A slow smile broke across Jason's face, bright and a little stunned. So that was why she spared him. The beta actually defended him. Heat crept up his cheeks, spreading fast, the kind of blush he couldn't fight even if his life depended on it.
He pressed a palm to his face, grinning like an idiot, then started walking again with a new bounce that was impossible to hide. His steps turned into a little skip and then another, the softest hum slipping out of him. The hallway suddenly felt lighter, warmer, and his chest fizzed with excitement he could not contain.
The beta stood up for him. For him.
Jason practically floated the rest of the way.
*******
Tavian slowed his steps beside Jason and nudged his shoulder lightly. "You think Rhea is in her room?"
Jason rolled his eyes with a soft huff. "Where else would she be? It's not like she has anywhere to go."
