Page 35 of The Beta's Heart

“Your apology means nothing since Mason made you do it,” luna suddenly spoke up. “Be a better teammate so you don’t have to make apologies, forced or genuine.”

I blinked, not expecting that from her, and frowned when I watched her panic a little, clasping her hands and twisting her fingers. It was like she was caught between wanting to be brave and being afraid of the consequences. She flinched hard when Alpha Ash’s arm wrapped around her and pulled her into his side, and none of us liked that.

What scare luna?River growled.Me kill it!

She’s scared of everything and everyone right now, bless her heart,I tried to explain.There’s nothing to kill, buddy. Now you need to stay calm so you don’t accidentally scare her, okay?

Otay. Me good boy, Ty-Ty.

Yeah, you’re my good boy.

Meanwhile, Alpha Ash was telling luna that no one would hurt her and that somebody—coughMeanie Boycough—should know better, shooting Matthew the stink eye before introducing him and his wolf, Arroyo.

“Hello, luna,” Matthew said, much more subdued now.

Good. He deserved a little comeuppance. I’d been doing my best to try and get along with him while he made no effort at all.

“Beta Matthew,” luna acknowledged, not offering her hand.

Can’t blame her, either, I thought.

As Alpha Ash introduced her to the other betas, I couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of purpose. I’d known from the first that protecting my luna was an honor, not an obligation, and I wanted to excel at it. Only problem was, she didn’t trust any of us yet, me included, so I had to prove to her that she could rely on me no matter what, that I’d never let her down.

Now how do I do that?I wondered.

Show luna Ty-Ty is fend, River advised.Luna scared, so show how good and nice Ty-Ty is.

Such a smart boy, I praised, which made him wiggle around happily.

He was right. Actions spoke louder than words, so from this moment on, I’d show her friendliness, strength, dependability, and—what she obviously needed the most—kindness.

#

People started gathering in little groups to talk, and I found myself drawn to Peri Barlow like a honeybee to clover. This was my first real chance to talk to her in a while, so, taking a deep breath, I walked over and tried to ignore the fluttering in my stomach.

“Hey, Peri,” I said, my voice coming out a bit huskier than I intended.

“Hi, Tyler,” she replied, her dark eyes sucking me in as she smiled at me. “How’s your first ‘real’ day as beta going?”

I felt my cheeks heat up. Stupid blotchy blush!

“It’s... uh, it’s going okay, I think. I mean, I’m trying not to mess up or anything. It’s a lot of responsibility, you know?”

“I’m sure you’re doing great. The alphas wouldn’t have chosen you if they didn’t believe in you.”

Her words made my heart swell, and I found myself smiling despite my nervousness.

“Thanks, Peri. That means something coming from you.”

We stood there for a moment, an awkward silence settling between us, and I searched for a topic to keep the conversation going. I glanced around, noticing Alpha Cole’s watchful eyes on us and knew he was aware of how much I blushed while talking to his sister.

“So, um, are you looking forward to the shopping trip?” I asked.

“It’ll be nice to spend some time with Posy and the other girls and who knows? We might find some great stuff.”

“Like a treasure hunt,” I agreed, rubbing the back of my neck. “Make sure you stay safe, yeah? I know I’m guarding the luna, but I’ll keep an eye on you, too.”

“We’re only going to the outlets. The biggest threat we’ll probably face is squaring off with a human grandma over the last pair of My Little Pony edition Hey Dudes,” she teased, but gently touched my arm with her fingertips, sending my heart into overdrive. “Besides, I always feel safe when you’re around.”

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