The Truth About Giselda's Family

I lowered my paint roller into the paint tray to gather more of the ugly cream color on it before rolling it up the wall again. I was not only exhausted, but I was also worried. Logan had been unconscious for over six hours, and I was anxious about what Gerry had done to him. It was very clear that he had aura’ed him. As to what Gerry aura’ed Logan to do, only time would tell. I just prayed that it wasn't something that I couldn’t fix. I needed to fix this. It was the only way I could make losing my fated mate worth it.
I sighed as I rolled the paint onto the wall. I hated the waiting. I hated feeling like a failure. I hated being so unsure of what to do, but above all else, I hated not knowing about anything with certainty. Not Logan. Not Annie. Not Gerry. Not even myself. I had a death threat lingering over my head, and I doubted that even Logan would be able to save me. If he didn’t wake up, I was dead the moment I set foot back on Havana land. I paused to send up another prayer to the Goddess.
“Please, Mother, please give me the chance to prove to you and everyone else that I can be what I was chosen to be. I can be his beta. I can be Gerry’s mate. Just please, give me a chance,” I begged.
I blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears that had been so close to the surface from falling. It had been hard to hold it together while I waited for my cousin to wake up. Every time I had gone to check on him, he was stable but still no closer to actually waking up. Or at least it didn’t seem like it. I stepped back away from the wall, scanning it with a frown.
I had fixed cracks in five rooms and I was drained. I just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep forever, but the Havana Sleuth’s private plane was fueled and waiting on the runway for us to go back to California the moment Logan woke up. The faster we got back, the faster I could challenge my sister, and the faster I could take my place as the future beta.
“Fucking Gerry and his Alpha strength,” I muttered angrily as I stomped to the office to get the manager so she could check my work.
I didn’t understand the power that he held. There was no plausible reason for his power. His father wasn’t even a true Alpha. He was only an Alpha because Alpha Falcon’s fated mate chose him as one of her mates, but that didn’t mean he held the same power. Not even Alpha Sow Natasha was a true Alpha. She was only mated to one. Their bloodlines should have put a cap on Gerry’s power, but it hadn’t. He was still able to command, and I had beta blood on both sides of my parents. Not only that, but our sleuth was unusual. We were the only sleuth in existence where the beta family was stronger than the alpha family. If I couldn’t fight Gerry’s command, there was no way that Logan would be able to.
Even considering that Logan had alpha blood on both sides didn’t help his power. My mother’s line could be traced back to the very first bear shifters, and that was what made us so powerful. It was also why it was so important that the right person from our line was chosen. The wrong beta in charge would spell disaster for us. And my sister was definitely the wrong one to take over. The entire sleuth was counting on me to be the next beta. They knew they would be safe. Not even one member of our sleuth wanted Alicia over me, except the current Alpha and Alpha Sow. And that was only because she was the oldest. It wasn’t really fair, but I understood why. It was tradition for the eldest child to take over the title.
But in our family's case, it was less important. My parents, thinking that she would be the one to take over the title, had spoiled her rotten. Seeing that I was never going to be the apple of their eyes, I had trained harder. Studied harder. Tried harder. While my sister had been the princess, I had been the tomboy that the sleuth fell in love with. I was the first one in line for battles and hunting down traitors and rogues. I fought beside Logan while my sister had hid in the tunnels meant to protect our omegas. I scoffed as I kicked the desk while I waited for the manager.
My entire life was falling apart, and like the good little beta that I was bred to be, it was that exact thing that was the epicenter of most of my problems. My family could easily take over the sleuth, but the beta in us was too strong. We weren’t meant to be in full control. We were always meant to bow to an Alpha. That’s why my great-great-great-forever-great grandparents had chosen to turn a rogue alpha wolf pup into a bear. I grunted as I kicked the desk again. I really hoped that I wouldn’t have to take the sleuth from Logan. But if Gerry kept up his behavior, I might be the only one that could protect all the people that I loved. I just needed to claim my place first so that hopefully the unlocked added power would allow me to fight his aura so I could speak freely.
“How may I help you, ma’am?”
“I just wanted you to know that the rooms are repaired. They just need to dry for a few hours. And don’t touch it. I put a special chemical in it so it would dry faster. You should be able to rent them out tonight.” I put the keys to Gerry’s room down on the counter. “We do not need this room any more. So, if you will kindly follow me and check the rooms out to make sure they are up to your standards.”
Her eyes widened briefly. “They are already fixed? That was fast.”
I rolled my sore shoulders back. “You remember that person you asked about? The one that works in construction?”
“Yes?” She asked, confused.
“I’m that person for my sleuth. Now, if you would please come with me to check the rooms out, I would be more than appreciative.”
She nodded as she walked around the counter. “Of course.”
I trailed behind her as she slowly investigated the repairs I did. When she got to the room that I was staying in, she turned toward me, smiling.
“Everything looks wonderful. Thank you,” she told me.
“It’s no problem. Thank you for giving me the chance to fix the damage. I promise you the bear responsible will not be back to stay at your hotel. At least not with us. I am so sorry for everything.”
She shook her head. “It’s fine. You have been very respectful about this whole thing. It goes a long way. Anytime you need a hotel, please consider us. We would love to have you back.”
I nodded at her. “Thank you. I know that I gave you the key back for the one room, but I am not sure when we will be leaving.”
“Take your time and just let me know when you are lea—”
“Now! Right now!”
I spun around, startled to see Logan leaning against the doorframe. I put my hand over my heart. “Logan! You’re awake! How are you feeling?” I asked as I hurried over to him.
“I feel like I was run over. What in the hell happened to me? Where are we? And the better question is—why are we here?” He replied.
I swallowed hard as I tilted my head back to look into his eyes. “I can’t tell you. But I need you to trust me. I am going to go back to Havana and claim my place by your side, and then I’m praying that I will be able to tell you everything.”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “What do you mean by ‘claim your place?’ I thought we were waiting until I was alpha.”
I sighed. “Well, things have changed. And now I need to officially be your beta. It’s the way we come back from what happened.” I took a deep breath. “The only thing I can tell you is that we were screwed over by the same person, and he attacked you. Me being beta is the only way we win. I know you want to know why, but I need you to trust me. I won’t let you down. Our sleuth depends on it.”
He searched my face for a moment before sighing. “Alright. Gizzy. I trust you. But you’ll tell me as soon as you can?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Let’s go home. Let’s get this fixed.” He huffed agitatedly. “There’s a hole inside of me, Giselda. And I need to know why.”