Chapter Twelve
Ken wrapped the last breakfast burrito and packed it with the other nine in a plastic container. After watching Betty eat last night, he wondered if ten would be enough to feed them both. Then again, she might not touch a single one. He eyed the breakfast warily. This was the first meal he’d cooked for her and he was presenting it in clear wrap. If Betty were more like Beth, he knew she’d toss it in his face, but his mate was not prissy like the omega nor was she snappish like Angie. He hung his head. That was the extent of his knowledge of women. Two oddball shifters who scratched backs for a living.
Sure, he’d had lovers, but everyone put on a fake façade with him so he never got to know them personally. As beta and the alpha’s son, most shifters didn’t treat him like an average person. Most tiptoed around him. It hadn’t bothered him. Not until he wanted to settle down to start a family, then the reality of it had hit him. Every woman he’d been with had been false. Now he understood why most alphas remained single, or those who did have mates, cherished them above all others.
Betty hadn’t even known he was beta of the pack until they’d been eating. He took his position for granted and assumed everyone in New Port knew. It wasn’t something he flaunted. He could only hope it didn’t change things between them.
He liked her. She was honest and kind and fun. She’d had more than enough reason to complain about their disastrous date, yet she’d turned it all around and they’d had a great time. He wouldn’t change a minute of it.
He eyed the meal he had cooked one more time. If she didn’t like it then he’d just cook her something else and another thing and another thing until she accepted a meal from him. The mating ritual was considered archaic by humans but it made perfect sense to Ken.
A shifter male wanted to provide for his female. Food was top priority. Fine. He didn’t hunt chickens or steal their eggs, or kill pigs to get the bacon. That wasn’t the point, which the humans didn’t comprehend. He could provide Betty with food that she would like. Once she accepted his meal, he would work on her other needs, like shelter and safety and sex. Not in that order if he had his way. He would prove to her that he would make an excellent mate for life.
That was instinct. When had humans lost theirs? He scratched his chin. Betty was half-human. What if she didn’t respond? What if she wanted to be courted like a human woman? He shook his head. No, she was shifter. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be his soulmate. He would proceed with his plan.
Even though he hadn't slept all night, he still felt like he needed to run and burn off some energy. He had to explain their dire situation to Betty today. That if she didn’t prove she was a shifter by changing shape, Ryota would be forced to take her out of the equation before the other packs took things into their own hands.
Ken wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and paced the kitchen, stretching the tense knots out of his shoulders.
Hey, Betty. I made you breakfast. Hope you like eggs. By the way, the alpha has threatened to kill you since you’re technically not a shifter so maybe we can practice changing shape today?
Every scenario he played in his head ended badly. From Betty slapping him, to her walking out of his life forever, to her trying to kill Ryota. There was no nice way to explain a death threat.
Ken’s phone rang. He checked the screen then closed his eyes. He recognized the number and hesitated to answer. Ignoring his father would make things worse but he wasn’t in the right head space to fight with Ryota. Not after yesterday’s breakfast table flip out.
Maybe Ryota had changed his mind and would accept Betty as pack?
Ken checked the clear blue sky. Yeah, no pigs flying.
He knew his father. If he didn’t answer, he’d spend the day hunting him down. “Good morning, Ryota.”
“Explain why you've canceled all your meetings today.”
“And tomorrow.”
A snarl crackled over the phone. “This will delay the pack’s expansion project.”
“I know.” That had been part of his plan. It would give him time to figure out what to do with Betty and the eviction notice he’d found in his file. “But the welfare of my mate comes first. Unless you've changed your mind about her being pack.”
Silence was his answer but he could hear Ryota breathing. “I can't,” he finally whispered. “I contacted her old pack and spoke with the alpha. He emailed her file. They gave her all the training, Ken. The alpha prior to this one even tried to force a shift.”
Ken flinched. A forced shift hurt. It was when the alpha used pack magic to command a shape change. A pack member couldn’t fight that kind of power. An alpha had to be confident in his pack to make such demands. Ken had never witnessed such a barbaric ritual and he hoped he never would. No wonder Betty had left Riverbend. With those kinds of memories, he would have as well. “And?”
“Nothing happened. Not even a partial change. She's human.” Ryota cleared his throat. “If I could ensure our pack’s safety, you know I would take her in.”
“Are you expecting me to stand back and let you kill her? Without a fight?” It went against every ounce of his nature, shifter and man.
“No, and I regret my words yesterday. The last thing I want is to hurt my only son. Can't you understand what you've done though? The situation you’ve placed me and the pack in?”
The terrible thing was Ken did understand but didn’t care. Betty was his. Period. None of the other packs would allow his and Betty’s union if Betty couldn't change shape. Not after claiming she was his soulmate. That would break too many laws.
“I spoke with other pack alphas and we have an alternative. Disavow your claim. Leave her and never see her again.”
He gritted his teeth. He wanted to hate Ryota. He really, really did. But he also knew the position he'd placed his alpha in. Ryota had been grooming him to be alpha since the day he’d adopted him.
“Ken, she would live. That’s all I can offer.”
In his way, Ryota was giving him an option to save the one woman he was meant to spend his life with. Ken disconnected the line before he said things he might later regret. To save Betty, he needed to give her up. However, not without a fight. They needed to talk, perhaps yell on her part.
He grabbed breakfast and drove to her home. The eviction discussion would happen another day. One disaster at time; he wasn’t much of a multi-tasker.
She answered the door on the first knock, long, dark hair a tumbled mess. A white tank top covered her red bra, which exposed the intricate tattoos on her arms, and she wore a pair of Daisy Duke jean shorts.
Lord have mercy.
“Oh good, it's just you.” She grabbed him by the waistband and pulled him inside. “I thought you were the dog walking ladies.” She set the breakfast he’d made on the rescue’s waiting room service desk. “Help me leash some of the dogs. The walkers will be here any second and I’m not ready.” She vanished into the kennel room.
He followed, unable to tear his gaze off her shorts as she bent to unlock a dog door. “What's going on?” She’d been speaking English, he knew this for sure, but his brain had locked down when his eyes had soaked her in. He hadn’t thought she could possibly look any more beautiful than last night, but he was wrong.
“I woke up late. Every morning a group of volunteers walk some of the dogs. The animals need it.” She released certain canines from their kennels. “Leashes are on the desk.” She moved from dogs to food dishes and watering bowls.
Frantic tails wagged and a few of the bigger dogs dared lick his hands. He stroked their heads and tried to attach leashes as the licks grew bolder and covered his face. He finally leashed the first dog that had approached him. Most dogs instinctively were frightened by shifters. They needed to get used to their scent first and figure out they weren’t on the menu before trusting a shifter to touch them. But Betty smelled like shifter, so these animals weren't shy—just wary due to dominance he naturally radiated.
Most animals picked that up right away, including other shifters. Not his Betty. She just went ahead and commanded him like she had a natural right. He smirked. In a way, she did. Maybe she sensed their bond after all on a subconscious level.
She tossed him a heart stopping smile. “They're not afraid of you today.”
He released the breath he’d been subconsciously holding. “What do you mean?” He could stare at her all day. The dogs milled around her like a furry hurricane of joy and love. Absolute trust that she cared for them. It was a thing of beauty that he, as a beta, admired. He worked hard to earn his pack’s devotion. Betty did it without effort.
“They were terrified of you when we dragged you inside yesterday. Barking so loud I had to put them out in the yard just to calm them down.”
He snorted. “Of course they were. I was in beast form.” He continued leashing the closest dogs. “Who wouldn't be?”
She herded the last of the animals his way. “Your modesty is astounding.”
“And my honesty. Don’t forget that.” He now held the handles to six leashed dogs, all of the smaller variety. Three leashes in each hand, as the animals tangled around him in chaotic loops. “Sit!” he shouted before they tied him in knots.
They sat. Tails between their legs. All of them staring at him in earnest.
Betty stopped mid-stride.
“Beta.” He winked at her.
“Don't think your trick will ever work on me.”
He would be disappointed if it did.
Someone knocked on the front door and Betty pushed past him to answer, leaving him with the canines.
He knelt and scratched their ears. “If you guys keep making me look good, there will be treats later.” He noticed the bright yellow eviction note on her desk. That cursed thing. He wished he could burn that letter and be done with it, but Ryota had only managed the sale of the land. They didn’t own it. Other shifters in the pack did and depended on him so they could build their businesses once the project started.
Where would Betty go? He wanted her to live with him but he couldn’t house all these dogs. He knew what it felt like to be orphaned. They needed homes of their own.
Oh…he had an idea. He snatched the eviction note and stuffed it in his pocket.
“I heard that.” She called from the other side of the door. So, she had shifter hearing too.
He exited the kennel area and in the waiting room, came face to face with three mature women. Each of them holding a breakfast burrito.
“So nice of you to provide breakfast for us, Betty,” the one with gray wiry hair spoke.
“And who is this?” The shortest of the group squeezed his biceps. “Is he up for adoption?”
Ken felt his eyes widen and he tossed a desperate look at Betty. He had cooked those burritos for her. So, she was going to play hard to get.
She leaned against the counter, a huge grin on her face. “Nope, he's taken ladies.”
“Are you the walking volunteers?” He handed over the leashes, two per walker.
The dogs yipped in excitement.
“Yes.” The women juggled dog leashes and burritos then they waved goodbye.
Betty’s smile faded. “Do you have any plans for today?”
All the good feelings warming his blood turned to lead and Ryota's ultimatum weighed heavy on his heart. “We need to talk.”
“Sounds ominous.” She held up a burrito, catching his gaze before taking a deliberate bite.
He grinned, his chest swelled as he watched her inhale the meal he’d provided.
If heaven could manifest into something tangible, something she could hold in her hand, then Betty could claim she just put it into her mouth. Eggs, peppers, onions, bacon, sausage with gooey cheese. Her vision blurred as her taste buds exploded. “Where did you get this?”
“I made them.” His predatory grin widened, showing all his pearly whites. He leaned his elbows on the other side of the counter and drew closer. “Do you like it?”
“You cook? You need to stop impressing me. Your pedestal is growing higher and higher. If you fall, you might break something.”
A blush coated his cheek in the most adorable shade of pink.
She blew hot air on her fingernails and polished them on her shirt. Still had it. “What do we need to discuss, Mr. Ken?”
“Maybe we should go for a walk.” He cast his gaze over the back wall behind her.
“Now you're scaring me.”
“Why?”
“Because you want witnesses in case I try to kill you. Come on, I grew up in a pack. I know the rules of engagement.” Shifter children weren’t raised like humans. Their violent lives needed more monitoring and harder lessons. The rules of engagement being among many things they learned. They defined the circumstances, conditions, degree, and manner in which the use of force, or violence when confronting an adversary.
Ken crossed his arms, brows furrowed, and loomed his full height over her.
“Nice beta stance.” She finished the last bite of her burrito and offered him one.
He rolled his eyes and snatched breakfast from her hand. “You must've been a handful as a teenager.”
She showed him her painted arms. “My mom swears her premature grays are all my fault.” She loved her mom to death, but she was human, and tried to push their ways on Betty. Deep in her heart, Betty believed she was shifter. Finding Ken only proved it. Being pack had been so natural. She had to act to be human, watch her every move and word.
“And your dad?”
“Who do you think helped pay for these tats?” What could she say? She was a daddy's girl. Shifters, tattoos, and motorcycles.
“This is my favorite so far.” He traced the flowing script around her biceps.
“So far?” Most of her ink had been done by pack artists except that one. She had befriended a dhampir at a tattoo convention in Riverbend. Betty had let the artist talk her into being a model for her work. From an old book, Betty had picked this design.
“Well, I haven’t had a chance to see the rest of your skin.”
Wow, that actually made her blush. She pressed her hands to her cheeks and changed the subject. “My parents are the classic opposites attract couple. She prevents him from pulling stunts that might kill him and he pushes her to try stuff she is afraid of.”
“They sound…interesting.” His voice carried a wistful note and she recalled he had been orphaned.
She cleared her throat. “How did you lose your parents?” It was the elephant in the room and she wasn’t the type to ignore the obvious. Better to ask right out than to speculate.
He shrugged. “I don't know anything. They might have died. They might not have wanted me. I was found as a baby in the woods outside New Port. That's how I ended up in the orphanage.”
She couldn't imagine not having her parents. She had accused him last night of not understanding how it felt to not belong, but she had been wrong. If anyone knew, it was Ken.
She rose on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his. Quick and possessive.
He stood so still. “What was that for?”
“For just being you.” She loved how he reacted to her every touch, like he savored each one.
“The orphanage is having a fundraiser event this weekend. I'm one of the organizers and I was wondering if you would come with me?”
“I'd love to.” She’d have to borrow more clothes from her friends.
“I also happened to notice this.” He pulled her eviction notice out of his pocket.
Heat blazed across her cheeks so fast she was surprised to see there wasn't smoke. “It's not what you think. I'm on time with my rent.” It was the only bill she kept up to date. Like that helped her situation. How many meals had she skipped for rent only to be kicked out on her ass? Regret was a fine teacher. She plucked the paper from his hand, balled it up, and tossed it in the trash. “Those developer assholes are buying out the neighborhood. They want to upgrade everything.”
“That doesn't sound so bad.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You're not the one who will be homeless in a few weeks.”
“You'll never be homeless as long as I'm around, Betty.” He clasped her hands within his. “I just assumed you would move in with me.”
A bucket of cold water being dumped on her head wouldn't have made her gasp any louder. “We just met like five minutes ago.” Holy crap, he better not have a ring in his pocket. “I like you, a lot, but you just need to cool off your jet engine. Can we date a bit more before you pack my bags?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “We’re soulmates. This—” he gestured to the breakfast and the shelter waiting room “—is me being so patient. Normally, you'd already be packed.”
She pressed her lips together. “I know, I've heard the stories. Never believed in them though.” Soulmates were supposed to fall in love instantly. Tear their clothes off and make puppies. “We're not textbook.”
He cupped her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his. “Believe it or not, I'm here to stay. So, let me help.”
She gave a sarcastic laugh. “You willing to buy the place?”
“I would, but seriously, the building is falling apart. It's a poor investment. We can do better.”
For the first time in what seemed like forever, she'd been given hope. She wanted time to slow and bask in this feeling. She'd been in survival mode for so long that she’d forgotten how this felt.
“Our first move should be finding homes for the animals you have.”
“What do you think I've been doing? Most people in this area could barely feed themselves, let alone a pet. My volunteer dog walkers come here because their apartment building wouldn't allow pets.”
“Wait, don't get defensive yet. Listen to my idea. Why don't you open a venue at the orphanage event—an adopt a pet tent?”
She paused, letting the idea sink in. “This will cost money.” Something she didn't have.
“Sponsor.” He pointed to himself. “I’ll give one spot.”
She was almost afraid to breathe. “You sure about this? There's no takebacks once you say yes.”
“Yes.” He bit into his breakfast burrito. “Now, let's talk about spreading the word of your adoption day through a campaign, and then how I'm going to teach you to shift.”
The smile vanished from her face so fast her teeth had whiplash. “Fuck you, Ken.”