Page 11 of A Beta Protects

“Shawn?” Galen prompts.

Shawn tears his eyes off Kira, refocusing on Galen. “Like I said, we had a fax come in. A woman has gone missing. Long strawberry-blonde hair, blue eyes, about 5’4 and in her mid-twenties. She’s suffering from a mental illness that means it’s important we reunite her with her loved ones before she comes to harm.”

My packmates look at Kira, whose fixed smile doesn’t move. It’s like someone glued it in place. I’d swear she’s barely breathing. She’s that still.

There’s no mistaking who Shawn is looking for. Kira.

No one is taking my mate if she doesn’t want to leave. I don’t know what the talk of her having a mental illness is about, but that doesn’t sound right. Not with all the terror bleeding from Kira’s pores. Shawn is a friend. As much of a friend as a shifter can be to human police enforcement, but if he tries to take Kira…

Shawn turns away from the table to fully face Galen. “But since I’ve been here and had a look around myself, and seen no one matching that description, I’ll respond to that fax to say that woman, whoever she is, must not be in the area.”

Kira’s eyes widen at what is so clearly a lie, and I relax, relieved I don’t have to do something to a man I consider a friend.

Shawn walks away without a second look back. “Well, I’ll leave you to enjoy your breakfast. If you have any trouble, you know where to find me. Good morning.”

Galen returns to his seat. We all resume eating breakfast as Shawn starts up his car and pulls away from the house.

After a moment, Kira picks up the clean fork Chloe placed beside her plate. “About this party? When were you having it?”

I forget about my breakfast. “Next weekend, the weather’s supposed to be nice enough for a BBQ and maybe a football game. We’d be happy for you to stick around for it.”

She looks at me and, try as I might, I can’t read her expression. Maybe relief tinged with a touch of fear. Not the sharp fear of someone hurting her. Fear of what my answer will be.

“I wouldn’t be in the way?” her voice is soft, hesitant.

Something about that question, about her being here, with no wedding ring, no clothes she needed to pull out of her car, and a T-shirt that it looks like she washed it last night and it didn’t dry before she needed to wear it again, combine to make me think she has nowhere to go.

And that flinch...

That flinch enrages my wolf. I can’t help but think the reason for that flinch has to do with the reason she’s no longer wearing her ring.

“You wouldn’t be in the way.” I gentle my voice. “Stay. Please.”

After a searching look, she nods, and her shoulders relax. “I’ll stay for the party. Thanks.”

5

KIRA

Bryce was looking for me.

He’s a cop, Kira. Of course he’s going to go through all your stuff, and at least think those postcards Dom sent might lead him to you.

I’d have started my car and tore out of Wylder already if it hadn’t been for the sheriff lying about me being here.

Bryce sent that fax. Whether he sent it at the station back in Missouri or had someone else send it makes no difference. That he sent it here means he must know where I am.

Yet Shawn looked right at me, smiled and said he hadn’t seen anyone matching my description.

Why did he lie?

After humiliating myself in front of a table full of strangers, who seemed nice, but were definitely pretending to ignore my freak out, I mumbled some excuse about needing to check something in my car and I’ve been here sitting in it since then.

Dom had introduced everyone to me when I’d walked into the light gray and black shaker-style kitchen with one of those extendable tables that could fit twenty people.

I’d struggled to match names to faces as they smiled and waved.

Galen and Sierra, I remember from last night, the big guy who had initially scared me because he’d moved so quietly for such a big man. One moment I was talking with Dom, and the next Galen was filling the doorway asking who I was.

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