Page 82 of The Pack Next Door
My paws hit the grounds seconds later, racing after her as she sprinted up the hill. Away from the guesthouse and all the trappings of being human, something settled in me at the first stride. Follow Briar, that beat hot and hard in my chest. Do, be, whatever she needed me to be. If that was a wolf, keeping pace with her as we scrambled up the hillside, my brothers coming up from the rear, then that’s what I’d do. On and on we ran, burning up all the adrenaline that was souring inside us in human form.
We were all panting hard from both the growing heat and the exertion of running up the hillside when we reached the top. Our lungs worked, sucking in air and expelling it just as fast, trying to cool us down. There was a reason wolves were not native to Australia. What need was there for such thickly furred predators? But we were here. As we looked outwards, you couldsee this valley and the next, the hills rolling on to finally drop off near the sea. Briar wolf collapsed down, staring at the view, but that wasn’t what she needed. She’d been carrying a weight since the moment I met her, and now, she was going to have a chance to set it down.
When I lunged for her back leg, my brothers stiffened, growling at such an audacious move. My jaws snapped on empty air though, as Briar’s wolf whirled around. Turning to face me down with her own sharp jaws, she bit into the air several times in warning.
I didn’t accept that.
Arrowing in on her ruff, I tried to skip past her and grab some of the loose skin around her neck, but she whirled around to fend me off.
And that was the game.
Her wolf’s eyes shone and her fangs did too, taking bites in my direction, but never actually landing. This was all play, something the woman badly needed. That’s why the wolf had burst out. If Briar couldn’t let things go, the wolf would force her to. My jaw widened in as close to an approximation of a smile as a wolf could perform, right as Mads’ beast came barrelling into her side. Not hard enough to hurt, but knocking her off balance made her rally fast. Dodging around him, she circled the three of us before her paws slowed in front of Gideon’s dark wolf.
He stepped forward stiffly. Even in fur, he had a stick jammed up his arse. His head came to rest on her back, making clear who was dominant, and for a moment, Briar went still. For a moment, there was only the sound of four wolves panting. Then a yip in warning, right before she wrapped her jaws around his throat, grabbing loose skin and tugging, before sprinting away.
Oh, it was on.
Not us against Briar. Even in play we couldn't do that. I was dodging Mads’ jaws as much as hers. I snapped back at him, biting his tail and giving it a tug before going after our mate, only for Gideon to step in my way. I barrelled into him, not even caring when we both went down in a messy splay of legs, because that was the point. Let loose, allow ourselves to make mistakes for the sheer joy of it, and that’s what I hoped she felt when she finally came back to skin.
“That was…” she sighed, and I emerged right there beside her. Pulling her close, cradling her in my arms, that was just as natural.
“Fun?” I pressed a kiss to her temple. “Yeah, me too.”
“Whatever happens, we can sort this out together, Briar.” Mads appeared in front of her. “Like I’ll learn how to make pots myself and then knock ‘em out on demand, if that’s what it takes.”
That had her giggling, right before she faced the three of us down.
“But first, the alpha trial, right? We should talk about it.” Always thinking, my mate. My arms let her go reluctantly and that reminded me of something I was studiously ignoring. At some point I’d have to, knowing she wouldn’t step right back into them. “I’m not sure they play capture the flag the same way in Moon River.”
“Don’t go worrying about that.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “If there’s one thing the dads prepared us for, it's a game like capture the flag.”
Her sigh was everything I needed to hear. She nodded and then turned to face me.
“Well, if you’re sure, maybe we should head back to Moon River?”
Chapter 40
Briar
“If there’s anything we know how to do, it’s play capture the flag…”
I replayed what Jace said on the way home to Moon River and that night. It was still buzzing around in my head the next morning when Mum and I made for the football field where the trial would take place. Glen Hallow alphas had a reputation that was formidable, but also prevented them from moving to other towns. What ruling pack would want a pack that would try to take power by any means possible? I stared out at the field, watching townspeople painting markings on the grass.
“Over here, love.” Jacinta was still with us, and she steered Mum towards the area covered by a large marquee.
“You need to stop fussing,” Mum grumbled.
“Alright, darl.” Jacinta made a show of stepping away. “You want to sweat your arse off standing out in the sun.” She made a show of fanning her face. “I’m going to get out of this bloody sun. If you want to join me for a cheeky mimosa…” A thermos was brandished. “You know where to find me.”
“You…” Mum shook her head. Obviously, the idea of sipping wine and orange juice appealed to her, but she turned back to me. “Maybe I will go and sit under the marquee.” She mopped at her forehead. “Wouldn’t want to end up with heat stroke. What about you, darling?” Her eyes twinkled, making clear she knew exactly what she was doing. “Want to catch up with those alphas of yours, or did you do that enough last night?”
I’d been forced to slip out into the forest again, and this time all three of them emerged from the shadows. Part of me hoped I was quieter about it, but I’m pretty sure my cries echoed out through the forest. Hopefully, they didn’t wake Mum or any of the neighbours up, but I was able to shake my head confidently right now. My eyes skimmed across the grass to where the guys and their dads were huddled together on one side, no doubt talking strategy.
“No, I think they’ve had about enough of me.” For now. My sleeve dampened as I wiped sweat away, hoping that was just the sun, not my own heat. “Let’s head for the marquee, because standing out in the sun on a day like this is for suckers.”
“This will be an opportunity for the town to see real alphas.”
That snide comment had me looking up as we approached. Yup, it was April spouting off. People looked on politely, though some had clustered closer to listen to what she had to say.
