The Assistant (sequel to The Beta's Mate)
She Said Yes

Elizabeth watched her daughter and her mate, Dylan, the next Alpha of the pack, walking in to Royce’s office. It made her smile to see how happy her daughter had become in just two short weeks. The shadows in her eyes had faded the more she had gotten to know her mate. Miranda had, surprisingly, easily accepted the situation with a certain reverence and also, not a little, flippancy. “Mom, if he’s going to love me for the rest of his life and, bonus, never harm me, why shouldn’t I accept him?” She wished she could do the same thing with Dylan’s father, the current Alpha.

“Hi, dad. Miranda and I are going for a swim down by the waterfall and we thought that we would invite both of you to go along with us. I have the omegas pack us a lunch. We’re leaving in about twenty minutes. Would you like to join us, Libby?” Elizabeth knew what Dylan was doing. One look at Royce and she realized he knew as well.

“Well son, I for one, would love to join you. Elizabeth? We don’t have anything else today do we?” Royce arched an eyebrow in that arrogant manner of his. He was telling her that he dared her to refuse to spend time with him

.“That would be lovely. Thank you for the invitation. If you will excuse me, I’ll need to go change.” Elizabeth was a little put out with Royce. He had challenged her openly, knowing that she wold back down. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend time with him. They had been on several semi-casual dates. Royce had been true to his word and not pushed for anything. However, knowing what she knew about wolves and their makeup, she often wondered how long he could hold onto it. There were times when she would look at him and his eyes would swirl a golden color and his features would become feral as he gazed at her. His nostrils would flare and he would release a growl. Then, he would act like nothing had happened.

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Royce’s POV:

Royce stood behind his desk watching his mate leave the room. The idea to throw he and she together might not be a good one. He was hanging onto his control by a thread. Even now his wolf was growling in his head. “Why have you not claimed her? She is ours. She will love us. We are in pain and we are tired of hurting.”

“She’s not ready yet. Her husband hasn’t been dead long. She is slowly coming around. We can’t push her.” Royce argued with his wolf. This time his wolf whined. “Does she not want us?”

“She’s afraid. Afraid of being left grieving for a man that died and left her alone.”

“We won’t do that!”

“I know. She does too. But, emotions are difficult to overcome sometimes. I think it’s not losing us that scares her. It’s the fact that she had to watch Daniel die by degrees. That did something to her.”

He felt his wolf begin to understand the problem with their mate. Because of that understanding, his wolf relaxed. He understood that by pushing their mate, he might actually harm her.

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The trip to the waterfall took only about twenty minutes. The setting was something out of a fairy tale. The water sparkled like diamonds in the early afternoon sun. “This place is absolutely beautiful. Does the entire pack know that it’s here? Silly question. Of course, they do.” Miranda gazed around the falls in wonder.

“One day a week is reserved for the Alpha and his family. Today being that day. During the hottest months, I lift that restriction and let the pack use every day. ” Royce looked out at the water, trying not to notice what his mate looked like in her bathing suit. It was perfectly modest. While it was a two piece suit, it fit like a second skin. Her figure was not that of a young girl. It was the figure of a woman. Her hips were full and round, her breasts also were full. Royce watched her walk out into the clear water. Her hips swaying and she gingerly picked her way over the rocks. He felt his wolf rise up and view his mate with appreciation that only a male wolf would have.

“Dad, how are you managing? I mean, how are managing not to take Elizabeth by force and mark her. I’ve seen your wolf surface several times.” Dylan was concerned for his dad’s well-being.

“I’m holding up alright, son. My wolf and I have come to an agreement today. He now understands that Elizabeth is fearful of starting another relationship. He’s hurting, as am I. But, if I force this on her, then I risk losing her.”

“Does she know about mom? I mean, what happened? The way she died?” Dylan was beginning to get a picture in his head and he didn’t like it. He liked and respected Elizabeth, but he loved his dad. He didn’t want to see him hurting like he knew he was.

“No, and I don’t want you to tell her, either. She has to realize that she can trust me to be there for her.” This conversation was getting a little uncomfortable for Royce. His mate was a beautiful woman and he was determined to win her. She was warming up to him gradually. She didn’t pull away when he touched her anymore. She even let him hug her on occasion.

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