Page 70 of The Beta's Blind Date

But I gave her attention after that. Just not as obvious. Not as direct. And while discreet, it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Not judging by her reactions to those attentions when we’ve been together, even after that day in the weight room, or by the intentional placement of her hand right now.

Nolan and Maddie argue about something next to me—probably about whether she should be allowed to drink a beer tonight. But my attention is on Taryn—on how she angles her body towards me, on her hand on my thigh, and on the subtle smile playing on her lips as she sits next to me. I dangle my hand off the edge of the booth cushion where my arm is slung behind her so my fingers brush against her shoulder as I move them back and forth in slow motion, keeping the movements almost undetectable.

The goddess finally grants us mercy, and “Love is a Battlefield” ends. The bar cheers, although I’m guessing it’s because they’re glad their ears get a reprieve and not because they actually enjoyed the performance.

“Alpha Wesley Stone is our next performer!” Jake calls out over the cheers, gesturing to our table and waving him up.

Wes stands and pulls Haven with him, a huge grin on his face. He positions her at the edge of the stage. Maya, Imogen, and Maddie follow them, standing behind Haven, and Wes climbs up and takes the mic from Jake. “I’d like to dedicate this song to my mate and luna, my Sugar Plum, my future wife, Haven Kenway.”

The intro to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” plays, and Haven beams at him, her hands clasped under her chin as she sways to the music. Nolan takes a large swig of his drink next to me, and Sebastian sets the handful of beer bottles he just ordered down on the table before getting his phone out and moving to the side of the stage, camera on and ready to film the entire thing.

And then Wesley starts singing.

My smile turns to a grimace, and I swear Haven falters for a moment, blinking as the most out of tune vocalizations I’ve ever heard from anyone leave Wesley’s mouth. He’s even worse than the previous performer.

“Oh, my Goddess, who let him do this?” I say through my teeth.

“Hey, this is better than what he originally wanted to do,” Nolan says.

I lean closer to him, trying to keep my lips from moving as I talk. I could switch to mindlink, but then Taryn and Blake wouldn’t hear our conversation. “What did he originally want to do?”

“He came to me and asked me to play piano for him so he could sing it to her at their wedding. After a few tries, I told him I wouldn’t be a very good best man if I let him embarrass himself like that at his own wedding. And that’s how we came up with this karaoke night idea instead.”

I nod and lean away, but then my head snaps to look at him again. “Wait a minute. You’re the best man? I thought I was the best man?” I ask, pointing at my chest.

Nolan laughs and shakes his head. “No. While you and Sebastian were busy arguing over which of you should be the best man, Wesley asked me instead.”

I cross my arms, frowning. “That dickhead.”

“He may be a terrible singer, but I think it’s sweet. You can see how much he loves her by how he looks at her,” Taryn says. She leans her elbows on the table, her hand leaving my leg and taking its warmth with it. “Were they really pen pals?”

“Yep,” Nolan and I answer at the same time. “How’d you hear about that?” I add, my eyes flicking down to where her hand no longer lays.

“Everyone in our pack talks about it,” Blake said. “Amber Forest, too. It wasthe storyduring my senior year of high school. The elementary school pen pals who ended up being mates after writing to each other their entire childhood.”

I shake my head and press my lips together. “Not their entire childhood.”

“Why not?” Taryn asks, glancing at me over her shoulder.

I lean forward to mimic her posture, my elbow touching hers. “The family she lived with at the time wanted to adopt her. But Jack—her dad—had a stroke, and she ended up being removed from their home and adopted by another family. She and Wesley lost touch until she moved here three years ago to join Peter’s ballet company.”

“Fate works in mysterious ways sometimes,” she says, looking back over at Wesley singing to Haven.

“It sure does,” I murmur, staring at her.

Wesley finishes his song, handing the mic to Jake as he jumps off the stage and pulls Haven into his arms, kissing her in front of the entire crowd to cheers and howling from our other pack members who are here tonight. Taryn smiles and claps too, and I slip my hand under the table, placing it on her leg just as she’d done to mine minutes before.

Her eyes slide to me and her breath hitches in her chest. I don’t move my hand higher or lower. I just hold her gaze and give her leg a slight squeeze, like she did to me.

I haven’t been this forward with her since Tuesday, so I’m glad she doesn’t panic like she did that day. I’ve been hesitant to push her too far, too much, because my end goal is her at my side, in my arms, with my mark on her neck. And I can’t ruin that for myself.

So I’m switching tactics. I’m following her lead, letting her show me what she wants from me. And it seems to work. Even though it’s giving me whiplash.

Maddie gets on the stage next, her long, dark brown hair swaying and swinging as she sings Pink’s “Raise Your Glass,” and Maya, Imogen, and Haven and Wes join the crowd on the floor, moving to the beat of the music and cheering her on.

“Oh thank Goddess, she can at least carry a tune,” Nolan mutters, leaning back into his seat with a sigh of relief. “I guess Wesley is the only non-musical Stone.”

“Come dance with us, Taryn!” Haven calls from the dance floor. “You too, Blake!”

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