mated to the one who calls to her soul?”
Great. Now she was making up fairy stories to make him feel better, just like she used to with the little cubs when they couldn’t sleep. Beau sat back and slowly shook his head. “Nope, don’t think I’ve ever heard that one.”
How can there be something I don’t know about the mating between shifters? It’s all written in my DNA, isn’t it? Gotta have the tools to lead my people.
“Well, buckle up, buttercup. You need to hear this.”
Sitting up straight, her eyes twinkling with knowledge, Miss Bea laid both her palms on the top of his desk. “It’s not some fairy tale or something anyone made up, this comes straight from the top.” Giving a single, sharp nod, she went on. “Lucy’s dear mother, Bethany.”
“When were you ever friends with her?”
“Oh, boy, I’m friends with everybody.”
“I know that.” He tried to quickly recover from the hole he’d just dug and fallen into. “But I didn’t think Cleland let his wife socialize with anyone outside their pack.”
“Please,” she scoffed, chuckling so much that her shoulders bounced. “Nobody, especially Cleland, ever dared to tell Bethany Benton who she could or could not speak to,” she said solemnly, shaking her head and never losing eye contact. “And that included your momma.”
“Mom?” He was shocked. “Really?”
“You betcha. They were fast friends. We all were. Losing Bethany and then your mom so close together damn near did me in.” Taking a deep breath, she finished as she exhaled, “But I’m a tough old bear.”
“Yes, you are, Miss Bea. Yes, you are.”
The tiniest of sniffs escaped. “Well, thank you, Beau,” she kept right on going, hurrying to cover her sorrow. “But that’s not what’s important. What you need to know…” She poked her finger in the air between them, emphasizing every word. “…is that if a Luna wolf does not mate the alpha who calls to her soul, no matter of his species, she will never bear children, and her heart will never be full.”
“What? Say that again.” Working not to roar, or jump to his feet, or both, Beau gripped the arms of his chair until his knuckles turned white. “Slowly.”
“If you and Lucy don’t stop pussy-footin’ around, Cleland’s gonna marry her off to someone who…” Her index finger lifted, indicating number one. “…she can’t have children with.” The middle finger joined the other for her second point. “And she will never know true love. Her mating might be happy. She will have someone in her bed, but she will never be in love with him.”
On his feet like he was shot out of a cannon, palms slamming the top of his desk with such force that the crack of wood echoed through the room, Beau growled, “Why did I not know about this?”
“Wrong question,” Miss Bea snapped, instantly getting to her feet, mirroring his stance, and looking him right in the eye. “What you should be asking is does Cleland’s approval matter to Lucy more than being truly happy, having real love with a man who loves her back, and having a family?”
“Damn straight.” Slamming his hands on his desk one more time, Beau growled, “Time to make shit happen.”
Chapter Seven
Shifting back as her front paws hit the soil of the garden behind the house, Lucy let out the breath she’d been holding for the last quarter mile. Fluffing her hair and pulling down the hem of her T-shirt, nervous habits she’d had since she was little, the Luna wolf marched toward the back door.
Spine straight and shoulders back, she stalked into the kitchen, through the dining room, and down the hall. The closer she got to her father’s office, the more she dreaded having to enter.
It wasn’t supposed to be that way. Daughters were supposed to love their dads and want to be with them whenever possible. Little girls were supposed to be the apple of their father’s eyes. When did things get so out of hand? Had there ever been a time when she didn’t dread talking to Cleland? When family dinners didn’t make her so nervous that she couldn’t eat a bite? Yeah, when Mom was here.
Hand on the brass knob shaped like a wolf’s paw, she blew out another breath. “Here goes.”
Plastering on a smile and masking her scent to hide her anxiety, Lucy threw open the door and stepped over the threshold. “Hey, Dad. What’s so important? I would’ve been home in less than an hour.”
Trying not to react to the