Page 97 of The Pack Next Door
“If it’s only to get you through your next heat…” My hand rose, wanting to touch her, but instead, I asked for her phone. She watched me tap in my and my brothers’ contact details with a small frown. “We’ll be here for you, Briar, in whatever capacity you’ll allow us.”
“Looks like that’s our cue to leave.” When Mads turned Briar to face him, I bit down on my tongue. Anything to shut the fuck up as he pressed his forehead to hers. “But for once, I agree with Gideon.”
“OK, we need to buy a lotto ticket or something,” Jace muttered, “because that never happens.”
“Whatever you need, however you need it.” Her cheeks flushed pink as he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “We’ll be there.”
I left them to make their goodbyes, instead emptying the mop bucket and hanging up the mop before meeting them at the door.Don’t leave,that’s what the wolf growled, but he was never the one that ruled me. I kept him locked down tight, just like I did now. Walking outside, the world seemed too bright, too sterile. Everything in me wanted back inside the soft cocoon of Briar’s apartment, but that wasn’t gonna happen. We’d invaded her space for long enough.
“So what now?” Jace asked once we were downstairs. “We don’t have a place to stay or anything.”
“Mads?”
“Oh, so we’re asking me now?” That irritation and shock on my brother’s face was what I deserved, and I bore it without comment. He shook his head, frowned and then smiled. “Huh, Ifantasised about this moment, but never anticipated how weird this would feel.”
“You saw what was important from the start,” I said, staring into my brother’s eyes. “The plan to leave with Briar was the right one. Your instincts are the only ones I trust right now.” My throat bobbed as I tried to swallow the massive lump in my throat and failed. “Mine…?”
The heat was a blessing of sorts, because it stopped me thinking about what might’ve been. If I’d let Briar go. If I’d given into our parents’ wishes and taken over the town, Moon River would’ve become a despotic hell hole, just like the place we were trying to escape, this time with our parents in charge.
With me as their puppet alpha.
“Let’s just say that my judgement isn’t to be trusted.” I forced my eyes up because despite our parents’ teaching, there was one thing I’d learned myself. Admitting fault and making amends was the only way forward. Otherwise a problem just dogged your steps, nipping at your heels until you were forced to acknowledge it. “You tried to tell me multiple times, and I didn’t listen. I’m sorry for that.”
“OK, this is a bit, right?” Jace looked around him wildly. “We’re getting punked.” When Mads just stared at me, Jace shrugged. “Aliens? Pod people? Controlled by an anal probe?” He waved his hand in front of my face. “You’re a robot and someone has my actual brother in an experimental lab somewhere.”
I ignored him, watching Mads’ every reaction. When his jaw muscle flexed, I braced myself for a rejection. It’s what I would’ve done if I was him. How could two little words like I’m sorry make up for everything that went down? Right then, I wished I was a poet or a writer. Someone with the capacity to use words to express everything I felt. Not just a sense of failure that threatened to smash me like a bug, but… the loss that camefrom putting everything into something and realising what I was striving for was utterly meaningless. Mads ended up dragging his hand across his face, looking impossibly tired.
“I both needed to hear that more than almost anything today,” he finally replied. “And am too fucking tired to respond in any sensible way. It’s been days since we’ve had a decent sleep.” When his hand landed on my shoulder, my whole body tensed in shock. A hard squeeze and then it was gone again. “But all I ever wanted was for you to get your head out of your arse, brother. Any day you do that, you can count on me to stick by you.”
If the squeeze took me by surprise, pulling me in for a bro hug was even weirder. For a moment I just stood there, not knowing what the fuck to do when my brother’s arms went around me, right before I remembered I knew exactly how to respond. I hugged him right back, hoping, praying that I could convey in this hard embrace everything I was feeling. Loved, but unworthy of that love. Relieved, yet not feeling like I’d earned that either, but most of all? Not exactly happy, but the promise of it. Yeah, that sprang to life as Mads slapped my back, then pulled away.
“You could apologise too, Pretty Boy.” Mads shot Jace a dark look. “You played along with his bullshit.”
“Hey, don’t start in on me. No one cared enough to ask my opinion and I was too busy trying to keep the peace to insist anyone listen.”
“So what will you do now?” I asked. “If Mads and I aren’t fighting all the time, where does that leave you?”
Jace frowned and then glanced back at us.
“Not sure. Maybe if I sleep for two days straight, I’ll be able to tell you.”
“Hotel.” Mads nodded. “Get some sleep and then work out how to make clear that we’re the right alphas for Briar.” Myknee-jerk reaction was one of concern when a sly smile spread across Mads’ face, but I now knew that wasn’t the right one. “That Emma girl seemed to think they needed some extra hands at the warehouse. She tried to rope us into carrying boxes for her, thinking Briar had hired some help. Seems like there’s a need in our mate’s life that we can easily fulfil.”
He pulled the car keys out of his pocket.
“Sleep and then we make our mate’s life exponentially easier.”
For once, my wolf and I completely agreed to a plan. As a pack, we walked towards the car, and for the very first time, we were a cohesive one.
Chapter 48
Mads
It hurt to admit, but I was beginning to understand the burden Gideon carried.
We’d found a nice enough hotel that was close to Briar’s place and crashed out for eighteen hours straight, but when I woke up, everyone looked to me. Every time I argued with Gideon, I thought I knew better, but now that the weight of our future was on my shoulders? I wasn’t so sure. Help Briar, that was my first instinct, and if Gideon said he trusted it, I had to do the same. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and drank a whole lot of coffee before making our way over to the warehouse.
“Back again?” Emma walked out of the warehouse doorway, hands on her hips. She looked us up and down and then smiled. “She’s not here, so if Briar won’t see you, you’re out of luck.”
