Page 86 of The Beta's Heart

Goddess, no. I doubt he’lleverwant to mate her. That, um, might be a problem later.

Not at all,I assured him.She has no interest in physical intimacy.

Wow. Two wolves who are … non-sexual? Asexual? Dissexual? Aromantic? I’m not quite sure what the word is, but don’t you think it’s weird they ended up together?

Hardly. Dove would have hated to be with a male that demanded she mate with him, and I bet it would have been the same for River.

Yeah, you’re right,he agreed after he thought about my argument for a moment.Riv would have been scared and confused, and if she persisted, he’d have shut down and withdrawn into himself, and his interactions with her would have been minimal at best.

Right. This way, they can build the relationship they want without hurt feelings or anger or the risk of alienating their mate.I washappy for my wolf. River really was going to be her perfect companion.And to answer your question, Dove would like to be in my body if her mate is in yours.

All right, then, let’s give them their moment. Ty flashed me a wide grin.You’re going to love this, too, Per. Riv’s been working on it for years.

Curious now to find out what the mate box was, I closed my eyes and let my wolf ascend.

#

Dove

The second Ty gave River control, his blue eyes flashed to gold and his face relaxed into a boyish grin.

“Dovie, you wait. Me back soon!” River-in-Ty’s-body yelped, then raced into the house.

Smiling at his enthusiasm, I sat down on the blanket and watched the colors of the sky as the sun set. It was so different looking at it through Peri’s eyes, which could see reds and greens, and I enjoyed the view until River returned.

Holding a wooden box in his big hands, he ran over, threw himself down beside me on the blanket, and gave me a huge grin. I couldn’t help but grin back; his innocent and playful nature brought a special joy to my heart.

“For you, Dovie.” River nudged the box towards me, his eyes bright with anticipation.

“Thank you, River,” I said softly. “Should I open itnow?”

“Yep-yep! Ty-Ty make box. Me fill wif treasures for Dovie!”

“I’m so lucky to have a sweet and thoughtful wolf for a mate.”

River’s chest swelled with pride, but I meant every word.

Sitting next to him, I unpacked his treasures from the mate box one by one. Each item held a story, and he told me all of them. There were a few instances when words were too hard from him, so he used the mate bond to share what he couldn’t vocalize.

When I opened the lid on a tiny white box, I found a preserved Rosy Maple Moth, its pink and yellow colors unfaded even in death, and my mate shared his fascination with the soft fuzz, but his feelings were tinged with sorrow that such a pretty creature was no longer alive.

As I held the delicate scales of a magnolia bud in my palm, he sent me a wave of awe at nature’s creation, marveling at its softness and amused by its resemblance to mouse skin.

There was a coin stamped, “Confederate States of America Half Dol.” and had “1861” on the front with a lady holding a flag, for which he played the memory of a day out with Sid, Alpha Ash’s wolf.They were teasing crawfish in the creek, turning over rocks and exposing their hiding spots, when the two wolves spotted the shiny metal. They wrestled over it, splashing in the water and disturbing more rocks, until a crawfish latched onto Sid’s nose, making him cry uncle.

I forgot he found that,Ty told us.

Maybe it has some serious value since it’s from the Civil War era and in good condition,Peri chimed in with wide eyes.I’ll ask Mase to find out.

River and I shrugged. We didn’t care about money. The coin was a reminder to my mate of a wonderful, fun afternoon he’d spent with his best friend—and he’d saved it to share with me so I could know that moment, too.

The rest of the items in the mate box were more of the same: The fragment of a robin’s eggshell carefully stored in a small glass vial, an ornate gold button, dozens of colorful feathers from a variety of birds, and rocks.

Lots andlotsof rocks.

Peri exclaimed over each one, naming the ones she knew and speculating on the ones she didn’t, and I tuned her out after her third squeal. Her ass got so annoying when she fan-girled over her damn rocks, and I was trying to listen to River!

As we examined the final one—a piece of sparkly quartz—my mate’s emotions shifted. He sent me a shiver of fear blended with respect for Quartz, Alpha Jay’s wolf, while also admiring its beauty and strength, qualities he also saw reflected in Q. Nodding in understanding, I touched his cheek lightly with my fingertips.

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