Page 10 of The Beta's Heart

As the service continued, the five alphas of the Five Fangs wolf pack—Mason Price, Cole Barlow, Jayden Carson, Ash Mitchell, and Wyatt Black—revealed a shocking truth: Beta Ev’s wolf, Spring, had survived the attack.

This left everyone in stunned silence. It was nearly unheard of for a wolf to survive without their human counterpart! The alphas didn’t go into detail about the incident beyond describing how the enemy’s bullet had struck at the exact moment Beta Ev shifted, killing him and missing Spring.

No one, not even the king, knew what to do with the bereft wolf, and I felt a tug in my heart. Since it had never led me astray before, I approached the alphas as the rest of the mourners went over to the community hall for a celebration of Beta Ev’s life.

“Can I see Spring?” I asked quietly.

“He’s in a bad way, Ty.” Alpha Cole looked at me, concern etched on his face. “Unresponsive, hardly eating, drinking only enough water to stay alive…”

“I reckoned as much, but I, um, feel like I need to see him. Just for a minute. Please?”

He exchanged a glance with the other alphas, then nodded.

“All right, but be careful. We’re worried he could go feral at any second.”

Somehow, I didn’t think that would happen. A wolf strong enough to survive losing his human was strong enough to survive his own mind.

Keeping my thoughts to myself, I walked with them to the building that housed our isolation chambers, shivering a little in the cold breeze. Mid-March was usually a little warmer than this during thedays, but winter seemed to be hanging on longer than usual this year. Even the sky was overcast and gray, as if threatening us with a late snow flurry.

After Alpha Cole unlocked the front door, we all trooped in except for Alpha Jay, and I was smart enough to know why. Poor alpha blamed himself whenever anything went wrong, and I was sure his wolf was in a rage. Seeing Spring might upset Quartz, and no one needed that today.

It was eerily silent when we entered, which was normal since the alphas had wisely sound-deadened each chamber as much as possible so that shifters couldn’t set each other off when they went berserk. Today, all of the cells were empty except for Spring’s, and Alpha Mase checked the small barred window before he unlocked the metal door and let it swing open.

I cautiously peeked inside to see Spring lying silent and still on a soft black rug. His amber eyes stared straight ahead, and it was clear to me that the porch light was on, but no one was home.

Bless his heart.

The alphas waited in the hallway as I approached him with gentle words and slow movements. Sinking to my knees next to the big wolf, I stroked his fur for a long, long time, hoping it was helping him even a little bit. I’d never met him before, although River assured me that he’d hadlotsof conversations with Spring over the years, usually with Spring advising him not to do a dumb thing.

Or consoling him after he did the dumb thing, which went as badly as Spring had predicted it would.

I wasn’t too surprised that they had a connection. Not only did Riv chew off the ear of any male wolf who made the mistake of standing still too long, but Spring was also born in Dark Woods, same as us, and those few wolves who survived the invasion tended to stick together and have a closer bond regardless of how their humans interacted with each other.

Right as I was thinking of getting up and leaving, Spring stirred a bit, and I felt the alphas tense up behind me, probably ready to leap in if this was the moment Spring snapped, but the wolf only raised his head and rested it on my knee, a single tear streaking from his left eye and breaking my heart.

You’re going to be okay,I whispered to him in the link, wanting to say the words even if he couldn’t hear them or process them.Not right now, and not any time soon, but you will be.

Carefully moving his head back on the rug, I got to my feet with a little sniff, wishing I could do more, but knowing I couldn’t.

As we walked away, I asked what their long-term plan was for him.

“Wish we had our luna,” Alpha Ash murmured. “She could help him a lot.”

“Or if Ev had found his mate, that would have been even better,” Alpha Wyatt added.

“We can’t make wishes and what-ifs come true,” Alpha Mase said in his blunt way. “The king suggested taking him back to the Royal Pack, where the elders and healers might be able to help him, and we think that’s probably going to be the best solution.”

“At least for now,” Alpha Cole agreed.

So it was with mixed feelings that I watched them carefully load Spring into King Julian’s SUV, my heart hurting for a wolf I barely knew.

I guess it’s because I hate to think what this would be like for River,I thought to myself.No one could take care of him or understand him like I do.

#

Peri

I walked up the stone pathway to the Breckenridge house, the weight of yesterday’s funeral heavy on my shoulders. I carried a tray of homemade cookies, hoping the simple gesture might offer some comfort. Keeley and Callie had been through so much, and I was determined to be there for them, no matter what.

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