Page 24 of The Feral Alpha

Rex’s eyebrows shot up. He rolled the ice cream in his mouth, his lips curving into a smile.

“See. It’s good,” Olson said. “That was vanilla. Are you ready to try some other flavors?”

“Mmm,” Rex said.

When Olson turned back to Mrs. Bentham, she was holding out two spoons. “Chocolate fudge.”

Olson laughed softly. “Thanks.” He took the spoons and handed one to Rex. “There. We both get a taste. No more feeding me.”

Rex frowned, but he popped the ice cream into his mouth. “Mm.”

Olson collected his used spoon. Mrs. Bentham gave them another sample—peanut butter. Then, strawberry.

With each new flavor, Rex wore a thoughtful, curious expression, as though he was trying to make up his mind about it.

Then Mrs. Bentham handed them samples of mint chocolate chip, and Olson froze a little.

He took them before Mrs. Bentham could say anything, but she was watching him too closely. Because of course she remembered.

“This is mint chocolate chip,” Olson said lightly to Rex.

Unlike before, Rex looked down when he popped that sample into his mouth. He smiled more widely than he had with the other flavors, rolling the ice cream through his mouth. He looked at Olson. “What...” He held his spoon out. “What...?”

“That’s mint chocolate chip,” Olson said, his heart thumping. To Mrs. Bentham, he said, “Can we have one last sample?”

She handed them some salted caramel ice cream, but Rex didn’t react when he tasted it.

“Right,” Olson said, slipping his hand into Rex’s and tugging him over to the cone display. “We’ll get some to take home. Do you want yours in a cone, or a cup? You can eat the cone; it’s like a cookie. But you can’t eat the cup.”

Rex pointed at the simple sugar cone, then changed his mind, and pointed at the one with dark chocolate coating its insides. Because that was the best one.

“Which ice cream would you like in the cone?” Olson asked.

Rex went straight to the tub of mint chocolate chip, and pointed at it. “Mint... chip.”

Olson swallowed. It’s just a coincidence.

Mrs. Bentham raised an eyebrow. “I must say it matches your eyes, Rex.”

Olson glanced sharply at her. She hadn’t noticed the similarities, had she?

But she said nothing, instead putting together the ice cream cone for Rex. “What about you, Olson?”

He sighed. “Double chocolate in the chocolate cone.”

She huffed, amused. Olson’s favorite hadn’t changed through all the years.

At the register, Olson pulled out a twenty. “Keep the change.”

“Are you sure?” Mrs. Bentham asked.

“That sampling process was... something.”

“It wasn’t a bad thing,” she said kindly. “I was happy to be part of it.”

“If you say so. That was still a lot of spoons.” Olson slid over the money, watching as Rex accepted his cone carefully. Rex mimicked him in licking his ice cream; his expression melted into one of bliss.

Olson swallowed. Still a coincidence. “You really like that ice cream, huh?”