Page 24 of The Beta's Heart

“We’ll get you and your wolf all the help you need.” Alpha Ash came in for another hug, and I dodged like lightning behind Alpha Jay so that he got slammed instead of me.

“Get off of me, you fucking giraffe!”

“Language, Jay. Mase and Cole would—”

“Make up your own lines instead of stealing mine all the time!” Alpha Jay huffed as he wiggled his way free of Alpha Ash’s long arms. “You giant copycat!”

“You know, alpha, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” With twinkling eyes, Dr. Myers helped out Alpha Ash, who was known for not always catching all the nuances of a conversation.

It wasn’t his fault exactly. His brain was very distracted and struggled to focus on one thing at a time. Since we got here, he’d touched nearly everything in the exam room, stolen Dr. Myers’ stethoscope and listened to all our hearts while we talked, and probably had half a dozen different conversations with himself inside his head or with Sid—and we’d only been here about an hour. No wonder hehadn’t noticed when he interrupted someone or word vomited or was being roasted: By this time of day, he was in cognitive burnout.

“Aw, I’m sorry, Ash.” Alpha Jay gave a fake sniff. “All these years, I thought you were being annoying. I never realized you were vying for president of my fan club. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” Alpha Ash grinned broadly at first, then his eyebrows slammed together. “Hey! Wait a minute!”

As they squabbled, Dr. Myers and I chuckled, and I pulled my shirt on with a lighter heart, happy to have so many good people in my life.

7. Wonder of Wonders

Tyler

The orphanage was quiet at midnight, lit only by the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the windows as I headed downstairs to make hot chocolate, my go-to comfort treat any time I was upset.

As I entered the kitchen, I found Charlie Nelson already there. She sat at the table with her daughter Honor nestled in her arms, and the six-year-old looked pale and small against her mother’s chest.

“Hey, buddy,” Charlie’s voice was gentle, but I could see concern in her eyes as she glanced at me. “Another rough night?”

I nodded silently, not trusting my voice yet, but Charlie knew how I was after a nightmare and just let me be.

With the silence broken only by her soft humming, I made two mugs of hot chocolate and topped them off with whipped cream, then put one down in front of Charlie before I took a sip of the other, too jacked with adrenaline to sit down.

“Thanks, beta,” she smiled softly, the expression touching her tired eyes.

“No, ma’am.Youdo not call me by a title.” I shook my head fiercely. Before she could argue, I nodded at the child in her arms. “Now what’s wrong with our girl here?”

“A bit of a fever. Nothing serious, but enough to make her restless.” Charlie’s smile turned tender as she brushed a strand of hair away from the baby’s forehead. “I’ve taken the edge off, so she should be dropping off into a deeper sleep any minute now.”

“Bless her poor heart,” I murmured, feeling bad for the pup, whose sweet little girl scent made me want to protect her with my life.

All baby she-wolves had it. Up until they were gifted with their wolves on their twelfth birthday, female shifters carried a very special smell that made everyone short of a feral or mad wolf want to give their lives for them. Charlie’s theory, and I agreed with it, was that the Goddess needed as many females as possible to survive to mating age since our wolves’ dominant genes bred boys two to three times more often than girls.

We sipped our drinks in silence for a while, the only sounds the soft rustle of fabric as Honor shifted and the occasional creak of the big house settling around us. Figuring it was as calm as it could ever be at the O, I decided to share a notion I’d had for a while now.

“You know, Charlie,” I ventured, “maybe it’s time for you to consider finding someone.”

Her gaze flicked up to meet mine, surprise mingling with a hint of amusement.

“What?”

“A special friend, at least,” I said softly. “Someone foryou. Being here with the kids all day, it’s a lot. You deserve some happiness, too.”

Her expression softened, and she sighed, a trace of melancholy crossing her features.

“Mark was the best man in the world, Ty. I don’t know if I could ever...” she broke off, her voice burdened with vulnerability.

I reached across the table, placing my hand over hers.

“You don’t have toforgethim, Charlie, but maybe you could open your heart a little to let someone else in it. For Honor and the boys, sure, but also for yourself. I can’t see Mark wanting you to be so alone and lonely all the time.”

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