Page 57 of The Pack Next Door (The Wolfverse #4)

Mads

“So, what’re we looking for?” I asked for the third time.

Jace kept scanning the aisles of the art supplies place, only to pause for a second and shoot me an unfriendly look.

“I’m looking for stuff to do that Japanese gold thing.”

“What?” My eyes skimmed over the display of paint tubes. “Why?”

“Ruined pots upset our mate.” He sounded distracted, moving down the aisle, then coming to a stop in front of gold leafing materials.

Lifting a small container of gold flakes, he peered at it with a frown.

“Gold cracks are acceptable, but glued ones aren’t, so I’m going to work out a way to do that kintu-whatever it is. ”

“A Japanese craft that no doubt takes years to master?” I said.

“The proper way where you can use the bowls to eat from afterwards?” He nodded.

“No. But apparently there’s a modern version that uses epoxy glue and…

” A hand darted out and he grabbed a larger container.

The contents sparkled in the early morning sun streaming through the window.

“Gold dust.” Jace smiled as he hefted it in his hands. “This is what I need.”

Collecting several containers, he headed towards the counter.

The shop assistant chatted to him, asking what he was going to use it for.

They discussed the finer points of application, but my focus was on a flier.

Sip and paint, it read. Looked like a nice, relaxing way to spend an evening.

Get a little tipsy, play with some paint.

Maybe I could persuade her to paint me ‘like one of her French girls.’ I picked it up and folded it up in my pocket as Jace finalised the sale.

“Your brother is in with Briar.” I turned around to see Seb standing there. I’d made a beeline for the door, intent on asking my omega out on a date, only to discover my brother had made it there first. “He’s been there for a bit.”

Was that hope I saw in the little guy’s eyes?

If it was, he was in good company. Gideon’s change of heart was a good thing, but it was almost as if he forgot how to be an alpha.

Strong, decisive, and finely attuned to what our mate needed, that was what Gideon, and I, needed to be.

I returned to smell the familiar stink of glue being mixed up.

Jace had made a small batch, working the gold dust into it.

“That look right to you?” he asked.

“And I would know this because…?”

“Not because you have a deep and abiding understanding of Japanese art,” Jace sniped, “but you’ve got eyes in your head. You know if something looks like shit or not.”

And I was blunt enough to say what I was thinking. I bent down and looked at the bowl closely and then let out a low whistle. “What?” Jace snatched his fingers away and then I did the same. The piece held, and that’s when we both saw it.

The same deep blue glaze used on every piece made the gold reflect back twice as brightly. There was no hiding the imperfections, so they were made into a feature. I smiled and then nodded, glancing over at Jace.

“It looks amazing. Reckon you can do the lot?”

Of course, that was the moment when Gideon arrived. A quick recap and he realised why we went AWOL this morning.

“This could rescue the whole launch,” he said, frowning as he stared at the gold lines. “If we can get customers to accept these as substitutes for what they ordered.”

“Substitutes?” I scoffed. “These are strictly limited edition, one of a kind items. Nothing like exclusivity to get the rich and powerful wetting their panties.”

“If the existing customers don’t.” Jace rubbed his chin. “Maybe we need to cast the net wider, see if new or other customers will buy them.” He nodded at the pot. “If I can do enough in time.”

“Show me how to do it.” Gideon stared at the crack fixedly. “I’ll help.”

“That’s a nope.” Jace picked up the tube of glue and mixed up a larger batch. “You remember what you were like in art class? Those big hands are good for smashing people, but not so good for stuff like this.” His eyes flicked over to meet mine. “And you’re too impatient.”

“The launch.” Gideon nodded. “Briar asked me to talk to Emma about cancelling the venue hire, but maybe…”

“You glue.” I pointed to Jace. “You work out a place where we can display this stuff and I’ll…” I pulled out the flier I’d folded up. “Ask our mate out for a date.”

“What?” Jace spluttered. “How is that fair?”

“It’s not.” I smirked at him. “Just like you taking Briar out last night wasn’t very fair. Love and war and all that.”

With a whistle, I strolled over to my mate’s office, rapping on the door and entering when she called out.

“Em, can we…?” That small, unguarded moment of surprise. I’d memorise that, storing it away for later. Our mate had walls that were sky high, so it was a treat to see behind them. “You’re not Emma.”

“Nope.” I came to sit on the edge of her desk, imagining some sexy scenarios where she was the boss lady and I crawled under it, ready to service her, but instead I was a good boy. The flier was spread out on the desk. “Came to see if you’d be free this Friday?”

“Nope.”

So I didn’t expect this to be easy, but being shut down the instant she turned back to her computer? That wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

“Briar—”

“I’m busy, Mads.” She didn’t even sound angry. Just so distant it was hard to imagine the girl that was panting out her pleasure days before. “Very, very busy.”

“And all work and no play makes Briar a dull girl.”

Shit. I wanted her attention, but not like this. A dark look over the top of her laptop, the frown deepening by the second.

“That’s a risk I have to take,” she said. “Everything went to hell while I was away, and now I need to do the work to fix it.”

“By yourself?”

“Not by myself.” Her fingers moved across the keys again. “Emma and Seb are at capacity. You and your brothers have helped lessen the load, which is really great, but not so much that I can spend my evenings drinking and painting.”

“So when will you relax?” She didn’t answer me, her focus entirely on the computer screen. “Briar, you only just broke your heat, and your mum took a fall?—”

“Shit, Mum!” A glanced down at her phone and she was frowning all over again. From the frantic scroll, it seemed like her mother had tried to ring her several times. “I’ve still got to find her a damn nurse.”

“So take a moment.” The office seemed somehow oppressive now, like a cage my omega had built for herself. “Let yourself breathe.”

“I don’t have time.” Her finger stabbed her phone screen, tapping in a number.

“Not now, not until this whole debacle is over and done with. It took me years to build the business up to the place it is now. I’m not losing it over one freight company’s stuff up.

If I don’t keep it together, then Emma and Seb are out of a job.

They’re relying on me…” She hit the call button, and we both heard the regular buzzing through the speakers.

“So I have to ensure I fulfil my responsibilities. Now, we can talk afterwards, maybe…” A voice said hello down the line.

“Yes, hi, I was wanting to chat to someone about in-home care?”

I was dismissed, that was clear to see. With a nod I jumped off the desk and made for the door.

This wasn’t right, that’s what my wolf felt, pacing back and forth inside me.

Omegas were supposed to live a soft life, not one filled with stress.

It was my job… In a couple of strides, I was out of the door, closing it behind me, and then I went to grab one of Jace’s repaired pots.

“Hey—!” he said.

“Just gotta show Emma something,” I called over my shoulder.

The woman herself was found bopping away to the radio as she and Seb packed orders ready for shipping.

“Hey, Mads.” She smiled when she saw me, then her eyes dropped to the pot. “Damn, is that?—?”

“ Kintsugi? ” Seb drew closer. “Where the hell did you get that done?”

“Here.” I put the piece down and the two of them were drawn closer like moths to a flame. “Jace did it.”

“Jace…?” The two of them looked at each other. “Could he?—?”

“Save this whole cracked shipment situation by making one of a kind pieces with the remains of the pottery? I hope so, but I need something from you.”

“Anything,” Emma said, straightening up.

“How do we tell if this will sell? Do you have focus groups or something to test new products on?”

“No.” She tapped her bottom lip. “Usually Briar releases a small test line to our uber fans and decides whether or not to invest in more of that product based on their response.”

I smiled slowly.

“I’m gonna need the name and address of one of those uber fans,” I said. “Someone who’s opinion Briar would never question. Can you do that for me?”

Emma moved to her laptop, quickly searching for something, then copying it down on a piece of paper before handing it over.

“Gretchen is very influential.” Her grip on the paper tightened, not letting it go until she felt like I understood.

“Like her husband is the CEO of some big company and is on the boards of half the other major organisations in town. If she likes something, that’s weighted more heavily than anything else, if only for the fact she has a coterie of very stylish friends. ”

“Sounds perfect,” I said.

“But.” Emma still hadn’t let go of the paper. “You can’t just march into her gallery and demand to talk to her. People make appointments months in advance.”

“Watch me.”

There was one benefit of being classified as a bit of a hot head.

While everyone else was arguing about what was possible, I was acting, finding out through experience exactly what could be done.

I borrowed a small box and a bunch of foam peanuts, using it to surround the pot and protect it from any knocks. Loaded up, I made for the car.

“What’s the plan, Mads?”

Gideon appeared beside me. The guy was so damn quiet it was like he materialised from the shadows themselves. I hoisted the box in my arms.

“I’m gonna find out whether gluing these pots together is going to work for the customers, because this is the real alpha trial.

Briar couldn’t give two shits about whether we can catch a rabbit without hurting it, but the pottery?

She cares way too much about that, and I’m determined to make sure we have a solution that’s fit for purpose. I’ll be back later… maybe.”

Because it wasn’t just this Gretchen that needed to be impressed. In my mind’s eye, I saw the grumpy scowl of a potter we all knew and did not love. Tom had the capacity to make or break my mate’s happiness, so that meant I needed to get him on my side and seeing things my way.