Page 4 of The Beta's Heart

Wesley’s door opened, and he stepped into the hallway, took in the scene with a grave face, and then tsked at me.

The little fuckertsked!

Atme!

“You should lock your door like I do, Sissy,” he said, shaking his head. “Thank you for thinking of me, heathens, but ask permission before taking something, especially from Sissy’s room.”

Carefully stepping around the mess, Wes pulled his door closed and locked it, patted his baby brothers on the head, and trotted off.

“Argh!” I grabbed my hair in frustration.

“What a mattah, Sissy?” Winston asked, hugging my leg. “You sad we stole stickahs? William telled me to!”

“I did not!” William argued, hugging my other leg. “We decided together!”

“Boys, it’s not important.” I rubbed my forehead where a headache was forming. “Listen, don’t take my things without permission. Those aren’t stickers. They’re … girl stuff, and I need them and now I don’t have them.”

“Sorry, Sissy. We wanted to surprise Wes,” William said. “We’ll ask Daddy to stop at the store and get you some more.”

“Sowwy, Sissy. We ask Daddy get you mo’,” Winnie copied.

Their puppy dog eyes and pouty lips never let me stay mad at them for long. Sighing, I leaned down and hugged them, then told them that their punishment was to clean up their mess all by themselves. They nodded without arguing, and I hurried to Mom’s bathroom because bending over like that had been areallybad idea.

“Sissy! You has wed on you butt!” Winnie squealed as I disappeared into our parents’ bedroom.

“Did you sit in paint?” William yelled. “I can get Mom!”

“No, I’m fine, babies. Don’t worry about it. You two just clean up,” I called back, then muttered, “while I do the same.”

Opening Mom’s closet and finding it as empty of pads as mine had been, I banged my forehead against the cold tile wall.

“Mother.Fucking. Mondays!”

“Peri Louise Barlow!” Mom’s English accent couldn’t soften her outrage. “That’s a tenner in the swear bear! Here, I found a few in my purse.”

She handed me three pads.

“How did you—”

“Wesley, of course. I’ll run to the shops after getting the lads dressed. Will these be enough until I can meet you at school with more?”

“Yeah, and I can always go to the nurse’s office if not.” Taking the pads, I hugged her. “You’re a lifesaver, Mom. What would I do without you?”

“Drown in a sea of testosterone,” she said drolly, patting my back.

“You and Dad made sure of that!”

“I suppose we did,” Mom chuckled.

Even though my oldest brother, Cole, and oldest step-brother, Wyatt, had moved out two years ago, I still had plenty of younger ones to deal with. My brother Archer turned fifteen a few days ago, and my step-brothers Wayne, Wade, and Wesley had birthdays coming up next. Wayne would be fifteen, Wade twelve, and Wesley nine. Wade was especially excited because he’d get his wolf this year.

And then there were the babies. The wild animals known as my half-brothers. William and Winnie were born exactly two years apart on April 29, and we always had one party for the two of them. This year, though, Mom thought that since William would be five and Winnie three, it was time to celebrate each boy individually and asked if I wanted to be in charge of party planning.

Of course I said yes! But when I asked the little heathens what they’d each like for their party, they were shocked and then confused.

“We tins, Sissy. We always togettah.” Winnie’s eyes welled up with fat tears as he gripped William’s hand.

“It’stogether.” Crouching down next to him, I ran my hand up and down his back. “And you’re nottwins. You were born on the sameday, but not the sameyear. You weren’t inside Mom together at the same time—”

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