Page 46 of The Beta's Heart

I let River take control and he shifted in a blink, then shook out his mass of gray fur, the dying sun’s rays catching the silver strands and making him glow.

Hello, luna.He took a cautious step toward her and tried to keep his deep, rumbly voice as soft as possible.

“He’s even bigger!” She took a small step back, her eyes widening, but she didn’t run. Instead, she watched River with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

It’s okay, luna,I said through the mind link.He won’t hurt you. He’s dedicated to protecting you.

He’s not as big as he looks, either,Crew told her.

It’s his floof. It makes him look fucking chunky,Tris snorted.

He has to be half Chow Chow or something,Em chimed in.

That got a little giggle out of her, and she took a step forward.

Me nice, luna, River said, his tail wagging slowly.Me good boy. Promise!

She took another step closer, her hand trembling as she reached out, and I held my breath as her fingers touched his fur hesitantly. As she stroked his head, her shoulders relaxed, and a small smile soon tugged at the corners of her lips.

“What a fluffy boy,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Such a soft, fluffy boy.”

River’s tail wagged even faster, very proud of himself, and gave a contented rumble. As her smile grew a bit wider, luna’s gaze met his and they stared at each other, River’s marshmallow heart in his eyes as he stared at her like she was the moon herself. She petted him for a bit, then—all on his own!—River slowly walked her over to Arroyo and nudged her hand onto the tan wolf’s head.

Roy nice, too, luna. See?River told her and waited until she bravely stroked Arroyo’s fur a few times, then repeated that process until they ended up next to Cove.

Luna always safe wif beta wolfs,River told her gravely.Beta wolfs ’tect luna. Always, always.

“Thank you,” she murmured as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a gentle hug

Me good boy for luna?

“The best good boy.”

Yay! Me gets ice cream! Ty-Ty say birfday cake icy if good boy! Luna wants some?

“Sure. Why not?” She stood up as she laughed softly, the sound like music to our ears.

Get him all the ice cream he wants, Ty, Crew hiccupped in the beta link, tears trickling down his cheeks, and I realized I was crying, too.

We all were, overcome by a swell of emotion as we felt our bond with luna grow and strengthen. Her walls had come down just a little, which meant we had taken another step towards building a place where she could feel loved and safe enough to heal.

And I reckoned there was no greater thing a beta could do for his luna than that.

#

The second we received word from the king that it was safe to bring Queen Lilah and Luna Posy to Tall Pines, I helped load bags into a variety of vehicles, rescheduled my treatment appointments with Dr. Myers, and hopped into Tristan’s Jeep, both of us happy because our luna was happy to be seeing her mates again.

It was a long drive, and I never would have guessed that it would end in Lover’s Lane as Em, Matthew, and Crew found their mates!

Em was matched with Ariel’s older cousin, a man named Angelo del Vecchio—a famous monster hunter in the supernatural community. The reveal that Em was gay was a surprise to many of us, but I accepted it. He was still Beta Beast and my friend, and I let him know that. The only thing that shocked me was the relief on his face when I did.

Matthew’s mate was Maria, Ariel’s younger cousin, a bird shifter and an air witch, while Crew was matched with Sara, Angelo’s younger sister, a water witch and also a bird shifter.

Seeing my beta brothers paired off was bittersweet for me. I was genuinely happy for them, but being around so many lovebirds made me feel like a fifth wheel, so I dedicated my time to helping Gamma Reuben Ford.

The day that Luke MacGregor showed up at Five Fangs with his battered sister, Alpha Wyatt had sent Rube to Tall Pines withpaperwork to sever our packs’ alliance. In return, Alpha Halder had broken every rule there was by taking Rube hostage and torturing him.

After the king had Alpha Halder locked up, he and Alpha Cole found Rube barely alive in the damp, dark basement. His body was battered and bruised, his breathing shallow and ragged, but the witches were more worried about his extensive psychic damage and put him in a healing coma right away. Rube was a tough guy, though, and came out of it weak but alive, bless his heart.

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