Page 22 of The Pack Next Door (The Wolfverse #4)

Briar

Mate… Really in heat… The quiet that followed when Gideon had me in his arms… Waiting for me their entire lives… All of these were concepts far too big for me to digest, and perhaps that was why I scrambled free of Mads and to my feet.

“I…” The need to say something and the equally strong inability to give voice to my thoughts had me backing away.

“Omega…” Gideon said in a way-too-gentle tone.

“Nope, no, no.” I held out a hand as if that would be enough to ward this off. “Not omega. I’m…”

So much more than that, I wanted to say, so my designation felt like an ill-fitting suit.

Too tight at the collar, too loose and amorphous around my body, but what they’d told me left me wondering how well my existing identity fit.

This was all too deep to consider on their deck on a hot summer night.

“I’m going to go.” A nod because that had me feeling better. “Just for some time to process.”

“Pretty sure we can help you with anything you’re going through,” Jace said, but his searching gaze felt too intrusive right now.

“I’ll put out some fires at work and then we’ll talk.” I nodded sharply. “Later. Yeah, later.”

The wolf didn’t want to. Her paws planted hard, but she was never the one to rule me.

I was across their grass, the sound of their growls in my ears, but not enough to stop me.

I paused for a second, the wolf straining against my control, then I jumped over the fence, not stopping until I was inside the house.

“Briar…?” Mum called, but I was up the stairs and into my room, my hands shaking as I grabbed my phone the minute I threw myself down on my bed.

Ring Tom, the potter, I thought, using that practical plan of action as a shield between me and them.

My mates… I scrolled through the missed calls, checking who had left messages before pausing on one.

Riley. She’d called not long after Candy and that tracked.

Her mates were always bemoaning the fact she refused to keep to normal office hours.

Tapping on the message, her voice came through the speakers, a lifeline I didn’t know I needed.

“Hi Briar, hopefully this isn’t an intrusion, but Candy let me know what’s happening. If you feel comfortable discussing your situation, I’d love to make a time to chat. This is my personal number, so feel free to call or text at any time if you’re open to talking about what’s happening.”

Should I? My thumb shook as it hovered over her contact.

I was just going through what every other omega did the minute they found their mates.

It might be fifteen years later, but I still knew what to do.

Judge the alphas on their actions, not just their pretty words, and decide whether to accept the bond.

But sometimes it felt like that last bit was just a caveat tacked on the end, a sop to free will.

What omega would turn her fated mates down? They were the only men for her.

But in the process of discovering what possibilities were out there for me in a world where fate had passed me over, I’d found something else. The person I would become, not the omega. That was enough to have me putting the call through.

“Briar?” I smiled when I saw Riley’s face appear on the screen. “How are you?” Her concern was palpable. “Candy said you’re going into heat again?”

Straight to the point was Riley.

“Yeah, and I’ve found out why.” My tongue flicked over my lips. Suddenly my mouth was bone dry. As I reached for my drink bottle, I spilled the details. “Candy was right. I’ve found my alphas.”

It didn’t seem real until I told someone outside of all this. Like a cold cloth to my forehead, it felt like I could see past instincts and the clamour of my body.

“And how do you feel about that?” she asked in a carefully professional tone.

“Like I want to jump each of their bones and rut them into the bed.” Riley let out a loud snort of surprise and that had me grinning. Safe, in my mother’s house, it seemed I could admit those things. “But I can’t.”

“Don’t want to?” Riley replied smoothly, having recovered. “I can suggest some pharmacological options. Can’t? That seems psychological and outside of my wheelhouse, though we do have some very capable people on staff at Crowe Corp.”

“I’m not sure that will help.” My spine sagged as I stared at the screen. “It’s not a traumatic childhood or maladaptive coping strategies that’s keeping me from running next door and rutting with the three of them until this heat wears off.” I took a long sip of my drink. “It’s what comes next.”

The fact I was traumatised by recurring heats sometimes felt like nature was having one last dig at me.

Female omegas went into heat to bond with their alphas and to bear babies.

Riley had declared me unable to, but she also posited that I didn’t have fated mates.

Just then I saw April’s thin mouth as she talked about an omega’s role.

Even if I was prepared to pick up my life and move to Moon River, which frankly, I wasn’t, there was what came next.

“I’m not sure how many alphas would be cool with an omega that couldn’t give them kids,” I said finally.

“Forgive me.” A male face swum into view.

Fen, one of Riley’s mates, stood there. “I should’ve said I was in the office with Riley, but Briar.

” That confident, caring tone had me stiffening in bed, because it was too similar to Gideon’s.

“I can tell you with absolute certainty that your mates will accept you, no matter what your concerns are.” His hand landed on Riley’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“There literally is no other woman in the world for them, and if you give these guys a chance, I’m willing to bet they’ll show you that. ”

I sat back, frowning slightly, but as I tried to process, Riley spoke up.

“Whatever you need support with, Briar, we’re here for you. If at all possible, I’d love to take some blood tests when you’re back in the city.”

“Riley…” Fen growled.

“This is important,” she said. “What if there’s biochemical markers we’re missing, or perhaps pheromones?”

“Briar.” Fen turned back to the phone. “Keep in touch no matter what you decide. In the meantime, me and my brothers will do a bit of a background check on your alphas. What’s their last name?”

“Whitlock,” I croaked out, the name conjuring the three of them instantly.

“A Glen Hallow pack.” Suddenly Fen seemed serious. “I’ll do some digging and see what I can find out.”

“So did you want me to send you a script for some hormone blockers?” Riley asked. “They’ve been used with beta patients with uterine cancer and the like. It stops the aggressive growth and allows the chemo time to work, but they could be useful in your situation.”

“No thanks.” That was the wolf talking, not me, but when I thought about it, I agreed. “If things get too grim, I can always ask Candy to express down Mr. Knotty.”

“And be separated from her emotional support dildo?” Riley said with a laugh. “I don't think so, but you might want to watch out for sex toy care packages in the mail. I mean unless your mother is really open-minded…”

“She’s not.” I nodded. “But thanks, Riley.” I peered past her. “And Fen. I think just talking about options helped a lot.”

“Always happy to provide options for other omegas,” she said. “Look after yourself, Briar.”

When the screen went black, I let the phone fall to the bed.

Work, emails, Tom, it was all there waiting to be dealt with, but not tonight, I decided finally.

As I walked over to the window, I stared at the alphas’ house, counting each window that was still lit up.

I wasn’t going to deal with the Whitlock pack either.

I’d learned to prioritise me over the years, and that’s what I’d do now, because no decision needed to happen tonight.

Instead, I walked downstairs, pulling out the leftovers from the fridge, only to find Mum standing there.

“I left a plate for you in the microwave.” She set it going, the whirring a reassuring backdrop. “Wasn’t sure if you’d be back tonight.”

“You thought I was going next door for a sleepover?” I asked.

“I thought you looked like a woman who wanted the truth.”

Her eyebrow curved upwards, as if asking me to confirm whether or not that was true. My lips twisted, then curved into a smile.

“Yeah, I did.”

“So…”

I watched my mother move around the kitchen, because putting the kettle on was a time-honoured tradition when dealing with tough topics. A mouthful of stew and then I was ready to answer.

“So you were right.” Mum did a very good job of holding back her triumphant smirk, but I saw that sparkle in her eyes. “The Whitlock pack are my alphas, and I’m not sure what to do about that.”

“Sleep on it.” Her gentle squeeze of my arm, the fact she held back advice, had me moving forward and wrapping her up in a hug. “What was that for?” she asked.

“For not telling me what to do or think.” The kettle started to whistle and I pulled away to turn it off. “For giving me the space to work it out myself.”

“Well, know this.” She poured two mugs of tea and then pushed one my way.

“Whatever you decide.” Her eyes met mine over the rim of her mug.

“I’m proud of you. Not sure if every omega would be able to pick herself up and dust herself off like you did, especially not as successfully.

” She gave me a little nod. “Someone as strong as that? Pretty sure she can deal with whatever change comes her way.”

For a moment, I just dragged my spoon through my food, smiling at her words. I might be grown, but some part of me was still a kid, wanting her mother to tell she was OK. After I finished off my food and cleaned the dishes, I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Thanks, and yeah, I’ll work it out.” A glance down at my phone saw a massive backlog of emails. “After I deal with a work emergency. Pretty sure I’m going to have to hang around home tomorrow and deal with all of this.”

“Whatever you need, darling. Perhaps some French toast for breakfast?”

With the anticipation of one of my mum’s amazing breakfasts to accompany me upstairs, I showered and then got ready for bed.

The wolf got restive, as sometimes she did at night.

This time was hers, she’d decided, showing me exactly how it would be if I took fur and let her have her head.

Out to the forest, our paws raking across the earth, then the pine needles.

The moon would swell huge above us and we would throw back our head and howl.

But in her vision, we weren’t alone.

Another howl and another cut through the night. Shadowy shapes pursued me as our tail was held high like a flag. We ran faster and faster, demanding they follow.

Not tonight , I told her, pulling a sleep shirt on. Rest is what I need, not rutting.

She didn’t care at all for the long list of things I showed her that needed doing. Her mind was absolutely fixated on the pack next door. Perhaps that’s why she haunted my dreams when I finally dropped off to sleep.

The crisp scent of pine needles was thick in my nose, the sound of them crunching under my paws competing with the rasp of my breath.

We’d run all the way from my mother’s house, deep into the forest, only to come to a stop at the clearing.

I thought the wolf would howl then, announcing her presence to my dream suitors.

Instead, she abruptly relinquished control of my body.

Only for me to realise this wasn’t a dream.

The cold air on my skin, my eyes whipping around to look at this path, and realising I had no idea which she’d taken. I didn’t shiver, get gooseflesh all over me, in my dreams. “Shit…” I hissed. “Shit, shit, shit,” because when I looked down, I saw I was perfectly naked.

Something Jace noted too.

Footsteps in the quiet of the forest were easy to hear and they had me spinning around, only to see the golden figure of before bleached silver by the moon.

His grin rivalled its brightness, his fangs flashing as he took a step closer, only for me to realise he was completely naked as well.

Look away! I shrieked inside my head, but my body had its own ideas.

Every taut, golden muscle was inspected closely, following them down only to discover exactly what he thought about my current state.

Long, thick, with a knot that was starting to inflate at the base, whatever I was about to say came out as a thin whine.

Shock, then fear, then exhaustion had kept my heat at bay, but now…

? My feet moved of their own accord towards him.

The wolf was done playing. I could run all I liked, because it just made the inevitable all the more delicious.

Need flared to life, hot and hard low in my pelvis, and right now, Jace was the only one who could quench it.