Page 74 of Beta Hybrid

‘He means “thank you”,’ I tell Alaric.

The wolf doesn’t seem to mind.

Cai groans and pulls me forward, wiping his face on my shirt. ‘Hey!’ Then I wince for real. ‘Ow.’

‘What?’ Cai immediately stops and looks me over.

The vines that once covered my arms are gone. In their place are angry, red scars over my forearms. I gape down at them.

Cai leans forward and licks me, trying to heal them.

I wince, but hold still.

Cai leans back with a frown. The scars remain, unhealed. ‘Alaric, do it.’

The Origin leans forward.

‘If yours didn’t work—’ A giant tongue licks over my forearms, and would have knocked me on my back if Cai weren’t there to hold me upright. He peppers gentle kisses down my neck.

Alaric leans back, his wolf eyes narrowing in confusion. He gives an apologetic, even sad, whimper.

I look up. ‘It’s okay. It’s not your fault.’

With Cai’s arms wrapped around me, both of us on the ground, we take stock of the battle we just fought and won. And the losses we took.

Epilogue

Zenna

ONE YEAR LATER

‘Divina! Stop floating the pups over the waterfall!’ I shout at her.

The witch turns with a smile. The triplets, still tiny, float in the air several feet over the rushing water. ‘What? They like it.’

I growl at her from across camp and turn to my husband. ‘Would you do something about her?’

Cai raises his hands. ‘If she won’t stand down for my beta, why would she stand down for me? Besides, the kids are fine.’

‘What if she drops one of them?’ I set my hands on my hips, then remember the pancakes I’m cooking, and flip them.

‘They’ll learn how to swim?’

I elbow him in the ribs.

Cai winces and laughs. ‘I’m sorry. I would never let that happen to our babies.’ He kisses my cheek. ‘I’ll go stay with them.’

‘Hmm-hmm.’ I start setting the pancakes aside, but before I can make a pile, my cousin (well, cousin-in-law)’s boys come and devour what I’ve made so far. I try to swat at Reagan, but he’s much too fast. ‘Already the appetite of a teenager,’ I grumble fondly.

‘I can go hunt a boar for breakfast,’ he offers. Always eager to hunt. ‘Aunt Jana and Uncle Vale can come, too.’

‘You know Uncle Vale’s knee still gives him trouble after the battle. And do you know long it would take to skin and cook up a boar?’ I tap his little nose with the egg-flip. ‘Hmm? And all my little wolves are hungry now.’ I wrap him in a hug as his brothers shove the rest of the pancakes in their faces.

I sigh with a laugh. I roll up my sleeves, shaking my head. The scars on my forearms warm in the morning sun. After the battle, I’d hoped for weeks that my vines would grow back.

They didn’t.

I don’t mind so much these days.

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