Page 156 of Bonding with the Beta

“What isyourissue with me?”

“Nothing! You’re making this incredibly difficult,” I rasp.

She scoffs, “Yeah, like I’m the problem. At least I’m single.”

My nostrils flare. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you?”

“Yes.” I nod. “Hurting you was never my intention.”

Harley’s eyes soften as she tugs her sleeves over her knuckles and glances around at the trees. “Whatever.”

Silence swarms us for a moment, and realisation suddenly dawns that we are literally in the middle of nowhere on the edge of a damn cliff.

“Do you think there are bears out here?” Harley asks suddenly.

I raise a brow. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“No.”

A low chuckle rumbles from my chest. “You’re a wolf, Harley. I think you’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, but bears are still terrifying, especially the grizzly ones.”

“How about you be on bear watch while I fix the tyre, hm?”

Harley huffs and nods. “Fine.”

The next twenty minutes consist of beautiful silence and replacing the busted tyre with the new one on the back of my Jeep. I wipe my hands down onto my trousers before slipping back into the car where Harley is waiting.

“All good?”

“Yup.” I nod. “Bears?”

“Nada.”

“What a shame.”

The corner of her lip quirks. “Guess it’s our lucky day.”

Or unlucky.But I keep the thought to myself.

As we reach the top of the mountains with the most picturesque view of the district, I park my car. Harley rushes to undo her seatbelt, and I follow suit. Neither of us say anything as we approach the village.

“What is your reason for being here?” a man with bulky arms asks.

“To see Genevieve,” I state. “I called yesterday. She said she would see us.”

The man narrows his eyes before nodding. “She’s in the furthest hut.”

“Thanks.” I nod in return before heading through their village.

When we reach the hut, I knock gently before hearing a muffled voice. I hook my fingers into the woven handle and gesture for Harley to go first, to which she pins me with a blank stare. Goddess. Can I do anything right?

She steps in eventually, and I follow after her. I glance around the room to find a fire roaring in a homemade fire pit.Genevieve steps towards me with a bright smile, the creases around her eyes deepening.

“Kayden.” She grabs onto my hands. “It’s so good to see you.”

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