Beta Bully (M/M) - Chapter 53 (Early Access) (Patreon)

Honesty Policy

Darcy’s brain was flicking through all of his problems like a revolving door. The action keeping him awake, but no solution coming from it. Since joining the Pearl Claw, he had gone from being afflicted with one horrible dilemma to being surrounded by them.

He barely slept all night, showered again in the morning, and scrubbed his elbows in the kitchen sink twice more throughout the day. Most of the working day was spent silently tidying random rooms. Trapped in his thoughts as they cycled round and round with no revelations. Surrounded by Oli’s scent. Worrying about what Luca was going to say to Alpha Nico.

Impending doom followed him about his day.

In one of the lounge rooms, he was fluffing a pillow aggressively when he realised someone was watching him.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Darcy hadn’t registered his scent approaching, because it was already stuck to him like tar.

“Hi Oli,” Darcy grunted.

“I just wanted to swing by and apologise again,” Oli said, words rushing out like vomit. “I hope I didn’t get you in trouble with Luca by telling him. I couldn’t ignore what happened. I don’t know about you, but for those of us with dominant second genders, scent marking is a really serious thing.” He laughed awkwardly. “I’ve been getting the silent treatment off Nico all day.”

Darcy was listening, he just couldn’t form a response.

Oli dumped his enormous body onto the sofa and tilted his head. “You okay?”

There’s something about those two words that always triggers the flood gates when you’re already struggling to hold yourself together. Darcy stared down at the pillow in his hands and it blurred more and more until he could feel the tears running down his cheeks.

“No,” he said, voice wobbling.

“Darce,” Oli gasped. “What happened with Luca?”

“It’s not that,” he blubbed. “I mean, it is. But it’s that and lots of things.”

“What things? Here, sit down and tell me.” He patted the sofa cushion beside him, adding a desperate, “please.”

Darcy sat. His butt didn’t make a dent in the seat like Oli’s did. He was perched like a little bird, sniffling and blubbering beside him. It took him a while to gather himself enough to speak again.

“Alpha Nico hates me,” he said, staring at the opposite wall. It was easier to say it out loud when he didn’t have to look at the alpha’s mate. “He’s hated me from the moment I got here and it’s so much worse than you and Luca see. You don’t understand.” He sniffed again. “He yells at me whenever I come near him. Calls me lazy and entitled and lots of mean things and I’m not. I try my best all the time! And he’s never happy. But it makes it ten times worse that it feels like no one believes in how cruel he is.” He finally turned back to Oli. “Until last night, when Luca suddenly announced he’s going to confront him.” Oli winced, but didn’t interrupt. “So my soul-mate has lost his mind, that’s problem number two. Problem number three would be the blond bitch known as Riley, who seems determined to sabotage me in any way he can. Then there’s my best friends messaging me endlessly about how I never see them, but I feel too guilty asking Luca to grant me pack leave permissions when I know it makes Alpha Nico angry. Because then I’m just confirming his accusations that I get special treatment from my mate. Which I don’t! I barely see Luca because we’re both so busy. And when I do see him, there’s always drama or something I need to tell him that will only add to the stress I know he’s struggling with since taking his beta position officially. And THEN!” Darcy sucked in a dramatic breath. “When we took a self-care day together, he made me go into the woods in my wolf form, which he knows I hate, and then we bumped into you and the guards and I got stared at. I thought I was going to pee myself right there on the twigs I was so scared.” He was panting, his small fists squeezed angrily. “And then, when I almost fell to my death off kitchen counters that are literally taller than me, he has the audacity to be angry that I was saved!” He swiped at his damp cheeks with the backs of his hands. “And… I’m just… tired.”

Oli gave him a few seconds, checking he really was finished. Darcy was doing the same, running back through the last few weeks and trying to weed out any other issues niggling at the back of his mind. Anything he had forgotten but could still be churning up his subconscious.

Oli shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “I would give you a hug after all that, but, you know.”

“Yeah,” Darcy replied with a hearty sniff.

“I am really sorry, though. That you’ve been dealing with so much and feeling so unsupported.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said reflexively.

“I didn’t notice, so that is my fault,” Oli disagreed gently. “I’m a beta of this pack, I should be looking out for everyone, but especially the titled members. We’re all trying to keep this place running smoothly together. It’s a lot of responsibility for a young team. Other packs have wider age gaps between their titled members. I guess because we’re soul-mates, we ended up bunched together.”

Darcy hadn’t really thought about it too hard before, but he hadn’t seen a pack with such a young titled group before, either. He and Luca were both only eighteen, and Oli and Nico were in their late twenties. He had never thought to ask why Alpha Nico had had to take over the pack at such a young age.

“And, unfortunately, Nico is my responsibility. Not just as my alpha but as my mate. I promise you that his behaviour towards you will be addressed. I had no idea he was being such a brute and I won’t make any more excuses for him. I’m sorry, Darcy. I really thought he was just being his normal brash self with you.”

“Thanks, Oli. I’d really appreciate it. I think it would be better for you to talk to him than Luca.” Darcy loved his mate with all his heart, but he knew his emotional state wouldn’t help. They were trying to put out a fire, not turn it into an inferno.

Oli nodded in agreement. “Next problem - do you mind me asking why you hate your wolf form?”

“It makes me feel so much more small and vulnerable, and I’m already small and vulnerable! I don’t pick up on things or understand what other wolves are trying to tell me. And my feet aren’t used to all the spiky things on the ground. It feels safer to stay human.”

“You did great last week, though. Those natural instincts must have kicked in.”

“I was petrified.”

“What’re you afraid is going to happen?”

“I’m scared of other wolves. I can’t read their behaviour, that part doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m worried that they’ll be trying to tell me to get the hell away and I won’t have a clue. Then it’ll be my fault if I got attacked.”

“That would never be your fault,” Oli said with visible horror. “Your pack would always protect you, especially as an omega. No one would ever be giving you an aggressive sign on your own pack grounds.”

“But I don’t know that for sure. I couldn’t tell what those wolves with you were doing when they kept staring at me.”

“Ah, that I will also apologise for. They were a bit too curious about you.” He smiled sheepishly. “It was irritating Luca, too. But we both spoke to them about being a bit less star struck.” He winked.

“Spoke?” Darcy repeated the word that had been said with heavy insinuation.

“Luca threatened their lives and I mediated.”

“Ah.” This was exactly why Darcy didn’t want Luca confronting Alpha Nico. “They wanted to get a good look because I’m a beta mate?”

“No, you’re our first omega in over half a century. And omega don’t show their wolf forms off their own pack lands, so none of us have seen that before. Pretty sure the guards would trade all their valuables for a chance to play with you. You are very small and cute.”

Darcy ignored the last comment with burning cheeks.

“It’s still new to me, too. I hardly used my wolf form in my old pack.”

“You’re more than welcome to come on patrols with us. It might help you build some confidence to walk the same paths but with different people. Plus, you’d always be safe with your puppy privileges.”

“Wouldn’t I be a liability to you guys? You’re trying to protect the pack and if I’m dawdling along at the back-”

Oli frowned, scolding him. “You are part of the pack, Darcy. Protecting you is just as important as anyone else, so it makes no difference. Not that I would ever let you go on any of the patrols that expect trouble. Luca would kill me. And, you’re my friend.”

Darcy fought the urge to cover his face with his hands.

“If you want to join a walk of the inner forest, or one of the housing blocks, let me know. I’ll make sure we find you some soft paths for those sensitive paws of yours.”

“So, no boundary line assignments?” Darcy teased.

“If you were spotted within a mile of the boundary line, and you would be spotted, I would drag you back home myself.”

Oli snapped his teeth at him playfully, but Darcy still jumped.

“Thanks… I think.”

“First, though, I think you need to have a talk with your soul-mate.”

Darcy sniffed. “Yeah.”

“Honesty is always the best policy, and I think you need to be brutally honest with him so he can understand.”

Darcy nodded.

“And I would also appreciate brutal honesty from you. Didn’t you tell me not to let things get stuck inside too long?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, you too.”

Darcy grinned.

“You hunt down Luca and I’ll hunt down Nico?”

Darcy nodded.

He put his hand out, palm down, and Darcy hovered his over the top.

“Go team! Break!”

They threw their hands up in the air. Then laughed at themselves.

It wasn’t difficult to find his target. Luca was stomping through the house with a face of fury. Darcy followed him up towards their suite. Luca reached back to stroke his hand and help him up the last set of stairs, but he could tell it didn’t dull his anger.

In their home, he released his reasons.

“I didn’t get my meeting with Alpha Nico,” he huffed. “I’m fully aware he’s been insanely busy the last few days with that new pack moving into the county and all the fuss around them, but this is important. And if I say something is urgent, it should be treated as urgent!”

Darcy let him rant, watching him pace around their living room and tear off his clothing piece by piece simultaneously. Everything was thrown into the hamper and he began pulling on a fresh pair of trousers and clean shirt.

“I should be able to get just as much of his time as Oli! We’re the same rank! Just because they’re close friends, and he’s been in the role longer doesn’t mean I should be pushed to the sidelines.” He sighed. “Instead of getting to talk to him about you, I’ve been pulled in every direction. Sorry, I would have given you a hug and kiss when I saw you but I was so sweaty.”

“It’s okay.”

“Are you… okay, though?”

“I need to talk to you about something- a bunch of things, actually.”

“I was just about to head back out,” Luca replied awkwardly.

“It’s urgent.”

“Okay.” He dropped onto their sofa and tucked his hands into his lap.

Darcy took a deep breath and tried to remember the full monologue he had given Oli. “It really upset me that you treated me like a criminal after Oli got his scent on me. That was neither of our faults and…”