Page 63 of The Beta's Blind Date

“See that path over there?” I ask as we stretch once our meal is over and we’ve made our way outside. I point to a spot in the trees further from the lake than the one we’d used the first day we’d trained together. “There is a wolf obstacle course along that path. I want you to shift and run through the course, and I’m going to time you.”

“Do I have a goal time?”

“No, just do your best. We’ll work on shortening the time after we get the initial read.”

She nods. “Okay.” I stare at her, waiting, my arms crossed and my brows raised. “I mean… Sir, yes, sir!”

I bite my cheek and lift my fist to cover my mouth as she turns and runs off towards the trees, planting my feet on the ground. My wolf is itching to be let out, to run through the grounds with her wolf again, to nip at her heels and nuzzle his nose against her soft fur. The urge to let his instincts take over and turn her training time into playtime is almost unbearable.

But this challenge is important. Even though it won’t matter in the end because she’ll be the beta female here with me, be one of our top warriors, it’s the principle of the thing. Dominic needs to be put in his place, needs to be shown he can’t control her or hold her back—her or anyone else—and she needs to prove it to herself too.

She ducks behind the trees to shift, then her petite wolf pokes her nose out, yipping at me before taking off through the trees, and I start the timer on my watch as soon as her fluffy tail disappears.

I look around the training grounds as I wait. It will take at least a few minutes for her to finish. It’s not an easy course—Alpha Harrison designed it to challenge even the strongest and fastest lycans. But if she can work on getting her time down on our course, I know she’ll finish the course at Silver Ridge during her challenge in record time.

Sebastian is nearby, finishing up training with a group of pups, and I wave at him. I haven’t spoken to any of them since Wes gave me the rest of the day off yesterday. I was busy preparing the snacks and the den for our “movie” night, and they were busy with the rest of the tournament.

“You feeling better today?” he asks, walking over to me after the last pup’s parent arrives.

“Yes.”

He nods, reaching into his pocket for his phone. “I saw something interesting this morning,” he says, his eyes on the screen.

My eyes catch on a flash of light-colored fur between the trees near the halfway point of the course. “Hm?” I ask, not looking at him, my focus on my mate.

He says nothing, and I keep my eyes on the tree line, waiting for the next flash of her wolf, estimating when she’ll reach the next gap in the trees. His hand nudges my arm, and I look down, then back at the trees, and then down again, my heart knocking against my ribs.

I snatch the phone from him, and his hands go in his pockets as he rocks up onto his toes and back onto his heels, whistling. Up and down, up and down, while I stare away at the photo he’s taken—a photo of Taryn and me curled up on the couch in the den, my arms around her, both of us as comfortable as can be, blissfully unaware of the dickhead intruder taking a photo of us.

“What the fuck is this?” I ask.

“It looks like another sleepover.”

I shake my head. “Doesn’t count.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“No,” I insist, shaking my head harder. “Because, one, I’m not sleeping with her—fucking her. And two, the bet is done. I held up my end of the deal.”

I jab at his phone with my thumbs, taking care of the photo and disposing of the evidence.

“What are you doing?” Sebastian asks.

“Deleting this from your phone.”

“But it’s so cute!”

“Dickhead,” I mutter, shoving the phone against his chest. “Find a new hobby. One that doesn’t include stalking me.”

I move away from him just as my phone buzzes in my pocket, but I wait to check it until I’m far enough away from him. Then I pull it out, my lips tipping into a smile as I open the message I sent to myself from Sebastian’s phone and set the picture of Taryn and I asleep together on the couch as the background of my home screen.

Chapter 22

TARYN

Reid’sarmsarearoundme, holding me close, keeping me safe, my head against his chest and over his heart. He lowers his face to the top of my head, lips moving, voice whispering, but I don’t hear what he says over the beating of his heart. His lips brush against my hair as he speaks, and he inhales, slow and deep.

His hand strokes my back, sliding down almost to my butt, and just when I think he’ll move it lower, when I think he’ll caress it and squeeze it, he slides his hand back up. He cradles the back of my neck, thumb tracing my skin, sending little zings of desire through me. Heat spreads from each spot our bodies touch, and I press my palms into his chest, seeking more of his touch and the delightful sensations it brings.

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