Page 125 of The Beta's Blind Date

“I don’t need you to do anything for me,” I say, standing and helping her to her feet. “Although, I won’t turn you down if you offer to finish me later.”

She laughs and shakes her head, grabbing an armful of ornaments out of the box. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She moves to the tree and starts hanging them up, and I join her, leaving my sweater off since it’s too hot in the suite for me. “So, was Winter Wonderland Day a hit?” I ask.

“It was perfect,” she says, peeking around the tree, her free hand entwining with mine. “Thank you.”

Chapter 43

TARYN

Quiet.Peaceful.Tranquil.Thoseare the words I would use to describe Crescent Lake’s packhouse in the early hours of the morning, before anyone is up and about.

The calm settles into me, reaching out and soothing my racing and aching heart and my spiraling mind. Even with the restful night of sleep in Reid’s arms, my worries and anxiety returned in full force as soon as I opened my eyes. Not even his touch and scent settled my frazzled nerves, so I climbed out of bed with him asleep and left him a note, telling him where I went.

We spent a beautiful day together yesterday, him revealing many sides of himself in less than a twenty-four-hour period, showing me how life with him will be—fun, playful, sexy, and full of love.

And now it’s my turn to show him all of me.

I descend the last step to the basement, where Luna Haven said I could find a small indoor gym space with treadmills, and make my way down the long, narrow hallway. The last door on my right is marked with the word “Gym,” and I swing it open, only to be greeted by the rank scent of sweaty werewolves, old socks, and a general, musky, musty smell.

A wave of nausea rolls through me, and I gag, my eyes watering as I run out of the room, my hand pressed to my mouth. My eyes dart around the basement, searching for a restroom or a trash can as my stomach jolts and retches. I spy one through the doorway across the hall and bolt towards it, making it just in time as bile, water, and my quick breakfast of plain oatmeal make their way up my throat and into the bin.

I sputter and spit, ridding the remnants of morning sickness from my mouth, and someone hands a water bottle to me. I take it without question, twisting the cap, breaking the seal, and chugging it down before I look at my savior.

Luna Haven stands there, dressed in ballet attire, pointe shoes on her feet and her wild waves in two thick Dutch braids trailing down her back. The long-sleeved purple leotard dips into a V in the front, showing off her elegant neck, her mating mark from Wesley, and a webbing of scarred skin on the opposite side. Nolan sits in the corner, a computer on his lap and noise-canceling headphones on his head.

I take the towel I brought for my workout and wipe my mouth with it as my stomach lurches again. I turn to the trash can and wait, but the lurching stops and, thankfully, nothing comes up.

My knees wobble, and I lean against the wall, sipping more of the water as Luna Haven’s eyes glaze over a little, and she sticks the trash can into the hall.

I grimace as she walks back into the room and closes the door. “Sorry.”

She smiles at me and says, “It’s okay.” But then her nose wrinkles as she glances over her shoulder to where we can no longer see the trash can. “Although, I will say, I am not looking forward to that.”

My eyes widen. “You and Alpha Wesley are expecting?”

She chuckles. “No. Not yet, anyway. I just meant, in general, when I do get pregnant, I’m not looking forward to the morning sickness.”

I nod. “I’ve been lucky. This is actually the first time it’s happened. I haven’t had any pregnancy symptoms really… or, well, none that I realized were symptoms, at least. My emotional state the last week or so makes a lot more sense now, though.”

She laughs again, then moves to the center of the room, facing a mirrored wall and sitting down on the floor to stretch. Her legs straighten out in front of her, and she points her feet, lifting her arms gracefully above her head before reaching for her toes.

“Can I stretch with you?” I ask.

Her head turns to look at me, her eyes bright. “Of course. But ballet is harder than it looks,” she adds with a wink.

I join her on the floor, mimicking her stretching. The gym is clearly not going to work for me today, but I need to get back into some sort of workout routine, and the peaceful, quiet music floating through the room from her phone helps settle those nerves that won’t leave me alone.

“You must think I’m careless. Reckless.”

“How so?” she asks. I glance at Nolan, who has his brows furrowed as his fingers fly across his keyboard. “He can’t hear us. Right, Nolan?!” She raises her volume, and he doesn’t flinch or flick his eyes towards her. “But even if he could hear us, he wouldn’t say anything.”

I blow out a breath. “You must think I’m careless because I got pregnant by someone who didn’t want to fully commit to me.”

“I don’t think that.”

“I was on the pill,” I explain, even though she assured me she holds no judgment. “I don’t know what happened,” I shrug.

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