Beta Bully (F/M) - Chapter 29 (Early Access) (Patreon)

The Talk

Darcy accidentally pulled an all-nighter on the Thursday. It was the nerves, the packing and repacking her bag, fretting over Luca’s words and whether to trust them, last-minute denial over Plan A.

By the early hours of Friday morning she was scrunched up in a ball on her bedroom floor surrounded by pyjamas. The only items that had successfully made it into her backpack were the sundress and bikini that Luca had bought her. Everything else she had yet to make a choice on. There was so much she was unclear on. It was way too late to be texting Luca and asking silly questions like “Should I be expecting to stay over one night, or were you serious that I’d be staying after the party, too?”. Luca teased and hinted things too much, and she wanted to be prepared. She also needed to fit everything into one normal-sized bag so it didn’t look like she was rolling up with a suitcase, ready to move into the pack.

Even if she knew how many pairs of underwear she needed, it was then the choice of which ones to pack. Which of her pyjama sets were the least childish? Did she want to look sexy? So many questions swirling in her mind. Luca was going to open his eyes in twenty-four hours and see her as his soul-mate, she just wanted to look pretty.

Her dad knocked on her bedroom door when she didn’t react to her alarm. She was still sat on the floor with her head rested on her bed.

“What’s going on, Darcy? Did a hurricane hit?” he joked awkwardly. As fathers tended to do when they didn’t know how to deal with their emotional teenage children.

Darcy groaned into her bedding.

“Okay. I’m making a nice breakfast downstairs when you’re ready.” ‘Nice breakfast’ by her dad meant lots of toast with different spreads and cut up fruit. Usually she made her own breakfasts and lunches, so she appreciated it any time he did the ‘nice breakfast’. Even if it usually accompanied a stressful day like exams or a jab. He hesitated in the doorway and Darcy gave him a tearful pout. “I know it’s a big day for you tomorrow, so try to enjoy it, okay?”

Darcy sniffed and scrubbed her hands over her face, her cheeks were red-hot. When she lifted her hands, her dad was gone. He was right, though. Mate maturity was supposed to be exciting. Her own mate maturity birthday had been a disaster, but things were different now.

She shoved some toiletries, a selection of underwear, and a t-shirt-and-shorts pyjama set into her backpack and left it at that. She had run out of time to over-think things any more. Once she was washed and dressed, she loped down the stairs to nibble on the toast selection.

At the table her parents were sat stiffly. The room was silent. Darcy greeted them with a mumbled ‘morning’ and sat down. She had no appetite, but she filled her plate with the pre-made toast anyway. Her dad pushed bowls of fruit under her nose and she took a piece here and there to appease him. His effort really was appreciated, she just couldn’t enjoy his hard work when the stress was creeping over her skin.

Her mate was going to find out she was a liar.

As soon as the clock reached eight she shot out of her seat for the front door, calling her gratitude over her shoulder.

Her father gave chase. “Slow down, Darcy!” he shouted after her. “I’m driving you to school today.”

Darcy eyed her father suspiciously.

“Why?” Last time he offered her a lift to school he had driven her to the dentist first.

“That bag looks heavy, and you seem a bit stressed out. Not having to worry about that old bus seems like it might help.”

For a moment, she hovered in the doorway. Her dad smiled awkwardly at her and she knew she couldn’t say no. He was just trying to make her day easier.

“Thank you,” she mumbled and let her bag hit the ground wearily.

They returned to the table for another half-hour of her mother’s small talk.

The first few minutes of the drive were silent. Darcy usually found it easy to chat to her dad, but he seemed to be waiting for something, so she did too.

“About tonight,” he suddenly said.

“You said it was okay for me to sleep over at The Pearl Claw,” Darcy reminded him with just a hint of her stress slipping into her tone.

“Yes, that’s fine. He’s your soul-mate. This is… expected.” His hands squeezed and released the wheel a few times. “I just feel that if I had- if your mother and I had known about him sooner, we could have talked about some things.”

“Oh my god.” Darcy pulled her shirt up over her face. This was worse than the dentist. “Dad. Please, no. I don’t need a sex talk - we’re not even doing that tonight!”

“You never know-”

“We already agreed-”

“Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, these things happen-”

“Please stop! Mum already gave me ‘the talk’ years ago.”

“I just want you to be able to ask anything you need before I drop you off.”

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

“And if you feel pressured, or he changes his mind about your agreement, you call me, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks, dad.”

“You always have the right to leave another pack’s grounds, you only need permission to enter. He can’t stop you.”

“Got it.”

“Just because you’re his mate doesn’t mean you owe him anything, not even a kiss.”

“Yes, dad.”

“And just because you’re an omega and he’s a beta doesn’t mean he can order you about. You’re still a member of The Charred Crescent.”

“Understood.”

“Your mother and I are always here for you. We love you so much.”

“I love you too, dad. So much.”

A curly-topped beta was waiting at the drop-off area when her dad pulled over. Luca’s golden face had never been such a relief to see. Her stress of seeing him had been completely overshadowed by the horror of her car journey. She would take awkward young love over awkward parental units any day.

“That him?” her dad asked with an unfamiliar edge to his voice.

“Yep.” Darcy tried to open the door but her dad kept the child lock on. She gave him a look of mortified exasperation.

“I love you. Call me if you need me,” he repeated.

“I love you, too.” Darcy hugged him with one and a half arms crammed over his seat and he laughed and squeezed her tight.

As soon as she heard the door lock click, she flew out of the car and into another big hug. Luca lifted her off the ground a few inches simply by standing up straighter with his arms around her.

“Mornin’,” she whispered into his chest. She felt it rumble under her face and he swung her back and forth a little.

“Morning beautiful,” Luca cooed. The sunny bubble holding them tightly together popped suddenly when he added, “Is that your dad?”

Darcy felt her eye twitch. She had assumed he had driven away after she got out. Luca let go and she dropped to her feet. Behind her, the car was idling in the drop-off lane. Her father’s arms were crossed over his chest.

“Let’s go do some introductions while he’s here.”

Darcy groaned quietly and Luca gave her a quizzical look but kept moving towards the passenger window. Her dad waited a few seconds after Luca stopped next to it before pressing the button to lower the glass.

“Hello, sir. I’m Luca Sha-”

“I know who you are, beta,” her dad grumbled.

“Dad!” Darcy hissed. “Please don’t be rude.”

Luca hesitated, possibly waiting for her dad to air his grievances, but the older man said nothing.

“I hope that we can get to know each other better, what with Darcy being my soul-mate,” Luca said carefully. “It would mean a lot to me to be able to get along well with her family.”

Darcy’s dad huffed. “I agree,” he replied, but he refused to look Luca in the face. “I need to know a lot more about you, beta. I don’t know if I like you, yet. You’re not exactly starting off with a blank sheet.”

“I understand.”

“Well, understand this as well - she does not belong to you. She is a blessing upon you.” Darcy flushed to the tips of her ears, but her father was not finished. “There is always an old council law for everything. Nothing is set in stone and if she wants to stay with her family, then there will always be a way we can make that happen.” She had never heard him speak like this, he looked furious. It was so unlike her goofy and laid-back parent. Her mum was the loud and bossy one. “Don’t think you have secured her like some prize.”

“I understand, sir. Thank you for giving me this second chance to prove myself.”

Her dad grunted and pulled away jerkily. Darcy watched the car until it disappeared off school grounds.

“I’m so sweaty,” Luca laughed nervously. He rubbed his hands on his jeans.

“You did well,” Darcy assured him. “He’s really nice normally.”

Luca mumbled, “I haven’t earned nice from your family or friends.”

Darcy shrugged. It wasn’t the day for this discussion.

“Tell me about the pre-midnight snacks I have all day to look forward to,” she suggested.

Luca laughed and took her hand in his. “Is that the only reason you’re coming over?”

“What other reason would I have?” she asked, deadpan.

He laughed again.