We rushed down the flight of stairs in a hurry to see the Beta. I have never met him before, and I wonder how he will be. I just hope he is welcoming.
A loud, boisterous laugh was heard as we got closer to the common area. When we arrived, there were several people hugging someone, whom I assumed was the beta. I noticed that there was a lady beside him smiling from ear to ear; it's safe to assume she's his mate.
"Richard! you, old cargo! Did you miss me?" It was safe to say that I froze, my legs in the air, when I heard that. My facial muscles were twitching, my mouth threatening to burst into laughter.
"You are the old cargo, Ian; you are older than me." Richard retorted, rolling his eyes.
The people with us carried on like it was a normal thing, like someone hadn't just insulted the Alpha. No one would dare call Richard like that if it weren't someone who knows him well. Not wanting to be the strange one, I carried on, schooling my facial expressions.
A heavily built man, who looked like he had been lifting weights since he was born, ran towards us. I took a step back in alarm, not wanting to be caught in the chaos. But something more shocking happened.
The heavy-built man with black locks grabbed Richard in a bear hug. "I've missed you, man." The man said it in the most exaggerated British accent he could come up with. That wasn't all; he proceeded to spin him around.
My brows were so high that they would have reached my hairline if they were any higher. My mouth fell open at the audacity of this man. He was definitely the Beta. He smelled of pines and earth and power.
Richard's nose began to flare, his fist clenching and unclenching. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened them back up.
"Ava, you have two seconds to remove your mate from me before there will be a bloodbath." Richard bellowed, his head peeking out from his huge body.
The "Ava," a slim woman, simply laughed. She didn't even make any effort to separate the pair. "We missed you too, Richard."
Her tiny voice was so soft that it was soothing to the ears. She was a slender woman, with wild manes for hair. She was easy on the eyes and was wearing a black dress that framed her figure well.
The huge man finally released Richard from his grip. "Is that how you treat your beta who has missed you so much? I wonder how you have been coping since I left. Ava wanted us to stay longer, but I couldn't stay away from my best friend any more."
Richard grinned at his words. "I've missed you too, man. The pack has been too quiet."
"So how is your handbag, Sophia? It is a little strange that she isn't around you. Or have you taken my advice and dumped her? Your mate wouldn't—" The slim woman stepped on his feet before he could continue. "Ouch Ava! Why did you do that?"
Ava looked at me pointedly, and he glanced my way and froze as the air carried my scent, which is saturated in Richard male musk.
"Ohhh...." His words were stuck in his mouth. Before I could say anything, Richard came to my rescue.
He held me by my waist and drew me to him. I found myself naturally relaxing. The Beta's eyes grew an inch wider as he pierced everything together.
"Guys, meet Isabella, my beautiful mate." His brown eyes were staring right into mine.
I had to look away when he continued staring, facing his guest. The heat of his eyes was consuming me and luring me in.
"Baby, meet Ian, the trustee Beta, and his lovely mate, Ava." I didn't register anything after his first words. Baby? Did he just call me, baby?
Before I could process my thoughts, Ian grabbed me into a hug. I stiffened in his hands, my hands hanging limp by his side, at a loss for what to do.
A growl was heard from the corner of the room: "Oh calm your wolf, Richard. It is a harmless hug. I have a mate, remember?" Ian interrupted as he let go of me.
Next up, Ava hugged me. I perceived that they are really big on hugs. She smelled of wild flowers and dew, and that scent calmed me down. Her small face was framed with brown curls, bubbling all over the place.
We parted from the hug, and I noticed that her lashes were fluttering, revealing baby blue eyes. "It is nice to meet you, Isabella." From her accent, she should be American.
"She is a beauty, Richard. You really got lucky in securing her." Jan commented, prompting me to blush.
"It is nice to meet you, too, Ian and Ava. I look forward to working with you."
Laughter rang in the air after my words, "Don't be so formal, Isabella. We don't have to do anything. We could just slack off." Ava responded.
What? My face conveyed my shock. Streaks of laughter were heard from everyone. Ian was holding his knees, trying to stabilize himself, as he laughed.
"Your fa-face... We are joking, Isabella. We work ourselves to death. Your mate can be cruel sometimes." Richard was looking at him pointedly, his mouth pursed.
"How was the journey, Ian?" "You definitely looked like you gained an extra pound." Richard interrupted.
"It was wonderful!" He exclaimed with glowing eyes. "We went to visit Ava's parents at first, and they were the reason I gained extra pounds. After that, we went sight-seeing in different countries. We even went to see Ava's favorite band perform, "The Howlers."
We settled down on the nearest sofa as they continued recounting their tales. The story was peppered with shrieks and laughter.
"America is truly amazing. You need to check it out one day." He concluded after the intense story-telling. "So, Richard, tell me how you met this beauty. I'm curious."
"I met her when I went for the Alpha's convention in Nigeria. As luck would have it, she was the Alpha's daughter, and I convinced her to come with me. And now here we are, together." He pressed me toward his side and kissed my forehead.
"Aww, that is so sweet. It is almost like our story. I met Ian when he came for an assignment in Idaho. I refused to follow him back, but he kept coming back to me every time he had a little break. I got tired of his pleading, so I decided to humor him." Her blue eyes crinkled with a smile.
"Uhh... I think I remember that incident differently. You were the one who couldn't get enough of Ian Junior and kept begging me to come give it to you. Until you decided that you couldn't keep up with that arrangement and moved in with me."
"Whatever. I came here because you needed me; you couldn't survive without me." Ava retorted, turning her face to the wall.
"You are right, love, and I still need you. I can't live without you."
Her shrieks pierced the air as he smooched her on her cheeks. She fell onto the sofa amidst laughter.
Richard was looking at them with a disgusted face, making baffling sounds. "You both need to stop before I puke."
Their laughter increased a notch. "No need to get jealous, man, you have a mate now." Ian grinned at Richard.
"Yes, I do." He squeezed my hands. "Alright, back to business. The mating ceremony will be taking place the day after tomorrow, so I want everything to be perfect. Ian, I want you to mobilize some warriors and Omega to set things in place."
Now that is surprising. I wasn't told anything about a mating ceremony. We don't conduct one back at home. So I don't know how we will go about it.
My heart began to pound so loud that I am sure Richard could hear it. Beads of sweat clung to my forehead like a second skin at that thought. What if I flop?
"You don't have to worry yourself, baby." Richard's calm voice broke me from my reverie. His hands were drawing circles at the back of my palm. "Ava?"
"Yes Alpha." Ava sat up as she responded. It was kind of hot seeing Richard in Alpha mode, so hot that I was leaking. I could see Richard's nose flaring before he turned sharply to look at me.
I avoided his gaze, as guilt was written all over my face. A light pinch on my hand had me turning back to face him. "I would like you to brief Isabella on all that goes on during a mating ceremony. You will also follow her to pick her dress."
"Yes Alpha."
"That will be all now. Meanwhile..." He dipped his hands into his pocket, pulled out a card, and gave it to me. "This is yours. Use it to get what you want. Ian, we've got some work to do." With that, they left the room, their scent still lingering.
"Wow! Aren't they hot?" Ava asked, her face still in a dreamy state.
"Uhm... I guess so." I replied, also in a dreamy state.
"So, how about we go spend some money?"
I smiled as we walked out together, and I think I just got a new best friend.