Page 25 of The Pack Next Door (The Wolfverse #4)

Gideon

I woke up early this morning and had a cold shower, knowing I needed to be as sharp as possible for the trial today.

Running through some stretches and exercises, I could feel the blood pumping through my veins.

For my mate, that’s what my heart pulsed as I ran downstairs, ready to organise my pack.

Maddox was sleepy eyed and in yet another shitty mood, but Jace entered the kitchen looking like the cat that got the cream.

Probably because he had.

“Where the hell did you get to last night?” I snapped.

The scent of Briar was all over him.

“The forest.”

Maddox’s spoon dropped back into his cereal bowl with a clatter, the sound echoing inside my head.

“The forest?” I couldn’t keep the fury from my voice. “We agreed we’d all go to bed early in preparation for the trial today. If we’re going to win it for Briar?—”

“Turns out she had a more pressing need last night.” Maddox was out of his chair and crossing the floor, following our brother to the fridge. When Jace pulled out the orange juice, I joined them. “I helped her with that and am ready for today.”

“What. Need.”

I thought I’d growled that but was surprised to realise it was Maddox.

“Briar’s in heat.” Jace’s smile faded and something far more real replaced it. “It’s hurting her, and I helped her out.”

“By doing what?”

At my snapped question, I snatched the juice out of his hand and shoved it back in the fridge, slapping my hand down on the door when he went to reopen it with a smile.

“Semen eases a heat, you know that.”

It felt like I was having an outer-body experience. A high pitched noise started in my head, punctuated by the beat of my heart.

“You knotted Briar?”

“Of course I bloody didn’t.” Jace went to shove me out of the way, but I stood firm, forcing him to acknowledge a fact my brothers didn’t like much.

I was bigger, stronger, faster than all of them, and I wasn’t going anywhere except by choice.

“I made sure she was feeling good, then rubbed some cum into her to ease the heat symptoms.”

“Rub…” I remembered the conversation our fathers had had with us when we turned eighteen, impressing the importance of looking after an omega during her heat. No time was more vulnerable than then. “Is she on birth control? Getting our omega pregnant before she’s mated is not the plan.”

“Oh, don’t mess with the plan.” Maddox threw his hands up, mocking me with his fake scared look. “Have you considered what Briar might think of this plan?”

“There you are.” The dads arrived downstairs and Greg walked over to Jace. “Where’d you get to last night? Saw your wolf streaking across the grass like his arse was on fire.” He ruffled my brother’s hair. “Anything to do with that pretty omega next door?”

“She’s not that pretty.” Mum’s sharp tone had all of us turning to stare, and that had her stiffening.

“She’s not. In my day, an unmated omega worked hard to send the right message.

Demure, submissive, and respectful of all alphas.

Slopping around in worn tank tops and shorts is none of those things. ”

My fangs locked down in my mouth. A growl formed, but I stuffed it back down again, feeling a curious pang of pain.

Look after your mother, that had been impressed upon all of us, but most of all me, so I made sure to do just that.

I acceded to all of Mum’s wishes, but Briar…

I loved my mother, but my mate was the other half of my soul.

“She was comfortable,” I replied.

“Comfortable!” Mum waved that away. “Another word for frumpy. I’m twice her age and I still make an effort.”

“That you do, love.” Ned swatted her on the butt, which distracted Mum thankfully. She spluttered and then they had a whole conversation going as I turned to my brothers.

“We’re discussing this after the trial,” I said. “Win or lose, that determines the conversation we have.”

Jace and Maddox spluttered, but I walked off, collecting what was needed and then stacking it in the car. A cooler with electrolyte drinks, snacks, a chair for Mum, I ticked off each thing, looking up to find my family was emerging from the house. One of the dads locked up as Mum approached me.

“Are you sure this Briar woman is your mate?” She squinted against the sun, holding a hand above her eyes. “Instincts can be wrong, you know.”

Not mine. It wasn’t the sound of Briar’s front door that had my head whipping around, just in time to catch her helping her mother down the steps.

The wolf seemed to have an innate sense of where our mate was at all times.

I wanted to move, take over, claim this burden for my own, even though I knew we weren’t there just yet, so instead I watched her open the car door and let Maggie in.

“She’s the one,” I replied, the wind tearing my words from my lips and sending them her way, which was why Briar looked up.

Jace found her in the forest? I prodded my wolf, wondering why the hell he hadn’t sent me to find her.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what happened.

Her emerging from fur, shining like the moon itself.

My paws, my feet, would’ve been drawn towards her with little thought.

That delicious scent would’ve had my mouth watering, right before?—

“Ready to win that trial, son?”

Ned clapped me on the shoulder, shooting me the same friendly smile he wore with everyone, but it felt like I was the only one who saw the steel beneath it.

“Of course.”

Competing against all the other alphas in the running would show Briar that we were worthy of her.

If we could work together as a team, she’d know we’d do the same for her.

I’d have participated in this trial just to get her eyes on me, but the possibilities at the end?

Her leaving Moon River made sense. Who would want to live in the one place you experienced such trauma?

But together we could rewrite history. With a nod, I slid behind the wheel.

For just a moment, I stared into the rear-vision mirror, watching her car take off down the road before I checked everyone was in our vehicle so we could do the same.

“If I can have everyone’s attention!”

We’d arrived at the park and saw the entire town had come out to watch the proceedings. My eyes searched for only one citizen. Over in the distance, I made out my mate and her mother, several other women clustered around her.

“Eye on the prize, son.”

Ned clapped me on the shoulder.

My focus broken, I looked over at my brothers, jerking my head to indicate we needed to join the other competitors.

“What’s the point in participating in this trial?” A glare at Maddox did nothing. Why did he have to question every single one of my plans? “We haven’t even talked to Briar about becoming the ruling omega of the town.”

“She’d have to want to return.” Jace looked at me. “I mean, her mum isn’t doing so well and she only left due to that shitty rejection. This is her home, right?”

“Right,” I replied, thinking that was that.

“Pretty sure I’m gonna need to hear that from her lips,” Maddox said, falling silent as the Hart pack glanced our way.

“After,” I hissed. “Now let’s focus.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve held alpha trials in Moon River,” Kieran said to the crowd. “For those that didn’t see the one where we won the right to run the town.”

“So most people,” Adam said drily.

“You need to know that we do things differently here. Pitting pack against pack in a fight doesn’t tell you anything about alphas other than who can beat another shifter down hardest.” Kieran’s eyes creased.

“Good qualities in an enforcer. Not in a leading pack. Instead, we have a trial that involves skill, determination, the ability to work as a team, and…” Damien stepped forward with a cat carrier, brandishing it before the crowd.

“The ability to use superior strength to protect, rather than destroy.”

The alpha trials were shrouded in mystery. Ned had gleaned some details from older people, but not enough to help. So when Damien produced a large white rabbit, my eyes went wide.

“What the…?” Maddox hissed.

“Catch the rabbit and present it to your designated person,” Damien said. “Unharmed. Anyone who hurts the rabbit in any way is instantly disqualified. Serious injury or death means you and your line are barred from Moon River for life.”

The rabbit didn’t look too pleased by all of this, and I was pretty sure I felt the same way. Rabbits were for eating, not rescuing, the wolf told me, unable to understand this convoluted human logic. Only a comparison with wolf pack life got him to understand even a little.

“So first, I need all the competing packs to nominate their person. Getting the rabbit into their hands unharmed will win you the trial.”

“I could do that.” Mum smiled as she walked over. “I’ve hunted enough rabbits to know how to handle one.”

Before I could say a thing, Maddox’s voice rang out across the crowd.

“Briar.” That had the townspeople chattering. “Briar Reynolds is our nomination.”

Ned nodded slowly, then came to stand beside me.

“Not a bad idea, son. Getting a local girl involved? Good optics.”

So why did my mother’s lips thin down into a hard line?

Her eyes flashed in a way I knew all too well, promising a harsh conversation later.

Wasn’t as if I hadn’t suffered through one of those before.

I came and stood behind Maddox, and Jace did the same, right as the crowd parted to allow Briar to come forward.

“You should’ve picked someone else.” That was uttered between clenched teeth, and her burnt flowers scent confused me. “I’m here looking after Mum.”

“It’ll be fine.” I stepped forward, daring to place a hand on her shoulder. “Stay with your mother and we’ll find you. Who knows? We might not even catch the rabbit.”

Her look of relief was everything I needed, and yet that came at a bitter price. My heart clenched in my chest, my heart racing as I saw my parents’ look of disappointment, particularly Mum’s, in my mind’s eye.

“If I could get all the alpha packs in position at the different points on the perimeter?” Adam said. His omega now held the rabbit in his arms.

“This way,” Briar said, turning on her heel and marching away.

And I followed. Before my mate was shamed before the entire town, but that would not happen today.

The other packs competing didn’t even register, just Briar.

I stared into her eyes when she came to a stop at the perimeter, wanting to explain.

The past was done with, but we’d make clear to everyone in this town what a mistake the rejection was.

Her eyes flashed with irritation, a natural wariness born from trauma, but right before I could say something about it, a voice called out across the park.

“The trial begins now!”