Page 21 of The Beta’s Heart (Five Fangs #5)

Peri

“Let’s invite Grace Turnbull out to eat at Roger’s Diner,” I suggested.

“Sounds good.” Ty shrugged. “I haven’t met her yet, and I’m curious about that prison she was rescued from.”

“I know I don’t have to warn you to be considerate. She’s kind of shy and quiet, and those must be some pretty awful memories.”

“You just warned me to be considerate while telling me it was unnecessary to do so,” he laughed, and I chased him out to our car.

At the same time Cole was being infected by a supernatural parasite, Jayden and Angelo del Vecchio were raiding a prison in which human hunters had been storing quite a few shifters for some nefarious reason. Among those they rescued, only two didn’t have a place to go right away, and Grace was one of them. There was also a half-dragon named Konstantin Russo, who I hadn’t had a chance to meet yet, but Cole had asked me to make friends with Grace while she was staying in the pack, so I did.

My brothers had been trying to contact her alpha to arrange a way home for her, but White Pelt was one of those isolated, primitive packs in northern Canada that couldn’t even offer reliable cell or internet service. Until Cole could contact Alpha Rimsky, Grace was stuck here—and she was fine with that. She was only nineteen and liked the modern conveniences that her pack lacked, and I had half a mind to talk to Cole about letting her transfer here. She was sweet and kind and good-natured, plus she wanted to go to a “real” school, which wasn’t an option at White Pelt.

Neither were restaurants, apparently, because she told us she’d never even been to one as Ty drove us over to Roger’s.

We’d just sat down at a table and picked up our menus when four of the five the gammas walked in, and I didn’t need more than Ty’s happy smile at seeing his best buddy, Gamma Landry Benson, to know they’d be joining us.

Sure enough, gammas Nick Sylvestri and Reuben Ford each pushed a table against the sides of ours as I chatted with Gamma Adam Bishop, who I knew well since he was Sophie’s big brother. As Gamma Landry plopped down on Ty’s other side, the guys settled themselves across from us, and Grace shrunk against me a little.

“It’s okay. None of them will be mean to you,” I assured her.

“They’re scary,” she turned her head to whisper to me. “Especially the one with all the tattoos. He even has one on his throat!”

“Well, they’re gammas. They were literally born to fight, but they’re not bad or evil. My Ty wouldn’t be friends with them all if they were, nor would my brothers have elevated them to official positions in the pack.”

“Okay, but it’s hard to believe they’re harmless—”

“ Harmless ?” I burst out laughing, and she dug her face into my shoulder as the boys turned to stare at us. “What are you doofuses looking at? Go back to talking about your D nothing they could do would change that. It was just the adrenaline of finally standing up to them that was making me shake, not fear or worry.

As they strutted off in a snit, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, and my mate pulled me into a hug.

“You okay, Sunshine?”

“Yeah, Thanks for standing up for me.”

“Always,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Ain’t nobody gonna mess with my girl.”

“Did it ruin our date?” I whispered into his shirt.

“Naw, Sunshine, just added some unexpected zing to it.”

Smiling at each other, we settled back into our seats, the tension slowly ebbing away.

As the house lights went off, I glanced at Tyler, his profile illuminated by the flickering screen. Despite the drama, I felt a sense of pride and happiness. He’d faced down the queen bees with me and for me! He always made me feel so special, so loved, like I was the only girl in the world—and maybe to him, I was.

#

Tyler

That evening, I asked if Dove could join me by the fire pit.

Peri happily agreed, probably very aware that she spent far more time with River than I got to with Dove.

That was mostly River’s fault. He wouldn’t leave Peri alone. Ever since the ‘porky pie’ incident when we moved in, he wanted to go for an hour-long walk in the woods with her every single evening.

Now, watching Dove as she gazed into the dancing flames with a thoughtful expression, I admired her fur glowing in the firelight. She was so calm and peaceful, and I was glad for that since my wolf needed a lot of soothing. That thought reminded me of something I’d been meaning to talk to her about.

“Dove,” I began softly, “I wanted to apologize if River’s behavior gets to be too much sometimes. He’s… different, I know. When he first manifested, things were… rough. My father…”

A knot formed in my throat, and I had to pause for a moment until it loosened up.

Take your time, Tyler, but just to let you know, you don’t have to apologize for one thing about River. In my eyes, he is perfect just the way he is.

“Well, I’m glad about that.”

Finish your story, please.

“My father hurt my mother in front of us and later… Later, we found him with her dead body. That’s when he… when he cut me up with a silver knife.”

I knew Peri was listening, too, and I was glad. Not only because I was grateful for the deep swells of love and sympathy she was flooding me with through the mate bond, but also because I didn’t want to tell the story a second time.

The source of your scars, Dove said wisely. They don’t look like the kinds of scars left by a silver knife.

“River healed them that night, but Dr. Myers says there was too much contact with silver in too short a time. Plus, Riv panicked. He was only a few hours old and had to endure all of that, then basically bring me back from the dead. Doc said the scars are called keloids.”

Do they bother you? Dove’s eyes shone with care and sorrow.

“Not so much any more on several levels. Knowing Peri accepts me with them eases my mind. As for physically, the treatment is improving my mobility.”

I am so sorry that happened to you and to River.

“Thank you, but I told you all of that because I wanted you to understand that River’s … challenges, well, they stem from that trauma.”

He’s shared some things, she admitted.

“I wonder sometimes if he’ll be enough for you, Dove,” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I mean, River’s playful and sweet, but he can be impulsive and naive, too, and that gets him into trouble. Then there are his … episodes … of anger. I worry if that’s the kind of mate you deserve.”

Tyler , she said and waited until I met her eyes again, River may be different, but he has a good heart. He cares deeply about you and his pack. I can see the goodness in him, even if he’s still learning.

“I just want both of you to be happy.”

We are, she assured me, and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

As the fire crackled between us, I couldn’t shake one last concern. Even though Peri said Dove was like River when it came to not desiring physical intimacy, I just wanted to make sure.

“There’s something else. I worry that your bond with River won’t be as fulfilling as mine with Peri if you don’t experience the physical side—”

And she laughed, a rich, warm sound that made me feel a little foolish.

That’s the least important part of a relationship to me. Her eyes twinkled with amusement. River, too.

“Really?” I blinked, taken aback.

Really. What matters to me is the emotional and spiritual connection. I need trust, companionship, understanding, and support—and River already gives me that in his own unique way. Just as you’re right for Peri, River’s right for me. The two of us are fine. We understand and accept each other, so don’t worry about us anymore.

“Then I’m happy for you.” I smiled, feeling a sense of relief. “For both of you. River’s a good boy and deserves love and happiness with his mate, too.”

And I intend to give him a lifetime full of it, she promised, and that was good enough for me.

“One last thing. Peri, stop listening.” I waited until she giggled and sunk back to talk to River, who was getting sleepy and silly, and Dove put up a block just to make sure. “I don’t like the idea of Peri working at Roger’s, but I understand it.”

She’d told me yesterday that she’d asked Roger for a few hours after school Mondays through Thursdays, leaving Friday nights open to go to my football games, but keeping the possibility of putting in some hours on the weekends that matched my work schedule. She had it all planned so that her hours wouldn’t interfere with school or our free time together .

When she’d finished talking, I’d wanted to cry. I wasn’t providing for my mate like I promised myself I would. Then she’d explained that wasn’t the case at all. She wanted some spending money of her own, not for groceries or house stuff, and she wanted to earn it.

Shortly after my birthday, we’d had a conversation on what we both wanted out of our future, so I knew we were like-minded about working together to build our lives with our own hands. Her explanation helped; I knew what it was like to not have a penny and be dependent on others, and I never realized that her parents gave her an allowance, which stopped—at her request, not Mom or Dad’s—when we mated.

And Mom and Dad, not to mention the alpha brothers, would have financed us with however much we wanted for as long as we wanted, but we didn’t want or need a helping hand. We had had a lot of help getting started—a free house, a free car, paid utilities, a stocked kitchen, and a furnished master bedroom—which we appreciated and were humbled by, but we both had an independent streak a mile wide and wanted to figure out the rest ourselves.

It was one of the reasons both of us had refused Luna Posy’s offer of a blank check. The other reason was, we were both convinced she had no idea how much money was in the alphas’ bank account. I’d tipped Mason off about that so he’d know she needed a sit-down about their finances, and I swear Alpha Ice’s eyes showed panic for a moment, probably wondering who else she’d tried to give a literal blank check to, before he huffed out a little chuckle and promised he’d explain to her that there were billions—actual billions— of dollars behind that piece of paper.

Getting back to my conversation with Dove, I asked her how she felt about me giving that Civil War-era coin in her mate box to Mase so he could have it valued. If it was worth a lot, Peri could have every penny for her crafts and sewing and other hobbies.

That’s a hard call, Dove said as she mulled it over. I understand that money is necessary for humans, and the more you have of it, the easier your life is. However, it is an important symbol for River and now me, by extension of his happiness. I’m sure you could convince him to give it up, but you need to ask yourself which is the worst of two hard choices: Peri waitressing at Roger’s or your wolf’s sad eyes? What is truly bothering you about her working? Is it because it’s at Roger’s, or is it the act of working outside your home?

“I’m not trying to confine or limit her,” I hurried to explain. “She can have a job anywhere she wants to. After those Tall Pines wolves invaded the diner, I just worry that something might happen. ”

Roger’s always there, Ty, Dove chuckled lightly. If someone so much as smacked her ass, he’d cook him on the grill and serve him up to his buddies as a warning. And since that day, your gamma pals reworked border patrol so that there’s always a squad within ten minutes of the place.

I agreed with a sigh. Even to my own ears, my excuses felt lame and hollow.

“Guess I’m just being greedy and want her all to myself.”

That’s natural for new mates, but you have to give her room to grow. Instead of fussing about her working, why don’t you focus on what you’re going to get her for Christmas? That’s what put her on the path to getting a job in the first place. She knows what she wants to get you and doesn’t have enough saved for it.

“Christmas!” I reared back in surprise. “That’s months away! It’s only mid-July!”

She’s used to planning and preparing early, especially because she makes a lot of her gifts and that takes time. If something is expensive, that also takes time to save for.

“Hmm. Well, I did think about getting her this one thing, but I’m not sure it’s Christmas present-y. You’re sure she can’t hear us?” When Dove nodded, I explained that I wanted to get her a piece of furniture or display shelf for all her rocks and kaleidoscopes. While her prisms hung on transparent fishing line all over the house, her other two collections were still packed in boxes in the guest room closet.

Oh, I know the perfect thing! Dove squealed. An antique oak china cabinet with curved glass and claw feet and big enough to even display the items in River’s mate box! She’s been in love with it at Stella’s for nearly a year now! She salivates over it every time we go in there, but it’s $3,000.

“That’s perfect, but what if it’s not there anymore?” I asked with wide eyes, a little panicked that it might have slipped out of my fingers before I even knew I had to buy it.

Stella knows Peri’s in love with it, and I think she kind of keeps it from being sold, hoping someday Peri can afford it.

“Then I guess I know what she’s getting for Christmas!” I crowed and wrapped my arm around Dove, pleased that she nuzzled into my hug. “Thanks!”

Just so you know, I’m good at keeping secrets from her, Dove hinted as she nudged me with her head. It’s fun.

“Then you and I, my girl, are going to have lots of fun together.”