Page 81 of Bonding with the Beta

“Let me see,” I say as I bend down and study his ankle. It’s already purple and red. I internally wince when he clutches the ground when I tilt it slowly. “Yeah, we need to get this checked out.”

Sebastian glances down at me. “You okay to take him?”

I nod. I slip my arms beneath Evan’s body as he wraps his arms around my neck. When I stand, he groans through his teeth again as his ankle falls limp. “I knew this was going to happen,” he cries.

“The pack doctors will have you healed before you know it,” I tell him as I draw him away from the clearing towards the infirmary. “Just hold in there a little longer, Evan.”

I drop him off at the infirmary as the pack doctors rush to examine his ankle. I stand back as he presses a hand to his forehead and glances in my direction. “I’m so weak,” he groans. “Why am I not improving with training?”

“It takes time, and you’re still young.”

“I’m eighteen! I should be stronger than this. But something always pushes me back.” His eyes turn glossy.

I wince at the sadness in Evan’s voice. He was brought to us after Jaxon destroyed the rest of his pack for hurting Ava. But we all know Evan is different; he’s a lost soul who proved his worth to Jaxon when it came to saving Ava’s life.

“I want to be like you,” he rasps. “I want to be strong.”

“Then we’ll work on it,” I tell him. “We’ll get you in different training programs. But it’s not just physical strength; it’s mental strength.”

Evan’s throat tenses, and he tugs down his sleeves. “I guess I’m screwed then.”

“That’s not the mentality to have.”

He sniffles and averts his gaze. “I wonder if things would be better if I found my mate, you know?”

“In what way?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Moral support. It’s tough feeling so alone.”

My heart weeps for him because I can relate. Before Kayleigh, I was merely accepting having to watch everyone settle down with their fated mates, start families, and get married.

“I get that,” I tell him.

Evan’s hollow eyes flick up to meet mine. “Do you?”

“Yes. But finding happiness in yourself is something you should be achieving, too,” I say sincerely. “You shouldn’t rely on someone for that. You need to find your own peace.”

“I guess,” he takes a big breath, “thank you.”

“You can talk to me, you know?”

Evan nods slowly.

“And the therapy doctors. If you’re serious about getting stronger and becoming more resilient, I can organise a small training session to help you and others who feel the same. Would you be into something like that?”

His face lights up a little, and he nods. “Really?”

“Of course. We’re family, and we help each other out. It’ll be outside the timetable, and you’ll still have to complete Bash’s training.”

“I want to.” He blinks away the tears in his eyes. “I want to try everything. Thank you.”

“All good. I’ll come check on you later.”

When I leave the infirmary, I head to the kitchen where I stare out of the window at the rest of the training session—Jaxon has asked me to make notes from my observations, so I grab myself a coffee and try to keep my mind active.

“Hey, brother,” Jaxon’s voice snaps me back into the room at the same second I’ve overpoured my coffee, and it spills acrossthe counter. I curse under my breath as I feel his eyes burn into the back of my head. “You better clean that up.”

I shoot him a glance of annoyance. “Yeah, I’m cleaning it up. No need to jump on my back. How’s the little one?”

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