Page 83 of The Beta's Heart

“You know, son, none of the boys felt like they had to give you the older brother speech.”

I looked over at Nathan as he loaded the last of Peri’s luggage in the back of his pick-up truck.

“Really? Why’s that?”

“Same reason I don’t need to give you the dad talk. Because we know – and have always known – what kind of man you are.” He turned to me, his eyes kind and steady.

“What kind of man would that be?”

Nathan’s face softened with a smile that reached his eyes.

“The good kind, Ty. The kind who will treat my daughter right, who will stand by her no matter what. The kind who makes me proud to welcome him into our family.”

My throat tightened painfully. It had been six years since I’d lost my parents, even longer since I lost the man my father used to be, six years of feeling adrift, and here was Nathan Barlow, offering me something I hadn’t even realized I’d been yearning for.

“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted, my voice a whisper.

“You were always a good kid, Ty, and you’ve grown into a fine man.” Nathan placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, his grip firm but comforting.

“Can I ask you something?” I ventured.

“Of course.”

“How do you do it? Be a father to so many kids, step-kids included, and still have room in your heart for…” I stopped myself from saying, ‘me,’ and finished with, “more?”

“Every day isn’t a fucking picnic, of course,” he chuckled. “There are days when it’s damned exhausting, but in the end, it’s all about love. You make room in your heart because you want to, and it’s easy to love someone like you.”

Tears pricked my eyes, and I blinked them away before he saw them, but he knew, anyway, and pulled me into a hug.

“That means more than you know,” I whispered around the lump in my throat, and he thumped me on the back before turning me loose, but kept his hands on my shoulders.

“You’re my son now, Ty,” he murmured, his gaze locking with mine. “You kind of already were, but now it’s official. I don’t know what the fuck chuffed means, but Evie’s right about one thing. Welcome to the family!”

Well, that sure didn’t help me keep the tears back. One streamed from each eye as I nodded, warmth spreading through me.

Today wasn’t just the beginning of a new chapter with Peri; it was the beginning of a new chapter with this family. A family whose members saw me for who I was and accepted me wholeheartedly.

“Thanks,” I sniffed as I hastily swiped my face with the backs of my hands. “I’m blessed to be a part of it...Dad.”

#

Peri

We spent the day unpacking and settling in, and now, after dinner, Ty and I were relaxing together on a blanket beneath the sprawling branches of an ancient oak tree in our enormous backyard.

My mate propped himself up on his elbow as he lay next to me, his dark blue eyes locked onto mine with a mix of excitement and nervousness. His golden blond hair gleamed in the early evening sun, and I couldn’t help but smile at how handsome he was, my heart swelling with love and anticipation. This was a step we needed to take, a deepening of our bond that would bring us even closer.

“Ready, Peri?” His voice was warm and steady, a soothing balm to my nerves.

“Ready!” I grinned and scrambled up to undress behind the tree.

If I undressed in front of him, we’d fuck like rabbits again—which was my preference—but Ty pointed out that we’d never get around to introducing our wolves to each other.

Andhe promised we’d give the new bed a good workout tonight.

The second I had all my clothes off, I closed my eyes, focusing on Dove and allowing her presence to envelop me. Shifting was always a strange and exhilarating sensation—bones realigning, muscles stretching, skin giving way to fur as I felt myself shrinking to the back of my mind—all crammed into a fraction of a second.

We’d decided to let Dove meet Ty first primarily because River might get too excited from meeting me to yield control back to Ty any time soon. That was fine with me; I’d heard all about how sweet and fluffy he was and wanted to spend as much time getting to know him as I could.

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