Page 177 of The Beta's Blind Date

“I have,” she says, taking a tea cake from the tray. “Planning this with Luna Haven and Luna Emily has helped distract me from worrying about Dominic. Not a lot, but enough to help me sleep better and not focus on it so much. Which, thank you again, Haven, for allowing me to hijack your packhouse for this event.”

“It’s no trouble,” Haven says. “You’ve all gone through so much, what with the attack and your pack being destroyed. I think it’s a wonderful idea to bring our packs together and distract ourselves from the frightful events.”

She lifts the teapot and stands from her seat, making her way around the table and pouring tea for each of us.

“Still, you and Wesley should be on your honeymoon, not playing host and hostess for half of a displaced pack,” Merina says as I sweeten my tea and add milk.

Haven shrugs as she pours Aunt Gigi’s tea. “That’s part of being alpha and luna,” she says. “And Europe isn’t going anywhere. We can reschedule once everything is back to normal again.”

She reaches for Luna Merina’s teacup, her last stop on her trip around the table, but nothing comes out of the teapot when she pours it. “Oh dear, it seems we’re out already. I hope you don’t mind waiting a few minutes?” she asks Merina, her free hand covering her heart.

“It’s no trouble, sweetheart,” Merina says, smiling at Haven.

Haven returns her smile and glances at Maddie. “Madeleine, would you mindlink the kitchen staff to bring us another pot of tea for our table?”

“Of course, Luna,” Maddie says, her eyes glazing over for a moment. “They’ll bring one out soon.”

Haven sits next to me, and I sip my tea, catching Haven’s sparkling eyes as I place my cup back on the saucer.

So far, so good.

Merina’s eyes circle the table and land on me as I brush my braids off my neck and behind me, exposing my neck—and my mark.

Haven’s eyes widen and she lowers her teacup, her hands flying to her mouth. It’s executed with such impeccable acting she even fools me. “Oh, my god!” she says. “You’re marked! I didn’t realize!”

I lower my eyes and feign embarrassment, fiddling with the napkin in my lap. “Yes,” I say, a soft smile on my lips. “We decided to make it official.”

“Congratulations!” she says, leaning over and flinging her arms around my neck.

“Thank you, Luna Haven.”

“Merina, did you know Taryn found her mate here in Crescent Lake after the attack?” Haven asks after she pulls away from me.

“Did she now?” Merina asks, glancing at me again as someone from the kitchen staff pours her tea, her brow raised. “Who is he?”

“Beta Reid,” I say, and Haven claps her hands together, a broad grin on her face.

“Oh, I’m so excited to have another woman around,” she says. “There is only so much I can do on my own.”

“Yes, and the first thing I’m helping you fix are the replicas of the Flintstones’s couch you have in the guest rooms. Those abominations have got to go!”

Merina’s lips curl into a forced smile, her hand gripping her teacup. “Well, congratulations, Taryn,” she says, taking a sip of her tea. “I will miss having you around. And I was so hoping…” She trails off and gazes out the window, drifting out of focus for a moment. Then she shakes herself and takes another sip of her tea, longer this time. “That doesn’t matter, of course,” she says, waving her thoughts off. “I’m sure I can find a way around that.”

She blinks and frowns as she sets her teacup down, and I dab at my mouth with my napkin to hide my twitching lips. I’m not as good an actress as Haven, but Merina’s too focused on herself to notice.

Haven’s head tilts to the side in a wolflike gesture, a tiny frown forming between her brows. “Find a way around what?” she asks.

“I’m sorry?” Merina asks, taking a gulp of tea.

“You said, ‘I’m sure I can find a way around that,’” Haven says. “I’m just wondering what you mean by that.”

“Oh!” Merina giggles. “Oh, I meant—you know—since she’s here and mated to Reid, and they’re marked, I’d have to rethink my plan.”

“Your plan?” I ask.

Merina’s hand twitches, and the teacup clatters against the saucer as she places it there. “My plan for Dominic to take Taryn as his luna.”

Haven pats her hand and gives her a sympathetic smile. “Oh, I know it’s difficult when something we’ve been hoping for doesn’t work out the way we think it will. I know we all thought—”

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