Page 85 of The Beta's Heart

Peri, Ty cautioned me.

It’s okay, baby. I know what it is. I won’t let it hurt him.

I’m more worried about him going into ultra-protective mode and ripping it to shreds in front of you,Ty teased.

At least, Ithoughthe was teasing.

Nevertheless, I led River over to the treeline that surrounded us in a wide circle, and his keen nose took us right to the small porcupine trundling through the undergrowth.

What dat?he repeated, his eyes lit up with curiosity.

“A porcupine,” I explained, trying to stifle my laughter. “They’re harmless, but don’t get too close. You never saw one before?”

Porky pie? No, never saw!River’s ears perked up, and he took another step closer, clearly fascinated.Why it has pokey fur?

“Those are quills, not fur, and they protect it. They’ll stick in you if you touch them, so don’t because it hurts.”

Porky pie smart.River tilted his head, pondering something.Why porky pie not run? Me big wolf!

“Because it’s not afraid of you. It knows you won’t hurt it.”

Me take home?River looked at me with big, pleading eyes.It be fun! New fend!

“No, sweetie, porcupines belong in the wild,” I shook my head, smiling. “We’ll visit your fun new friend again sometime.”

River pouted for a moment, then perked up again when Ty reminded him about his promised treat.

Yay! Walkies now, den ice cream time!

You can go for a run later,Ty tried to tell him, but he shook his head fiercely.

Not later. Me need a pee now, Ty-Ty.

Covering my mouth with my hand, I held in my giggle as best I could and followed River as he bounded a little further into the forest before finding a tree and lifting his leg.

Don’t watch him take a whiz!Ty scolded me with a little scowl, which made me giggle harder.He didn’t really have to pee, you know. He just wants to start marking all this property as his territory.

Well, that’s natural.I shrugged and let River explore a little more, entertained by his energy and curiosity.

He darted here and there, taking time to examine anything that caught his interest, and his enthusiasm was infectious. I told him and Ty that I could see us making lots of trails through our woods. They both agreed, and Tyler shared that he enjoyed hiking, which was good because I did, too.

Eventually, we turned back to the house and, true to Ty’s promise, I treated River to his long-awaited ice cream, thanking my lucky stars that Mom and Dad had thought of it when they stocked the freezer. Otherwise, we would have had to make a trip into Greenville, which was almost an hour away from our new place.

Yummy!River crowed as he licked the bowl clean as a whistle.Tanks you, mate!

“You’re welcome, sweetie. I’m glad you enjoyed—

Ty-Ty, me give Dovie mate box now?he interrupted, and Ty scolded him for being rude.

Sorry, mate, River’s ears drooped.

“I know, honey bunny. You’re a good boy.” I dropped a kiss on his nose. I had lots of experience communicating with little males and knew that Riv was just overly excited. He really wasn’t that much different from William and Winnie, to be honest. “What’s a mate box?”

You’ll see!he said in a sing-song, so I linked Ty the same question.

Like he said, you’ll see,he linked back, which was ever so helpful, but added,Riv will need to use my body. Are you comfortable with Dove using yours?

He’s not going to try to mate her, is he?I asked hesitantly, knowing Dove wouldnotappreciate that in either body.

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