Page 81 of The Beta's Blind Date

I put my hands on my hips and shake my head, taking deep breaths as I refocus and recenter myself.

“Come on,” I mutter, shifting from one foot to the other. “You’ve got this.”

I call my wolf forward again, preparing to shift, but again, nothing happens. She’s right there, right at the front of my mind, but she won’t come out. She won’t take over, won’t shift.

What the fuck?

I jump up and down in place, letting my body loosen up. Maybe I’m too tense. Maybe the stress of everything is overwhelming her.

I try again with no luck. Nothing. No shift, no bones cracking, no wolf.

I bite my lip and look up, blinking back the tears lining the bottom of my eyes. The cheers and shouts have all stopped, and in their place are whispers and wonderings.

My throat tightens, but I push through it, focusing on my wolf—my stubborn, stupid, ornery wolf—even though, at this point, there’s no hope.

“Taryn,” Dominic says, coming up behind me and placing his hands on my upper arms. “Taryn, it’s been five minutes.”

I nod and pull my lip into my mouth, covering my face and turning into him, hiding from the pack. “My wolf won’t shift,” I say, voice cracking. “I can’t shift.”

“It’s okay,” he says.

I shake my head, straining, fighting against the onslaught of emotions, pushing them down and keeping the tears at bay. My body shakes, and I inhale in short, rapid breaths. My stomach roils with the stress of keeping everything in, but I push that down too.

I’m strong on the outside. I have to be. But inside, I’m a mess. A ruined town after a tornado. An egg dropped on the floor. A box that is only held together by packing tape.

“I just shifted yesterday!” I say into his chest, grabbing a handful of his white T-shirt. “I don’t understand. Why won’t she let me shift? I just shifted yesterday!”

He hugs me, wrapping his arms around me, squeezing me as tight as possible, his hands rubbing my back. And that’s what breaks me. The dam bursts, and the tears flow, my sobs echoing across the grounds.

Because he’s not the one I want holding me. He’s not the one I want comforting me. He’s not the one I want lifting me up and carrying me into my apartment. He’s not the one who should be tucking me into my bed, stroking my hair, and telling me he’s still proud of me, even though I failed.

Chapter 28

TARYN

“Fuck.Fuck.Fuck,”Igrowl, slamming my hands against the steering wheel. “You have got to be fucking kidding me!”

I sit in my car, parked on the street in the human city, after spending most of my day here shopping and getting my hair braided. It was therapeutic and needed, especially after sequestering myself in my room and not speaking to anyone since the challenge on Tuesday. It took everything in me to put on a brave face, but I was glad I dragged myself out of bed to come to this appointment.

At least, I was. Until my car decided it would not start.

“Damn it!” I slam my fist into the center of the wheel. “This is seriously the last thing I need right now.”

I lean back, hitting my head against the headrest in a slow rhythm, blinking against the itching in my eyes. Then I grab my phone, and dial the number that has been calling and texting me nonstop since Tuesday evening, the number I have been ignoring because I couldn’t bring myself to talk to him or face him.

He answers before the first ring even finishes. “Taryn? What’s wrong?”

My lip trembles and my eyes flood, then I burst into tears. I cover my mouth with my hand and cry because, Goddess, this male is perfect, and he doesn’t even realize it. I’ve ignored him for three days, haven’t given him the time of day, but he answers without hesitation and already knows before I say anything that I’m not okay.

“Taryn, talk to me. Tell me, what has you so upset?” he says, his voice soothing.

“My car won’t start,” I say through my tears, wiping my cheeks. “I’m stuck in town. I’ve been here all day, getting my hair braided and shopping and now my car won’t start, and I didn’t know who else to—” I shake my head, take a breath, and start over. “You’re the first person I thought to call.”

“Where are you?” he asks, and I hear his feet moving and the jingle of car keys.

“Across from the park. In front of Brewed Awakenings.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he says. “Do you have enough juice on your phone to stay on with me while I drive?”

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