Page 12 of The Pack Next Door (The Wolfverse #4)

Mads

Tonight was going to be a complete disaster.

“Chicken isn’t supposed to look like that, right?”

I poked the blackened monstrosity with a fork, and the meat was so tough and dry the tines just bounced off.

“Maybe we can just cover it with gravy?” Jace said.

Before I could even reply, he lifted the jug he had of homemade gravy and poured it all over the chicken. A pool of brown sludge formed in the pan.

“Is gravy supposed to be that lumpy?” I asked, pretty sure what the answer was.

“Don’t think it’s supposed to have those dark brown bits in it either.”

He looked at me and I stared back, right as Gideon marched in.

We’d told him we’d sort dinner. Me and Jace poured over a cooking website, watching videos on how to properly cook roast chicken.

Season well, don’t undercook it because our human stomachs couldn’t handle being exposed to the bacteria in raw chicken.

Gideon looked down at the chicken and then frowned.

“What the hell is that?” But before we could answer, he glared at the oven. “And what’s burning?”

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…”

Jace legged it over to the oven and yanked it open to reveal some very well-cooked roast potatoes.

I’d cooked the chicken on the barbecue outside, leaving him to fill the oven full of roast vegetables.

“Well, that’s two for two,” I said with a shake of my head. “We’ll order pizzas.” My wallet was shoved into my pocket as I made for the front door. “Jace, toss that mess out and open all the windows to air the place out.”

“They are already open,” Gideon growled.

“I’ll be back with tasty, tasty pizzas before…”

A knock on the door stopped me in my tracks. No, they couldn’t be here already, could they? I wrenched open the door to see the sweetest of treats.

I didn’t even notice the cake at first. A quick smile directed at Maggie, my focus was jerked sideways, as I fixated on her. Briar was wearing a damn sundress, the soft folds draping over every curve.

Curves I remembered very vividly from this morning.

“Soo…” I forced myself to smile. “How do we feel about ordering pizza?”

Gideon swept forward, ushering the ladies in, and Maggie made a beeline for the kitchen. With a snort, then a guilty grin, she peered at all of our hard work and looked up at us.

“Pizza might be in order. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a chicken that burnt before.” Maggie threw me a lifeline when she turned to Briar. “You always loved the pizzas from Pizza Haven, didn’t you, darling?”

“Supreme with Italian sausage?” I sucked in Briar’s wry smile. Any kind of approval was much needed in the face of our culinary disaster. “You got it. And for the lady?”

Maggie laughed at my faux waiter act and then rattled off her order. I knew exactly what my brothers would want, so I found the number for the pizza place, but as the phone started to ring, Gideon stepped in.

“Ladies, would you like to come out on the deck? I’ve got some wine cooling and some non-alcoholic drinks, then there’s some hors d’oeuvres to nibble on until the pizza arrives.”

When he stuck both arms out, the ladies took them, allowing him to escort them outside.

“How the hell does he do that?” Jace asked, left holding the amazing cake Briar had brought over. “And when did he prepare ‘hors d’oeuvres’?”

I didn’t get a chance to answer. Someone at the pizza place picked up, so I placed our order, paying a little extra to jump the queue.

I was hot, sticky, and covered in grease splatters, and when we walked out onto the deck, it was to find that Gideon had transformed the space.

All the dead leaves and dirt were swept away, and he’d set up our outdoor furniture in the middle.

Plates and cutlery had been found, but those wine glasses had to be new.

So were the fairy lights strung across the trellis above.

Jace and I shook our heads in wonder, but more importantly, so did Briar.

Maggie was explaining what the place used to be like, the two women sharing memories, when all I wanted to do was make more of them.

I wanted to be the one that put the fine pink blush in Briar’s cheeks.

It was me she should’ve been talking to, praising the transformation I’d made to the space.

Instead, all I had to offer was burnt bloody chicken.

When Briar went to sit down, I moved, drawing out her seat for her, which forced her to turn to me.

Yep, she still had every shade of brown and green in her eyes.

The dark, dark green of the pine forest in the early morning–I’d missed that colour the last time, but I noted it now.

She smiled as she went to sit down, then looked up, prompting me to tuck her seat under her.

Jace stared at me from across the table, where he’d done the same for Maggie.

“This looks amazing.” Briar smoothed her fingers over the fabric place mats that looked like they’ve been woven to give it a nubby texture. “The plates, the candelabra.”

That’s what the thing that was holding the candles was called? It was useless information until I realised that Briar liked it.

“It’s just our deck,” Gideon replied, sounding perfectly humble as he sat down at the head of the table. “But I wanted it to look special.”

“You bought it in Moon River?” Briar’s brows raised. “The shops on Main Street must’ve gotten a whole lot fancier.”

“A lot of local people have been looking at your website,” Maggie informed her. “They might not be able to afford Omega Core prices.” Briar flushed a little at that. “But it’s definitely given Janice some ideas.” Maggie looked up at us. “She owns the local homewares store.”

“Omega Core?” Jace sank down into a nearby seat. “That’s the name of your business, Briar?”

I wanted to know that. Everything about her, that was what the wolf demanded, but right then there was a knock at the door. Gideon looked up at me.

“Is that the pizza?”

I’d go and find out, wouldn’t I? A few quick strides and I was away from the warm summer night, perfumed through with the scent of rose and vanilla.

The stink of burnt chicken and defeat greeted me inside the house, forcing my fangs to grind together until I pulled open the front door to find the pizza delivery guy standing there.

Bring the boxes out to the deck and lay the food I’d procured in front of my fated mate, that’s what I was supposed to do.

So why was I sprinting upstairs, jerking open my suitcase and pulling out a pair of slacks and a nice shirt.

I buttoned up the last of the shirt, raking my hair back from my face with a comb.

Staring into the mirror, I saw a man my mother wouldn’t even recognise.

And maybe that was exactly who Briar needed.

I sprinted downstairs and then grabbed the boxes, bringing them out to the deck. Briar noticed the change in clothes, and that eyebrow lifting slowly, followed by a smile that was everything I needed. Jace’s smirk, not so much.

“Supreme pizza with extra sausage?” I said, opening the pizza box and presenting it to Briar with a flourish.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had Pizza Haven pizza,” she said, sliding a couple of slices on her plate. “Thank you.”

I wanted to sit down and hear her tell me about each time she got pizza from that place, but instead, I handed out the boxes to everyone else before sitting down next to Briar.

The pizza might’ve been good, but I could barely taste it, the crust becoming glue in my mouth. I swallowed hard, then turned to Briar.

“So, you have a business?”

She set her slice down on her plate and smiled at all three of us.

“Just a little homewares web store.”

“With a revenue of several million dollars each year,” Maggie said proudly.

“Several million…?”

I hated the thought that came next, but it was automatic.

How would she run something like that when she accepted our bond?

Mum was flat out with us and helping the beta women back at home, especially those mistreated by the prick alphas that ran the town.

I couldn’t imagine her running any business, let alone one so successful. But… This was fate. We’d find a way.

“Not such a little store, then.” I stared into Briar’s eyes then. “How’d you get into that?”

That sweet smile, that flush of pleasure, it told me we were on the right track. She sucked in a breath and then told us.