The Beta's Missing Mate (Book 16 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 22

He stared at her now, and she saw it. He didn't want this either. He couldn't even bring himself to agree. He didn't want this, and frankly, she couldn't blame him. He didn't want to take a Chosen Mate no matter who it was. Not after he knew what it was to have a fated mate. Not after he'd experienced having a bond with someone else. Not after he'd mated her and knew what it was like to share something so intimate with her.

But if he was unable to find her, he really had no choice. Mating came down to three things: He had to mark her, reject her or take a Chosen. Two of the three required her to be present. And since she wasn't, it forced him into the third option.

But he had to find a woman willing to be his Chosen. A human would be complicated. It would require him to convince her to tie herself to him for the rest of her life in a very short amount of time. To share secrets and to place trust in someone who knew nothing about what he really was.

A she-wolf was simpler. She understood what he was and how the mate bond worked. She'd know what it all entailed.

Bianca could understand why he'd chosen her. She understood the bond all too well.

Pure and simple. She'd lost her mate. There wasn't another one for her out there. She was stuck. The chances of her finding a werewolf who would be willing to take her as their Chosen were slim to none. Unless she herself mated a human.

"Yes you," he confirmed quietly.

He had to be insane. Well, no, this would keep him from going insane. Her heart suddenly broke for him. Aidan Asgrim had gotten himself into a horrible situation, where he was forced to give up his other half because she'd left him. He was forced to take another because he couldn't reject her. Life could be cruel. "You want to take me as your Chosen." She said it under her breath, but knew he heard her.

He sighed softly. "Yes."

Lie. They both knew he didn't want to; he just had no choice. Which meant he'd have to mark her. It was the only way to break the bond with his mate. But marking meant sex. "How?"

He frowned at her. "What do you mean, how?"

She took a deep breath, unbelieving that she was about to say what she was to the Royal Beta. But if she agreed to this, at some point, she would be intimate with him. It was inevitable. He was a male werewolf, a sexual creature by nature. He would need sex, and he would also need an heir. And it would have to be with her. He was asking a lot from her. "How do you plan to mark me? No offense Beta, but you and I both know you're not going to be able to have sex with me. I highly doubt your dick will even get hard."

His eyebrows shot up at her words, and she cringed. She really shouldn't have said that to him. But they both knew it was true. He would find her touch repulsive. She'd be able to handle it better than he would, but it would still be a struggle. She hadn't let another man touch her since she'd lost Brian.

"I apologize Beta. I should not have questioned your virility," she muttered and hoped she wasn't blushing. She shouldn't have made a comment about his dick. Her eyes wanted to drop down to it, but she forced herself not to. How embarrassing would that be?

He gave a short laugh at that. "It's fine, mostly because you're right."

She breathed a small sigh of relief that she hadn't offended him. "I'd have a difficult time too," she admitted softly. Her bond was broken and bleeding out.

Aidan nodded. "I'd have to just mark you and you me. That would be easiest. No sex. If that's okay with you."

She bit her lip at that. It would be unpleasant but not as unpleasant as having sex with him, or trying to. That would be incredibly unpleasant for both of them, and she already knew he would never be able to get through it. She'd struggle herself. It would be incredibly awkward and not at all something she wanted to go through her first time with him.

"But it would end our bonds and create a new one between us," he said quietly, his gaze on her.

He really did have the prettiest blue eyes. "Which means at some point you will want to have sex with me," she muttered under her breath, not really meaning for him to hear her.

Aidan sighed and raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm a guy."

He was really hating this, she realized.
"I noticed."

"If this was just you and I, and neither of us had ever been mated before, and we met at a bar, and I came onto you, would you be interested?" He crossed his muscled arms over his chest.

Bianca looked him over quietly. Would it be such a hardship to mate with him? He was good looking. No, he was drop dead gorgeous. She'd had a crush on him before. It wouldn't be a chore, especially if there was a bond between them. She would be drawn to him. No it wouldn't be the same as what it was with Brian, but it would make having sex with him easy. "Maybe. I don't know you." She frowned.

His eyes narrowed. "I don't know you either."

He wasn't wrong, though he probably knew more about her than she did about him. "Bianca Marie Simmons, twenty-one. I'm a Beta. My favorite color is blue and as cliche as it sounds, I like long walks on the beach. I like to read."

He tipped his head sideways as he studied her. "Aidan James Asgrim, thirty-five. Also a Beta, and one day I will be the Royal Beta. My favorite color is also blue and I also like to read. I probably work too much as both a pack liaison and I also do business for Remington Enterprises."

He dropped his arms and stepped closer to her. "I'm not going to lie. I don't want to do this. And it's nothing against you at all. It's just because you're not my mate. But, I do think you're lovely, and once this bond is formed between us, having sex with you won't be a chore." He gave her a half smile. "But I'm not going to push you into doing anything your not ready for either. I will be good to you, Bianca. I will remain faithful to you."

She couldn't ask for much more than that from him. Yes, love would be nice and maybe it would come down the road. But it seemed that for the time being, he was offering companionship. He'd take care of her and never stray.

"All I'm asking is for you to think about it."

Well, at least he wasn't expecting an answer right this moment and she was glad about that. She sighed softly. "If we met at a bar and you hit on me, I might seriously consider it. Having sex with you wouldn't be a chore for me either."

He studied her quietly, his gaze intent. She saw his eyes glow briefly.

"Would you be willing to come back to my pack so we could get to know each other?"

She eyed him thoughtfully. She didn't dislike him. She didn't really have an opinion one way or another about him. She bit her lip. This really could be her chance at happiness. He wasn't Brian, but he would still be her mate. There would be a bond between them. Could she truly see herself being intimate with him? She wasn't sure about that, but maybe. She sighed. 'What do you think, Nissa?'

'New Mate may be okay. Will make life better. Too sad now. I'm okay with it,' Nissa replied, though Bianca could feel her reluctance.

"Okay. I'll come back with you," she agreed.

His shoulders slumped a bit, and she wondered what he was thinking. Either he was relieved that she'd agreed and he wouldn't have to approach another woman, or he was disappointed she'd said yes. She didn't know him well enough to call it.

"Okay," he said.