Page 8 of The Pack Next Door (The Wolfverse #4)

Briar

“C’mon, Briar,” Jacinta said, nudging me in the ribs.

Next time I came to Moon River, I’d borrow Mr. Knotty from Candy. I could then use him as some kind of amulet, waving it in the face of pushy old ladies.

“Darling.” Gods, now Mum was getting in on it. “Maybe this is your chance?”

No, I’d had my chance, I wanted to tell them.

I was one of those poor omegas, paraded on stage like I’d been signed up to a beauty pageant against my will.

In some ways, the process was similar. Growing up, I’d thought the mate finding process was magical, but what a disappointment it was in reality.

Not looking across a crowded room and discovering the other half of my heart in a pack of three or more men.

No, instead the town looked on as alphas inspected us before letting us know we weren’t the one for them.

“I’m going to head back to the house,” I said, the last word not feeling right. “You’ve got your phone on you?” Mum nodded, looking so sad. “Just give me a call when you’re done and I’ll come and pick you up.”

Then, right as I stood up, Jacinta did something I’d never forgive her for. Damien was about to announce the next part of the process when she stood up and shouted, “What about Briar?”

I shouldn’t have let Mum bring me here. Most people didn’t even notice me, too focussed on what was going on up on the stage. Content to just sit low in my chair, I could’ve gone through the whole process and just talked about it extensively with my therapist when I got back home.

Instead, my very well meaning ‘aunty’ stood up, ensuring that every single person’s eyes were on me.

Including his.

For a moment, all I could do was stare, wondering how a man’s eyes could be such a strange shade of amber, right before they turned a perfect shade of silver.

“I…”

My throat closed up. I couldn’t speak as a lump formed around my vocal cords, but that didn’t even matter.

This is why I’d left Moon River, never intending to come back.

To betas, this was just sport, allowing them to walk away feeling all warm and fuzzy from the reflected glow of seeing omegas and alphas finding their fated mates.

For me, it was being thrust headfirst into a bubbling pool of trauma.

I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t stay there, and yet I couldn’t get my legs moving. A thin whine, that’s all that escaped my chest, barely even registering to the baying mob.

But he heard it.

People started to mumble, the sound growing louder and more excited with every second.

My eyes flicked around as the wolf began to scrabble inside me, desperate to get out.

She knew exactly what to do, showing me how her claws would tear at the grass, flicking it in the crowd’s face as we bolted.

Running all the way back home, if that’s what it took.

She would get me to safety. With a shuddering breath, I tried to let her come forth.

Only for him to appear by my side.

“I…”

I couldn’t say a damn thing, even as my throat worked, because the man with the golden eyes picked me up in his arms. The sound of the crowd grew louder, but I barely heard a word as I stared into his eyes.

“I’ve got you.” His voice was so deep and warm. He shook his head slightly, then smiled, a furtive thing that looked like it would disappear as soon as it appeared. Instead, he grinned, his fangs flashing. “Now breathe for me, omega. You can do that, right?”

As if obeying his command, I gasped, my lungs sucking in air greedily. That done, he started to move, taking me right where I needed to be: away from all of this fuss.

The night air was cool on my skin. Probably because I was almost feverish, sweat breaking out across my forehead, my hands shaking when I went to wipe it away.

He grabbed my hand and instantly something settled in, which left me with the realisation that I had somehow embarrassed myself again in front of the whole town.

“Gods, I am so sorry…” I looked up at the complete stranger and saw he was still staring at me intently. Thank the gods for the white knight urge alphas had. “I’m Briar.”

I awkwardly offered him my hand and that forced him to set me down on the bonnet of someone’s car.

“Gideon.” He shook his head. “Gideon Whitlock.”

Whitlock. Whitlock… Why was that name familiar? Oh. No.

“Jace’s brother?”

I winced, bracing myself for the answer.

“Yes, he and my brother?—”

“Mads?” I blinked, then looked up at him. “Looks like I’m three for three for embarrassing myself in front of alphas. Please tell me you don’t have any other brothers?”

“No, I?—”

“Well, thanks for the rescue.” I dared a glance over his shoulder and saw everyone was still looking on. “But I think I need to get out of here.”

“I’ll take you.”

Just like that, huh? This Gideon Whitlock seemed very intent on his acts of service. I reached inside, trying to find out what the wolf thought about him, but she just seemed super pleased with herself right now. I wish I felt the same way.

“It’s OK…” I tried to slide off the car, but my legs crumpled and would’ve left me in a heap on the road if Gideon hadn’t swept in to save me. I clasped that very muscular arm and held on tight, unable to work out why my very normal legs were suddenly useless. “I can do it?”

“Let me.”

He seemed so intent on waiting for permission. Those weird gold eyes bore into mine, not even blinking until I finally nodded.

“Um…yeah, sure. I’m staying… right next door to you.”

That seemed to be all he needed. I was whisked over to a very nice looking SUV and placed in the front passenger side seat when Damien approached.

“Briar?” He was stiff legged, his wolf obviously riding him hard. “Are you OK?”

“Just going home.” I waved him, the entire town’s, concern away. “If someone can give Mum?—”

“My brothers will see your mother home,” Gideon said as he turned the ignition on.

“You’re sure you’re alright.” Damien’s eyes narrowed as he took Gideon in. “Briar might not live here anymore, but she still falls under my pack’s protection.”

“I’ll protect her with my life.”

Huh, this Gideon sounded all noble and knightly as he said that, which seemed enough to have Damien nodding.

“We’ll talk later, Briar,” Damien said and I nodded before pulling the car seat belt over me.

My head was tilted down, knowing that tongues would be wagging.

Home, I thought furiously, wishing I was returning to my apartment, not my childhood bedroom.

The sounds of Gideon starting the car, then taking off down the road allowed me to let my breath out.

Every mile away from the town square removed some of the tension in me, until I was nothing more than a limp noodle.

An awkward, limp noodle.

I dared a sidelong look at Gideon and saw him staring right back, which had my cheeks flushing.

“You didn’t have to—” I started to say.

“Yes, I did.”

The deep growl meant I was not going to argue. I expected my wolf to burr up at that, but instead, she stayed very quiet.

“Well, thank you. If it helps, looking after me is going to get you in Damien’s good graces.”

“Omega Hart?” he said as he flicked the indicator, turning down another street.

“Yep.” I smiled. “People think the alphas run the show here, but?—”

“The omega is the one in charge.” Gideon seemed to understand that on some level. “Always the omega.”

“Right, so, he’s not letting just anyone become the ruling pack,” I explained.

It was the least I could do after he was forced to leave the ceremony.

“Only those he deems worthy will be able to participate in the alpha trials. He’s not risking Moon River becoming somewhere like Edgewood or Glen Hallow…

” My voice trailed away as I saw his arm muscles tense. “You’re from Edgewood?”

“Glen Hallow.” He said the place name like someone might describe a piece of shit on their shoe.

“And yes, I know exactly why the Hart pack would decide to do things that way.” He shook his head, staring fixedly at the windscreen.

“It’s why my brothers and I applied to come here.

” His head shook back and forth. “Anything to get away from the corruption that runs rampant there.”

“So I could help you.” I turned in my seat, feeling better now.

“I’ll make an appointment to see Damien and let him know that you helped me.

Mads helped Mum and says he’s planning on replanting all of Mum’s garden, and Jace…

” I saw that cocky smirk and frowned. “Well, I probably shouldn’t say too much about him. ”

Gideon’s smile was almost shy, but that couldn’t be true. If he was a beta in the city, menswear labels would be falling all over themselves, trying to convince him to model for them.

“That’s very kind.” He pulled into the driveway of the Sanderson…

now the Whitlock place. “But it’s not needed.

” The car was turned off and for a second there was just the ticking sound of the hot engine cooling down.

Gideon turned around and stared at me, though his gaze was far softer.

“We will prove ourselves worthy on our own merit.”

“OK.” Before I couldn’t say a damn thing and now my mouth was moving, not knowing what to say.

Being indebted to someone always made me feel uncomfortable.

There was some need in me to even the score before I could walk away again.

“Well, I better…” Before I could finish my sentence, he was out of the car.

I thought he was storming off, but instead my door popped open and he offered me his hand. “Oh, I should be fine.”

My excuse died in my throat as I looked up, watching him stare down at me intently.

The wolf took over, placing my hand in his, allowing him to help me out of the car.

OK, so apparently we were walking towards my place, hand in hand.

Cool, cool, cool. My eyes were everywhere because otherwise I’d look over at Gideon.

I saw the moon, the stars, the swing seat Mrs. Sanderson never let us go on…

“No way…” I pulled away, taking a few steps towards it.

“The Sandersons left their precious swing seat here?” My feet skimmed across the grass as I ran over to it, then flung myself into the seat.

The cushions smelled pretty musty and as I set the swing swaying, a loud creak made clear it needed oiling. “OK, that’s why.”

“Precious swing?”

Gideon appeared by the frame. The moon turned him into a dark shape with glowing amber eyes.

“If you asked eight-year-old me what she wanted most in the world.” I patted the seat.

“It was a swing seat. One evening of swinging on this baby and I was hooked.” I winced.

“That, of course, led to me pestering Mrs. Sanderson day in and day out, until she banned me from going on it and Mum had a very firm conversation with me about boundaries.” I looked out at the garden, just seeing the shadowy shapes of trees in the distance.

“Every day for about a year, I pined for this swing.” I shrugged.

“Then I decided I really, really needed this Barbie Dreamhouse thing.”

“So you gave up on the swing.”

The swing seat gave under his weight as he sat down beside me, and that’s when I noticed his scent. Just like Mads, it was deep and woody, cut through with something sharp.

“Not really.” The slow rhythm of the swing going back and forth helped settle something in me, just like it did when I was a child. “But I was pretty sure I had a better chance of getting the Dreamhouse than sitting on this swing again.”

“Did you get the Dreamhouse?” he asked, and that had me flushing.

Why was I trauma dumping all this crap on Gideon? Probably because there was something quiet and still about him. It had stuff I always kept down, just bubbling up to fill the silence.

“Nope.” Back and forth, back and forth, we went, powered by his legs. “Dad left Mum when I started primary school.” I glanced over at him. “He’s got a new wife and a whole other family now, in another state. Mum didn’t have Dreamhouse money. I do now, but...”

My voice just trailed away as I got lost in the rhythm.

“What would your dream house look like now?”

Gideon’s soft voice brought me back to the garden. The creak of the swing, the chirp of the cicadas. My cheeks flushed bright red, but in the darkness, he had no way of knowing that.

“I think I have it.” Why was I being so reticent?

“I mean, I do. My apartment in the city? It’s everything I could ever want.

The wall colour, the soft furnishings, the couch…

” I shook my head. In the city, I was proud of what I’d achieved, but it was always weird trying to talk about it in Moon River.

“It’s actually what I do. I’ve got an online homewares store where I sell items to betas wanting to indulge their inner omega.

Throws as soft as a cloud. Bowls that fit in your hand and you can feel every mark of the potter’s hands…

” I was going into full product spiel mode.

“Maybe when you find your omega, I can hook you up with some nesting materials for him or her.”

“Her.”

The wolf was pushing him hard by the sound of his growl. Had he found her tonight? Gods, what if he was dragged away from her to come to my rescue? My hands rubbed at my face. I knew I didn’t want to go to the town square tonight, but I let my mother push me into it, again.

“OK, well, I should get home.”

I jumped off the swing as it rocked up into the air, landing on the grass neatly.

Gideon would stay here or bid me goodnight before going back to the town square.

What he wasn’t going to do was land beside me, then wrap his arm around my shoulders, steering me towards my house.

A protest formed in my throat and then died away, forcing me to be quiet all the way across to my mother’s house.

“So—” I said when we reached the front step.

“You’re coming to our place for dinner tomorrow night,” he said.

“Ahh… Mads said something about that to Mum,” I replied.

“Then I will see you in the evening.”

I felt the loss of his arm as he pulled away, my skin suddenly cold. The wolf let out a mournful little whine. No doubt because she so rarely got to mix with alphas, or to run free. Maybe I’d take fur and head for the forest just beyond the end of Mum’s property. I could?—

“Briar?”

I’d missed the car pulling up out the front of the house. Jacinta went to try and help her inside, but Mum wouldn’t have it. She hobbled over surprisingly fast, then opened the creaky gate.

“That alpha that brought you home.” Her eyes shone as she looked across the grass at the Whitlock house. “Is he and that nice boy that mowed the lawn your fated mates?”