Page 41 of The Beta's Heart

And sure enough, I found a she-wolf that smelled like Peri Barlow, right down to a faint whiff of Miss Dior perfume.

“Dove?” I called out. I’d never met her before, but River was insisting that was her name.

My heart clenched at the sight of her lying motionless on the ground, my fingers trembling as I checked for a pulse. Relief washed over me when I found it, and I carefully picked her up in my arms.

“I’ve got you, girl. Hang in there, little fighter.”

Running as fast as I could without jostling the injured she-wolf too much, I spotted the emergency station bustling with activity as deltas tended to the injured, although Roger Poe seemed to be resisting all attempts to stitch his right ear back on.

As I was running, I spotted Em carrying a she-wolf in his arms, too, her fur matted with dirt and blood, and River identified the wolf trotting beside him as Sparrow, Keeley Breckenridge’s wolf.

“Finch, Callie’s wolf,” Emerson called out, confirming what I’d already guessed. “Got knocked around and seems unconscious.”

“Dove, too.” I nodded, adjusting the she-wolf in my own arms as we made our way to the deltas. “She’s not badly injured, but she needs help.”

The deltas immediately took over, their hands gentle yet firm as they grabbed the she-wolves from us and began assessing their injuries. I moved several yards away to give them room to work—and because the scent of antiseptic mixed with the metallic tang of blood was getting to me.

Brought back too many bad memories.

Like a boxer warming up before a fight, I started bouncing back and forth from foot to foot, trying to work out the last of the adrenaline.

“What a mess, huh?” Em said as he came to stand next to me.

“Yeah, you could say that.” I chuckled, a humorless sound.

“I know they did what they thought was best, but why the fuck did they leave the restroom?” he asked, scratching the top of his head. “We didn’t let a single Tall Pines wolf breach the front door!”

“One thing you should know by now is that our she-wolves aren’t afraid of anything!” I laughed, then raised my voice to mimic Charlie Nelson’s. “Aww, look, a rabid, half-drowned possum. I’m sure he just needs some loving, bless his little heart. Let me fetch a box and carry him home, and I’ll have him right as rain in no time.”

“They’re some brave bitches, all right,” Emerson chuckled, glancing over at the deltas working on Finch and Dove.

“Stubborn, too,” I agreed, remembering how Charlie was simply not going to give up on that freaking possum before it conveniently ‘disappeared’ one night.

“So are we,” Emerson laughed, a genuine sound this time. “Some might say there’s a fine line between stubborn and stupid, but whatever it was, we sure as hell weren’t going to let those bastards lay one finger on our luna or anyone else.”

“True, but let’s be real, Em. We both know we were lucky today.”

“Damned lucky,” he said with a nod. “Next time, let’s try to avoid getting into a situation where weneedto rely on luck.”

“Definitely.”

11. A Witch and a Wish

Tyler

The days after the Tall Pines attack were a whirlwind of activity. We were on high alert, reinforcing our borders and staying vigilant for any signs of further aggression. One morning, as the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, we betas joined the alphas for a run with Lark, luna’s little runt wolf.

We moved through the forest at Lark’s baby pace, not nearly the blur of fur and muscle we usually were, but our wolves were happy to be near her and so were we. The crisp morning air filling their lungs and the sound of paws thudding against the ground created a beat that sang, ‘This is pack. This is home.’

As we neared one of our borders, we all started to feel a little anxious. Something wasn’t right, but we couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Then the wind shifted, and I caught a whiff of something unmistakable.

I smell a witch!I called out through the link.

Shut up, kid,Matthew sneered.Stop trying to show off. You don’t smell anything.

I rolled my eyes at him. I knew what I smelled. I’d always been able to sniff out a witch, light or dark. To be honest, it was the talent I was most proud of. Before I could repeat that a witch was nearby, however, Emerson broke in to play peacemaker.

Smell or not, there’s definitely the sound of something approaching from the north. How far are we from the border?

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