The Beta's Broken Mate (Book 3 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 30

Cora nodded, eager to see him again.

He walked in a moment later, and she let herself really look him over. He was tall, but not overly tall for a werewolf, though his shoulders and chest were heavily muscled, his muscular arms tattooed. His hair was a dirty blond, long on the top and shaved on the sides. He had a full, neatly trimmed beard and startlingly blue eyes. He was a very handsome man, and she could imagine how good he'd look with no shirt on. She noticed that he wasn't marked.

Whoever Ragnar's mate was, she was a lucky she-wolf. Beta Ragnar was an incredibly sexy man. Cora guessed he was in his early twenties and wondered why he was still unmated.

He sat down in a chair near her bed, his intense blue gaze looking over her quickly. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. How was she supposed to answer that? She wanted to tell him she still felt dirty and disgusting, but it didn't seem appropriate.

"I guess that's a dumb question. Dr. Emma told us what happened to you. I'm not going to bring it up with you unless you want to discuss it. The rogues that were at the compound are all dead. Honestly, I wish I could bring them all back and kill them again, but..." He stopped and sighed. "Dr. Emma told me that you're eighteen, and your parents wanted you to mate someone you didn't want to and disowned you because you wouldn't."

Cora nodded as she listened to him laying out the last few years of her life in simple terms. It all sounded sort of ridiculous, but it hadn't been when she'd been living through it. The constant pressure that her parents had pressed on her to mate with Jasper had gotten to be too much. She'd hated being around them because that was all they talked to her about. She'd grown weary hearing about it.

"Given that you're eighteen, we can't make you go back to your old pack," Ragnar said quietly to her, and she almost smiled at that. Going back there was the last thing she wanted to do. "However, you do need to figure out what you want to do."

"Would the Alpha allow me to stay here in Lone Star Pack with you?" Cora asked him tentatively.

"I don't know if Alpha Trent would allow you to stay or not. You would have to speak with him." Of course. She was a bit intimidated by the Alpha. He hadn't spoken to her, but she'd been aware of his eyes on her. Not in a lewd way, like the rogues or Jasper had looked at her, undressing her with their eyes, but in a concerned way. She wondered why the Beta couldn't ask the Alpha for her. She was much more comfortable talking to him than she was an Alpha.

"But I'm not a member of Lone Star Pack, Cora."

His words surprised her, and she looked up at him. "I thought you were the Beta?"

"I am a Beta, but not in this pack."

Well, that changed things. She had wanted to stay in Lone Star because she felt safe around him. "Which pack are you the Beta of?"

"Regal Eclipse."

Her eyes grew round at his words as she stared at him. He was the Royal Beta? She immediately dropped her gaze when she realized she'd been staring. "I don't feel your aura," she whispered.

"I keep it masked most of the time. It's much easier to talk to people if they're not scared shitless of you because they think you might kill them at any second," Ragnar grinned.

Cora gave him a half smile. "Do you kill people regularly?"

"Not really. The last person was a guy named Leon. He was a real douchebag who killed my best friend's mate. He was also a pussy who pissed himself because he got to experience my aura." Ragnar leaned back in his chair.

"He sounds like a douchebag. Is your best friend okay?" Cora couldn't imagine the pain his friend must have gone through.

"She's had a rough time. But she also has a young pup, and she has to stay strong for him." Cora watched a smile cross his face as he spoke of this woman.

"So why are you here, Beta?" Even knowing what she knew, she still felt comfortable talking to him. It sort of baffled her that he was the Royal Beta.

"I'm the liaison for Lone Star and I got called in after the raid. I was supposed to be here for it, but things changed. I'm not sure how long I'll be staying. Not long. I have obligations at home I need to get back to."

Cora heard the pause and wondered if he meant a girlfriend.

Dr. Emma suddenly poked her head in again. "I brought you some dinner, Cora."
She brought in a plate and moved the table over so Cora could eat. She lifted the lid off of the meal.

Cora looked at it quietly, wondering if she would be able to eat it all.

'I'm starving,' Missy told her.

Cora picked up her fork, aware of Ragnar's eyes on her.

"I'm going to let you eat, Cora. I need to eat and get some sleep." Ragnar stood.

Cora tensed up. She didn't want him to leave. At the moment, she didn't feel safe anywhere.

A knock sounded at the door, causing her to tense even more, and Ragnar moved to see who it was. He turned back to her. "I'll be right back."

Ragnar stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Alpha Trent stood there with a paper in his hands. He handed it to Ragnar. "I thought you might want to see this."

Ragnar took the paper from him and read it over. It was an email sent out to all the packs in America, except his own, of course, asking for information on one Cora Jacobs and offering a one thousand dollar reward for her safe return. He scoffed at the last line. If any pack is harboring Miss Jacobs, they will be met with swift force. Signed one Alpha Robert.

'This is an interesting development.' Rollo tilted his head in curiosity.

Ragnar growled in annoyance. "Stupid Alphas always have their heads so far up their own arses they can't see the light of day." He glanced at Trent. "Not you. You're one of the few that's still level-headed."

"Thanks," Trent muttered sarcastically.

Ragnar smirked at him. "if you weren't, I'd let ya know."

Trent laughed. "I'm sure you would." He grew serious again. "So now what? Vail Pack is not a small pack, and even if Alpha Robert is arrogant, he still has well-trained warriors. Most packs will not take her in. That's too much of a risk for one she-wolf they don't know."

"Well, I guess I'll be taking her back to Regal Eclipse with me," Ragnar said, pulling out his phone. "Especially since we weren't included in this email. If Alpha Roberts has a suicide wish, he can bring his pack down on us. I would hope he wouldn't be dumb enough to do that, but then again, we've already taken out one Alpha this year." He snapped a photo of the email and sent it to Daniel along with a quick message.

"I heard something happened with the Virginia pack?" Trent prodded.

"The Alpha King found his mate."

"Really? That's fantastic. I hadn't heard that," Trent smiled. He liked Daniel quite a bit and was happy the king had finally found his mate.

"Yes, though not many know about her yet, or that the next heir to the throne has already been born," Ragnar smiled. Or that it's a girl.

"He sure moves fast," Trent muttered.

"There will be a crowning ceremony soon, so watch for that," Ragnar said, watching a response come through.

"Will the King allow Cora refuge? I know Regal Eclipse doesn't really take on new pack members. Your pack is a bit of a mystery to the rest of us," Trent commented.

"That's intentional. There are things about us that most of the werewolf population doesn't know, and we prefer it that way. There's a reason why the Remington Family has always held the throne. They have a lot more power than most think they do. That's what got Alpha Jason killed. That and kidnapping the Alpha King's heir," Ragnar said grimly, reading over Daniel's response.

Trent frowned. "What an idiot."

"Cora will be welcome to stay for a bit, at least until we get this mess with her pack straightened out." Ragnar rubbed at his face and yawned. "I need to get some food, get a few hours of sleep, and head home. I need to let Cora know first and speak to the doctor about releasing her."

"If you want to talk to Cora, I'll speak to Emma," Trent offered.

Ragnar nodded. "That's fine. Thanks for everything, Alpha Trent."