Free Promising Peter (Bad Boy Alphas) (Shrew & Company Book 6) by Holley Trent Page A

They’re in my way.”
    “I’m not sure they shouldn’t be.”
    “Easy for you to cast aspersions from afar when you’re the one who raised me to be who I am.”
    Father growled. “Look, I’m not saying there’s no potential in the match. I’m just saying that perhaps she needed more time.”
    “More time for what? And all this talking isn’t helping with my current problem. I called you for help, not a lecture.”
    “Fine. I’ll talk faster, then. She needed more time to figure out on her own she wasn’t going to do any better than you.”
    “Are you fucking kidding me?”
    “Quiet. I’m speaking.”
    Peter suppressed a snarl.
    “You think your mother came gently to me? No. She and I both knew us being together was inevitable, but she hated everything about me. She couldn’t stand being around me at first.”
    “That’s not a problem I have.”
    “Even so. Later on, that initial reluctance made our bond even stronger because we waited and we understood what we were both bringing to the table. Do you know what you’re bringing?”
    Peter gave his hair a frustrated tug. “What does any of this have to do with Andrea’s condition?”
    “Nothing. The story was one I simply needed to tell while I had the chance. Now I’ve said my piece, so fine. Tell me specifically what’s wrong with her.”
    About fucking time. “She won’t move. She’s not responding to sound or touch.”
    “Is her skin cold or warm?”
    “Warm.”
    “Can you communicate with her telepathically? Sometimes, the beast is awake even when the person isn’t.”
    “I can , but I haven’t tried since she went to sleep. Hold on.” Peter pulled the phone away from his ear and leaned down to skim his fingers along her jaw. “Are you awake?” He danced his fingertips over the shell of her ear gave the lobe a gentle tug. “Can you hear me, sweetheart?”
    Nothing. Even her scent was fading.
    Shit .
    He put the phone back to his ear. “No response.”
    Father grunted.
    “That’s all you have? A grunt?”
    “I’m thinking. Calm yourself, boy.”
    “What can I do to fix her? Did I do something wrong? Is she just—”
    “No need to jump to any rash conclusions, Peter. I don’t think her condition has to do with you. At least, not directly.”
    “You’ve heard of this happening before?”
    Father grunted again.
    “And what was the outcome?”
    “I’ve heard of a few instances of the sickness, and witnessed it once. The outcome depends on the Bear,” Father said.
    “Meaning what? How strong they are? Or how much they want to wake?”
    “Nothing is ever that simple. The reasons they wake up or don’t are as complicated as the reasons they sleep in the first place.”
    “You’re not giving me enough information.”
    “I know you’re frustrated, but you have me on the spot right now. I’m pulling records and trying to make a diagnosis by phone. You’re only hearing my voice. You’re not seeing what I’m doing.”
    Peter pinched the bridge of his nose and paced a little more. “Fine. Anything you can tell me. Seeing her like this…”
    “Yes, I’m sure what you feel is most unpleasant. Ah. I found something in my notebook.”
    “What does it say?”
    “My notes are cryptic. The last time I encountered this sort of phenomenon was several years ago. I think I meant to follow up on gathering data and the task slipped through the cracks. My hypothesis at that time, based on the instances of this I’d heard of, was that there was some sort of conflict between the person and their beast.”
    “What?” Peter settled onto the sofa’s middle cushion in front of Andrea.
    “There’s an incompatibility. Most of the time, our animal halves are simply the other side of the coin that is our more human personality. They’re nuances of the same thing. When the two halves disagree, usually they’re just looking at an issue from different directions.”
    “But the two sides generally reconcile. They negotiate