“What?” I gasped, my hands slipping on the water bottle.

Payne reacted quickly, coming to my side. He grabbed the water bottle and clasped my hands around it.

My mind raced in a million directions as I tried to figure out if I’d heard him correctly. Payne was offering to be my Beta? Why?

“Has Soren gotten his water?” he asked. “We should focus on him first.”

“I… yes, I gave him water,” I said, glancing at ...