Beta's Bride [ShadowPack #2]

Xavier was looking at Stella as she was walking into the house as she was gaping at everything. His mother was arching her eyebrow before she was brushing her mind link with him.

'Is this what you want, my son? It doesn't have to be the person that was meant for you in the agreement that your father struck up within Italy,' his mother said before Xavier was pointing her at Stella's neck.

'Why don't you check it out for yourself? But I am sure that you already know that,' he joked before her expression told him otherwise. Xavier remembered that his mother was arranged to marry his father and they never had been the true mates of one another.

That was just a sad story for her, Xavier thought before he was telling his mother what happened last night.

'Now that was good news, son! Will she stay here then?' she asked innocently before it hit Xavier hard. He forgot that Stella will be leaving tomorrow and he did not ask her if she wanted to be here with him.

'We'll talk about it,' he said to his mother before she was arching her eyebrow at him as Stella was smiling at them.

"You guys have a lovely home. I would love to spend my time here forever," she said before his mother was approaching Stella with interest.

"Have you been thinking of moving here then?" She asked Stella before his woman eyed him. She smiled before she was holding his mother's hands for support.

"Well, I have been thinking about it and I don't think I want it so bad after last night," she confessed to his mother but Xavier could hear it with his super-sensitive hearing. He smiled as he turned to look the other way.

'That's right. You will have to stay with us, my love, for you are ours,' his wolf purred before his mother heard it. He forgot to shield his thoughts from her just yet.

Damn it!

"Well, you certainly can do it if you want to. I think Xavier would be happy to hear it," his mother said before Stella's blue orbs shone.

"Really?" she asked her before she was turning to look at him. He could feel her stare at him.

"My son is simple. If you stay, he will be the happiest man alive," his mother jested before she was pulling Stella into the kitchen to get something to drink and Stella turned to smile at Xavier as they went. He followed before he smiled back at her with all his emotions.

Yes, his mother would be right. He would be the happiest man alive if she chose to stay.

*****

"How long will we get there?" Mrs. Canali asked her driver as she was looking around the small town that was the place that her daughter, Stella, would want to visit. She did not get why her daughter would love to be here. But perhaps it was the spirit of hers that was so much like her father was the cause of this.

"We're here, madam," the driver said before they stopped in front of the opening to the tight community that only a few outsiders now, including her.

"Let me talk to the guards," she said as the driver rolled down her window and the guard was looking at her. She smiled before she was talking in Greek as it was the native tongue of her late husband, Stella's father.

"I am here to collect my daughter. She was known to be at the late Beta's house and I wanted her to come back home. This is the agreement with the Beta that I had to show me safe passage," she said before the guards were looking at the letter that Mrs. Canali got from the agreement.

Stella has to come home and she had to marry this boy of the late Beta's. They have agreed as much.

"Let her in," the guard said before the driver was driving into the community with the direction that was going to the Beta's house.

"This is going to be so much fun for a reunion," Mrs. Canali said before the car rolled up in front of the house that was a cottage.

*****

Stella could feel the vibration of the car even before someone was knocking on the door. She was enjoying a relaxing chat with Mrs. Marchand and Xavier before her man was standing guard.

"Someone's coming," he said before he was moving out of the kitchen as he was getting to the living room and cursed under his breath.

"Who was it?" his mother asked before Stella's heartbeat was beating so fast.

"Do not come. I will handle it," he said and before he could go out, Stella was following him as well.

"Stella, I told you already—"

"And I heard you. Something doesn't feel right and I want to talk to this...visitor as well," she said before she was looking at the sleek rental car. The kind that her mother would rent.

Sweet Jesus Christ, no!

Xavier was putting his hand on her lower back before the driver was getting out of the car and went to open the backseat. Stella was gripping Xavier's arm before the first thing she saw was her mother's heels and she was emerging from the car and she was looking at her.

"Finally, you decided to show up, my daughter," her mother's col voice penetrated her eardrums before Stella was gripping her man's arm even more.

"Mother," she said quietly before Mrs. Canali was looking at Xavier. She arched her eyebrow at Stella before Xavier, being a protective man that he was, putting himself in front of her, not knowing what was going on.

"Who are you and why are you here?" he asked her mother before Mrs. Canali was looking at her daughter and smirked. Then, her mother rolled down a paper and Xavier was looking at it. Then, he was gripping her lower back.

"Is your mother home? I think I will have a conversation with the adult in the house," her mother was looking at Xavier before she smirked again, "it is a delicate matter and urgent," she said before Stella sensed someone was standing behind them. She turned and Xavier was looking at his mother as well.

"Well, it's about time you come, old friend," Mrs. Marchand said before Stella was looking at her future mother-in-law and her mother. Old friend? It would seem that Stella and Xavier were not included in the conversation as her mother was walking past her before whispering to her.

"I hope you like the mess that you created," she said before Stella stiffened and the older ladies went into the house to talk some business.

*****

Mrs. Canali was walking behind Xavier's mother before she was looking around the cottage. It was cozy and yet cold. She did not know what she was feeling but she was looking at her childhood friend. She was the longest, oldest friendship that Mrs. Canali ever had and she missed her.

She missed her best friend after all these years.

Once upon a time, when she was still living in France, she knew that Mrs. Marchand was different from her when they went to elementary school together. They were bullied but then that made them friends until they met their husbands. Mrs. Marchand moved to Cyprus after she got married and Mrs. Canali went to Italy to follow her husband there.

It's been a long time for them to reconnect with each other.

"So, you have to claim my son for your daughter," her oldest friend said before Mrs. Canali nodded, taking notes there were some cups and tea with biscuits on the island counter of the kitchen. Her heart ached for her daughter never opened up with her.

Not like the way that Mrs. Canali wanted.

"So, I guess you know that my husband was dead," her friend said before Mrs. Canali straightened up. She nodded before she was clearing her throat.

"Condolence. I am sorry I could not make it sooner to meet you and your children," she said sincerely before Mrs. Marchand was waving her hand at her friend.

"No worries and you did not need to demand that your daughter marry my son." Her friend said before she was looking at the porch. Mrs. Canali can see their children were staying together as Xavier was brushing his lips on Stella's forehead. Mrs. Canali's heart ached for her father used to do that to her as well.

"She's the one for him, isn't she?" she asked her old friend but Mrs. Marchand just shrugged at her.

"If she chose to, yes. But they already did the claiming so if you wanted to take her away from this island, you have to bring my son as well," she said before Mrs. Canali was looking at her. She arched her eyebrow.

"Did they—"

"Yes," that was the simplest thing Mrs. Marchand would say about her son's mate. After all, Mrs. Canali did not need to know the whole details.

"So, she's impure now," she said before she was looking at her daughter. Even though she was not happy with her daughter's decision, it was the best that she did to come here. Mrs. Canali smiled.

"I think you're being hard on yourself and your daughter. Maybe it's time to move on and perhaps enjoy life now, Mon Amie," Mrs. Marchand said before she was wiping her tears as Mrs. Canali was looking at her friend. She smiled before she was hugging her. Mrs. Canali was missing her friend and the very last, they reunited and it was the best feeling of all.

"What will your son think about me taking Stella home then?" she asked her friend before Mrs. Marchand smiled at her.

"He will follow as he loves Stella so much," she said before Mrs. Canali smiled and turned to look at their children before she toughened up to get the job done. And she will be responsible for it.

*****

"Do you regret this?" Stella asked Xavier before she was looking at her lover. He smiled before he bent forward and kissed her on the lips.

"Wherever you might go, my love, I will always be with you. Forever," he said before Stella smiled and hugged him, knowing that their time together will short now that she knew her mother will take her home.