Page 38 of The Pack Next Door
“So, things are going to move swiftly.” Satisfaction seemed to have won out for Damien. “Well, you’re welcome to participate in the competition to become our heirs.” Those were the words I needed to hear. It was what my parents had sent me here for. “But you have to understand. The omega normally comes to the alphas and makes a life in their town, but…”
No buts, I wanted to say. Everything I’d done, all I’d striven to achieve, hung on that fact. My parents had painted a glorious picture in my head of a world far better than the one we’d grown up in that involved everything Damien described.
“She has a whole life in the city. Any alphas who are worthy of calling themselves her mates will need to fit in with that.”
This was the moment when I assured them we would do just that, but words turned to dust in my mouth. While my heart leapt at the thought of doing just that, discovering my omega’s space, her life, and then finding my place in it, I saw my mother’s stricken expression. Her face too pale, her eyes too wide, and that had my mouth closing.
“Of course, we will.” I stared at Maddox, unable to understand where this certainty came from. “Whatever it takes.”
“So we don’t have to drive the very nice alphas from our territory?” Harry asked Damien, but I didn’t catch the omega’s response. Their voices became muffled sounds as my phonestarted to ring. I looked down at my screen and saw it was my father calling.
“Sorry, I need to take this,” I said, getting up from the table and walking over to the doorway.
“How’s things going, son?”
My father sounded happy enough, but I’d been trained to hear the faint thread of tension in his warm tone.
“Everything’s going to plan,” I replied in a low voice. “I can’t talk now, though. We’re at the Hart residence.”
“Good to hear,” Dad replied. “But to be expected. You’ll be participating in the first trial tomorrow then, which is why we’re on our way.”
“What?”
My eyes flicked back and forth as I stared blankly at the wooden floorboards.
“Your mother wanted to be there for your big day, Gideon.” That faintly chiding tone had my fingers wrapping more tightly around the phone. “Hope you’ve got the house set up, because we’ll be staying for a few days.”
And just like that, all the good feelings I’d enjoyed moments before were driven out of me. I wasn’t allowed to just wonder how the hell we were going to convince Briar we were the alphas for her. Now my mind was filled with all the tasks that would need to be completed before my parents arrived.
“I’m glad we’ve got all of this sorted out,” I said when I returned to the table. “But we need to get home.”
“Anxious to get back to your omega, huh?”
Kieran’s indulgent smile made me want to snap back, destroying that illusion.
“That, and our parents are on their way to stay for the trials.”
The alphas made a few jokes about needing to tidy up our bachelor pad, but Damien’s expression transformed. His smile faded, and something replaced it that I couldn’t identify.
And there was no time to interrogate him.
“The parents are on their way?” Jace asked as we strode over to our car.
“To check up on us, make sure we’re not fucking things up.”
Maddox was right, but that didn’t explain his sour smile.
“We’ll get a room set up for Mum and the dads,” I replied. “Then when we’re settled, we’ll work out the next step with Briar.”
For once, my brothers didn’t argue, so I threw the car into gear and then backed out onto the road, driving towards home.
Chapter 20
Briar
“The Whitlock pack are your alphas.”
Anyone else would’ve broached a sore subject in a more circuitous manner, but not Candy. She just hit me with her opinion, no holds barred.
