A Beta's Haven

A Beta’s Haven

A Redwood Pack Novella

By Carrie Ann Ryan

A
Beta’s Haven

A
Redwood Pack Novella

By:
Carrie Ann Ryan

Published
by Fated Desires Publishing, LLC.

©
2014 Carrie Ann Ryan

ISBN:
978-1-62322-042-6

Cover
Art by Scott Carpenter

This
ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be
re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book
with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use
proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not
purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and
purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the
publisher at
[email protected]
.
 

All
characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

A Beta’s Haven

Being the Beta of the Redwood Pack isn't an easy task, but
Jasper has never complained. He's spent his entire adult life dropping
everything so he can take care of others. Now he's a father, a husband…and
tired. His mate, Willow, knows Jasper won't let others know that he might need
a break, even for a weekend, so that's where she comes in.

Once Jasper lets go and allows his mate to call the shots,
this Beta might just be in for the ride of a lifetime. 

Author’s Note: This is a novella set between books 6 and
7 to give you a taste of Jasper and Willow. It is best that you have already
immersed yourselves in the Redwood Pack world, however even new readers will
enjoy a glimpse of one of the Redwood’s favorite couples.

Dedication

Charity H. Thank you for taking over so much of my
world, my life, and my sanity.

Acknowledgements

I love writing these little
novellas that look into our mates and Redwood families after the HEA. Jasper
and Willow’s book
A Taste for a Mate
was the first full length book I
had ever written and I have learned so much through them and since then. Thank
you Devin, Lia, Charity, Michele, and Saya for helping me along the way.

Thank you Scott for an amazing
cover and for your understanding when I say I want one thing and then change my
mind two minutes later. I can’t help it. I’m special like that.

Thank you readers for taking
this journey with me. Each time you read my book I swear a Redwood Pack member
finds their mate. *grins*

Redwood Pack Characters

With an ever growing list of characters in each book, I know
that it might seem like there are too many to remember. Well don’t worry; here
is a list so you don’t forget. Not all are seen in this exact book, but here
are the ones you’ve met so far. As the series progresses, the list will as
well.

Happy
reading!

Adam Jamenson
—Enforcer of the Redwood Pack, third
son of the Alpha. Mate to Bay and father to Micah. Story told in
Enforcer’s
Redemption
and
Forgiveness.

Anna Jamenson
—late mate of Adam.

Bay Jamenson
—new member of the Redwood Pack. Mate
to Adam and mother to Micah. Story told in
Enforcer’s Redemption
and
Forgiveness
.

Beth
—member of the Redwood Pack. Aunt to Emily.

Brie Jamenson
—daughter of Jasper and Willow.

Cailin Jamenson
—Only daughter of Edward and Pat.

Camille
—deceased former member of the Redwood
Pack.

Caym
—demon from Hell summoned by the Centrals.
Lover of Corbin.

Charlotte Jamenson
—half-sister of Ellie’s. Will be
raised as a daughter by Ellie and Maddox.

Conner Jamenson
—son of Josh, Reed and Hannah. Twin
to Kaylee.

Corbin Reyes
—new Alpha of the Central Pack. Lover
of Caym.

Cyrus Ferns
—deceased former unit teammate of
Josh’s.

Donald
—member of the Redwood Pack.

Edward Jamenson
—Alpha of the Redwood Pack. Mate to
Pat. Father to Kade, Jasper, Adam, Reed, Maddox, North and Cailin.

Ellie Jamenson
—Daughter of the former Alpha of the
Central Pack. Mate to Maddox and mother to Charlotte. Story told in
Shattered
Emotions
.

Emily
—young member of the Redwood Pack. Orphan and
niece of Beth.

Emeline
—elder of the Redwood Pack. Lost her mate
in the first war with the Centrals.

Finn Jamenson
—son of Kade and Melanie. Future Heir
and Alpha of the Redwood Pack.

Franklin
—deceased former member of the Redwood
Pack. Camille’s lover.

Gina Jamenson
—newly adopted daughter of Kade and
Melanie. Her birth parents, Larissa and Neil were killed during an attack.

Hannah
—Healer of the Redwood Pack. Mate to Josh
and Reed. Mother of Conner and Kaylee. Story told in
Trinity Bound
and
Blurred
Expectations
.

Hector Reyes
—deceased former Alpha of the Central
Pack. Father to Corbin, Ellie, Charlotte and Ellie’s twin.

Henry
—Redwood Pack member and store owner for 60
years.

Isaac
—deceased member of the Central Pack.

Jason
—member of the Redwood Pack and one of the
Alpha’s enforcers.

Jasper
—Beta of the Redwood Pack. Mate to Willow
and father of Brie. Story told in
A Taste for a Mate
and
A Beta’s
Haven
.

Jim
—hot dog vendor and one of Josh’s former
friends.

Joseph Brentwood
—deceased former Alpha of the
Talon Pack.

Josh Jamenson
—former human Navy Seal. A Finder and
partial demon. Mated to Reed and Hannah. Father to Conner and Kaylee. Story
told in
Trinity Bound
and
Blurred Expectations
.

Kade Jamenson
—Heir and future Alpha of the Redwood
Pack. Mate to Melanie. Father to Finn, Gina, and Mark. Story told in
An
Alpha’s Path
and
A Night Away
.

Kaylee Jamenson
—daughter of Josh, Reed and Hannah.
Twin to Conner.

Larissa
—deceased member of the Redwood Pack. Witch
and friend to Melanie. Mate to Neil and mother of Gina and Mark.

Lexi Jamenson
—former Talon Pack member and new
Redwood Pack member. Mother to Parker and sister to Logan. Mate to North. Story
told in
Hidden Destiny
.

Logan Anderson
—former Talon Pack member and new
Redwood Pack member. Uncle to Parker and brother to Lexi.

Maddox Jamenson
—Omega of the Redwood Pack. Mate to
Ellie and father to Charlotte. Story told in
Shattered Emotions
.

Mark Jamenson
—newly adopted son of Kade and
Melanie. Her birth parents, Larissa and Neil were killed during an attack.

Melanie Jamenson
—former human chemist and mate to
Kade. Mother to Finn, Gina and Mark. Story told in
An Alpha’s Path
and
A
Night Away
.

Meryl
—Redwood Pack Elder.

Micah Jamenson
—son of Adam and Bay.

Mrs. Carnoski
—elderly customer of Josh’s when he
was human.

Neil
—deceased member of the Redwood Pack. Mate to
Larissa and father of Gina and Mark.

Noah
—member of the Redwood Pack and former lover
of Cailin’s.

North Jamenson
—doctor in the Redwood Pack, son of
the Alpha. Mate to Lexi. Story told in
Hidden Destiny
.

Parker Jamenson
—new member of the Redwood Pack and
son of Lexi’s.

Patricia (Pat) Jamenson
—mate of the Alpha, Alpha
female, and mother to Kade, Jasper, Adam, Reed, Maddox, North, and Cailin.

Patrick
—disgruntled member of The Redwood Pack.

Reed Jamenson
—artist and son of the Alpha of the
Redwood Pack. Mate to Josh and Hannah. Story told in
Trinity Bound
and
Blurred
Expectations
.

Reggie
—deceased former member of the Central Pack.

Samuel
—deceased former member of the Central Pack.

Willow Jamenson
—former human baker and now mate to
Jasper. Mother to Brie. Story told in
A Taste for a Mate
and
A Beta’s
Haven.

The warm, willing woman in his arms moaned, and Jasper Jamenson
pulled her closer, loving the way she arched into him. She was soft, perfect.
His. The delicate skin under his hands was familiar, and yet, with each touch,
it was like finding something new, something precious, created only for him. His
eyes were closed, but he knew he wasn’t dreaming, at least he hoped he wasn’t.
He’d hate to have that happen. Again.

His mate, the love of his life, and his partner, Willow,
wiggled her ass against his cock, and he moaned.

Loudly.

“Not so loud, Jasper, you’ll wake Brie,” Willow whispered,
her voice heavy with sleep, gradually filling with need. He felt her body
shaking—from holding back laughter or a moan of her own, he wasn’t sure. Well,
he’d just have to make sure it was the latter. There would be no laughter from
his mate while he had his cock pressed against her and when they were both
ready to fuck, make love, connect…any of those words that would make them
breathe heavy.

He nipped at her neck, and she tilted for him, giving him
better access. He licked and sucked at her skin, the salty taste of her body from
sleep mixed with the cinnamon that always danced on his tongue when he touched
his mouth to her. He’d keep his moans down and try to be quiet, but only
because he knew his daughter in the room next to theirs had hearing worthy of
any wolf.

“You’re the loud one, darling,” he teased as he let his hand
move to her breast. He plucked at her nipples, loving their reaction to him, pebbling
in his palm as he cupped her breasts. He molded them in his hands, taking in
their heavy weight. He trailed his hand from between her breasts down over her
belly and below the shorts she wore, to the trimmed hair between her legs. He’d
never tire of how soft his mate was. Oh, she might not have the full curves of
other women, but she was perfect for him.

Willow spread for him, and he circled her clit, his cock
hardening even more at the way she plumped for him with just one easy stroke.
He’d make her come on his hand, and then, while she was still cascading down
from her high, he’d slide his cock into her heat and pump into her until she
came again, and he’d come with her.

Yes, that was a good morning he could live with.

He trailed one finger lower and froze as the door creaked
open.

“Daddy! It’s breakfast time!” Brie squealed.

Jasper heard her little feet tap against the floor as she
ran to his side of the bed. He quickly removed his hand from his wife’s pants
and rolled to his other side so he could stop Brie from jumping into their bed.
With just one look, she came to a stop, sliding a bit before regaining her
footing. Jasper had his arm out to catch her, but he wasn’t needed.

This time.

“Morning, my baby girl,” he said, a smile on his face, even
though he hadn’t gotten to finish what he’d started with his wife. Again. “What
did we say about doors in this house, honey?”

She scrunched up her little face. Her brown hair tumbled in a
mess around her head as if she hadn’t brushed it in weeks, though he knew
Willow had put a braid in it before bed. Brie tended to sleep as wildly as she
was when awake. Her braid
never
stayed in place.

His perfect little princess wanted to roughhouse with the
boys, and Jasper was fine with it. Sure, she might carry a little more dirt
than Willow would like, but at least, this way, Brie would learn to fight off
the boys when they came knocking at his perfect little princess’s door.

Oh, and when they did, Jasper would be ready.

With his claws.

“Uh, don’t open it?”

Jasper rolled his eyes then sat up so he could tickle the
little monster beside the bed when she moved closer. She giggled, the high-pitched
sound grating on his nerves since he’d just woken up, but at least he knew his
daughter was happy. He let her go, and she skipped to the door then looked
back.

“Is Mommy making breakfast?” his little girl asked, her eyes
dancing.

Willow let out a laugh beside him. He sensed her
disappointment that they hadn’t finished what they’d started, but mixed with that
was her amusement of their daughter, so he reached out and squeezed her hand.

“Yes, Brie dear. Or your daddy can make you cereal if you
want.”

He looked over at his wife and said, tongue in cheek, “Cereal?
That’s the best I can do? Is that a comment on my cooking, oh-mate-of-mine?”

Willow blinked up at him with those big hazel eyes he loved,
the innocence act so not working.

“I have no idea what you mean, love.”

Jasper growled, though he couldn’t help the corners of his
mouth lifting up. “I didn’t poison myself with my own cooking before I met you.
I won’t poison our daughter.”

Willow raised a brow, sitting up to fold her arms under her
breasts. “If you could find a way to poison anyone pouring a bowl of cereal,
you’d be an extra special Beta, wouldn’t you?”

Brie giggled then shifted from side to side. Jasper narrowed
his eyes. “Did you use your potty this morning?”

“Maybe,” was her reply. She scrunched her face, and he held
back a curse.

With the rush of a man who was still learning the steps to
this whole father-thing, he picked her up, ran her to her training potty, and
let her get to work. She wiggled and smiled as she went about her business, and
Jasper just leaned against the sink, wondering how the hell he’d ended up here—a
place he loved but was drastically different.

He’d been a bachelor for almost a hundred years, the Beta to
the Redwood pack, a Jamenson of royal werewolf blood. Now he was a husband, a
mate, a father…and the Beta of a Pack who was being attacked on an almost daily
basis from the Centrals—a Pack now run by a demon from hell rather than a wolf
with a bent on ruling the world.

Yes. Things sure seemed to change in the blink of an eye.

And not all for the best.

He wouldn’t change who he was and who he’d become for
anything in the world. He loved it all. He’d been there when his baby girl was
born, even though Willow had kicked him out of the room a few times. He hadn’t
been able to help it. He and his wolf had wanted to scream at his brother North
for taking too long and letting his mate endure so much pain. He’d been there
when his baby girl took her first steps, though he’d missed her first words
because he’d been out on a call to fulfill his Beta responsibilities.

He’d been able to watch his wife and mate grow and find a
rhythm with her wolf, even though the way she’d turned into one of his kind had
been brutal and unyielding. He’d been able to watch his brothers fall in love,
bond with their mates, and create the next generation of Jamensons.

Through all of that, he’d accepted his responsibility as the
Beta, the one wolf who was bonded to the rest of the Pack in such a way that he
knew what they needed, sometimes before they did. It was his job to ensure the
needs of the Pack were taken care of so the others around him could function
and move forward.

He loved his role in the Pack—even if he was so tired some
nights the effort it took to breathe was almost too much.

With the Pack on the defense most days with battles and the
threat of war, the health—emotional, physical, and functional—of their members
needed to remain high, even if it wasn’t necessarily Jasper’s job to ensure it.
Both he and his wolf knew when a Pack member needed something, such as time off
or to focus on a new project, but that didn’t mean Jasper had to hold their
hand to make it happen.

He did it because he wanted to.

Maddox, his twin brother, was the Omega, so he helped with
emotional health of the Pack, much like Hannah, his sister-in-law, the Healer,
helped with their physical health.

Jasper was the jack of all trades, doing what the moon
goddess needed, even if he didn’t have a clear daily job these days. Between
war meetings with the family, actual battles with the Centrals, and his duties
as Beta, he didn’t spend as much time with Willow and Brie as he wanted to, and
that hurt above all else. He could deal with the lack of sleep and barely
scraping by his responsibilities, but he was missing so much with his family,
and in that, he knew something had to change.

He just had no idea what.

If only the Beta could have an assistant or something.

“Daddy, I’m done.”

Jasper blinked and looked down at his little girl, who
smiled up at him. He helped her wash her hands, took care of her training
potty, washed his own hands twice more, and then carried Brie out of the
bathroom upside down. He could have held her correctly, but he loved the way
she squealed. He dodged a stray kick to the chin and kept moving.

As he moved, he caught a newer scent coming from his baby
girl, one that had  more to do with the magic within her ready to burst free
than anything she might have rolled in. Knowing Brie, she could have rolled in
just about anything.

His wolf nudged up against him, and he smiled. Yes, his
little girl would be doing her shift soon. His own wolf could tell. All
werewolves were born human, and usually, between the ages of two and three,
they made their first shift into wolf pups. At that age, they had a little more
control over their bodies to make the change, though all pups were a little
rambunctious.

“Down, Daddy, down!” Brie giggled, the high-pitched sound
not as grating now that he was awake, but damn, he needed coffee.

He set her down on her feet, and she scrambled to her chair
in the dining room. Jasper followed his nose to the scent of fresh coffee then
leaned against the archway so he could watch Willow in her element. No, he
wasn’t being a chauvinistic ass. His Willow loved cooking and was freaking
amazing at it. He still remembered the taste of the first omelet she’d made for
him in this house and how he’d wanted to kneel at her feet and ask her to stay
forever.

Okay, he might have done that anyway because his love and
need for her wasn’t only for her omelets.

He licked his lips at the scent of the cinnamon from the
rolls in the air blending with the sugar and cinnamon from his mate’s skin. He
and his wolf loved the fact that his mate carried the scent of her famous
cinnamon rolls on her skin.

Yep, she was totally perfect for him.

He came up from behind her and pulled her close. She laid
her head back and sighed. “I’m almost done, then the rolls will have to bake
for twenty minutes. I know Brie is hungry now, but I was in the mood for
something extra sweet.”

He nibbled at her neck and hummed against her. “Me too,
love.”

Willow laughed and wiggled away, the motion only making his
cock stand more at attention. “Shoo. Go get Brie her yogurt so she at least has
something nutritious. She can have half a roll when they’re done.”

He did as he was told and sat next to his daughter as she
ate, laughing and telling him a story about her cousin Finn and how he’d turned
into his wolf  then tried to climb on a picnic table but had forgotten he had
four paws instead of two feet.

He leaned back, sipping on his coffee, trying to ignore the
long list of items he needed to get through and just listened to his daughter
ramble. When she finished her story and ate more of her yogurt, she danced in
her seat, unable to keep still for even a moment.

Jasper ran a hand through his hair, noticing it was again
reaching his shoulders. His mother would scold him in that sweet way of hers,
but Willow seemed to like it. Still, he needed to start taking better care of
himself.

“Hey, Willow, what do you say the three of us go for a
picnic or something today?”

Willow came out of the kitchen to the dining room, a frown
on her face as she dried her hands. “Don’t you have to go to Isaiah’s house
today then Ms. Clerk’s? They need your help with fixing something or other. After
that, you have that meeting with Adam about patrols. You have to make sure that
people are getting their shifts worked out, so they have a breather like they
should, even though I think Adam knows that already.”

Jasper shook his head and stood up so he could bring her
closer. “I think everyone can handle a day without me. Right?” Before the war,
before he’d had his family, he’d been able to do just that. Now, though, things
were different.

Willow smiled, her eyes bright. “I’d love it if you could do
that. I have people coming into the bakery today to work. I was planning on
taking the day off to play with Brie anyway. We’d love it if you could come
with us.”

He grinned, his body relaxing for the first time in too
long. He brought his lips to hers and sank against his mate.

His cell phone rang on the counter, and he cursed. “Let’s
hope that’s something I can ignore.”

Willow gave a sad smile, patted his cheek, and then shook
her head. “I know you love your job as Beta, Jasper. No, that’s not right… It’s
not a job; it’s your calling, your duty. Do what you need to. Brie and I will
be here. I promise.”

He kissed her forehead then picked up his cell. Of course it
wasn’t something he could ignore, as it was one of the newly widowed witches in
the Pack, Calista, who’d lost her husband during one of the Centrals’ attacks.
Emotionally, she was a wreck, but she was maintaining with Maddox’s help.
Jasper also had a duty to her, to be there to make sure she had all she needed
to raise her kids, live her life, and try to find a way to move on.

After dressing for the day, and following a regretful kiss
goodbye to his girls, he made his way to Calista’s. She was in a rare position
in that she didn’t have any family within the den to help with things like a
leaky pipe in her basement—the current job Jasper had to help with. Yes, his
actual job in the human world, when he could get to it, was a contractor, but
he barely remembered that world these days. Calista, however, didn’t have a job
in the human realm. She’d been a stay-at-home wife to her mate and mom to her six
children, something she loved.