Page 134 of The Beta's Heart

“Why didn’t he just kill me outright like he did Mom?” I gritted out. “Why torture me with the same thing torturinghim?”

“Maybe he thought he could make you immune to silver,” Ash suggested with a shrug. “His thought process had to be a mess by then.”

“Baby, listen,” Peri murmured as she wrapped herself around me. “You have to accept that you’ll never know all the details about that night. I know that’s hard, but you need to make peace with the fact that some of it will remain a mystery.”

“You’re right.” I didn’t like it, but what she said was true. With Mom and Seymour dead, there was no one left to ask.

“And Dr. York asked me to remind you that Seymour’s madness wasn’t your fault,” Ash added, “and that is absolutely true. It wasn’t something you could have prevented. He was broken long before you came into the picture. Dr. York wants you to come in tomorrow, by the way.”

“Yeah. I figured he would.” I swallowed hard before giving in and dropping my head on Peri’s shoulder, closing my eyes for a moment. “Come with me, Sunshine?”

“You know I will. I told you on our very first day as mates that by your side is where I always planned to be.”

“Anything else, Ash?” I asked, feeling like I was at my limit for the day, but knowing I had to hear it while I could.

“That’s all Brenda knew about Seymour. She told me a bit more about Ray Hawkins, though, and I linked Roger, too. He confirmed that our fathers were best friends with the guy, so I’m going to contact Alpha Alphonse Riggans at Blue Rock to see about going down there to meet him. From what Peri just said, I’m guessing we’ll need three plane tickets?”

“Hell, yes, Ash!” Peri scowled. “You think I’d let you two go without me? For one, my baby needs my support. And for two, Posy would either die of laughter or be mad as hell if no one was there to keep you from getting eaten by a gator! Besides, I need to make sure you both end up in Louisiana and not Lithuania!”

“Like I even know where Lith-o-fucking-ania is!”

“You just proved my point, dumbass!”

That nearly made me spray my last taco all over the table.

Ah, my sassy mate. She always knows how to make me laugh.

30. Answers and Affirmations

Tyler

It took a few months to coordinate our schedules and organize a trip to the Blue Rock pack so we could meet Ray Hawkins, but we finally took off from the Five Fangs airport one sunny, cold day in late January.

During the long plane ride, Ash and Peri found something to argue about and were happily chirping away like a pair of hens, so I shut my eyes and thought about all the questions I had for Ray, including if he had known Bram’s dad. It was a long shot, but there was no harm in asking.

After I’d had time to process everything about my family, I’d invited Bram over and explained how we were related. The two of us had always been friends, but knowing we were cousins strengthened our bond even more.

“I’m so happy!” he had cried all over me as he’d tried to squeeze the air out of me. “A part of my dad’s family still exists, and I’m lucky enough for it to be you!”

“Same, Bram.” I’d hugged him back just as hard, a little giddy from the sheer happiness radiating from the small omega.

“I wish we could have grown up together,” he’d whispered in my ear, “but you would have hated living at my house after Dad died.”

“Weshouldhave grown up together,” I’d grumbled. “Your mom shouldn’t have kept that a secret. It was like shewantedto keep us apart!”

Then I’d apologized—as did Peri—for being so oblivious about what was going on with Brenda.

Bram being Bram, he’d waved our apologies away, saying he should have spoken up or allowed Yolanda to do more when she’d begged him to.

“But it’s all over, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life!” he chirped, his hazel eyes sparkling as he smiled. “Especially since I have my Rue.”

That’s right: Gamma Reuben Ford ended up being his mate, and it delighted me to have my cousin mated to one of my best friends. Now Bram had someone to encourage his dreams and guard his inner peace, and Rube had someone to help him through his trauma and give him a renewed purpose in life.

They were thriving as they started a new, happier chapter in their lives, and they weren’t the only ones.

In November, Dr. Alonzo York and his mate, Paul, had adopted Rook Harrison, who was hesitant to accept them at first, which was understandable. No one knew what he was, including Rook himself, and he’d already been abandoned by his birth parents and lost his foster parents and siblings in the sickness. He had slowly come around, though, and opened up to the couple, and the Yorks were over the moon to have a child to call their own.

A month later, David Johnstone had finally succumbed to his grief, and I’d held his sons’ hands as his coffin was lowered into the frozen ground, offering what comfort I could. They had made peace with his passing during the years that their father had been in a coma, but saying a final goodbye had hurt more than they thought it would. They’d cheered up, though, when Rook had asked the Yorks if Zach and Austin could join their family, and Paul hadn’t hesitated to say yes.

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