Page 13 of The Beta's Heart

“Fine. Arch and Wayne are fitting in well, which I knew they would. All my boys but Wes love motors and learning how to fix them. I wonder if William and Winnie will, too, when they grow up?”

“Are you kidding? They’re already obsessed with race cars. Do you really think that’s an interest they’ll outgrow?”

“Hell, no.” Dad chuckled, shaking his head. “Those little rascals are going to be talking about cars until they’re old enough to drive them—and then we’re really in trouble.”

“Tell me about it, although I do think it’s too cute how they pretend to ‘rev’ their engines when they play with their little cars.”

We shared a laugh, the tension of the day melting away. Dad had this way of making everything seem okay, even when it wasn’t.

“By the way, what’s the plan for their present?”

“Well,” Dad began, a wicked grin spreading across his face, “I was thinking we could surprise them with a real go-kart track this year.”

“Seriously? That would be epic!” My eyes widened with excitement. “Of course, Mom might kill you, but that would be epic to watch, too.”

“Ha ha.” He reached over and swatted my leg with the back of one tattooed hand, making me giggle. “I already talked to her about it and, so long as we build it far enough away from the house that she can’t hear it all the time, she’s fine with it. Oh, and she wants safety gear. Lots and lots of safety gear.”

“And I’m sure she’ll have a dozen or more rules, too.” I grinned. Mom was a fierce mama bear when it came to her babies, no matter how old they were. “Well, you’ll definitely get Dad of the Year for a go-kart track. Arch, Wayne, and Wade will love it, too. Hell, even Wes might take a spin around once in a while.”

“I know I’m the best,” he said, puffing out his chest comically. “Now, back to more pressing matters, Miss Important Stuff. What’s the deal withyoursecret crush on Tyler?”

“Oh my Goddess, Dad! Can wenot?” I covered my face with my hands, groaning in exasperation.

“Hey, just looking out for you. I mean, you could do worse. He’s a good kid.”

“He is,” I agreed, thinking back to Tyler’s awkward but sweet gesture with the flowers. “But you know as well as anyone that I’m waiting for my Goddess-given mate.”

“Idoknow. Can’t go wrong trusting the Goddess’ plan, right?”

“Right. Thanks, Daddy.”

“Always, kiddo. Now, let’s get home and see what chaos your little brothers have caused while we were gone.”

“Hopefully, Mom’s still standing,” I teased.

“Hopefully, the fucking house is,” he retorted.

As we bantered back and forth, the day’s events felt a little less heavy, and that was all thanks to my dad. No matter what, I knew I could always count on him to help me out, one sassy, sarcastic comment at a time.

#

Tyler

I’m back in the dark, cold forest where my nightmares always start. The air hangs heavy with the metallic stench of blood, making me gag. My father’s soft, mocking laughter floats through the trees, wrapping around me like a noose.

My mother’s dead eyes stare at me from a few feet away. Her lifeless body slumps against a tree root, and seeing her like this churns my gut. She used to be my champion, my protector, and now she’s just another ghost in this twisted landscape.

The knife comes next. It’s always the knife. He starts with my chest, slicing through skin and muscle. The pain is unbearable, searing and unending. I scream, but no sound escapes my lips. Tears blur my vision, and I taste the salt on my tongue.

Worse than the pain is the terror. It always catches me. Every time. Its icy claws close around me, dragging me toward an eternal darkness. I struggle, but it’s useless. The more I fight, the tighter its grip becomes. I’m suffocating, drowning in my own fear, with no escape in sight—

Gasping for breath, I sat up in bed, ripped from sleep with a start, my heart racing against the last bits of the nightmare that still clawed at my consciousness like a wild animal.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, the cold floor under my bare feet grounding me as I tried to shake it off, my whole body trembling. Usually, after a nightmare, River would urge me to go for a run or shift and go himself, but he was in such a deep sleep tonight that he hadn’t even stirred, too sunk in sorrow for his buddy, Spring, I reckoned.

Heading into the bathroom, I flicked on the light, the harsh yellowish glow making everything look a little surreal, a little too vivid. I could hear the faint drip of the faucet that I’d been meaning to fix, but now I was grateful I hadn’t got around to it yet. Each drop that echoed in the silence was a reminder that time was still moving forward, even if I felt stuck in the past.

I stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes were wild, pupils blown wide, and my chest heaved, each breath labored as if I was still running from something, running fromhim. And then there were thescars, three twisted trails that mapped out a history I could barely remember, but would never forget.

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