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Chapter 43
Allie CarstensThank you for your patience with the update today! My husband and I spent some time with some friends from college so I was away from my computer for most of the day. But I hope you enjoyed Reid's "Winter Wonderland Day!" Lots of love, Allie
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The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 44
REID POV We make our way back inside and down the hall to her guest suite on the first floor, and I mindlink Haven on our way. “Is everything ready?” I ask. “Yes. The hospitality team just let me know they completed all your requests. Now I better not hear from you again until Taryn has accepted you and you’re both marked.” She cuts the link before I can even reply, and I bite back a laugh. For someone so unsure of whether they would be a “good luna”, she sure slid into the role with more ease than a female wolf raised to think they would end up as someone’s luna. Further proof she was made for Wesley. Made to be our pack’s luna. “So, what’s next on the agenda for ‘Winter Wonderland Day?’” Taryn asks as we reach the door to her suite. She has her coat draped over her arm and the beanie in her hand, her other hand clasped within mine. The spare clothes from the backpack I brought outside with us hang off her body, hiding any hint of her curves and her muscles, and my wolf grumbles
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 45
TARYN POV Quiet. Peaceful. Tranquil. Those are the words I would use to describe Crescent Lake’s packhouse in the early hours of the morning, before anyone is up and about, even with half of Silver Ridge in their midst. The calm settles into me, reaching out and soothing my racing and aching heart and my spiraling mind. Even with the restful night of sleep in Reid’s arms, my worries and anxiety returned full force as soon as I opened my eyes. Not even his touch and scent settled my frazzled nerves, so I’d climbed out of bed with him still asleep, and left him a note, telling him where I went. We’d spent a beautiful day together yesterday; him revealing many sides of himself in less than a twenty-four-hour period, showing me how life with him will be — fun, playful, sexy, and full of love. And now it’s my turn to show him all of me. I descend the last step to the basement, where Luna Haven said I could find a small indoor gym space with treadmills, and make my way down the long, na
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 46
REID POV Karma is a funny thing. Sometimes it works in our favor, and other times, it works against us. This morning it is not working in my favor. The bed is empty, and Taryn is nowhere in sight, and I know this is payback for me leaving the bed before she woke up yesterday morning. “I knew I should have stayed in bed with her instead of making breakfast,” I grumble, rubbing my eyes with my palms. I sit up and swing my legs over the edge of the mattress, stretching my neck as I do, and I spy a bright yellow sticky note on the lamp. I snatch it off and my eyes zip over each letter of her handwriting, my wolf pushing forward as her scent floats from the paper and into my nose. I’m going to the gym down in the basement. I will be back soon. Love, Cadet Taryn Love. She wrote “love.” Does she mean that? Or is it similar to how girls will say “love ya!” to each other when saying goodbye? Or am I overthinking the whole thing? I stand from the bed and stretch my arms above my head,
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 47
REID POV My dad lunges forward from the doorway, his movements strong but erratic, the alcohol affecting his motor control. My gut instinct is to attack first, to fight back and defend myself, but it’s clear he is hallucinating, remembering the attack and mistaking me for the rogue who killed my mom, and I can’t bring myself to hurt my dad, self-defense or not. I dart out of his reach, but his large hands and sharp claws catch my body, slamming me into the cabinets and knocking the air from my lungs. His claws sink into me and slice around and down, pulling me towards the floor, and my chin hits the counter, my teeth snapping down on my tongue and stars bursting into existence behind my eyelids. I groan and spit the blood from my mouth, my hand clutching at the wound wrapping around my abdomen. My vision blurs and my head spins. I can’t see it, but I can feel the deep gashes in my stomach, feel that they’re much deeper than my enhanced shifter healing can handle on its own, without
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 48
TARYN POV Reid stands frozen in the middle of my hospital room, his eyes locked on the ultrasound screen. His heart pounds and his throat bobs, but he doesn’t blink or look away from the image. I bite my lip and blink back against the water in my eyes, my hands clenched as I wait for him to react, to say something or turn and run out the door, but he just stands there like a statue. “Taryn?” Dr. Russo asks, pulling my attention back to him. “Sorry,” I say, flicking my eyes to Reid and then back to the doctor. “What did you say?” “I asked if you’re okay with this?” He glances at Reid, and I nod, taking in a deep breath. I would have preferred to tell him myself, tell him when it was just the two of us and we had time to talk, but there’s no taking it back now. The truth is out there, and now I must face the consequences. “As I was saying, the pup looks great,” Dr. Russo says, and Reid’s throat bobs again. “It’s measuring a little on the bigger side, but that is to be expected beca
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 49
REID POV I sit on the edge of the hospital mattress, holding the images of my Sour Patch in my hand, staring at them with a smile as Taryn finishes changing into the clothes Maddie brought to the hospital for her. “What are you smiling at?” she asks, climbing onto the bed next to me. “Sour Patch,” I say, holding the strip of ultrasound pictures out to her. “Really? That’s what you’re going with? Sour Patch?” “Don’t you think that’s what she looks like?” I ask, peering over the top of the strip as she examines them. “Like a little sour patch kid gummy?” “I thought she looked like a gummy bear the other day when they first showed her to me,” she says, chuckling. “Nah, she’s totally a sour patch kid,” I say, shaking my head at her. “See, she already has that little cheeky smirk.” I point at the image, at what I assume is the pup’s head, although I really have no clue what is the top and what is the bottom on the black-and-white picture. “Reid, I’m eight weeks pregnant. She’s the s
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 50
REID POV “Hey there, Buddy.” The words echo in my brain, setting off a chain reaction of memories, each one with those words as the central focus. “Hey there, Buddy.” He winks at me as I stand in a line with all the other six-year-old pups on our first day of training. Wesley is on my left, his chest puffed out and his head held high. My smile grows as I beam up at my dad, ready to make him proud and show all the other pups what I’ve already learned with him during our roughhousing at home. From the corner of my eye, I glimpse my mom as she runs by. She waves at me and blows a kiss to my dad before continuing on her way with the group of warriors she’s headed out to patrol with, a smile on her face as always. “Hey there, Buddy.” The wind ruffles my hair and the sun blinds my eyes as he exits the water, surfboard in hand. He sets it in the sand, then checks the wrist strap on my board, making sure there is no fraying or tearing before he follows me out into the surf, ready to spe
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 51
REID POV “Listen, Buddy,” Dad says as he pulls away from me. His nose is tipped with pink, his eyes are puffy, and his cheeks are stained with tears. He sets his hands on my shoulders and takes a deep breath. “You should go. Spend some time with your mate.” His eyes flick to Taryn over my shoulder, and he smiles at her. I shake my head, and Taryn rubs my back. “I don’t want to leave you. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone.” “I’ll be fine,” he says, squeezing my shoulders. “Bonding with your mate is more important than—” Another coughing fit hits him, and he lets go of me, covering his mouth and gripping onto the bedding again, his knuckles turning white. Taryn moves around me and rests her hand on his arm, pulsing more of her golden healing magic into him. “We don’t mind staying,” she says, her voice cracking. “I can help ease some of your pain, at the very least.” My arm wraps around her waist and I slide closer to her, my lips kissing her shoulder. Selfless. Brave. S
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