The Beauty And The Alpha-Beast (Completed)

Chapter Six

This is dedicated to Powderr for being such a wonderful person and commenting on the previous chapter! It really made my day, especially knowing that someone loved it! Thank you so much! Here is Chapter Six and please vote/comment if you think it's worth it :) Enjoy!

P.S. It's unedited so please pardon the mistakes >.<

Seven years ago

"All right, let's talk about our pack business today!" Darlene declared, faking the no nonsense tone Uncle John occasionally used.It was a warm sunny day, the adults were busy so we were by ourselves. We had spread ourselves lazily on the floor around the coffee table in the living room, having our 'meeting'. 

"What exactly about our pack?" I asked.

Ever since we were young, we see Uncle John, Rose, Chase's and my parents always sitting down together in Uncle John's office to discuss about our pack. We were never allowed to join in no matter how much we pestered the adults so Darlene came up with the brilliant idea to have our own little discussion. Just the four of us.

"Well, when we grow up, Adri is going to be Alpha, Chase Beta, Belle third in command, then what about me?" She pouted.

At the exact same time, both Adri and Chase turned to me for help. Their faces all held the same question for me - what do we say?

I held back the annoyed expression I wanted to give them and instead gave Darlene a bright cheerful smile. "Well, of course you'll be the fourth in command!"

Adri's head immediately snapped up at what I said and he gave me a look that meant that I was out of my mind. I returned him with my own look of disbelief - what else could I say?

I looked at Chase for help so he quickly said, "All right. That's that then. How about let's talk about our transformation?"

Not waiting for anyone to reply, he quickly continued talking so as to distract Dar and change the subject. "It's only two more years. Rose said that it will be really painful, so I have decided that I want to be alone when it happens, you guys are not allowed to watch me in pain, got it?"

I smiled at how Chase talked about it, he was this chubby little boy, yet he seemed so brave and strong.

"Well me too," Adri said, sharing a smile with Chase.

"Hmm, I want Belle to be with me!" Dar said, smiling.

I smiled back, I definitely wanted to be there with her to give her my support. We were best friends, I would do anything to make sure she went through it fine.

"How about you, my Bella?" Adrian smirked as he asked me.

I ignored his stupid nickname for me and shrugged. "I don't really mind."

"I'll definitely be there for you!" Darlene chimed in excitedly and I gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks!"

Just then, Eric, Taylor, Jake and Mike came over. "Adrian! Chase! Wanna play soccer?" Taylor asked excitedly, holding a soccer ball.

"Sure!" The two boys agreed immediately.

"Can I play?" I asked enthusiastically. I hated always being on the sidelines and watching the boys play, it was so unfair that I was never included.

"What? Of course not, soccer's for boys!" Jake protested.

"That's not true! There are even female soccer teams playing on international level!" I frowned, "Don't be such a sexist!"

"Aww, is Jakie afraid of being beaten by a girl?" Mike teased him playfully as Taylor laughed alongside him.

"C'mon, there's nothing wrong with letting Belle play with us," Adrian said, standing on my side.

"Exactly, the more the merrier." Chase added, smiling at me.

"Yeah Jake, let Belle join us, it'll be fun." Eric encouraged, putting his arm around his shoulder.

Seeing that no one was supporting him, her muttered in defeat. "Whatever."

"Yes!" I cried out, jumping for joy.

"But don't go crying for Mummy if you lose or fall down!" He warned, before running towards the backyard.

Adrian chuckled beside me, before turning around to say to me. "Don't worry about him, let's go have fun!"

I nodded, smiling back at him. 

"You guys have fun, I'll watch at the sideline and count the scores." Darlene said as the four of us followed after the boys to the backyard.

//

Present

Belle's POV

The next day, I got up earlier than usual so that I could prepare myself for school. Don't get me wrong, I loved going to school but I never liked high school. There was too much drama going on in high school for my liking. I enjoyed being a wallflower, only hanging out with my group of friends and everything else didn't matter.

Friends... I wondered briefly how it would be like back in school. Would it be weird if I tagged along with the boys? I knew they wouldn't mind but they were always surrounded by a group of girls trying to get their attention that it was annoying. Not to mention what I might do if I were to witness anyone going too far with my mate. What I needed was a girl best friend... like Dar.

I sighed. Would we ever become friends again? Dar was too special for me to lose.

Coming out of a warm refreshing bath, I got back to my room to blow dry my hair. Just as I was about to turn the hair dryer on, I heard a knock on my door. Before I even turned my head, I knew who it was from the scent that was driving me crazy.

"Up so early?" Adrian asked, smiling. He had on a faded maroon t-shirt and blue jeans that fitted him perfectly, and his hair... his hair was the usual brown mess in the morning that looked hot like hell on him, hinting on how he had just rolled out of bed.

Realising that I was still staring at him, I quickly responded. "Yeah, first day back at school."

He walked towards me, reaching out his hand. "Here, let me help you with that."

"Oh no, it's fine." I tried to protest, I didn't think I could manage having him so close to me, yet at the same time, so far.

"Don't worry about it," he insisted, giving me that genuine smile of his that was too charming for me to resist. With that, he led me to my chair and made me sit down.

Switching it on, he started to blow dry my hair. The simple action made my heart go crazy. Every time his fingers accidentally brushed my skin, I could feel sparks from his touch. Biting my lips, I tried my best to stop myself from both jerking away from his touch and jumping into his arms. That would only frighten him.

"Oh yes, I've been meaning to tell you but I kept forgetting." Adri started saying.

"What?" I asked curiously, turning my head to look at him.

He nudged my head to face forward before replying. "There's a new pack living in our town and many of them are enrolled in the same school as us. They've only been here for a week so we're still not very sure how they are like. I plan to organise a party soon so that both of our packs can interact and get to know each other, at the same time, make peace between the two of our packs. But anyway, I thought I should warn you to be careful around them since we don't really know much about their pack."

New pack… I didn't know how I should feel about it. Growing up in this town, we were always the only pack in town. "I see…" I muttered in reply, getting lost in my own thoughts.

"So will you promise me to try and stay out of trouble?" He asked, from the tone of his voice, I could see him grinning cheekily as if he was teasing me, but at the same time, I thought I could also hear something else in his voice.

"I'll try," I told him. I really couldn't stay out of trouble when trouble came looking for me, could I?

"So… have you signed the treaty yet? Where's the line of segregation for their territory?" I asked, turning around to look at him.

"Belle," He chided, trying to hide a smile as he turned my head back around. "Stop moving around." 

"27th Arwood Road, behind our school. You know where's that?" He replied.

"I think so. But it only works when we're in the forest right?"

"Right." 

We went back to silence, well as silent as it could get with the roaring sound of the hair dryer at work. It was a pleasant feeling, having Adrian right next to me. Even though he still didn't know the truth, I enjoyed his presence. It almost seemed like everything was all right. Well, almost.

I tried to calm my beating heart, but it wasn't an easy task, considering all I could focus on was his overpowering scent. I took a good whiff of it, as creepy as it may sound, and was more than relief to find that it was not mixed with anyone's… especially Dar's. Yesterday, as we were up talking in our tree, I couldn't help but notice her scent on him. My wolf got so worked up I found it hard to believe I could actually compose her. At least her scent was on him… not mixed with his. Ever since I returned, I was bursting to find out what exactly is going on between the two of them, yet I was too afraid to ask. 

"Done," Adri told me as he switched off the hair dryer.

"Thanks." I smiled at him, getting up to retrieve my school bag.

Together, we made our way down the stairs to the kitchen. The house was quiet, as usual. The adults who worked were usually up and out before this time and the children and teenagers who went to school were still fast asleep. Adri and I were always the first ones to be up. 

Together, we worked in silence like we always did, preparing breakfast for everyone in our pack. I wondered briefly who made breakfast for the last two years and when I heard footsteps bounding down the stairs noisily, I looked up to see Chase and realised he must have been the one who helped Adri with breakfast.

I smiled at him brightly, greeting him good morning cheerfully, but he responded with a groan. "I forgot you were back." He sighed, running his hand through his hair roughly, probably realising it was too late for him to go back to bed.

I hid a smile, Chase was never a morning person, unlike Adri. "Well, since you're already up, you can go be the alarm clock."

"Okay," he muttered dismissively before realising what he had said. "Wait what?"

I let out a laugh at his expression, before looking back down on the pancakes I was making quickly. Adri smirked beside me, "Don't think I don't know that Jake and the boys have been late for school for the past few days. You should go drag them down so I can make sure they get there in time today." He thought for a minute before admitting, "Though I probably just want to make fun of them and see their reactions."

"Oh no, I'm not gonna do it. They'll probably do some prank to get back at me. I'd rather not get into their bad books, you can do it yourself if you want." Chase groaned again, with that he sat himself down at the counter heavily and proceeded to rest his head down for a few minutes more of sleep.

I laughed, shaking my head slightly. "Do you want me to do it?" I asked as I finished the remaining pancakes and piled them all up on a large plate.

"It's fine, I've already done it." He smirked at me, probably having wake them up through his mind link with them.

I raised an eyebrow at him before shaking my head. Not before long, thunderous footsteps could be heard as the guys came down reluctantly per their Alpha's orders. But as soon as their eyes landed on the pile of pancakes on the table, their eyes widen and they came rushing and pushing to be the first to get here.

"Belle, you are my hero. You have no idea how long it has been since we have tasted your delicious pancakes!" Mike cried dramatically. "The guys can't even cook an egg for God's sake." He muttered the last part under his breath, though with our sensitive hearing we could all pick it up.

Adri picked up the spatula from the sink and aimed it at him playfully. "What did you say?"

The rest laughed as Taylor pushed Mike's head. "It's good enough that we made breakfast for you." Adrian said sternly, hiding the smile that was threatening to spill over from the slight curl of his lips.

Chase looked up with his dazed eyes and agreed, nodding his head,"Exactly." Before letting his head fall back imto his arms.

I laughed along with the rest, welcoming the familiar sense of belonging I have missed so much ever since I stepped out of this house two years ago.

It felt great to be back.

*~*

After breakfast, Adrian made the boys change and get ready in ten minutes and instructed Chase to fetch them to school. I had to hide my smile the whole time as the boys grumbled and groaned about it but didn't have a choice but to follow his orders, though that didnt stop them from voicing out their complains.

A honk was heard outside of our house and seconds later, Dar came strutting down in her tight clothes, high heels and face full of makeup. She came forward to give Adri a hug and a kiss on his cheek with a good morning before going to the car which was driven by her girlfriends. She completely ignored Chase and I. I was stuck between feeling angry with her kissing my mate and her ignoring her mate who was sitting right next to me. But I was more than happy to see that Adri didnt kiss or say anything back to her.

However, beside me, Chase was not doing well. Werewolves in nature were possessive and jealous in nature. His hands were tightened into fists and his whole body was shaking from trying to control his wolf. I quickly stepped forward to give him a hug. Relax... I told him, patting his back.

I could feel Adrian's eyes on us and I hoped that didnt give him any wrong ideas. But before I could do anything, the boys came tumbling down the stairs. Jake came walking down behind them with a satisfied smirk, probably from successfully pushing them down the stairs.

Adri shook his head as he told us to get ready for school. I picked up my school bag, unsure which car I should take. I wanted to go with Chase, just to make sure that he was alright, especially after what just happened with Dar, but at the same time I cherished every opportunity I had with my mate. But I didn't need to contemplate too long when Adri called out to me with that irresistible charming smile of his, "Belle, you coming?"

I hesitated, looking at Chase, asking if he would be alright with my eyes, and he smiled, well more of grimaced, back at me in reassurance. I knew he wouldn't be, not for a while, but there was nothing I could do to help him anyway. This was something he had to deal with on his own, though I did need to speak to Dar about the whole matter soon.

I smiled, giving him a last hug in encouragement before running after Adri and getting into his car shotgun. Taylor and Eric piled into the backseats and before we even drove out of the street we were living in, they were snoring and drooling away. I covered my mouth to hide my laugh. 

The car was quiet, apart from the boys' snores. I looked to see Adrian without any expression on his face. It felt as if he was hiding something from me, or that he was troubled by something. 

"Hey," I called for his attention.

"Yeah?" He looked at me, a little dazed.

"You all right? You've been really quiet since…" I trailed off. 

"Since?" He prompted.

"Since Darlene."

"Oh…" He said.

"Oh? Just oh?" I asked. His response was a simple shrug. That got me a little impatient. Before I could even register what I was going to do, I blurted. "What exactly is going on between the two of you?"

He was quiet for a while, though it felt like a million years in my mind, waiting for his response.

He sighed, "There's nothing going on between the two of us. We broke up a week after you left. She says that she likes me and wants to get back with me, but I realised that I've always seen her as just a friend and nothing more. Plus I've decided to wait for my mate. That's all really."

There's nothing going on between them. Nothing. I repeated the phrase over and over again in my mind. It felt as in a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Relief rushed through me and I could finally breathe again. 

But the other thing was… his mate. From his tone, I could catch some bitterness in it. He wanted to know who he's mate was. And the thing was, he had the right to know. I wanted him to know. 

Should I tell him? My heart started thumping against my chest, hard and fast, as I tried to weigh the pros and cons in my mind, except that my mind drew a blank. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do.

"I…" I started to say.

"Yeah?"

Just as I was about to tell him, he drove into the school parking lot and there, standing in the middle of the parking lot was Dar - making out with another guy. Chase's face flashed in my mind. Shucks…

As Adrian parked the car and turned off the ignition, he turned around to look at me. "Yeah, you were saying?"

"I… I'm sorry about that." No, I couldn't say it so I quickly came up with something else to say.

He looked at me, stunned for a moment before recovering. "Don't be." His tone was smooth and even. But i knew him. I knew that was him hiding his feelings from me. I knew it affected him, more than he let on to anyone.

"Oh yes, before I forget again. What was it that you really wanted to tell me in the storage room that day?" He asked.

I just stared at him, knowing exactly what he was talking about. That day on his 16th birthday when i found out he was my mate. The same thing I nearly wanted to tell him just a moment ago. My decision wavered again as I looked into those deep hazel eyes of his that was trapping me there. 

I quickly blinked my eyes to concentrate on the matter at hand. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Chase coming into the parking lot. Yes, Chase and Dar. I couldn't tell A now, not when I still wasn't sure what he felt about me. I didn't want us to become how Chase and Dar were. I couldn't lose him, not him. 

"It doesn't matter, really." I told him, giving him the most genuine smile I could muster before turning around to wake the two boys up. 

"Guys! Wake up, we're here at school already! Get up!" I shook them gently, still feeling Adri's eyes on me. I shook them a few more times but they just didn't budge. They slept like logs. Did I need to scream into their face?

"Belle, to wake them up, you gotta do this." Adri smirked from beside me. With that, he got out of the car and opened the door of the back seat where Taylor was leaning against. His whole body fell out of the car, waking him up almost immediately.

He screamed as he came out from whatever dream he was in with drool dried on his chin. "What the hell man!?! That hurt." He groaned, getting up. 

"See, it worked." Adri just smiled smugly. "Eric, you up for that too?" 

He was up and out of the car before I could even turn around to look at him. He must have woken up from Taylor's scream. 

"That was effective," I grinned at him.

He grinned and nodded in agreement as he locked the car. Looking around, I was suddenly aware of the many eyes on me. I stiffened, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. This was a small town after all, most of the people must have heard of the girl who was best friends with the famous Adrian Cole leaving all of a sudden two years ago. And now, two years later, here I am, back home. I supposed they had a good reason for being curious.

Beside me, I felt Adrian put an arm around me. I looked up to see him giving me a reassuring smile. Bless him, he must have been able to tell that I wasn't comfortable with all the attention.

"Ignore them. Let's go get your schedule." He said as he led me to the office in the school.

I tried to ignore the stares on me but it wasn't as easy as it seemed so I settled on looking around to check out the environment. Everything was exactly the same as before. I could recognise most of the people around. Some even waved at me or said hi as a friendly gesture which I cheerfully returned.

The receptionist at the office was actually the mate of our principal and they were both from our pack. She greeted me brightly, welcoming back, before giving me my schedule and other relevant information.  Before I knew, the bell rang, signalling the start of the first lesson. As we walked out of the office, Adri looked at me, worry written all over his face.

"Will you be all right on your own?" He asked.

"Of course, I'd be fine. I'm 17 years old, Adri. I'm not the same little girl who needs to be protected." I exclaimed, though I was secretly pleased.

Before he could say anything else like offering to take me to my first class which would cost him to be late, I quickly said,"I'll be fine, really. Now go for your first class or you'll be late."

He looked like he was going to protest, especially since I was actually ordering him to do something which did not settle well with him since he was an Alpha and his wolf did not like being ordered around. But I knew he could tell I wasn't trying to be challenging him or anything with the smile I was wearing on my face, so instead, he wished me luck and went to his class.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down, I really needed the luck, I thought as I felt myself freaking out before hurrying to my calculus class.