Beauty and The Beta (Bailey)

64

Chapter 64 – Asher I had been doing my usual nightly patrol of the packhouse when there had been one hell of a clatter and thud from one of the rooms down the corridor, causing me to go and investigate. There should be nobody in the rooms, so I was on the defensive. But the moment I approached the room I could smell Bailey’s smell. What on earth was she doing up and down here at this time of the night? ‘Never mind that you b**d. Is she okay? What was the bang?” Zion added bluntly, and I realized he likely had a point, so I quickly opened the door. As I glanced around the room, my eyes instantly found her, sitting on the floor. Dressed in her pajamas, and her hair a mane of big brown curls, so different to the tamed straightened hair I had seen her with since she had arrived. As her eyes met mine, she did not seem pleased to see me. And her attitude proved much the same. “Oh it is you!” I said to her, so she realized I had been wondering who the hell had been wandering around the packhouse this f**g late at night, disturbing what I was doing. Though as I looked at her, she looked in discomfort and was surrounded by a number of books, which looked like she had dropped them. “Are you okay?” I added, wondering if she had hurt herself. “Yep. All good.” she muttered. Of course, she was. She wouldn’t admit it if she wasn’t, would she? I quickly walked over to where she sat, needing to check she 1108 was okay. If she had fallen, she could have hurt herself. “Did you fall, Bailey? I heard a loud bang.” I asked before looking up at the nearby ladder, and back down to her sitting on the floor, her face grimacing in pain. Had she been on the ladder? Surely she wasn’t that silly? Then she simply raised her perfectly shaped brows at me and gave me a sarcastic, barely there smile. What the hell was I supposed to decipher from that? wasn’t a f**g mind reader! I wanted to know if she had hurt herself, not if she was annoyed at me… G**d d*it s*e was infuriating! “Why are you in here at this time of night?” I asked her, completely confused as to why she isn’t tucked up in bed ready for starting her new job tomorrow. “And for that matter, why are you climbing

a ladder with socks on?” I added, desperately wanting an answer to why she would be so irresponsible as to try to climb a ladder in socks. Wasn’t she supposed to be clever? Common sense would tell you attempting to climb a ladder in socks would be a bad idea, wouldn’t it? I offered Bailey my hand to help her up, but her being stubborn seemed to ignore me. Eurgh… “I am fine. You can go now.” Bailey told me coldly, with a dirty look. Wow. I am trying to help her, and I get a dirty look. And to be fair, she doesn’t look fine. She looked in pain and far from fine… “I don’t think you are. You have just fallen. How far up the ladder were you?” I asked again, this time not giving her an option, I pushed my hand into hers, to ensure she had help in getting up. Her hand clenched around mine, though I had a feeling it was more because she felt she had no choice with my literally and the pelted herself up. Yet, the bat a little, and she stumbled went to steady her, not wanting her to fall ed as booked my arth around her waist to steady wing har to Man on me. The scent of c**n**t from her Biding thy senses as I was that close to her. “Right, come and et down on the sofa “I walked her to one of the sofas, and with shaky legs she sat down, and I joined her. Sing alongside one another, feeling more than a little uncofrifortable, I looked at her, trying to see if she had hurt herself, also a little intrigued by how different she looked with her natural hair. Why she would spend ages taming her curls I didn’t know, not when the curls were quite beautiful… Bailey’s eyes moved to meet mine. “I am fine.” She dismissed me with a slow shake of her head. “It looked like it.” I said with an uncomfortable smile. “But, seriously, how far up the ladder were you?” “The top.” “Shit, Bailey Maybe I should get you checked at the hospital.” I found myself mumbling, genuinely worried about her now. That was quite a distance to fall. “I didn’t hit my head. Stop stressing. I am still alive. You don’t get rid of me that easily.” She said to me, with quite the dirty look upon her face, yet I cannot help but smirk at her. She is a sarcastic little

thing when she wants to be. “Well, if you had died like that at least Eden couldn’t have blamed that one on me.” I couldn’t help but say with a sarcastic smile. Bailey is looking at me, but simply shakes her head, her curls. bouncing as she does. “I guess not.” While I looked at her, I couldn’t help but ask again. “Why are you down here this late?” With a shrug, she answered bluntly. “I couldn’t sleep.” Hearing those words makes me wonder if the incident earlier was to blame? I knew she was struggling with the issue with the guy finding his fated mate and I had been a bit harsh about it. all… I found myself clenching my fists in anxiety. I had likely been out of order… she didn’t deserve me being like that earlier… I can’t help but wonder if her mind was struggling to settle because of my actions… I guess that would be understandable… “I am guessing that could be my fault?” I asked quietly, and I saw her looking at me with raised brows. “What would make you think that?” she says, leaning against the arm of the sofa, wincing slightly as she does, telling me she had hurt herself more than she had let on as she had fallen. “Because I was out of order earlier, and I should not have said what I did.” I said, the words painfully slow to come from my mouth, as I avoided her gaze. I hated admitting I was in the wrong, but in this instance, there was no denying it, I knew that. “You found that hard, huh?” she tapped my foot gently with her foot, as if she was teasing. 57 18 1109 My gaze met hers. But I found no criticism in those big brown. eyes of hers. Just warmth. Friendliness. “I am not good with. people, Bailey. I haven’t been since I lost my mate.” I said quietly, surprising myself at my honesty. She nodded. “I think I can understand that. Losing your mate can be the hardest thing in the world. I don’t think it would be unreasonable for it to make you feel like you hate the world.” Her words shock me. She didn’t seem to be judging me, she seemed to be genuinely open to understanding how this had been for me. “It likely shouldn’t have been when I had barely had

chance for the bond to form…” I muttered quietly, something I barely mentioned to anyone, something that I struggled with constantly. Isla had barely been mine. Our matebond was barely established, not developed. But losing her felt like it had shredded my whole heart and soul apart. I probably wasn’t suffering like someone who had lost their fated mate of decades. But I felt like I had my heart ripped out… I felt Bailey’s eyes upon me. “A matebond is a matebond. I don’t think time can alter the feelings when your souls were tied together. Fated to be together. It is difficult to lose who was meant to be your other half.” She says gently, before looking down at her hands. I can’t help but wonder how she must feel then… if her fated mate did not want her and then the man she had chosen had now found his own fated, and taken the path fate planed for him, leaving her alone once more… I looked across at her, and I saw her chewing her lower lip deep in thought, before she glanced at me. “I think I will go to my room again now.” She said quietly, making me wonder if she too had been thinking about the same thing.

“Will you be okay?” I asked, worried about her, not only with the fact she had fallen, but now with how she must be feeling too. “I always am.” She said with a quick nod, before quickly moving away from me, leaving me to watch her walk away…