Emotional support beta, p.1
Emotional Support Beta, page 1
The request sent to Ven is shocking, but the money is good and will help a lot of people. An omega and his feline alpha need her as an emotional support beta. Interesting job.
Emotionally damaged to her core, Ven gets the request to become a calming influence for a traumatized omega. He has an alpha who has some of the feline characteristics that Ven had developed several years ago.
After going over the contract, she agrees to their terms, and that is when things slip from her control.
The island is warm, the omega is cuddly, and she sees so much of her own past trauma in his eyes. She comforts him, he comforts her, and the alpha spends time with both of them.
She deals with hostile locals, attempts on her life, and a kidnapping that brings up the past. Her new partners have a job in front of them if they want to keep their cute little beta.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Emotional Support Beta
Copyright © 2023 by Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-990635-27-4
©Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.
Published by Viola Grace
Smashwords Edition
Look for me online at violagrace.com.
Emotional Support Beta
Betas in Waiting Book 13
By
Viola Grace
Chapter One
Ven hauled her carryon with her as she checked the airline information. She stopped at a map and bit her lip as she tried to figure out where the counter was. She ended up going to the information desk and showed the airline information.
The older man smiled. “Come with me, miss.”
She followed him to a small alcove that had the airline’s name. She thanked him. The woman behind the counter looked at her skeptically and then took her passport for identification. She tapped it in and blinked. “Oh, Miss Venetia. Excellent. Please, come with me.”
The woman left her alcove, and there was no one to take her place.
Ven followed her with her carryon bumping along behind her on worn wheels. Where the hell are we going? There was a security scan ahead of her, and her bag was scanned while she walked through the scanner; she was the only person in line.
“Where are we going?” Ven asked the woman.
“To the plane, miss.”
They were in a hangar. There was a sleek plane settled in the shade.
“The rest of your party is on board.”
Ven paused in her tracks. “Oh. Them. Right.”
She took her carry-on with her and climbed the unfolded steps. There was a flight attendant who took her bag and gestured for her to enter the cabin. She walked in, wearing her leggings, baggy shirt, and jacket.
She moved cautiously into the cabin and saw one sandy and one dark head in close conversation. The alpha kissed the sandy-haired omega and met her gaze. Her features were far more feline than his were. He softly said, “She’s here.”
Syar jumped out of his seat and turned toward her. “Venetia. You came.”
She nodded warily. “I did. Are you sure about this?”
He grinned and rushed toward her. He thudded into her, buried his nose against her neck, and breathed heavily. He leaned back. “You have been around other alphas.”
“Sure. My brother and my two new brothers-in-law, and my sister-in-law.”
He frowned and leaned forward to snuffle against her again. “And a really strong beta.”
“That’s my sister. She owns the two alphas.”
“They smell like the ocean.”
“Yes, all three of them.”
“Come and sit next to me.”
“I think Reynaldo wants to be next to you.”
Syar’s eyes grew shadowed. “Sit, please.”
“Fine. Come on.” She walked with him, and he was normal height for a beta and tall for an omega. He was still a few inches taller than Ven was.
The seats were wide and very comfortable. Reynaldo walked to the attendant and spoke to her. Ven was wary around Reynaldo. He didn’t like this idea of Syar’s.
There was a table with a stack of paperwork. Ven hated paperwork, but it was necessary when dealing with people who owned most—if not all—of a country. Fortunately, it was an island, but it had some very specific mines that provided a lot of very colourful gemstones.
She asked Syar, “Do you have a pen?”
Reynaldo came back and handed her a pen that weighed a quarter of a pound.
She hauled the paperwork to her lap and started reading. “You know, if I knew this involved homework, I would have turned you down.”
He leaned against her left shoulder and breathed her in. Her scent soothed him. It was a weird reason for this whole event, but there it was. He had been kidnapped and had flashbacks, night terrors, and things that made his life hell. He had his linked alpha but needed someone to help him when he wasn’t in public. Someone to help him be stronger. He had caught her scent and decided that she could fulfill that purpose. Emotional support beta. She was there to cuddle with him when he needed it. Frankly, curiosity had driven her to accept because she understood trauma and was willing to help if she could.
She flipped through the one-year contract. “Are you sure you need me for a full year?”
“If I don’t, you can just hang out on the beach until the contract concludes.”
“And you can dissolve the contract fully if I fuck up?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Will you mail me home?”
He blinked. “Yes.”
She scribbled in a provision to return her to her home city.
“What are you doing?”
She looked at Reynaldo. “I am adding addenda to the contract, and if he signs it and you sign it and I sign it, then it is part of the contract.”
“Returning her home is the least we could do.” Syar shrugged.
“She has to return any payment if we send her home.”
She looked at him. “Keep the funds until the end of the contract. I’ll put that in the payment section.”
Reynaldo nodded. “Good.”
Her leave to visit family for birthdays was in there.
She kept reading, hummed, and frowned. “I didn’t bring formal wear.”
“I will provide it if the situation requires it.”
“Okay. Appropriate clothing. Is there somewhere nearby I can buy it?”
“I will provide it.”
She looked at him. “Not necessary. I can manage.”
“Clothing is expensive on the island.” Syar was starting to pout.
“I can still manage it as long as they take debit or credit cards.”
Syar smiled. “They don’t.”
She felt a cold finger tumble down her spine. “You are joking.”
“I will make sure that they don’t.” He smirked. “It’s good to be the king.”
She sighed. “Fine, take it off my payment. I will note that.”
She flipped through the rest about sleeping where Syar could cuddle with her. She froze when she got to the mark from his alpha. She shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.”
Syar frowned. “Why not? You can get it scrubbed afterward.”
She blinked. “I know about mark scrubbing. I just don’t want to make the link.”
Reynaldo frowned. “Then how will I find you if someone kidnaps you?”
“You won’t. You will find Syar and get him to safety. I can get myself out of most situations. I don’t depend on anyone to fight my battles for me.”
Reynaldo frowned. “What about a holding mark?”
“Ah, the promise ring of marks.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Why is this a sticking point?”
Syar was matter of fact. “It is common in royal households. All linked to the omega or alpha in charge are marked.”
Reynaldo was staring at her hand, and she jerked it down. “You have been marked before.”
She debated lying but answered, “Yes.”
“You were rejected?”
“Oh, yes. In the worst way.” She crossed through the marking portion and filled in the payment information.
She flipped through the pages to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. She skipped over the pregnancy contingency and then signed the whole thing. She capped the pen and handed it back to Reynaldo.
Syar extended his hand, and Reynaldo gave him the pen. The omega looked over the changes she made and initialled them. But he wrote in a graze mark for her.
She sighed and looked at Reynaldo. “Can you manage a graze mark?”
He nodded. “It has to be refreshed though.”
“I can tell you when it burns out.”
“You will do weekly assessments?”
“Yup.”
“I will manage a graze mark.”
She nodded and took the pen to initial and sign the addition.
Syar smiled and signed the contract. He passed the pen and contract to Reynaldo.
Reynaldo grunted as he flipped through the contract, initialling and signing.
He capped his pen and put it in his jacket. He nodded to the flight attendant and buckled up.
Ven buckled up, and Syar took he r hand. “I really hate takeoff.”
She held his hand and ran her free hand over his wrist, the thudding pulse slowed, and he smiled. He tilted his head to hers and inhaled, closing his eyes as they pushed back and began to taxi to the runway. The smaller planes were on a different flight path and took off with a rush and roar. Ven stroked Syar’s head and rubbed her head against his. When they began to level off, she released him and pulled her hands into her lap.
Syar murmured, “You pulled away too soon.”
“Sorry. I thought that was a guy thing.”
He chuckled. “We will get used to each other.”
“I am sure.”
“You will even get used to Reynaldo.”
Ven smiled tightly. “That isn’t likely.”
Reynaldo unbuckled the seat and beckoned to Ven. “Please, come here, and we will get the graze over. How much tending did you need when you were first marked?”
“Uh, once an hour.” She swallowed. “For twelve hours. A graze should be easier.”
Reynaldo beckoned to her. She got up and walked over to him. “How do you want me?”
Syar laughed.
He growled. “Just sit across my thighs and remove your jacket.”
She tensed and then took her jacket off. He made a surprised sound, and she settled lightly in his lap. She bent her head and felt him inhale. He licked twice against the base of her neck, and then she felt the slow drag that cut through her surface skin in four straight lines. The light tease of Reynaldo’s emotions flickered when he did a second slow drag. His rough tongue scraped over the graze, and when he lifted his head, she got up and went back to her seat, putting her jacket on.
“How far do your markings extend?” Reynaldo asked it softly.
“Hands, feet, forehead, shoulders, and spine.”
Syar smiled. “Can I see?”
“Uh, not in the freaking plane. No. If I wear shorts and a crop top, you will see more than you like.”
“That isn’t really standard clothing around the place. It is an island, you know.” Syar smiled.
“So, what do you wear?”
Reynaldo growled. “As little as possible.”
Syar nodded eagerly. “Yup. It’s hot as balls most of the time.”
“Unless there is a storm.” Reynaldo had a slight quirk on his lips. “Then it is hot and wet as balls.”
“Well, now I am worried about hygiene.” She smiled.
Syar flipped up the seat arms between them and patted his lap. She moved slowly but settled against him, and he pulled her in close and just breathed her in. “You know, I could make this more convenient and just sweat in a gym and give you the clothes.”
Syar chuckled. “If you can’t be with me, we will look into that. You feel so soft.”
He stroked her arms and slid his hand along her collarbone. “You feel like a kitten.”
“So my sister says.”
“Do you feel like this all over?” He moved his hand to tug at her shirt.
“Hey!” She slapped at his hand.
Reynaldo sat up and growled.
Ven looked at him. “Are you going to growl at me the whole time he treats me as a giant dolly? Asshole.”
Reynaldo pulled back in surprise.
Syar was chuckling.
She whirled and looked at Syar. “And you... you have cuddle rights, but if you want to do something like that... ask.”
He blinked. “Can I feel your stomach?”
“Fine, but there is a lot of scar tissue. It wrecks the fuzzy softness.” She untucked her shirt, grabbed his hand, and slapped it against her skin.
Syar blinked. “What the hell made that?”
“Most of it was an electrical cable when I was six.”
Syar was appalled. “Who did that?”
Reynaldo murmured. “Her caregiver.”
“My mother, yeah, I had one. She might still be alive. I have no idea.” She shrugged.
Syar looked at her with concern. “Can you get them fixed?”
“Sure. With the extent of the damage, it would have been over a hundred thousand dollars twenty years ago. I keep hearing that it doesn’t matter. It does. For some reason, I welcomed the pigment change. It covers a lot of the mess.”
“What is the treatment for it?”
“Dermabrasion and time in that order. Even that won’t get them all.”
“Why haven’t you done it?”
“When I had the time, I didn’t have the money, and now that I have the money, I don’t have the time.” She shrugged.
Syar lifted the shirt and looked at her skin. “It looks smooth, but I can feel the marks.” His fingers glided toward her hip. “Wait. These are different. What are these?”
“Stretch marks.” She tensed. This question she had been dreading but braced for.
“You have a child?” Reynaldo leaned forward. It was a weird response.
“No. I lost her at five months.” She looked at Syar. “Are you sure you want to know this stuff?”
“Yeah. I am pretty sure I do.”
Reynaldo grunted.
“Short version is I met a boy in high school. He was a feline alpha. We went out for years and were twenty-two when he was offered what every alpha wants. An omega. His family offered him an omega, and he jumped at the chance. He rejected our bond and left without telling me. I was pregnant. The pregnancy was rough, but I did all I could. My family kept me going, but when we got to five months, she died, and I was badly torn up. I buried her when I got out of hospital three weeks later.” She looked at Reynaldo. “They scrubbed my mark while I was in hospital.”
He exhaled. “That would explain your dislike of alphas.”
“Oh, that just explains my dislike of that alpha. It isn’t that I don’t like them; I don’t trust them. Too many folks just trust blindly. That particular situation isn’t one that I let myself get into anymore.”
Syar looked at her. “But you’re here.”
“Yes, and I looked into you. I didn’t look into where, but I looked into who. You are both trustworthy.”
Reynaldo scowled. “But you don’t want another alpha.”
“Dude, your distaste for me has been blazing like a flag since I met you both. I will stay out of your way.”
He frowned. “I...”
Syar nodded. “He thinks you’re a gold digger and that you will break my heart.”
“Oh. Well, I am here with the goal of making you stronger, not weaker. If you start to feel anything for me, just fire me.”
Syar looked at her. “What if you start to feel something?”
“I have learned in my life that a broken heart heals.” She smiled. “And no one can feel the breaks.”
He slid both hands under her shirt and hugged her. “So, you saw me.”
“Yeah. I saw you.”
He held her tight, and she ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his forehead.
He looked up at her. “There is more I should know.”
“When you tell me about the shadows in your eyes, I will share the shadows in mine.”
He blinked, nodded, and held her close. Reynaldo’s graze started to itch at the back of her neck, and she pushed the feeling away.
It was an hour later when he lifted his head with a smile. “Thanks. I feel better.”
“I am glad.” She shifted to her chair and stretched her neck. It was starting to burn. “Um, Reynaldo?”
He opened his eyes slowly. “What?”
“The mark is burning.”
He held out his hand, and she went to him, took off her jacket, and watched him examine it. He ran his thumb over it and muttered, “It has healed.”
“It still burns.”
“Was it like this on your first marking?”
“No, but he didn’t leave it alone, so this kind of thing didn’t happen.”
“That would take your skin off.”
“No, it wouldn’t. I heal fast.”
“Ah, that’s it.” He leaned in, scraped his tongue over her skin, and relief shot through her.
She shuddered as the licking had an arousing effect. “I think that’s fine.”
He muttered, “No.”
He continued, and then she felt something close to a click and a rush of heat through her veins. She gasped and said through gritted teeth, “Stop. Please.”
