Beta Test, page 1
Beta Test
Real Werewolves True Mates
Book 2
Karenna Colcroft
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Beta Test © 2012, 2022 by Karenna Colcroft.
“The Alpha’s Bride” ©2013, 2022 by Karenna Colcroft
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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Beta Test is a revised and updated edition of a book first published by Passion in Print Press in 2012.
“The Alpha’s Bride” is a revised and updated edition of a short story first published by Passion in Print Press in 2013.
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Published by
Vegan Wolf Productions
7 Oak Avenue
Belmont, MA 02478
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Cover Art by Kim Ramsey-Winkler
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ISBN 978-1-958346-03-7
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This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of United States Copyright Law. Digital formats of this book cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book in any format can be reproduced without the express permission of the author or publisher.
Trademarks Acknowledgment
The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Dunkin’ Donuts: Dunkin’ Brands Inc.
Lexus: Toyota Motor Sales, USA. Inc.
Contents
Author’s Note
Beta Test
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
The Alpha’s Bride
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
About the Author
Series Timeline
Author’s Note
This book contains the novel Beta Test, originally published in June 2012 by Passion in Print Press, and the short story “The Alpha’s Bride,” originally released as a short story for Christmas 2012. The latter is included because some plot points impact the remaining books in the Real Werewolves True Mates series.
Beta Test
Chapter One
Tareth was running late again. Of course her bad luck was winning. She’d tried so hard to be on time, but sidewalk construction and a funeral procession had held her up from reaching the subway station. Now that she finally stood on the platform, a loudspeaker announcement informed her that a breakdown had delayed her train.
The last thing she wanted to do was call her boss to say she would be late again. For most of the three years she’d worked at the marketing firm, she’d been not only punctual but early. Then she’d moved out of the apartment she’d rented with her former college roommate to make space for the roommate’s boyfriend.
Now, living on her own in an inherited condo that she could barely afford in a part of Boston where she’d never lived before, Tareth wouldn’t have been able to arrive at work on time if her life had depended on it.
My life doesn’t. My job does.
She leaned against the wall and hoped that a train would show up soon. Meanwhile, she didn’t see much choice other than to call her boss. Surely Mariah wouldn’t blame her for not being able to control the transit system.
“I hate waiting for trains,” a warm, mellow voice said.
Before she even turned to see who’d spoken, Tareth smiled. She’d only heard that voice a handful of times, mostly saying things like “hello” and “how are you”, but she’d memorized the sound. Even though she didn’t know the guy’s name, his light brown, shoulder-length braid and dark brown eyes had burned themselves into her mind. She’d seen him nearly every morning since she’d moved.
She’d hoped that someday she would have the nerve to say more to him than hello. It looked like today was the day.
She turned her smile to him, and he smiled back. “Yeah, it definitely sucks,” she said. “I’m going to be late for work again. With my luck, I’ll end up losing my job because the T can’t function on time.”
“I’d offer you a ride if it wouldn’t take a week’s pay to park in the city,” he said. “Then again, I wouldn’t drive to work even if my boss offered to pay the parking. The train hassles are worth avoiding the Boston traffic hassles.”
“I’ll take your word for it. I don’t own a car.” She held out her hand. “I’m Tareth.”
“Justin Ruel.” He shook her hand and studied her so intensely she fidgeted and looked away. “I’ve seen you every morning for the past month or so. New to the area?”
“New housing. I grew up in the area.” She sighed. “Roommate threw me out in favor of her boyfriend, so I had to find somewhere else to go. My aunt had a condo here in Southie, which she’d signed over to my mother, and here I am.” Yeah, here I am kicking myself for talking too much.
“South Boston’s not a bad place to score a free condo.”
“It isn’t exactly free. I have to pay utilities.” She grinned. “What can I say? I’m a spoiled only child.”
“Must be nice.” Justin leaned against the wall beside her. “I have a small apartment I share with another guy. It isn’t bad, but sometimes I wish I had my own place. My roommate and I occasionally trip over each other, figuratively speaking. Am I complaining too much?”
“Not at all.” She tried to think of something else to say and came up with absolutely nothing. It figured. She finally managed to speak to the guy she’d been fantasizing about for a month, and now she had nothing to say.
Then she remembered she hadn’t called her boss yet. She took out her cell phone and discovered she didn’t have any service in the subway station. “Damn!”
“Here.” Justin held out a top-of-the-line smartphone. Apparently his carrier cooperated with underground subway stations. “Who are you calling?”
“My boss.” She took a second to remember the office number, which she’d never bothered to memorize since it was programmed into her phone, then dialed.
The phone rang, and Mariah answered on the third ring. “If this is Tareth calling to tell me you’re going to be late—”
“It’s the train,” Tareth said quickly. “There’s a breakdown on the red line. You can look it up.” The MBTA, which controlled the subway and bus systems around Boston, kept their website updated with information about breakdowns and late trains and busses. It was too bad they didn’t keep their trains and busses running as well as their website.
“I know about the breakdown,” Mariah said. “Somehow, the other people who take the red line have made it here already. You haven’t. Yet again. Don’t bother coming in, Tareth. You’re fired. We’ll mail your final check.”
“Please, Mariah.” If she lost her job, free rent or not, she wouldn’t be able to afford to stay in the condo. “I know I’ve been late a lot. I moved, and I’m still getting used to the new commute. Today isn’t my fault, though.”
“Nice sob story. We’ll mail your last check.” Mariah paused. “And you might want to grow up before you look for another job. If you can’t handle living in an apartment by yourself, maybe you ought to go home to Mommy and Daddy.” She hung up.
“That bitch!” Tareth started to throw the phone but remembered in time that it wasn’t hers. She handed it back to Justin and blinked back furious tears. “Great. I guess it doesn’t matter if the train comes. I just got fired.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Justin put the phone back in his pocket. “Want me to call her back and threaten her if she doesn’t rehire you?”
Tareth chuckled bitterly. “I wish that would work.” He was certainly intimidating enough. His voice carried an authority she didn’t hear from many people, and he was a good seven or eight inches taller than her own five foot six. Tareth was sure not too many people disagreed with him.
Of course, over the phone Mariah wouldn’t see him. And she wouldn’t rehire Tareth anyway. Mariah had been looking for a reason to fire her since she’d taken the job.
She’d handed the bitch a reason on a silver platter.
“Look, let me buy you a coffee or something,” Justin said. “If it wasn’t so early in the morning, I’d even suggest spiking it. You deserve something after a blow like that.”
“What about you?”
“Attention passengers,” the loudspeaker blared. “The next red line train to Alewife is now approaching.”
That answered Tareth’s question. “You have to go to work now,” she said to Justin. “I appreciate the offer of coffee, though.”
“I kind of keep my own schedule,” he replied. “Hang on.” He took out his phone again and quickly typed a text message. “Okay. Just told my boss I’m coming in later. He won
“Must be nice to have a flexible boss,” Tareth muttered. “In that case, I will take you up on the coffee.”
Justin smiled. “I hoped you’d say that.”
As they left the subway station, Justin fought the urge to hold Tareth’s hand. Eventually, he might earn her trust enough to be able to touch her. Right now, she didn’t know him well enough. She certainly wouldn’t understand why he felt such a strong need for physical contact with her.
Even if he got to know her better, he would hardly be able to tell her he thought she was his mate. She was human. Humans weren’t supposed to know about werewolves.
At least he’d talked her into going for coffee. For weeks now, he’d watched her in the subway. She’d drawn his attention from the first moment he saw her. Until today, the intensity of his response to her had kept him from saying more to her than a simple greeting. He’d been too worried about scaring her off.
When he’d seen her standing alone this morning, he’d given into the impulse to start a conversation. Especially since she’d looked like she wanted to cry when the announcement had come that the train would be delayed. He’d thought she actually would cry when her boss fired her.
His offer to persuade her boss to rehire her was completely serious. If he’d been able to do anything at all to help her, he would have.
The only thing he could think of to do was offer to pay her bills until she found a new job, and she definitely wouldn’t accept that. Not from someone who was basically a total stranger to her.
To him, of course, she was nowhere near a stranger. He knew her with a depth humans couldn’t understand. But she wouldn’t have sensed the connection he believed to be their mate bond, and even if she had, she struck him as far too independent—and wary—to let him pay her way.
“Which shop do you want to go to?” he asked, nodding toward the two coffee shops, part of the same chain, on opposite corners.
“They’re multiplying.” Tareth looked from one to the other. “Does it really matter?”
It did to Justin. He wanted to make her happy, as strange as it seemed to feel that way about a woman he didn’t know. He hadn’t even known her name until that morning. He’d heard about this happening to other people. Love at first sight, some weird connection, whatever. His friend Ludovic claimed he’d felt something like that when he’d met his mate.
But Tareth is human. No way in hell she’s my mate.
For a little while, at least, he could act as if she was. That wouldn’t hurt anything. He could take her to coffee and let himself believe he might have a future with her. The kind of future he might have had if a fucking werewolf hadn’t attacked him one night during his senior year at Boston University.
He’d been planning to be a lawyer and marry the woman he’d been dating for two years. Instead, he’d left school and his family and had been taken in by City Pack, the largest werewolf pack in the country and the only one within a major city. He was on the payroll of the company owned by his Alpha, and as the Beta of the pack he had his choice of partner from among the unmated females.
He hadn’t wanted any of them since the day he’d first seen Tareth.
“That’s the one I usually stop at before work,” he said, pointing at the closer one. “But there’s not much space in there. Let’s go to the other one and we can sit down and talk for a while.”
“Not too long,” she replied. “I have to go home and start my job hunt.”
“That’s something we can talk about. I might be able to help you out.” Chal’s company employed some humans. And a couple other pack members owned businesses and might be able to find a place for Tareth, depending on what she’d been doing for work until today. Maybe after they talked for a while, she’d let him help.
She shrugged. “I don’t know that there’s much anyone can do to help.” She paused. “I don’t know why I’m even considering letting you help. I don’t even know you.”
Maybe she does sense something. “Just come with me.”
They went to the closer coffee shop, which was larger and less crowded than the other one. Justin ordered his usual extra-large French vanilla coffee with creamer and sugar. Tareth ordered a hot chocolate. “I gave up coffee a while ago,” she explained. “Too much caffeine made it hard for me to sleep. At least, I thought that was the problem. Some nights I still don’t sleep.”
“Stress, maybe.” Justin paid the cashier and led Tareth to one of the small tables by the front window. He set down his coffee and pulled out a chair. “Your seat, my lady.”
She giggled, then clapped her hand over her mouth. The move was adorable. Justin restrained himself from saying so.
Tareth sat down and smiled up at him. “I don’t think any guy’s ever held a chair for me before.”
“So a woman has?” He sat across from her and opened his coffee.
She laughed again. “No, no one has. Thanks for this. I actually feel a little better.”
“I’m glad.” He looked at her for several seconds, then realized he was staring. He hardly believed he was actually sitting here with the woman who’d occupied his thoughts for the past month. He’d daydreamed about talking to her, maybe taking her on a date. Definitely about doing other things with her. But he had doubted any of those things would ever happen.
“So.” She toyed with the lid of her hot chocolate. “This is weird. I mean, I like talking to you. I’m glad you said something, because…” She took a quick drink of her hot chocolate and made a face. “Damn, that’s hot!”
“Because why?”
She shook her head. “Never mind.”
“Because you’ve been wanting to talk to me?” he guessed.
Her widened eyes confirmed he’d guessed right. “Same here,” he said. “I just hadn’t figured out what to say.”
“Maybe it’s a good thing the train was late. It gave us something to talk about.”
“It cost you your job.” He drank more of his coffee. “What did you do for work?”
“Marketing.” She rolled her eyes. “Supposedly I was good at the job. That’s what the owner of the company told me when I had my performance reviews. Sometimes I think that was Mariah’s biggest problem with me. She hated that I actually knew what I was doing.”
“Mariah’s the one who fired you?” He made a mental note of the name. If he ever ran into the woman he would make it clear that she shouldn’t have messed with Tareth.
Yeah, right. Threatening a human I don’t know would be a great way to keep a low profile.
“Yes, that was her. At least I won’t have to deal with her anymore.” Tareth sniffled. “If I was good at my job, I won’t have any trouble finding a new job. Right?”
“Absolutely.” Chal had been talking about hiring a marketing person for the company. Justin started to take out his phone to text him, then stopped himself. He didn’t want to assume anything with Tareth. She might not want to work for an international shipping company.
She smiled. “I don’t know what to talk about. This is weird. Usually I can’t shut up.”
“I don’t mind whatever you say,” he assured her. “Or if you don’t want to talk at all.”
“Not talking to you is comfortable.” She tilted her head and looked at him, confused. “I feel like I know you even though we just officially met. Does that make any sense?”
“It makes perfect sense.” So she did feel the same connection as him. That made her even more likely to be his mate.
