Page 21 of The Beta's Blind Date

“I mean, yes. That was part of it. So you could try to find a mate, either fated or chosen. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun while you’re at it.”

“While I see your point, I thought it was sweet that he was trying so hard to be respectful and follow through on his end of the agreement. It didn’t seem fair to push him on it. And I don’t want another friends-with-benefits type arrangement or any one-night stands. Not anymore,” I say.

“Well, let’s pray to Selene you don’t dry up like a raisin while you wait.”

“Blake!”

“Taryn!”

I take a bite of my pizza to avoid snapping at her more. Again, she has a point. Icouldstill have fun while searching for my mate. Icouldkeep myself satisfied with whoever offers me a good time.

But that’s not what I want. I want commitment. I want love and a family, and I want a male who wants all those things, too. And as much as I would like it to be, that male isn’t Beta Reid Thomas.

I finish my pizza and lean forward to grab another two slices, pulling them out of the box and again watching the melted cheese as it stretches. I bite right into one piece, not waiting for it to cool off this time. The combined aroma of the toppings, sauce, cheese, and crust is too mouthwatering to resist.

“What are you watching?” I ask Blake as I try to tune into her show.

“Some show where the humans get married as soon as they meet each other.”

I scrunch up my nose. “Why?”

“For money, I think.”

“No, I mean, why are you watching it?” I laugh.

“Oh. I don’t know. Nothing else sounded interesting, and I wanted something mindless,” she says with a shrug, glancing at her phone. “We should probably turn it off soon though, unless you want to be a zombie at training tomorrow morning.”

“Speaking of training,” I say, wiping my mouth with my napkin. “Reid offered to give me some pointers and be a fresh set of eyes.”

“Ooh, a one-on-one session,” Blake teases, waggling her eyebrows.

“No! Not like that!” I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Sparring. Fighting. He said he’s been in charge of their warrior program at Crescent Lake for over five years, and he’d be willing to help me out. If I wanted.”

“Are you going to take him up on it?”

I shrug with one shoulder. “I don’t know. I don’t want anyone to think I’m cheating or anything like that.”

“How would it be cheating?” she asks.

“Because it’s extra practice? It’s an extra set of eyes and extra training with someone who isn’t even part of our pack?”

“Exactly,” Blake says, pointing at me. “No one can say anything because it’s outside the pack. It wouldn’t be any different from hiring a personal trainer at a gym. If it was a private lesson from, say, Beta Troll or Alpha Dominic, I could see how others might say that. But it’s not. It’s just a friend helping another friend.”

“You really think so?”

“I do. And I think you’d be foolish to pass up the opportunity to get some training from him. Crescent Lake’s warriors are a formidable group. If he’s the one who has been training them, then yeah, I’d kill for a chance to get even one pointer from him. And it’s not like you’ve never turned down extra training help before.”

I roll my eyes and stare at her with pursed lips. “Us meeting to train in secret as teenagers whenever I came to visit Aunt Gigi is not the same as me seeking help from someone who does that as their job.”

“I’m just saying,” she says, throwing her hands up. “If it was me, I wouldn’t even think twice about saying yes.”

Blake turns back to the crappy reality show she is watching on my television, and I think about what she said. I need every advantage I can get since Dominic isn’t taking me seriously, and since what I’ve been doing here at Silver Ridge to prove myself isn’t enough.

And beyond that, my heart flutters and dances at the thought of seeing Reid again. Of being near him and touching him or having him touch me, even if it’s only because we’re sparring together or he’s correcting my technique. Even though nothing more will come of it, because I’m determined to only develop a relationship with someone who is serious or with my fated mate, and because he isn’t the one-woman type, it will be nice to have another friend here. Someone I can trust and confide in.

I go to my purse hanging by the door, taking my phone out and shooting off a text to the phone number he gave me before we parted ways.

Me: Is the offer for extra fighting practice and pointers still on the table?

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