Everything Nice

Galen leaned his head back against the headboard and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath through his nose, trying to clear his mind.

“Alpha Caleb chose you, Beta Galen,” Landon’s words haunted his thoughts, “and you accepted.”

Galen clenched his jaw, squeezing his eyelids shut as they burned with unshed tears. His chest felt tight, and his stomach felt empty. Yet, somehow, it still churned violently.

The sound of footsteps and the turning of the knob forced him to shake away the wave of emotions. He sniffled and cleared his throat, wiping away any tears that might have escaped as the door opened.

“Did he fight to stay up?” Galen asked with a smile as Bell stepped into the room.

“He tried,” Bell chuckled as she moved across the room to their closet. She opened the door and stepped in as she continued talking. “He insisted that he wasn’t at all tired and should get to stay awake until he was.”

Galen smiled to himself.