Chapter 250 – Mated to the Alpha and His Beta Novel PDF Online Free

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He hadn’t actually said that aloud, but I’d sensed it in him.

Abba laughed and slipped his arm around my mom’s waist. “I must be getting old. Can’t party like I used to back in the olden days at Stillwood, when I was a young, single, rogue wolf…”

Mom smacked his arm playfully. “Uh huh. Keep talking about how it was back when you were young and single, and you might find yourself single again!”

He laughed and pulled her close for another kiss. “Never.”

They hugged and kissed before my mom turned back to me again. “The twins are still sleeping, but I thought after they woke up that we could all take a little trip downtown? They need new shoes, and honestly, we could all use a bit of a new wardrobe, don’t you think?”

We’d brought hardly anything with us from Brightsky, and although I figured my mom probably had some clothes and personal belongings here in the Alpha’s mansion, she’d also been a very different person when she left here. Hardly more than a kid, I realized now with a start. Sure, she’d been mated to my dad and papa…pregnant with me…

“Little star?”

I shook off my thoughts and smiled at her. “Yes, Mama?”

“You looked so far away,” my mom said. “You don’t have to go shopping in town if you don’t want to.

We could order things to be delivered. I didn’t think about what it would be like for you to go out in public, I’m sorry.”I shot Abba another look. “I can’t hide away here, Mama. If I want the pack to accept me, I have to go out among them. It’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure?” She looked concerned.

I nodded firmly. “I’m sure.”

She still looked hesitant but let go of Abba and stepped away. “I’m going to grab some breakfast and check in with the staff. I haven’t had much chance to be the acting Luna here, so I want to get started on that right away. But as soon as the twins get up and I can get some food into them, I’ll be ready to go shopping.”

“I can be ready then. Abba and I are just being lazy.”

“I’d say you both deserve it,” Mom said. She kissed his cheek again, stretching up on her tiptoes to do it. “What are you up to today, my love?”

“I’m sure Xander has a bunch of meetings lined up for us. Other than that, just getting the lay of the land. He said he’d take me on a driving tour of the packlands,” Abba told her.

My mom chuckled. “Sounds like it’s back to work for all of us. Stella, I’ll see you in a bit.”

When she’d left us alone again, Abba turned to me. “You don’t want to tell your mom about my idea?”

“I want to see what it’s really like today when we go to town. Maybe I won’t even have to do what you suggested.” I sounded hopeful, but I knew that wasn’t going to be the case. “But, can we plan it out anyway?”

He grinned. “Of course.”We spoke quickly, in hushed tones. Abba had the best idea—that I should say I was a rogue wolf who’d arrived in Constantine because I heard that it was becoming a sanctuary. I’d be just one of many new faces joining the pack, so I wouldn’t stand out. I could get to know the current pack members and anyone else who showed up, too.

I picked the name Elleah Whitehaven because it sounded pretty to me, and Abba assured me it was a fine name for a rogue because it didn’t tie to any current packs.

Now, all I had to do was decide what I was going to look like.

Lanie–

Why I’d thought taking a pair of cranky twins shopping for clothes and shoes was going to be a good idea the day after an all-night party, I could never know, but I was definitely cursing myself for it within the first half an hour. Not only did Alaina and Isaac complain and literally drag their feet as we went from shop to shop, we couldn’t make it more than a few feet down the sidewalk without being stopped.

I’d thought people would be curious about and want to meet Stella, of course, but I hadn’t quite counted on how many people wanted the chance to get close to their new Luna. Sure, I’d technically been the Luna before we left, but it had been for such a short time, and there’d been all that mess and confusion with the assigned mating. Gabriela had been the Luna for Xander after his father gave over the leadership to him, and the pack had been used to her.

Well, now they had me. I hadn’t realized how exhausting it would be to smile and engage with everyone from the people passing on the street to the cashiers and sales staff in the shops, to other customers…by the time we got out of the final store and were heading toward the ice cream shop where I’d promised my cranky twins we’d get a treat, my face ached from forcing the smiles.

“Come on, you two. Settle down or else we’re going right back to the house, and it’ll be nothing but broccoli for you both.” I scolded, but there wasn’t much force in my words; I wanted ice cream, too.

We found a booth toward the back and, fortunately, once we ordered our giant ice cream sundaes with all the extra toppings…people left us alone in peace. The twins dug in right away, but Stella only nibbled at hers.

“You’ve been quiet all day. Was it too much for you, little star?” I kept my voice quiet, but the twins were so busy gobbling their sweet treat that they didn’t seem to be paying much attention to us.She shook her head and licked the tip of her spoon. She’d chosen, not her usual vanilla or chocolate, but the more exotic black cherry chocolate alongside a scoop of butter pecan. Not a combination I thought I’d enjoy. I couldn’t tell if she was, either.

“People have been so nice. It’s just weird to feel them watching me all the time. Even if they’re not talking to me,” she said, then shrugged and dug her spoon deep into the ice cream. She took a bite and smiled. “Yum!”

She looked like an adult, but there was still so much childish joy in her that I had to smile back. I waved my spoon at her. “You didn’t get the chance to buy many new clothes.”

The twins had been so irritable that I’d had to keep my focus on them while leaving Stella to purchase her own items. Most of our packages had been sent on to the house so we didn’t have to carry them, but she had a few bags at her side. I leaned to take a peek into one, but it was so close to her that I couldn’t see what was in it.

“Did you at least pick out some pretty things? Whatever you got, it has to be better than wearing your old mother’s stuff.”

We both laughed, but our chuckles were a little strained. Stella looked the same age as me, if not maybe even a couple of years older. We were similar in size, but she was taller. My clothes didn’t fit her the same way.

“I’m still deciding on my style,” she told me. “I guess I’m trying to figure out who I want to be.”

Something in those words rang a little off to me. I studied her face. “Nobody says that what you picked out today has to be it forever, Stella. You’re allowed to discover your own preferences.”

“It’s just that I grew up so fast,” she said in a low voice, not meeting my eyes. “I didn’t have time to learn about how to dress or style my hair or do my makeup or anything like that. Don’t girls usuallydo all that with their friends or sisters?”

At that, my heart panged. My sister and I were only a year-ish apart in age…and it had been so long since we’d been able to hang out and do our hair and nails…I missed her.

“I’m going to have to invite your Auntie Selena to come over. She was always a lot more into fashion and makeup than I was.” My heart panged again.

Stella smiled. “That sounds like it would be fun.”

A figure appeared at the side of the table. The young woman could barely string a sentence together as she stumbled over her greeting to Stella. She was clearly overwhelmed at meeting a Celestial. I was proud of Stella, though. She handled the girl’s obvious star-struckness with poise and calm.

There was something shadowed in her expression, though. A sadness there I hated to see and wished I could take away.

“I’m fine, Mama,” she assured me, even though I hadn’t said a word. “Just learning exactly what it’s like when people find out what I am, that’s all.”

I wanted to believe that’s all it was.

Stella–

Even though I’d known that everything Abba and I had talked about made sense, I’d held out a small hope that interacting with the people of Constantine wouldn’t be so…freaking…weird.

Everyone had been super nice, whether they were talking to me or about me. There’d been a few who’d touched me, though. Even if it was just my sleeve, it was odd to be such an object of attention.

My mom had noticed it, too, but she hadn’t said much about it. She’d been caught up with my bratty siblings. I was kind of glad for their fussing. Her lack of attention had let me pick out a bunch of different outfits that I wasn’t sure Mom would have approved of.

I stared at myself in the mirror wearing one of those outfits right now. The jeans were loose around the waist and the butt. Even the legs were a little loose, and also too long. They’d drag on the ground if I didn’t roll them up. The blouse I’d picked out was of sheer fabric printed with flowers in bold colors of red, purple, green, teal, and black. It had flowy sleeves and a high neck—but the see-

through cloth made it sexy.

Well, at least I hoped it was sexy. I really had no idea what that meant beyond the sound of the word. As long as I’d been aware of my mom’s clothing, she’d favored practical, well-fitting jeans, boots, and T-shirts, or long, flowy skirts and dresses.

I lifted my chin. This outfit wasn’t quite right for Stella Constantine. It didn’t fit, and it wasn’t a style that I felt matched my personality.

But for Elleah Whitehaven? These jeans were going to make her ass look amazing.Shifters who changed into wolves or dragons or any number of other creatures had to expend energy to access their inner beasts. They didn’t have to focus hard on becoming their animals, because their internal companion was as much a part of them as their very souls. Still, the change took effort, even if it was an unconscious one. It ate up bodily resources. For some, like dragon shifters, it meant a period of recovery time to compensate for the enormous changes in mass from dragon to human form.

The kind of transformation I was undertaking didn’t take anywhere near that kind of effort or energy.

Although I’d never done it before, I knew I could access my shapeshifter gifts…I just needed a little bit of practice. First, to decide what I wanted to look like. And then, to hold that form in place no matter what else I was doing.

If I thought being a Celestial freaked people out, I didn’t want to think about what would happen if I was talking to someone and I forgot to keep my eyes the right color…or in the right place.

Also, deciding on a face and body was an important decision, and one I didn’t want to rush. If I was really going to embark on this grand new adventure, I wanted to make sure I did it looking like someone I could feel comfortable being for as long as I had to be her.

Abba had pointed out that looking like a different person was going to give me the chance to meet people as someone they didn’t think they already knew. So. Who was she?

A blonde? Brunette? Ginger? Did she wear her hair in long waves or tight curls? Was she blue-

eyed, or green, or brown, or something totally wild, like purple?

I was giddy with the possibilities as I watched my face go through every change as I thought of it.

My body, too. Big breasts, thick thighs, wide hips, narrow waist…When the body filled out the clothes I’d chosen to perfection, I stopped.I ended up with longer legs, but a slightly thicker waist. A bigger butt and bust, but my face was fuller, too. Long golden curls reached to the small of my back, giving me plenty to play with. I settled on gray-blue eyes rimmed with thick lashes that looked natural but would pop with the right amount of mascara.

Elleah Whitehaven was pretty, but not beautiful. She’d blend into a crowd of other regular people, not much to stand out or call attention…but she wasn’t ugly, either. When I used “her” mouth to smile, she looked…

Nice.

Normal.

She looked like someone I’d like to get to know.

More importantly, she looked like someone I’d like to be.

I paused for a moment to close my newly colored eyes and send up a message to the Moon Goddess. I asked her to help me make the right choices. To serve her will, but also, I asked for her blessing as I ventured out and tried to learn how to live. In return, I got a sense of peace and comfort, which I took as her blessing.

I opened my eyes. I smoothed my blouse. I practiced Elleah’s smile until it felt natural, like my own.

Now all I had to do was try it out on someone else.

Zane–

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