บททั้งหมดของ The Beta's Blind Date: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

REID POVI have three rules for dealing with females:1. No kissing2. No pack members3. No sleepovers4. No fated mate.Shit, that’s four rules. Okay, rewind. Starting over.I have four rules for dealing with females.Now, I know what you’re thinking — no kissing? How can you be intimate with a female if you don’t kiss them?Well, when I say no kissing, I don’t mean no kissing at all. I just mean no romantic kissing. No long make outs, no sensual lingering kisses. No goodbye smooches or hello smooches or “oh, baby, I missed you so much!” kisses. I kiss as needed, as the sexual situation calls for it, and that’s all. Nothing more.And there have been no complaints yet.Although, I’ll admit, that could have something to do with rule number two — no pack members.I didn’t have this rule before. Before, when I was younger and more naïve, I would totally sleep with a pack female without a second thought. But as I got older, I realized this could cause potential issues in the long run. The

TARYN POV Evergreen trees sprinkled with snow rush by me as my feet carry me through their midst. The sharp, cold air stings my face. The scent of pine and snow and early morning sun is refreshing and invigorating, encouraging me to keep my pace as I finish this leg of my morning run. My thighs burn, but it is a good burn, a burn you only get from a solid workout, from an energizing run. I have started my day this way for years now — since the day of my first shift — and on the days I skip it, I can tell a difference in not just my physical energy, but my mental energy too. I crest over the final hill and the large, luxurious craftsman style packhouse comes into view, the sprawling lawn holding a fresh dusting of snow. I pick up my pace, the finish line of my personal race in sight, and let out a tiny “whoop!” as I reach the steps in front of the house. My steps slow, and the image fades, the virtual reality headset signaling the treadmill that the preset workout is complete. I rea

TARYN POV Reid stares at me from his side of the table, those baby blue eyes wide and unblinking. He folds his hands on the top of the table, looks down at them and then back up at me. “I’m sorry, I — what?” he asks. I huff out a dry laugh and sigh. I still can’t believe my luck, that the best match the app could make for me was with a male who doesn’t actually want a mate. A male who doesn’t even date. How or why he’s even on the app is beyond me. “I said, since we’re not mates, there is no reason for me to try to wrangle you into another date.” He shakes his head, clearing whatever thoughts he has there. “Right,” he says, rubbing his short beard. “Right. That would — that would be silly. A waste of your time.” “We can even just call it a night now, if you want,” I tell him, though in my head I’m crossing my fingers that he says no. “No, no,” he says, lifting his hands, the veins in his exposed forearms bulging. “Like I said, I made a promise, and I’m going to see this through.

TARYN POV “You’re home early.” I roll my eyes as I enter my apartment in the packhouse, unsurprised to find Blake parked on my pink velvet couch with the tv on, a ginger beer in one hand and a piece of pizza in the other. “Was it a bust?” she calls after me as I walk down the hall to the single bedroom. I just ignore her and start pulling out clothes to change into — plaid flannel pajama pants, fuzzy green socks, and an ivory waffle henley top, to be more specific — and take them with me into the bathroom. I peel off my turtleneck, skirt, black tights, and black ankle boots, toss the clothes into my hamper and the shoes into my closet, then throw on my pajamas and put my curls up in a high puff on the top of my head with a dark pink satin scrunchie, leaving a few loose pieces framing my face. “It was a bust, wasn’t it?” Blake repeats as I walk back into the living room and plop down on the other end of the couch. I pull a turquoise throw pillow into my lap and fluff it a few time

REID POVMonday arrives all too soon, and I find myself pacing the training grounds after the elite warrior training, nausea bubbling in my stomach and sweat pooling in my palms and dotting my forehead. My wolf is ecstatic because he knows Taryn is on her way, but I am markedly less enthusiastic about seeing her again.What if she can feel the bond now? How will I explain myself? Will she think I was just trying to use her, to get a night of sex out of her before I reject her?And why do I care so damn much about what she thinks when I am just going to reject her, anyway?“Focus, Reid,” I mutter, rubbing my temples and forcing myself to stop my incessant pacing. “It’s just training, and if she didn’t feel the bond on Friday, it’s highly unlikely she will suddenly feel it today.”The hairs on the back of my neck prickle and stand up, goosebumps forming over my whole body, even though the cold rarely affects me. The scent of peonies, strawberries, and peaches floats towards me, stronger