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Chapter 30
Allie CarstensBuckle up, y'all. Things will probably get a little bumpy for a while. I'll just be over here hiding in my corner... Lots of love, Allie
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The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 31
REID POV “Taryn, please wait!” I yell the words through gritted teeth, my hand gripping the edge of the tailgate on Wesley’s truck. My wolf is right there, right at the front of my mind, pushing to shift and chase after her. But I’m in the middle of the street, in the middle of the city, and I can’t let him out. And as much as I want to let him chase after her, to explain what happened, I can’t shift in front of humans. I lean against the tail end, still gripping the tailgate, and tilt my head up to the sky, forcing my canines to recede. My eyes itch and water as her emotions roll into and through me like a tidal wave, so bitter I can taste them. Regret, embarrassment, pain, anger, disappointment… each one palpable, each one just as strong as the rest, each one meshing with my own until it is impossible to tell whose emotions are whose. And all of it is my fault, because I couldn’t control my instincts and keep my wolf at bay. Because I lost myself in the feel of her beneath my han
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 32
REID POVMy tears subside and I’m sure I resemble a wrung out washcloth left to dry on the knob of a bathtub, but I gather up the rest of the cookies and leave the garden. I would stay longer, but the temperature continues to drop, and the scent of snow lingers in the air, threatening to fall at any moment.I walk back to the packhouse, retracing my steps from earlier, albeit slower this time.I know what I need to do. I’ve thought about it all day since Taryn drove off before giving me a chance to explain. But needing to do something and wanting to do something doesn’t always go hand in hand, so I take my time, letting my thoughts overtake my mind as I walk.It’s clear what she thinks. She thinks I was just using her, just telling her what she wanted to hear so I could get something out of her. And maybe the old me would have done that. But I’m not that male anymore. Not since the night she barreled into my life with her scent and her smile, her sass and her fiery drive.I push my reg
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 33
REID POV Somehow, I made it through the rest of the night and all of today without unraveling like a scarf caught on a rusty nail. I don’t think I slept at all though, and it took everything in me to hold back a growl of annoyance and keep myself from snapping when Wesley stumbled back into his house at six in the morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed after spending all night with his mate. He should remember not all of us are so lucky. The ceremony will begin in about thirty minutes, and Wesley paces the shore of the lake, biting his nails and sighing and growling every few minutes. He stops right on the spot they will say their vows — the spot she stood in the first time she came to the lake, the first time he ever saw her in person after almost twelve years of no contact — and fidgets with his bow tie, his eyes glazing over as a mindlink comes through to him. He frowns and rolls his eyes, but crosses his arms and plants his feet on the ground, muttering I don’t even want to know
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 34 Part A
TARYN POV We make our way to our seats, in the row reserved for the visiting alphas and their ranked members and guests. The ceremony seating area is beautiful, yet cozy. They’ve chosen decorations that play into the rustic, cabin-like feel of Crescent Lake’s packhouse, and added in greenery and florals that highlight the natural beauty of the grounds. Each wooden chair has its own plaid blanket folded and draped over the back of it, for any guests who need an extra layer of warmth during the event. Candles in tall glass vases sit on the ground at the end of each row, lining the aisle the bridal party will walk down, and plaid blankets cover the ground, creating a path for them. The males stand right at the edge of the lake, dressed in black tuxes with velvet lapels and varying vest colors underneath — Wesley’s is a traditional, simple black with a black bow tie, but Nolan is in a golden yellow, Sebastian is in a deep red, and Reid is in a forest green — and they each have a small b
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 34 Part B
TARYN POV Dinner was a delicious meal of prime rib, salad, brussels sprouts with bacon, and whole roasted baby pumpkins with Jarlsberg cheese and chicken — a dish I never would have tried on my own, but now love. I sit between Dominic and Blake at our table in the dinner tent as the meal winds down and the toasts end, sipping on my water and waiting for a moment to free myself from the confines of the seating chart. My foot bounces under the table, and I spin my water goblet from side to side as Wesley finishes his thank you speech to the guests. “Thank you again to all of you for attending our wedding today. We will cut the cake in just a moment and then we’ll have our first dance right after that, and then the party will really begin!” Everyone cheers and claps, and Wesley smiles, lifting his hand. “Also, you’ll notice a letter on your table, framed among the centerpieces. Each table has a different letter, written by either Haven or myself. And yes — all of them are out there, so
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 35
REID POV With Taryn’s hand clasped in mine, we make our way into the second reception tent. The press of her palm against mine sends sparks from the mate bond shooting up my arm, straight into my heart. We enter the tent just as Haven and Wesley begin their first dance to Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect,” and we pause at the edge of the crowd around the dance floor to watch them. I pull her in front of me, hooking my chin over her shoulder and wrapping an arm around her waist to tuck her against my body. It may be selfish of me to hold her and keep her this way, knowing what I’m going to say to her later tonight, knowing that it may all blow up in my face once she knows the truth, but I need her. I need her like I’ve never needed anything before in my life. “What about Dominic?” Taryn whispers, turning her face to my ear. “He can go fuck himself.” She sighs and gives me a look, one brow raised, no amusement in her eyes. “Reid.” “What?” I ask, shrugging. “I am still part of his pack. He’s
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 36
TARYN POV The night seems to both zoom by and drag on. Several guests have left already, but there are still plenty out on the dance floor, including Haven, her niece, Stella, and several pups from Crescent Lake all dancing together to the chicken dance. Wesley watches them from the edge of the dance floor, smiling as he does, surrounded by the visiting alphas — Benjamin, Alton, and Dominic — and Sebastian. I clutch Reid’s tux jacket draped over my shoulders tighter around my body, and meander over to the dessert table to grab another cupcake. The vanilla and sugary sweetness of the cupcakes, cake slices, and cream filled profiteroles waft towards me, blending with and enhancing Reid’s Christmasy scent surrounding me from his jacket. My wolf lifts her nose and purrs and I close my eyes and inhale, breathing in as much of him as possible. “Where’s your beta?” Blake asks near my elbow. “He had to go do something for Wesley at his and Haven’s new house before Wes whisks her away for t
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 37
REID POV I lay on the ground, with Taryn draped over me, my wolf creating a barrier between the snow and her body, keeping her warm. It’s only been around ten minutes that we’ve been waiting, but it feels like longer. Taryn’s fingers comb through my fur, and her eyes flutter, an exterior sign of the exhausted and semi-conscious state she is in. The injuries she sustained to her head, leg, and feet combined with the adrenaline rush and stress to her body from her escape through the woods threatens to pull her under. But my girl pushes through it all, forcing herself to stay awake. The enormous goose egg on her forehead has already gotten smaller, and the blood flow from her leg has stemmed, the cuts stitching themselves together slowly, both from our enhanced werewolf healing and from the presence of her mate. But even though she’s healing, she’s still lost a lot of blood, and it’s freezing out here, and getting colder by the second. I need to get her to my car and back to Crescent L
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