Page 25 of The Pack Next Door
Yep, she still had every shade of brown and green in her eyes. The dark, dark green of the pine forest in the early morning–I’dmissed that colour the last time, but I noted it now. She smiled as she went to sit down, then looked up, prompting me to tuck her seat under her. Jace stared at me from across the table, where he’d done the same for Maggie.
“This looks amazing.” Briar smoothed her fingers over the fabric place mats that looked like they’ve been woven to give it a nubby texture. “The plates, the candelabra.”
That’s what the thing that was holding the candles was called? It was useless information until I realised that Briar liked it.
“It’s just our deck,” Gideon replied, sounding perfectly humble as he sat down at the head of the table. “But I wanted it to look special.”
“You bought it in Moon River?” Briar’s brows raised. “The shops on Main Street must’ve gotten a whole lot fancier.”
“A lot of local people have been looking at your website,” Maggie informed her. “They might not be able to afford Omega Core prices.” Briar flushed a little at that. “But it’s definitely given Janice some ideas.” Maggie looked up at us. “She owns the local homewares store.”
“Omega Core?” Jace sank down into a nearby seat. “That’s the name of your business, Briar?”
I wanted to know that. Everything about her, that was what the wolf demanded, but right then there was a knock at the door. Gideon looked up at me.
“Is that the pizza?”
I’d go and find out, wouldn’t I? A few quick strides and I was away from the warm summer night, perfumed through with the scent of rose and vanilla. The stink of burnt chicken and defeat greeted me inside the house, forcing my fangs to grind together until I pulled open the front door to find the pizza delivery guy standing there.
Bring the boxes out to the deck and lay the food I’d procured in front of my fated mate, that’s what I was supposed to do. So why was I sprinting upstairs, jerking open my suitcase and pulling out a pair of slacks and a nice shirt. I buttoned up the last of the shirt, raking my hair back from my face with a comb. Staring into the mirror, I saw a man my mother wouldn’t even recognise.
And maybe that was exactly who Briar needed.
I sprinted downstairs and then grabbed the boxes, bringing them out to the deck. Briar noticed the change in clothes, and that eyebrow lifting slowly, followed by a smile that was everything I needed. Jace’s smirk, not so much.
“Supreme pizza with extra sausage?” I said, opening the pizza box and presenting it to Briar with a flourish.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had Pizza Haven pizza,” she said, sliding a couple of slices on her plate. “Thank you.”
I wanted to sit down and hear her tell me about each time she got pizza from that place, but instead, I handed out the boxes to everyone else before sitting down next to Briar. The pizza might’ve been good, but I could barely taste it, the crust becoming glue in my mouth. I swallowed hard, then turned to Briar.
“So, you have a business?”
She set her slice down on her plate and smiled at all three of us.
“Just a little homewares web store.”
“With a revenue of several million dollars each year,” Maggie said proudly.
“Several million…?”
I hated the thought that came next, but it was automatic. How would she run something like that when she accepted our bond? Mum was flat out with us and helping the beta women back at home, especially those mistreated by the prick alphasthat ran the town. I couldn’t imagine her running any business, let alone one so successful. But… This was fate. We’d find a way.
“Not such a little store, then.” I stared into Briar’s eyes then. “How’d you get into that?”
That sweet smile, that flush of pleasure, it told me we were on the right track. She sucked in a breath and then told us.
Chapter 13
Briar
Talking to a pack of alphas about my business wasn’t what I had planned, but neither was waking up next to them, naked. It was hard, because each time I met their eyes, I saw it. Big, strong bodies. Muscles on muscles and big, hard… I swallowed and looked down at my plate, the pizza covered in Italian sausage no longer so appealing.
“Ahh… Betas in the city are low-key obsessed with the alpha and omega dynamic. The idea of building a nest, a spot in your house where everything is soft, comforting, beautiful…” My eyes went out of focus, remembering the marketing meeting we’d had as soon as I could afford to hire a consultant. “A space just for you, to decompress from the day’s stresses.” With a blink, the deck, the table, and the people around it snapped back into view. “Betas love that… as well as what they perceive alphas to be.”
“What do city folks think of us?”
Jace asked that with a little smirk that was identical to the one when he presented the idea of chicken for breakfast.
