Page 20 of A Beta Protects

“Kind of, but it’s far away, and I could do with the cash.”

His expression doesn’t change as he nods. “Well, we’ll see what we can work out then. I have a few errands to run in town tomorrow, so we’d be killing two birds with one stone.”

I smile, relieved I’m not dragging him out for my benefit alone. “Well, thanks. I appreciate it.”

I turn to go upstairs.

“And Kira?”

I stop again, turning at the serious note in Dom’s voice.

He gives me a long look. “I’m not sure what happened with you and…” His gaze darts to my empty ring finger. “I just wanted to say that you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” I won’t, but I appreciate the offer. “Goodnight.”

I walk up the stairs, and I swear I feel his gaze track me all the way up.

8

DOM

I’m a man on a mission, and that mission starts at Lacey’s Lemon Bar.

Kira is doing her best to hide her nerves as I drive us to town, but my wolf can smell her fear. I want to assure her that no one will hurt her. My wolf wouldn’t stand for it. The only problem with that is I’d have to tell her the reason she has nothing to fear is because I’m not human.

So instead of telling her that my wolf would rip the throat out of anyone who looked at her wrong, I give her a quick rundown of the businesses as we pass them, and that Wylder, population under ten thousand, is a friendly, warm-hearted place to live.

Town is, as usual, busier than it is in the evenings. Which is to say, five trucks parked up, a couple of locals chatting outside the library who lift their hands to wave as I round the front of my car to open Kira’s door for her.

I walk fast, so she’s still reaching for the door after having unbuckled her seatbelt. “I’ve got it.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she says, sliding her legs out and giving me a brief glimpse of pretty, freckled legs.

Opening the door is the least I can do for my mate. I step aside, giving her room to climb out, though she’s not as tense around me as she was this morning.

Nick, who usually does the cooking, leaned a little closer to her than she was probably comfortable with as he placed a plate of bacon on the table.

Maybe Nick missed the way she leaned out of the way, her gaze wary, but I didn’t.

It’s why I gave Nick a subtle look of warning, so the next time he needed to place something on the table, he did it away from Kira.

“Lacey is usually busy in the mornings, but if you grab a table, I can see if she has five minutes.” I slam the car door shut and walk over to the diner to open that one for Kira.

“Okay.”

The delicious sweet scents of baking almost drowns out my mate’s scent. A good half of the tables are full of couples, families, or workers stopping in to grab coffee before work.

It’s ten, and Kira and I both had a decent breakfast, but I guide her over to a corner table with a cream leather booth on one side, and two matching chairs on the other.

I wait until Kira has slid in, but I make no move to sit. “I might as well order something for us while I’m at the counter. Coffee all right?”

Her lips compress and she frowns, a prelude to refusing.

“My treat,” I say. “It’s just a coffee. You can pay me back with your first paycheck if you insist.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

I leave her in the booth and make my way to the front counter, nodding a welcome at the locals I recognize, and smiling at others. Noel, the jeweler, is in a corner booth with Melissa, his wife. He smiles and I return it.

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