Page 76 of The Pack Next Door
The urge to hang my head in shame rode me hard, but I kept my spine straight.
“I’m sorry for that, Tom. There’s no excuse I can give, no justification that will make this situation go away. If I had any idea this would happen?—”
“Don’t beat yourself up.” It felt like everyone in the room let out a collective breath. “You’re a good girl. Those idiots at the freight company are another matter.”
“You must also be a hungry one.” Honey went to pull the lamb out of the oven, but Tom and my guys stood up, her husband being the one to put it on the wooden chopping board. “Now, does everyone want meat, vegetables, and gravy made from scratch?” she asked, finding a carving knife and fork.
They did. Food was passed around, and then everyone sat down to eat, which reminded me of why I loved coming out here.
Honey and Tom bickering. The smells of all of her dried herbs filling the room as they hung from hooks set in the top cabinets of the kitchen. The sounds of sheep bleating off in the distance, carried into the room through wide windows, the air scented with eucalyptus. Their property was relaxing in ways Moon River would never be, and that earned me a few sidelong looks. Mads smiled at it, Jace watching me closely, but none more than Gideon. It felt like he observed every mouthful I took, not doing so himself until I was chewing.
“So…” Tom looked around the room with a sly smile after all the dishes were cleared away. He’d produced a bottle of wine from a local vineyard that was very reputable and we were all having a drink. “The guest house is set up, but the others are all booked up. Where are the boys gonna sleep?”
“Bookings have been coming in thick and fast,” Honey explained. “People wanting to escape the heat of the city.” Their property was built on high country, the cool ocean breezes helping moderate the summer heat. “It helps bring the money in and is less stressful than pottery money.” My cheeks flushed hot at that. “I could make up some beds in the main house?—”
“Pretty big bed in the guest house,” Tom said with a wink. “The alpha pack that came through on their honeymoon with their omega all seemed to fit and there were more of them.”
“We—” Mads started to say.
“Can take fur and sleep as wolves anywhere,” Gideon replied smoothly. Spick and Span looked up at that, seemingly curious. “There’s no need to put yourselves out on our account.”
“Well, now that’s sorted.” Tom got to his feet, running the hot water to wash the dishes. “We might clean up and then head to bed ourselves, love.”
I was going to offer to clean up, but he sidled up behind Honey, making her blush as he held her close, pressing a kiss to her neck. She was his person in more ways than one. Not just a wife, but the only other human being he could be consistently civil too, if not sweet. I felt a flush of embarrassment at Tom’s insinuation, their public displays of affection. He did that because he figured we would do the same at some point.
“I’ll show them where the guest house is,” I said, getting to my feet, then moving to bring the wine glass over.
“Leave that,” Honey insisted. “I’ll get the glasses. Have to or this old goat isn’t going to wash a single dish.”
“I’ll show you an old goat…”
Their banter could still be heard as we stepped outside and into the cooler night air. Out here, the vibe completely changed. In the dark, I wasn’t the penitent girl, begging for Tom’s forgiveness. I wasn’t even Honey’s dinner guest. With every step I took away from the house, I remembered exactly what I was. When I turned around, the wolf inside me whined. The Whitlocks’ eyes gleamed like silver beacons in the darkness, each one trained on me. She wanted to take control, go sprinting forward and lead them on a merry chase. Run and run until we couldn’t anymore. Then, as her sides heaved, she’d relinquish control, and they’d?—
“Here we are.” I opened the door to the guest house, instantly greeted by the scent of lavender and lemon wood polish. “So I figure we all have showers and then?—”
“And then what, omega?” Mads growled.
Chapter 37
Mads
I wondered how the hell Briar survived her heats before now, and I think I had an answer. Strong emotion, particularly fear, seemed to squash it all down. Dinner was likely to be an awkward affair if she started perfuming midway. The betas wouldn’t notice, but they would notice our reaction. Instead, the sharp, sharp scent of roses, flavoured with an almost acidic aftertaste, filled the room, and our omega didn’t fidget once.
Maybe that’s why my arm shot out now.
Hooking her around the waist, dragging her back against me, I wanted to see if I could still provoke a reaction or if all of this was just some kind of fever dream.
Yep.
As I dragged my nose along her neck, feeling her whole body shudder, vanilla and roses filled my nose in turn.
“We need to take this inside.”
Gideon ground out the words, his eyes burning brighter, right as he plucked Briar from my grip and dragged her into the guest house. Pretty, open windows, spectacular view of thehills beyond, I barely registered the place we would be staying, focussed only on her.
“Don’t want the betas seeing what we’re about to do to our mate?” Jace asked, shooting her a sly grin. “Makes sense. If that old bastard tries to do what we intend?—”
“Intend.” Briar shoved herself away from Gideon, standing within the loose semi-circle we created. “What exactly do you think is going to happen?”
