Page 33 of The Beta's Heart

I sighed. Jay wasn’t going to win this one. Before I could tell Cole or Mase that they needed to shut him down, Mase stood up and pushed out a wave of alpha power so strong that we all bared our throats, even Ash and Wyatt.

Guess that’s what happens when you’re one of the top ten most powerful shifters in the kingdom,I thought wryly.

“Quartz. Down. NOW!”

His power-filled tone and absolute authority did the trick, and Jay’s eyes quickly lost the wolf glow and returned to normal as he slumped forward with a heavy sigh.

“I’m so sorry,” Posy whispered. “I shouldn’t have asked—”

“Hush, sweetness.” Jay smiled at her. “It was my fault. Caught me off guard. Didn’t realize he was still holding on to that.”

Posy jumped up and raced around the table, then wrapped Jay in a hug, showing more strength than I had originally given her credit for.

Bless her heart,I thought as I watched her comfort Jay.

While she was busy with him, the rest of us planned a sleepover so that us girls could leave for our shopping trip first thing in the morning.

That got Posy’s attention away from Jay, and she excitedly offered to show us her ‘special room’ and balcony garden that the boys had set up for her earlier today.

So that was their big surprise apology gift, I smirked to myself.

As the guys cleaned up the table, Posy led Lilah and me to her room so that Lilah could pick out some clothes to tide her over until tomorrow. We got talking about mates and mating, making both Posy and Lilah blush, and I chuckled at their shyness.

“Oh, my,” Lilah said as she smiled at me. “Wouldn’t it be odd if Luke ended up being your mate?”

“I’m fine with that!” I wiggled my eyebrows. “He’s super hot!”

The second part wasn’t a lie, but the first part was. Luke MacGregor was an eleven out of ten on the ‘hot daddy with long hair and tattoos’ scale, but that wasn’t my type of guy.

No, your type of guy has blue eyes that make your stomach flutter and a bashful smile that melts your heart,Dove teased, and I quickly told her to shut the hell up.

#

After checking out Posy’s pretty little balcony garden, we rearranged the living room for our sleepover, fluffing up pillows and piling up blankets, and finally settled on a classic Disney movie. The story was comfortingly familiar to me, but something about it triggered Posy, and I noticed Lilah wasn’t doing so well either, her shoulders tense and eyes distant.

Motioning to Luke, who understood right away what was happening, I got up and hustled into the kitchen, and he followed with Lilah in his arms. Setting her on her feet, he murmured soothing things to her as I gathered supplies to make everyone some hot chocolate, the soft clinking of mugs and the gentle hiss of steam from the kettle filling the air as I worked.

Moments later, Lilah came over to help, and the routine task allowed her to focus on the here and now, her attention shifting from her traumatic past to the warmth and aroma of hot chocolate, and I counted that as a win.

Once it was ready, Luke carried the big tray full of steaming mugs back into the living room. There, I saw all my big brothers except for Cole clumped around Posy in the center of the pillow nest we’d made on the floor. Cole had shifted at some point, probably because he was losing his temper, and now his wolf was smugly cuddled up to Posy on one side as she fondled his silky ears.

Topaz isn’t the worst teddy bear, but what a way for her to meet him!I thought, then paused as I suddenly realized something.Huh. I’ve never met Ty’s wolf. I wonder what he looks like?

I knew all about River, of course. My older brothers were buddies with Ty and talked about him all the time. Plus, he worked at my father’s garage, and Dad and Royal Price, Mase’s dad, worked with him at fighter practice a lot. So, yeah, I’d heard many River stories over the years and knew he was very similar to Ash’s child-like wolf, Sid. But how had I never seen or talked to him before?

Dove, you ever talk to River?I asked my wolf.

Once or twice. He’s not much for gabbing with the ladies, but he’ll chew the ears off any of the guys, wolf or human.

Why is that, do you suppose? Too shy?

I think,Dove said slowly,that there’s only one female he wants to give any of his attention to, and that’s his mate.

She’ll be a lucky wolf,I sighed, too afraid to wish it would be us lest I jinx it.

Girl, you’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.

#

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