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

Tyler

When the alphas summoned me the next day, I wasn’t nervous, too used to hanging around with these guys, but I was unsure of what to expect, especially because they all looked serious, even the younger two, and that wasn’t normal.

The oldest was Alpha Mason Price. He would turn twenty-one in May, and some called him Alpha Ice, most likely because his cold gray eyes looked right through you. He was even-tempered and kept his emotions locked down tight, a man who could rarely be shaken, but when he was, watch out. At six feet six and more than three hundred pounds of pure muscle, he wrecked anything when he snapped, and there wasn’t anybody in the pack who could best him at hand-to-hand fighting. He feared nothing on this earth, probably because he was one of the top ten most powerful shifters in the kingdom, right along with Alpha Cole Barlow.

Nathan Barlow’s oldest son, Alpha Cole was the next oldest, having turned twenty last month. He’d inherited his father’s bear-like build, bright green eyes, and ability to grow a beard, which was rare among male shifters. Most of us were pretty hairless except for what grew on top of our heads. My mom used to tell me it was to make up for how hairy we got when our wolves came out, which had always made me laugh. Alpha Cole wasn’t such a laughing guy, although he had a dry, grumpy humor on occasion. Along with black hair and a darker skin tone, he’d inherited his biracial mother’s fiery temper and didn’t bother to rein it in most of the time.

Alpha Jayden Carson, who turned nineteen three days before Beta Everett was killed, had sun-streaked brown hair, hazel eyes, and was tall with a lean runner’s build. He was probably the most thoughtful and sensible of the five. While Alpha Mase was observant and used his head, Alpha Jay seemed to understand everything. He was practical and kind, loved to play acoustic guitar, and spent hours with me at the alpha library, reading and researching and trying to create some kind of order out of the chaos. He wasn’t above playing a prank and joking around, especially if he was hanging around alphas Ash Mitchell and Wyatt Black.

Alpha Ash, at nearly seven feet tall, was the tallest guy in the pack and had a personality to boot. His dark brown hair floated around his head in wild, thick curls, and his dark brown eyes always flashed with good humor. He liked skateboarding and sports, and his athleticism would have earned him an easy scholarship if he’d wanted to go to college. After he turned eighteen in January, though, he’d decided he would graduate in June and call it good.

Same with Alpha Wyatt, who would turn eighteen next month. Dude was the only one of the alphas with blond hair and blue eyes, so he always stood out a little from them just in appearance, but his wildness, love of pranks, and sense of adventure put him in a class all his own. He was a crazy good artist with a natural talent for drawing that was enviable, and loved working on cars, sports, video games—all things I also enjoyed, which was one of the reasons we got along so well.

I got along with most people, but the alphas had kind of taken me under their wing after I was orphaned, and I stayed there because we all clicked so well.

“You’re probably wondering what this is about, Ty,” Alpha Mason took charge like always. “Well, we’ve been talking about who should fill the open beta position.”

My heart skipped a beat. Surely they weren’t thinking of offering it to me ?!

“We all believe you are the right choice. Your courage, loyalty, and commitment are unquestionable, and you have a strength of heart that we value.”

“No way.” I locked my hands behind my neck and blew out of a heavy breath. “Surely there’s some other shifter from Dark Woods with beta blood who is of age and could step up.”

“There are two,” Alpha Ash pointed out, “but neither one is suitable. Roger Poe is 68—”

“And can still put a lot of young hotheads on their butts at fighter practice,” I interrupted.

“Yeah, but he would have to give up the diner, and I don’t want to ask that of him. Since he never found his mate, he’s put his heart and soul into that place. I can’t take it away from him.”

“And the other?”

“David Johnstone will most likely never wake up from that coma,” he answered quietly.

As soon as he said the man’s name, I regretted asking.

David’s mate and little girl had died in the sickness six years ago, and the loss had devastated him to the point where he couldn’t even function. Not even his two sons could bring him out of it, and he’d been lying in a bed at the pack’s care facility ever since.

The alphas would have offered him mercy long ago, but they couldn’t do it so long as there was a sliver of a chance that he might recover. His surviving children, Zack, now nine, and Austin, seven, deserved to have that hope preserved, no matter how poor the odds were.

“Just pick someone from another pack, then,” I said as I dropped my arms to scrub my hands over my face. “You set the precedent when you appointed Beta Emerson Jones as Alpha Cole’s beta.”

“That was because there was no one of the right age from Great Rocks,” Alpha Cole said in his slow, deep voice. “As much as possible, we’ve filled the ranked positions with people from our original packs, and we’re not going to make an exception for Dark Woods when you’re standing right here and perfectly fit to do the job!”

It was highly unusual for a pack to have five alphas, five betas, five gammas, and five deltas, but this wasn’t a typical pack. Five Fangs was, as the name suggested, five packs put together.

After Dark Woods was invaded and decimated nearly sixteen years ago, the survivors were taken in by the Moonset pack. It only made sense since they shared a border, and the alpha, Jay Carson, was the brother of our luna, Kristy Mitchell. He and his luna, Denise, even adopted his nephew, Alpha Ash, to raise with his son, Alpha Jayden.

Ten years later, a sickness swept through supernatural communities and claimed thousands of lives, leaving many packs vulnerable to shifters who were unscrupulous enough to claim any territory with disorganized leadership. The king at the time, Magnus, put a stop to most of it, but it was clear that something drastic had to be done in our neck of the woods.

Nathan Barlow at Great Rocks had lost his luna, Kelly, in the very first wave of the sickness. He couldn’t hold his pack together without a luna to hold him together, plus raise three kids.

Royal and Julia Price, alpha and luna of Earthshine at the time, stepped in to help with Moonset after the Carsons died, but running three packs, grieving for their daughter—Willow, Alpha Mason’s fraternal twin—and taking in alphas Ash and Jayden started to take a toll very quickly.

Then, right as the sickness seemed to have run its course, Alpha Shawn Black of River Rapids passed. In her anguish, his widowed mate, Genevieve, miscarried their fifth pup and nearly died herself. She was hospitalized for nigh on a month before returning home to take charge of her four boys, and everyone knew that there was no way she could run a pack on her own.

As raiding bands of rogues and power-hungry alphas made the situation worse, the surviving alphas and lunas made the brave decision to merge their packs. The Moon Goddess recognized and accepted it during the same full moon run that Nathan and Evie declared themselves as chosen mates, and the rest was history. As soon as the current alphas had their first pup with the mate and luna they would share, the five individual packs would dissolve and leave only Five Fangs in the eyes of the Goddess.

Of course, they had to find their special girl first.

“Well, Ty, what do you say?” Alpha Wyatt clamped a hand on my shoulder, bringing me out of my thoughts. “You in?”

“But you know River!” I protested. “And I’m not even eighteen yet. I don’t know how to be a beta. I... I’m sorry, alphas, but I… I don’t think I’m the right person.”

“Tyler James,” Alpha Cole said, his deep voice firm but kind, “everyone has their struggles. Yeah, we know about River, but we see how you work with him and control him. That alone speaks volumes about what you are capable of. As for learning the job, that part’s easy. You have four other betas to help you, plus us.”

“And we know you, Ty. We know you ,” Alpha Jay spoke up next. “We would never offer this position to someone we couldn’t trust or believe in. You’ll be guarding our luna, after all. We need someone with unshakeable loyalty, and we don’t doubt yours for a second.”

“Like Cole said, you can learn the mechanics of the job,” Alpha Mase pointed out as he ran a hand through his dark brown hair, “but there are some things that can’t be taught or learned, qualities that can only come from inside you, and you have all the ones we’re looking for.”

“Yeah, Ty,” Alpha Wyatt said, his serious face and tone once again surprising me because he was the most irreverent of the bunch. “We have absolute trust in you to guard our special girl whenever we aren’t around.”

I understood what he meant. If you were born with beta blood, you and your wolf felt a compulsion to protect others. If you were elevated to an official beta position in a pack, all that energy, all that drive, shifted into one mandate: Protect luna. I didn’t doubt that it had been the same for Beta Ev, but I had also heard all the stories about him and the many, many beds he’d rolled through, both male and female, both wolf and human.

“Did you trust Beta Everett the same way?” My brain heard what my mouth said seconds after I asked the question, and I flushed bright red with shame. “Sorry, alphas! I had no business asking that! I didn’t mean any disrespect!”

“We trusted him to know what would happen if he didn’t,” Alpha Mase replied, interrupting my frantic apology.

Looking at each of my alphas, I saw their wolves glittering in their eyes and knew exactly what would have happened to anyone—regardless of rank or blood—who ever dared to hurt their luna, and they hadn’t even found her yet!

“We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you would never do anything inappropriate with our girl,” Alpha Wyatt clarified. “There may be a few rare shifters who need to have a threat hanging over their heads, but you’ll protect and guard her with your life because that’s who Tyler Quinn James is. You don’t need telling or watching or warning because you are, have always been, and always will be, a true beta at heart.”

Blushing a bit at the praise, I thought about what to do, then decided to ask the other involved party for his thoughts.

River? Can we do this? Can we be a beta for the pack?

Yep-yep! Me guard luna! Where luna? She like me?

Well, we don’t have a luna yet, but when we do, yes, we’ll be her guard. You will have to be a very good boy. I worried my bottom lip with my teeth as I addressed the biggest issue. You’ll have to work very hard not to lose your temper.

Me promise, Ty-Ty! Me work hard! Me good boy!

Yeah, you’re a good boy. With a sigh, I shook my head, admitting that the conversation had gone about as well as could be expected.

Although I had my doubts about his capability and my own, I decided to accept the position. It paid well, came with a house once I found my mate, and brought instant respect. Even more importantly, it was a privilege to serve our luna, and it made my chest swell with pride to know my alphas trusted me with that honor.

“Then I accept,” I said finally. “Thank you. I’ll do my very best.”

“Of course you will,” Alpha Ash chuckled and ruffled his hand through my hair. “You don’t know how to do anything else.”

“We’re so glad, Ty,” Alpha Jay said and gave me a hug. “You’ll need to work closely with the other four betas, especially once we find our luna, so it’s crucial that you get to know them.”

I nodded, thinking about Tristan Harrington, who was in a couple of my classes at school, and Emerson Jones, who often sparred with me at fighter practice. I wouldn’t have a problem getting along with those two, but I’d never really met Crew Myers or Matthew Rose, and I was concerned about how they’d receive me, especially Matthew, who had been Everett’s best friend.

And I quickly found out I was right to be concerned.

#

When I joined the other betas on the training field the next day, Matthew didn’t waste any time jumping down my throat.

“So you think you’re good enough to take Ev’s place?” he spat, his eyes blazing with anger. “As if a boy like you could replace one of the best fighters in the pack!”

“I’m not here to fill his shoes,” I said, my voice shaking with the effort to keep myself calm. If I lost it, River would slip into berserker mode and everything would escalate even quicker. “I’m here to fill the vacant beta position.”

“A poor little orphan isn’t fit for that position! What did you do, beg the alphas for it like a spoiled brat?”

And that was all it took for River to kick off. He let out a mighty roar that made the trees around us shiver, and I had to take a knee as I focused on holding him back, knowing my eyes were flaring gold as he fought to ascend.

“Calm down, buddy,” I whispered. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

He meanie! He say mean tings ’bout Ty-Ty!

“Riv, we’re going to run into mean people from time to time. You can’t kill them all.”

That was the wrong thing to say. He pushed harder for control and roared even louder, sending a few branches crashing to the ground now.

Me can ! Me can kill anyting ! Me show you! Me kill meanie boy right now !

“Uh, Ty? Anything we can do to help him not kill meanie boy right now?” Crew asked as he and Tristan hunkered down on either side of me.

“Getting meanie boy out of his sight might help,” Tris muttered when I shook my head, too focused on leashing River to answer.

“Come on, meanie boy ,” Emerson growled, putting an arm around Matthew’s shoulders and towing him away. “We’re taking a break.”

Matthew might have struggled, but Emerson Jones was a very large man. As tall as Alpha Mase and as wide as Alpha Cole, and those boys were Kodiak bears. Unless he wanted to throw down with Em for real and bring out the claws and fangs, Matthew didn’t have a choice but to let the big guy drag him along.

“Baby, you can’t kill Matthew. He’s a beta, and he’s going to be our teammate,” I murmured soothingly to River. “Look, I’ll make you a deal. You let him live, and I’ll get you your favorite treat after dinner. How does that sound?”

For a long, tense moment, I waited with Tris and Crew to see if my crazy-behind wolf would accept the offer.

Then, Me have boo-bee dis time? River asked in his sweet, baby voice, and I blew out a heavy sigh of relief. Thank the Goddess, he was back to normal and, surprisingly, no one had been maimed.

“ Boobie ? Your wolf plays with boobies ?!” Tris cracked up so hard, he had to clutch his stomach as he wheezed.

“What do you have? Some fake tits that you jack off with?” Crew tilted his head to the side, and that made Tris laugh harder.

Rolling my eyes at both of them, I told River, “Yeah, buddy. Blueberry ice cream just for you.”

Me let meanie boy live, me gets boo-bee ice cream?

“I promise.”

Otay, Ty-Ty! Deals, deals, deals!

And between one heartbeat and the next, River sank to the back of my mind, singing “Boo-bee icy” softly to himself and giggling.

“Who knew the mighty power of ice cream?” Crew chuckled as he stood up and stretched his hand toward me.

“Whatever works,” I shrugged and let him pull me to my feet.

“Bro! Your wolf’s cornbread ain’t done in the middle!” Tris gasped as he wiped tears from his eyes.

“That’s rude,” Crew chided him.

“It’s okay. I know he’s half a bubble off plumb,” I told them as I shook my head. “But he’s a good boy and sweet as pie.”

“Except for when he’s not,” Tris snorted, and I had to agree.

As they started unpacking the work-out gear we were going to need, I jumped right in to help, only pausing for a moment to glance over to the far edge of the field. Emerson was still talking to Matthew and, even from here, I could see the mutinous look on Matthew’s face. Earning his respect would be an uphill battle, one I wasn’t sure I was ready for, but I didn’t have a choice now. I was going to be working with him, so I needed to find a way to get along with him.

Even if he seemed to have zero interest in returning the favor.

#

After training, I found myself alone in the locker room, washing up and trying to get a grip on my racing thoughts.

River had been bribed into compliance for now, but it was only ever a matter of time before something else set him off. It was our daily cycle, which I was used to and had found ways to deal with, but now everything was changing.

How am I supposed to manage being a beta while managing a wolf like mine?

As I stood at the sink, splashing cold water on my face, Crew, Emerson, and Tristan walked in, exchanging glances before approaching me.

“You okay, kid?” Crew started, leaning against the lockers. “Your wolf really wanted to knock Meanie Boy into the middle of next week.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I nodded, reaching for a towel to dry my face. “And Riv sang himself to sleep, so he’s no threat to anyone, including me, right now.”

“How do you do it, bro? How do you handle a wolf like that every single day?” Tristan looked at me thoughtfully.

I sighed, tossing the towel in the bin and leaning back against the sink. I didn’t mind talking about my wolf. Wasn’t like it was a secret or anything, and they’d find out everything soon enough, anyway, since we’d be working so closely together.

“It’s not easy with River being so unpredictable. I’ve learned to manage him, but it’s a constant struggle.”

“That sounds rough. Do you ever get any chill time?”

“Sometimes,” I admitted. “He has his moments of calm, like when I promise him something he really wants—”

“Boo-bee ice cream, I’m told,” Emerson interrupted with a chuckle.

“Yeah,” I snorted, “but it’s always temporary. I have to stay on guard, always ready to pull him back if he loses it.”

“Doesn’t it get exhausting? Always being on edge?” Tris crossed his arms and leaned one shoulder against the wall.

“Oh, yeah,” I said honestly. “Some days, I am wore slap out.”

“What the hell does that even mean?” asked Em, who was born and raised in New York.

“Exhausted,” Crew and Tris said at the same time.

“It’s my reality, and I have to deal with it,” I shrugged. “I’ve learned to live with him, but I wouldn’t wish him on anyone else.”

“I can’t imagine what that must be like. You’re tough, kid.” Em reached over and cuffed my bad shoulder, making me frown and dodge away.

“Yeah, it takes toughness, but it’s also about accepting how Riv is and finding ways to cope. And he has his good qualities, too.”

“What good qualities?” Tristan raised an eyebrow. “Other than being funnier than hell at times?”

“He’s crazy protective. He’ll do anything to keep me safe, and that will transfer to our luna. He’ll kill first and ask questions later. Well, no.” I stopped and corrected myself. “He’ll ask questions never . And when he’s not escalated, he’s really sweet and innocent. It’s like having a toddler with superpowers.”

Crew laughed at that, shaking his head.

“A toddler with superpowers, huh? That’s one way to put it.”

“Yeah. It’s challenging, believe me, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything. We’re a team, and we’ve learned to work together, even if he does make my butt itch from time to time.”

“Now what the hell does that mean?” Emerson threw his hands up in the air.

“Makes him mad,” Crew and Tris chorused again, then looked at each other with a grin before Tris added, “Damn, Em, you’ve been living here for how many years now? And you’re still as lost as last year’s Easter egg.”

“It’s not my fault you can’t speak properly.” Em crossed his arms over his chest. “And I’m dead-ass sure you make up euphemisms to harass me!”

“What’s a euphemism?” Crew tipped his head to the left, his usually placid eyes sparkling with mischief. “One of them there words from up north?”

“Never mind!”

As Crew and Tris broke up laughing, Meanie Boy himself stuck his head in the locker room.

“If y’all are done cackling like a bunch of hens in there,” Matthew sneered, “the cleaning crew’s waiting to get in.”

“A meanie boy and a killjoy,” Tris said under his breath, making me snicker.

As I quickly packed my things back in my bag, he and Crew shuffled out the door, but Em hung back.

“If you ever need help or someone to talk to, we’re here for you, Ty. Even if all I can do is listen, I will.”

“Thanks,” I said, my voice suddenly going gruff, and I had to clear my throat. “That means a lot.”

As we left the locker room, I felt better about everything. Sure, it was going to be a hard row to hoe, especially if I couldn’t gel with Matthew, but I was determined now that River and I would find our way. Even if it was one tiny step at a time, I was going to prove that we were worthy of the beta position.

#

River

Moon so bright. Bright and big. Me like it! Like it lots! Make me feel strong! Me run fast, fast, fast! Trees blur. So fun. No one catch me!

Slow down, Riv , Ty-Ty say.

Me not want to. Want to run! Feel the wind! Den me hear a noise. Oh, boy! Bunny! Me chase. Fast, fast, fast! Almost catch bunny, but bunny goes in ground. Dumb bunny!

River, you’re about to cross the border, so turn around, Ty-Ty say.

Uh-oh! Not want to make Ty-Ty mad! Not like it when Ty-Ty mad. Me turn around.

Good boy, Ty-Ty say.

Den me see shiny ting! What dis? Pretty pretty! Me grabs it with my mouf.

Put that down, Riv, Ty-Ty say . We don’t need any more rocks.

Me not want to. It mine now. Me snarl at Ty-Ty, and Ty-Ty face goes sad. Why he sad? Not like it when Ty-Ty sad. Me put down shiny rock.

Good boy, Ty-Ty say, and dah mad goes to sleep again.

Later, I sit by dah fire. Me like it. Warm. Safe. Ty-Ty talk to me. Say need to be careful. Need to listen.

Why not unnerstand? Me try . Me try so hard to be good boy! But tings make me mad. So mad! Make me want to break, break, break!

RAAAWR!

Shh, Riv. Everything’s all right. I’m here. Ty-Ty voice always so nice. So soft and kind. Makes dah mad go to sleep again. Watch the fire and relax. Aren’t the flames so pretty dancing around?

Me look at fire. Very pretty. Make me sleepy. Eyes close. Time for rest. Wish me could tell Ty-Ty how feels, but words too hard.

Sorry. Dat me can say. Dat me say lots and lots!

It’s okay, Riv . You’re my good boy. We’ll figure it out together.

Tanks you, Ty-Ty. Nightie night.

Good night, baby, Ty-Ty say . Sweet dreams.

Me love Ty-Ty.