Chapter 9 : The Return of Beth

Was it leading them on if she just refused to choose? Let the three of them fight it out. For Goddess' sake, she couldn't believe she was including Julian in her considerations now. That was enough of a rollercoaster on its own.

Nathan was charming, sweet, and always good for a joke. He was almost irresistible, and she played their kiss over and over again in her head.

Julian was fiery and passionate, with a soft side that took her by surprise. He knew exactly how to push all of her buttons, sometimes in the best way possible.

Lucas was steadfast and reliable. He had a startling passion that made her desperate for more.

At the end of the day, she couldn't stop thinking about any of them. If she were smart, she would be preparing for her military tactics meeting, but instead, she was trying to put her thoughts in order.

Maybe she could turn this into something that worked in her favor. She had three really solid choices to present to the council in six months. Of course, all three of them were on the council, which complicated things a little, but it was a start.

If she had the time to just decide for herself, she could eventually narrow it down to one of them. Hopefully.

The door opened, and Amelia leapt to her feet. If it was Lucas, she wasn't sure how to explain her strange reaction to their kiss. If it were anyone else, she'd need to explain why she was so flushed.

"It smells like sex in here," Beth stated flatly, shutting the door behind herself.

Relief and excitement flooded Amelia. She let out a girlish squeal, beyond thrilled to see that her best friend had returned from her reconnaissance mission. Now she could see about that shopping trip to update her wardrobe.

"Thank fuck you're here," Amelia said, grabbing her friend up in a tight bear hug.

"You reek. What have you been doing?" Beth demanded.

"I just got finished with a little workout." That wasn't a lie, right? She had just gone through a rigorous workout with Julian. And a little bit with Lucas.

"Is that why you smell so … " Beth sniffed at her. "Horny?"

Amelia cackled. She forgot that Beth was a couple of months older than her, meaning she had already shifted. Her sharp sense of smell stayed with her, even in her human form.

"That's a very long story," Amelia said dismissively, inviting Beth to collapse onto the bed with her.

"I came as soon as I could. I'm so sorry I couldn't be here sooner. I hate that you had to go through the ceremony on your own," Beth offered solemnly.

"I'm just glad you're back safe. I worried about you every day." Amelia wasn't lying. She trusted Beth's ability as a spy, but it didn't stop her from fretting over her friend.

"You know good and well that nothing was going to happen to me. Two months in the western territories was more of a risk of death by boredom than anything. Those people don't have anything better to do than bicker amongst themselves," Beth laughed, blowing off Amelia's concern.

Amelia knew there was more to it than that, but she didn't press. She supposed that as Alpha, she could demand a full report, but if there was anything she needed to know, Beth would tell her.

"Well, the only thing you missed was the council telling me that I have to pick a mate within the next six months." Amelia shrugged.

"Isn't that process a little more complicated than that? I mean, I thought mates were predetermined by the Goddess. Don't you both have to acknowledge the Bond?" Beth suggested.

"Yeah. Apparently, if you're the Alpha, they expect you to expedite that. There's not really a handbook for that kind of thing, so I'm sort of figuring it out myself," Amelia attempted to explain.

Beth narrowed her eyes at Amelia, catching what Amelia wasn't saying. "There's boys."

It wasn't a question. It was an undeniable statement, and Amelia was fully aware she would only be able to keep so much from Beth. She had been hand selected for the Intelligence Service because of how good she was at gathering information. Amelia hoped that if she offered her a few small bits of truth, that Beth wouldn't snoop too much further.

"Sort of. There's been some incredibly recent developments on that front, and I'm still trying to figure out how to feel about it all." Amelia laid back on the bed, letting her head dangle off the side like the girls had done when they were kids.

Beth joined her.

"I want names," she demanded.

"I bet you do, you nosy bitch," Amelia laughed. "I'm not ready for all that."

"Then, tell me what you can tell me. I'm never going to give up until I figure out who these people are, but I promise not to snoop for a whole week if you tell me everything else." Beth held up two fingers, the girls' version of a pinky promise.

Amelia touched her fingers to Beth's, deciding to give in just a little. Maybe it would help her sort out what she was feeling.

"Last night, there was this one guy. He walked me home from the gathering after Dad's funeral. We flirted a little, and then he kissed me." Amelia shrugged, trying to pretend like her kiss with Nathan was nothing.

"Okay. That seems minor. What are we so torn up about?" Beth pressed.

"Well, after that, there was another guy. Things are a little more complicated with him. I think he's a really logical choice, and he's crazy hot, but I'm feeling too much pressure," Amelia admitted. It felt good to say it out loud.

"Alright, I see how this is starting to get a little more difficult. Choose the less complicated guy, there you go. Keep life simple," Beth suggested, as if life were really that easy.

"Actually, there's a third guy." Amelia blushed.

"Oh, I see. You've been busy," Beth teased.

"Would you believe me if I said all of this happened in the last three days?" Amelia asked sheepishly.

"Not a chance. That would be the busiest three days of your life, there's no way," Beth insisted.

"Do you see the problem now? It truly has just been the last three days!" Amelia insisted.

"Alright, alright, tell me about this third guy then," Beth chuckled.

"Okay, well, I ran into him in the hallway. He was really sweet at first, and then he got really pushy about something he thought I should be doing now that I'm Alpha. Then, I had a little run in with him today. We didn't kiss, but we definitely both wanted to. The problem is, he's so damn infuriating, I hate myself for being attracted to him at all," Amelia confessed.

"Ohh, I like the sound of this guy. Drama, tension, spice. It sounds like you've got three pretty solid options," Beth prodded.

"I know. See the trouble? It's actually even more complicated than that, but I don't want to talk about the rest of it." Bringing up the fact they were all three on the council would only give her too many clues about their identities. And, of course, the fact that Lucas thought they were mates was also completely off the table for discussion.

"Yikes. It does sound pretty complex. I just want you to know that I will be living for your drama updates for the rest of my life, or at least the next six months." Beth always knew how to bring a little levity to a situation.

"Thanks," Amelia chuckled. "I'll be sure to keep you updated."

"Did I miss anything else, other than the obvious situation with your dad?" Beth asked.

"Not really. What about you? Did you do anything fun or exciting in the field?" Amelia continued.

"Not really. There wasn't a ton of time for anything exciting. I flirted with some guy for like a week, but that kind of fizzled out when I found out his only hobby was competitive ping-pong. Kind of gave me the ick," Beth admitted.

"Oh, and I get no more details than a competitive ping-pong player? Was he cute? I can't believe you'd go for a stereotypical competitive ping-pong player," Amelia teased, nudging her friend in the ribs.

"What does a stereotypical competitive ping-pong player even look like? I didn't realize there were enough of them to have a stereotype," Beth laughed.

"I don't know. I guess he might have glasses. Maybe he's kind of short, but with long arms, so he can really get in there with that paddle. Oh, was that the real problem? Did he want to use that paddle on you? Got too spicy, huh?" Amelia continued.

"You're pathetic," Beth barked, too overcome with laughter to form a logical response beyond that.

"The way you're not correcting me indicates that I'm right," Amelia pressed.

"Not even close. He was stunning. Built like Adonis. Shocked doesn't even cover it when I found out about ping-pong," Beth assured her.

There was a harsh knock at the door. It startled both of the women, causing them to jump up. Beth had her hand on a pistol that Amelia didn't even notice she had within a second.

"Who is it?" Amelia demanded.

The door creaked open, and Julian stuck his head inside. "Are you decent?"

"Yes, we're decent," Amelia answered, confused by Julian's tone.

"There's been an attack. You're needed in the council room immediately."