not explaining to them again why you are missing.”My Mum continues yelling. “Do you not realize just how many events you have missed this year, allbecause you have your head in a book?”

“Yeah Bai-Bai. Such a geek. No wonder you have no friends.” My sister Morgan giggles fromoutside my bedroom door.

“P iss off.” I hissed. “I have friends.”

I stormed from my room, and down the stairs toward my waiting family. I planned to greet thebirthday boy, not that he would care in the slightest. I know that he would rather not see me at all.And then I would sneak home.

“Ew, are you wearing that?” Morgan asked.

I looked down at the skinny black trousers I had on and the white tank top. Great. I can’t win.Nothing I wear is approved of by my sister, evidently named the fashion queen without myknowledge. Oh well, I am dressed and wearing it. I think it looked good with my chunky blacksandals I had on…

I scowled at my sister and walked out of the door. “Are we going or not?” I snapped at them all, trulynot able to wait for the following month when I leave to go to university. Get away from them, andthis pack!

The party was well underway when we arrived, music pounding from the speakers as couples madeout in every available space, so I averted my eyes as we walked through the corridors of thepackhouse to the lounge where we would no doubt replace Miles reigning over his people. Being allimportant, like he was partial to considering himself.

‘Why are you here?’ Miles’s voice filled my mindlink, before I had even fully entered the roombehind my parents.

Great. ‘I didn’t get a choice. Trust me, I would rather not be.’ I snapped back.

I was getting more than a little tired of the way he would treat me. Yes, he planned on rejecting me.Decided I was not for him, but he could have left it at that. I didn’t need treating like I was some sortof social pariah because of the fact he decided I was not right for him. I do not think I deserved that.I had endured enough bullying through my time in high school, for the fact I enjoyed my education.

‘Oh. Excuse me? Are you implying you were not going to come to the party of your next Alpha?’Miles links with some serious attitude.

‘Miles, you just asked why I had bothered coming. Now you are asking if I was not going to come?Make your mind up.’ I argued.

‘Remember who I am Bailey. You are not above me. Never will be. Could have been equal to me atmost had I seen you as suitable to be my mate, but no. You were beneath that honor.’ He sneers.

I felt anger racing through me. ‘And you think I would not have rejected you?’ I snapped, movingback toward the exit, not wanting to be here anymore. Until I felt a hand grabbing the back of mytank top, yanking me back.

My eyes darted upward to see the dark eyes of Miles. Sneering down at me. Our Pack’s upcomingAlpha. The most arrogant man I think I have ever met. One, thankfully, I did not have to be mateswith any longer as the stu pid f**ker had chosen to reject his own fated mate before even giving hera chance. “Going somewhere Bailey?” he asked, his voice full of spite.

“Well, I do believe you asked me why I was here, so I assumed you wanted me to leave.” I told him.

Miles bows his head down so it is level with mine, he inhales deeply, like he still enjoys the scent ofme. He has done this numerous times of late, which I replace quite bizarre. But, I ignore him as he tiltshis head to look at me, “Hmm, I think my Mum and Dad may have something to say if you leave.Their clever little Bailey. Heaven forbid.” He presses his forehead against mine. “Just stay awayfrom me, and do not spoil my fun.”

I shake my head in disbelief at him, as he stalks away. Did he even think for a moment I would begoing near him if I could avoid it? I would rather be anywhere but near him!

“Bailey, why are you harassing my friend for?” I heard my brother, Jordan demand, as he suddenlyapproached, causing many people to turn around and look at me. Wonderful. Nothing like startingpack gossip is there. I am sure Miles would appreciate that!

“I wasn’t harassing him, he came to speak to me. Asking why I had come.” I told him, and mybrother laughed. He is as much an idiot as Miles. Any of my friends who have big brothers hate howprotective they are. Me? No, my big brother is the one leading all the bullying and being a total di ckto me. He replaces great embarrassment in the fact his younger sister is far from being one of thepopular group, and is, in his words, ‘far too into her books’. I think, in all honesty, my entire familyfound me, in one way or another, a huge embarrassment.

“Well, he has a point. Not like you will be joining in with the celebrations. You will probably be sittingin a quiet corner somewhere reading.” He teases.

“Well, it is certainly more intellectually pleasing than any of you would be.” I smirked at him as Iwalked away from my brother who was standing looking confused. I am sure he had no clue what Imeant. The scary thing is he will be the next, pack Beta. Heaven help our pack. Between him andMiles they only had one brain cell between them, and that was one that they shared, I am sure of it!And even then, I think it was rechargeable and started losing power and knowledge at a rapid rate!They only graduated high school because they paid people to do their work for them.

As I snuck away, out of the busy lounge to the top of the stairway, where I hoped to hide out for aslong as possible, I heard footsteps behind me. I quickly turned, hoping it was simply someone ontheir way to their bedroom or even to one of the spare bathrooms on this floor. But, sadly, luck wasnot on my side tonight. No. Miles was following me. Eyebrows raised and looking quite irritated.

“Oi. I want to talk to you.” he demanded.

“You asked me to go away a minute ago, didn’t you?” I asked him.

“Don’t think so, think it was more a case of why you were here.” Miles says with a smirk. Sitting onthe top step with me.

“Miles, you have the whole pack here for your birthday, I am sure whatever you need to speak to meabout can wait.” I shrugged, desperately craving peace, which, considering the pounding beat of themusic playing, would be difficult.

“No. Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” he questions, like he is irate at the fact I had not lethim know. Why would I let him know?

“Why would I? We aren’t friends, Miles. You also are not my Alpha yet. It was arranged with myparents, me and your Dad, as Alpha.” I explained to him, unsure why this would even bother him. Ifanything, I would think he would be glad to get rid of me.

“You are going away though.” he murmurs.

“That is generally what happens when you go to college or university. Yeah.” I said with anothershrug.

“There wasn’t one closer to home?” he hisses. “Because it seems to me you picked the one furthestaway.”

“What does it matter to you? You hate me. I won’t be here, You get your wish of being rid of me.” Isnapped, truly sick of him trying to dictate to me what I should and shouldn’t be doing. I had workedhard in school, so I could do this. My parents had spoken to my Aunt and Uncle, the Luna andAlpha of our pack to allow me special permission to go to a university out of state to study, saying itwas what I had dreamed of. I had nothing holding me back. And, with the fact Miles did not want mefor his mate, or his Luna, I truly did not. Not that any of them knew of that. That was our own secret.

Even despite the pull to him as my mate since my wolf had arrived, I still found him truly repulsive.He sickened me. Though, the pains when he slept with the many she-wolves that visited his bed,made it even easier to detest the man that he had become. I still had no clue what I had done todeserve this treatment from this man, other than not being one of the popular group. But, I knew Ideserved better than him.

Miles glanced at me, momentarily a thoughtful look passed over his face, almost caring, before ahardness replaced it. “That much is true. No more having to see the disappointing failure the moongoddess made of mating me to you. At least not for a few years. Who knows, perhaps you will meetsomeone while there. I suggest you do. That way you won’t have to come back, because, I, asAlpha, will be looking for my Luna.”

“Miles, I honestly do not care if you replace someone else.” I told him, going to stand and head home,not wishing to spend another moment in the same place as him.

As I went to move away, he grabbed my hand, pulling me to him, so I was once more sitting levelwith him on the top step of the first floor landing of our packhouse. “Always so righteous aren’t youBailey? You say you don’t care? We will see. Well, this will be on my terms. I, Miles Davenport,reject you, Bailey West, as my fated mate…” he began, and my head began to whirl as his wordssunk in. The realization and excruciating pain of what was happening becoming too much for me…