Page 19 of Her Beta

11

EVETTE

Ihad been at peace with the decision to back out of my contract so Leyton and I could go to his home now instead of in six months. But faced with the prospect of meeting his family and pack any minute, I was suddenly nervous about it all. Since we were in his brother’s backyard and the door to their cabin wasn’t shut, I leaned close to Leyton and whispered, “Maybe we should wait until tomorrow.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about,” he assured me, tugging on my hand to pull me against his chest. “Considering you helped deliver Andrew, it could be said that you already know Cressida better than everyone in the pack except for Aaron, and they both adore you. And Keane almost ordered us back last night because Laina couldn’t wait for us to be home so she could give you a big hug.”

His reminders made me feel better. “Will I get to cuddle Atlas?”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Are you playing me so you can steal my nephew and get all the baby cuddles for yourself?”

I batted my lashes, pasting an innocent expression on my face. “Would I do something like that?”

I felt the slightest prod against my psyche before he flashed me a triumphant grin. “My mate has a devious side. I love it!”

“She’d better if she has any hope of keeping up with you,” an unfamiliar male voice drawled.

Leyton greeted his packmate before introducing me. “It’s nice to meet you, Garner.”

“Not as nice as it is to meet me,” another man said as he walked toward us.

“Don’t even think about flirting with my mate, Booker,” Leyton warned, his eyes flashing yellow as his grizzly bear stared down his friend.

Booker held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“You lie,” a hulking man muttered as he lifted his chin toward us before turning around.

“Is that the dragon shifter?” I whispered, gawking at the man who strode right back out of the backyard after only saying two words.

Leyton nodded. “Yup.”

Apparently, I had been wrong about him exaggerating how grumpy Artemis was. He hadn’t even bothered to take a plate of food with him. Which just left more smoked chicken for me, so I couldn’t complain. My mouth had been watering over it ever since we got to our cabin. The scent had already been wafting through the air from Keane and Laina’s backyard. When I commented on how delicious it smelled, Leyton had just grumbled about how wrong I was because his brother’s attempt at his famous recipe was a pale comparison.

An hour later, after I’d gotten to know everyone better, I was finally stuffing my face with chicken, potato salad, and green beans. “Mmm, so good.”

His breath hot against my ear, Leyton murmured, “You sound almost as satisfied as when I make you come.”

Keane chose that moment to join us, and my cheeks filled with heat. Elbowing Leyton in the side, I muttered, “No funny stuff from you, mister.”

“If you need any help keeping my brother in line, just let me know,” Keane offered, dropping onto the bench across from us. “I’ve been doing it his entire life.”

“My mate knows how to handle me just fine.”

Resting his elbows on the table, Keane chose to ignore the door Leyton left wide open for teasing. Instead, his expression turned serious. “You don’t need to worry about filing a complaint with the state board about that hospital.”

Leyton explained the pack hierarchy to me, so I knew Keane was at the top. But I wasn’t sure he understood the seriousness of the situation. “I don’t really have a choice. They can’t be allowed to continue taking patients when they cannot provide quality care. People will die, and I can’t allow that to happen when there’s a process in place to alert the proper authorities.”

“Let me put it this way…how much red tape will they have to go through to shut that place down?” my new brother-in-law asked.

I grimaced and muttered, “Too much.”

“That’s what I figured.” Crossing his arms over his broad chest, Keane smirked. “That’s why I called someone who has a better chance of avoiding all the bureaucratic bullshit you would’ve had to deal with.”

“The Silver Saints?” Leyton asked.

Keane nodded. “Yeah, Link said they’d put some feelers out to a club that’s not too far from the hospital.”

“Club? Link? Silver Saints?” I echoed, my brows drawing together. “Why do I feel as though you guys are speaking in a foreign language I don’t understand?”

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