Page 60 of The Beta's Heart

Wes took off running as Reau put William down, and the little boys wrapped themselves around his legs and hugged them. As they tried to comfort him, Reau’s eyes stayed locked on me, and I took a step forward to apologize, but stopped in my tracks when he quickly moved back, dragging the little boys with him.

You made him scared of us, Riv,I gently scolded my wolf. If I raised my voice or became agitated with him, he’d either blow up again or meltdown into sobs.

Me sorry. Me no mean to scare pups.

My mouth in a thin, flat line, I stood still and didn’t try to get closer as I explained what happened.

“Who would say mean things about luna?” Reau demanded with a scowl. “They must be very bad boys!”

“Elijah Ford and Bridger Donahue. And yeah, they areverybad boys. I’m going to hand them their butts at fighter practice tomorrow.”

By then, Wes was back with a gray t-shirt, and I gave him a quiet thanks when he handed it to me, then pulled it on just in time for Reau to pop up right in front of me.

“Did you have a mean Mommy Daddy, too?” he whispered.

I blinked a couple of times, then cut my eyes over at Emerson. Reau was neurodivergent, and I didn’t always know how to respond to him, especially when I couldn’t get a read on what he wanted.

He’s asking who hurt you,Em linked me.Just say yes.

So I did what Em suggested, but Reau wasn’t satisfied, asking me if I had a Binda to save me and a Bubba to take care of me now. I might not know who Binda was, but I understood what he meant and told him Quartz had saved me and that I took care of myself now.

“I’m sorry your Mommy Daddy hurt you.” Reau gave me a big hug, which I hadn’t expected from him, given how scared of me he was moments ago.

“I’m sorry your Mommy Daddy hurt you, too,” I whispered as I hugged him back. Then I apologized for River scaring him and offered to shift sometime so he could meet my wolf when he wasn’t escalated.

“You’ll let me meet your wolf? Yes, please! I love fluffy animals!”

So we set it up for me to visit their house tomorrow morning since I didn’t need to be anywhere until fighter practice at one. Then Reau ran off with the little boys, and I thanked Crew, Em, and Angelo for their help.

“I thought you were going to let Dr. Myers work with River to heal your scars,” Em said bluntly, staring me dead in the eyes.

“I am and we are, but it takes time, and the scars themselves will never really go away. Best we’re hoping for is a better range of movement for my arm and to ease the tenderness in my chest.”

“And your back?” Angelo demanded. “That much scar tissuehasto pull when you move certain ways.”

“It does,” I admitted, “and it’s on the list, but my arm and chest affect my mobility the most, so they’re first.”

Angelo’s eyes flashed, and I knew he was feeling the same as Em, whose anger and outrage were lighting up the beta bond. As if sensing they were about to lose their minds, Crew leaned down and picked up a piece of fabric confetti, which was all that remained of my one and only white dress shirt.

“You know, I think you should make Eli and Bridge buy you a new one,” Crew snickered.

“Not a bad idea,” I smirked. “I’m looking forward to having a conversation with those two idiots, anyway.”

15. Birds and Bees

Tyler

I eyed the clock with a mix of dread and determination. River was ready to go, his fur fluffed up so he looked like a puffball.

Today was supposed to be a peaceful meet-and-greet with Reau. After yesterday’s incident, I wanted to make sure River wouldn’t scare him again.

Now listen, buddy,I said calmly and quietly.You can’t be so enthusiastic with Reau. He’s had a rough time and might get scared easily. Can you do that for me?

Yep-yep! But what dat e word means?River’s big, liquid eyes blinked at me.

It means you have to be nice and gentle.You know how you sometimes get really excited and make a mess? Well, you need to be the opposite of that.

River’s tail wagged a little, and he gave me a nod, but I could see he was still a bit confused.

---