Page 7 of Ruthless Alpha Beast

Tara shoots me a look, one that is laced with shock, concern, and as much confusion as there is awkwardness in the air.

I go to say something to Tara, by way of explanation, but stop myself. I know there’s a better way.

I turn around to face Penelope and showcase the most charming smile I can muster. As much as it pains me at times, I really can turn on my charm when I need to.

Right now, the situation is dire.

“How are you, Penelope?” I ask her. “I had a morning off, and decided to spend it at the witches’ market with my girlfriend. She loves coming here.”

“Gir-” Tara begins, but I wrap my arm around her, bringing her close to me, and somehow it stops her mid-word.

I ignore the way it feels to touch her again.

This is serious. I could be onto something here.

“Girlfriend?” Penelope raises her eyebrow and sweeps her gaze from me to Tara, and then back to me.

She’s not convinced. Not yet, anyway.

“Yep,” I say. “You love coming here, don’t you, Tara? It’s exciting for her to be a human and all.”

There’s a silence, and I look down at Tara, pleading with my eyes, although she’s not looking at me at all. Man, I forgot how much smaller she is. It’s satisfying to my wolf in a way that I don’t care to face. Not right now.

“Yes,” Tara finally says through gritted teeth. “It is amazing.”

Penelope nods. “I need to give you a proper tour sometime, Tara. I’m so glad to see that you’re settling in, and that people are making you feel welcome.”

She looks at me now, her eyes brimming with sharp suspicion. Penelope knows how I feel about other species living among us,thatI believe I have made very vocal.

“Of course,” I say. “This side of Roseville is a very welcoming place.”

“What I don’t understand,” Penelope states, “is why no one has been made aware of your relationship. Because, according to Lacey, Sawyer, and Ellis, both of you are single?”

Tara remains quiet. I don’t even want to see what her face looks like right now. I’ve seen her angry, and I bet she’s furious.

To avoid Penelope’s intense gaze, I look off into the distance, letting my eyes trace a couple of market stalls and a mother and her child walking by.

“Well,” I sigh. “The reason that they think that is because you’re right, we haven’t made anyone aware of our relationship. This has been going on in private, because as a human and a shifter, this is a big deal, and we’ve been wanting to take things slow.”

Penelope nods. “Really?”

“Yes,” I say, still conscious of my arm around Tara’s waist. She’s frozen. I don’t think she’s moved once. Is she even still breathing? Well, yes. I'm pretty sure I can hear her heartbeat. “And knowing what you know about me, Penelope, I hope you can understand why this has been so difficult. We’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone from the pack just yet. ”

Penelope’s expression is still suspicious, cold, and withdrawn. I can tell that she’s contemplating, though, weighing what I’ve just said, which honestly wasgenius.

Of course, knowing what she knows about me, it would make complete sense why I would want to keep a human relationship secret. It also makes sense why I wouldn’t personally be interested in marrying a witch, something she seems adamant is the best solution to my pack’s ‘intolerance’

“Hmm,” she muses. “I suppose your attitude does make a little more sense now, Jasper. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

Penelope looks around the market. Luckily, no shifters are here.

“Thank you, Penelope.”

“You two enjoy the market,” she says. “The Moon fruits are especially ripe today.”

Tara stays silent.

We both watch Penelope walk off and find herself caught up in another conversation with her fellow witches. Now she’s out of earshot, deeper in the market with her back turned, I suddenly fill with expectant dread.