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Chapter 48
Allie CarstensI hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I have had this moment of him claiming her pup as his own planned since before I even started writing Pen Pal, and I'm really happy with how this entire chapter played out. Lots of love, Allie
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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
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 52
TARYN POV “Here we are! Home sweet home!” Reid says as he opens the door to Wesley and Haven’s old house. I stand on the wide covered porch of the small sage green, white, and tan bungalow, my eyes taking in the view from the steps and the adorable patio swing at one end of the porch. The house has less of a cabin feel than most of the buildings here at Crescent Lake, but it still gives off the same homey vibes I get from the pack as a whole. I turn and walk to the door, but Reid stops me, blocking my path. “What are you doing?” I ask, leaning away from him and the mischievous glint in his eyes. “I have to carry you over the threshold.” I try to protest, but he lifts me in his arms, cradling me to his chest, and I squeak and cling to his neck, laughter bubbling out of me. My braids swing and the charms clink together as he steps into the house, holding me tight against his body and not letting me go. The entry has a long console table under a mirror, and within it, I catch a gli
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 53
REID POV Faint light pokes at the edge of my consciousness. A lean but muscular body stretches along the length of mine, smooth skin beneath my hands and held within my arms. The scent of peaches, strawberries, and peonies fills my nostrils and I smile to myself, burying my nose into the base of Taryn’s neck, placing a tiny kiss there that sends a shudder through her still sleeping body. That’s my girl. Even in her sleep, her body responds to my touch. Even in sleep, she reacts to my possessiveness, to my claim on her heart. Our once tenuous bond is stronger than I’d ever thought it would be, ready to weather whatever life throws our way. My hand moves to her stomach, just below her belly button. Her belly is still flat, not yet showing even a hint of a curve, but I know our pup is in there, growing and thriving. A pup. Our pup. My pup. My daughter. If anyone asked me three weeks ago if I thought a pup would be in my future, I’d have laughed in their face. But now, she’s all I can
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 54
TARYN POV We’re quiet for most of the drive from Crescent Lake to Silver Ridge, my hand in Reid’s as he navigates the roads and switchbacks that bring us higher into the mountains. He squeezes my hand every once in a while, sending comfort and love to me through the bond. We’ve spent the last few days in a bubble, existing in a world filled with only the two of us as we built up our trust in each other and strengthened our bond before ultimately marking each other. The storm may have put a damper on everything else — the rest of the wedding, Haven and Wes’s honeymoon, and getting to the bottom of everything to do with my old pack — but it gave us what we needed. It gave us time. Time to bond and accept each other, to forgive and mark each other. But now it’s time to face the real world. And something in me tells me we’re in for a bumpy ride. Even Blake isn’t her normal chatty self. Instead, she is quiet in the backseat of our SUV, picking up on the solemnity of the situation. “What
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 55
REID POV I react to Dominic’s presence on instinct, shoving my mate behind me and positioning my body between the threat and her. All around me, the others do the same with their mates, growls and snarls bouncing off the mountainside, claws extending and bodies getting into protective stances. King Malachi joins Wesley in guarding Haven, the only one of us incapable of defending herself, and Aunt Gigi stands with me, guarding Taryn and Sour Patch. But instead of attacking, he falls to his knees, his eyes closing. Blood drips down his arms, stomach, neck, and thighs, falling into the pure snow and marring it with its deep red stain, expanding and growing by the second. His clothing hangs off his body in tatters, soaked through with the blood from his unhealing wounds. “Oh, Goddess, he’s hurt,” Taryn says, pushing me out of the way and running towards him. “Taryn, no!” I take off after her and grab her hand, pulling her against my chest and wrapping my other arm around her to pin her
The Beta's Blind Date Chapter 56
TARYN POV “Hell fucking no,” Reid growls, his grip on me tightening. “She is not speaking to him. You are not speaking to him,” he repeats, his body vibrating from the intensity of his hold on me and the possessiveness radiating from him. Wesley says nothing, but his eyes are on me, a wordless question held within them. Reid’s hold on me is unwavering, his hand moving to cover my stomach, his nose pressing into my shoulder as he tries to calm himself. “Please, Taryn,” he says, almost in a whisper. I shake my head and cover his hand with mine. “I don’t want to talk to him,” I say, looking at Wesley. Reid’s entire body relaxes against mine, a sigh of relief passing through his lips before he kisses my shoulder blade. “But I do want to hear what he has to say when King Malachi questions him. If that’s all right.” “Of course,” Wesley says, standing from his desk chair. “You are the pack’s beta female, and you have every right to be involved in these situations. Not to mention you are
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