Page 33 of Pack Deception: Part Two

I laugh at the wink she throws me, though it comes out a little strained. We stand at the same time, and she walks around the big oak desk to wrap me up in a tight hug. Being a few inches taller than me, she rests her chin on my head, whispering, “I’m so fucking glad I met you, and we’ll still see each other all the time. It’s not like we’re going to stop being friends.”

Damnit. That did it. A tear escapes, dripping off my cheek and onto her shirt. I pull back, wiping my eyes, and nod. “We better.”

Wells is leaning against the wall opposite her door when I come out and frowns at what must be my red-rimmed eyes. But I smile to show him I’m all good and then head out to the front to greet my trainee.

Sitting at the bar when Wells and I walk back out is Brooklyn. She’s staring at the wall of liquors with a worried look on her face and tapping her high-heeled toe against the bar footrest. I’ve never seen her so…fidgety.

As I near, she must scent me because she looks right at me as I walk up to her. Though, her nerves don’t settle. “Give us a minute, will you?” she asks Wells, who nods, walks to the bar door, and stands vigil like the bar's very own bouncer.

I stand in front of Brooklyn as she takes both my hands in hers. “Okay. I’m trying really hard to be supportive and not come across as an overbearing, demanding alpha.” She takes a deep breath in through her nose and expels it from her mouth before continuing. “But I don’t want you working here anymore.” I bristle a little until she continues. “I’m sorry. It’s not my place to ask that you quit. But I’m doing it anyway. I thought you might on your own now that you didn’t have to work two jobs. That’s why I didn't tell the guys about you needing to be here tonight. That’s on me. I made assumptions. But my omega continuing to work at a bar, without my mark… it's going to kill me. Literally, drive me insane–”

“Brooklyn,” I say, squeezing her hands and laughing just a little at her nervous ramblings. “This is my last shift.” I don’t bother saying I got fired; I think she just may be crazy enough towantme not to work but still get upset at my getting canned if it upset me.

A shuddering breath leaves her, and she tugs on my hands until I fall into her arms. Goddess, she smells good. Suddenly, I get her not wanting me to be unmated and working in a bar because every part of me wants her to leave, so no other omega gets a whiff of her and thinks she’s fair game.

“Thank the Goddess. Okay. Well, I still have a few clients to meet with, so I have to go. But sleep with me tonight? I’ll wait up.” My blood heats at the suggestive look in her eyes, and I agree without any hesitation.

I watch her walk over to Wells, say something to him briefly that must be an apology based on the semi-contrite look she’s sporting, and then she walks out the door.

Finally, I turn to greet the beta girl who is still sitting in the same spot a few feet from where I was talking to Brooklyn. She clearly heard every part of the conversation, but she turned slightly away and pretended like she didn’t to give us some semblance of privacy.

Sweet of her.

We introduce ourselves and jump right into work. The next several hours, she just watches me make drinks, and I show her where everything is she might need. We don’t have a barback since it’s hardly ever so busy here that we need one. There are always two bartenders during the weekend shifts, so when we slow down, one of us stocks up. I show her where the stock and break rooms are. Tell her to order whatever she wants from the kitchen before it closes since they always have extras they’d need to throw out at the end of the shift, anyway. Near the end of the shift, she’s filling orders and pouring drinks, too. It’s clear right away that she is an incredibly fast learner. Either that, or she’s bartended before. She’s also really funny. Well, when she speaks. For the most part, she stays quiet, and I don’t pressure her to talk to me. Not when I was the same way four months ago.

It’s almost three in the morning when we both clock out. Wells texted the pack to say I’d be working a little later than usual, so they didn’t worry, and I closed the bar down with Ava and Jules, our trainee. Ava tried to get me to leave when I was supposed to, but part of me couldn’t bring myself to shut the door just yet on this adventure. So, we closed down together, and all took a few shots to toast the end of an era. And the beginning of a new one.

The drive home was uneventful. Damien told Wells to go home sometime around one when the crowd thinned out enough that they both stopped sweating my safety so much. Since I don’t have the same rapport with Damien or Houston as I do with Wells, I leaned my head against the window of the SUV on the drive back and drifted in and out until we pulled into the garage.

Stumbling out of the car—feeling those shots a little—I head straight for my nest, needing the comfort of all my mates' scents wrapped around me and feeling a little morose still about losing a friend. Even though I know I’m not losing her, it still feels that way.

It’s almost four in the morning by the time I’ve brushed my teeth, showered the bar stink off me, chugged a water and some pain medication to get ahead of the hangover, and stumbled to bed.

I stop dead when I open the door to my nest, fully expecting to go to bed alone. Instead, Maverick and Mason are wrapped up in each other on one side, there’s a space in the middle for me, and then Brooklyn and Hudson are sound asleep on the other end. All my mates in my nest. Like they knew I’d want them here,needthem, tonight.

Goddess, I love them,I think as I take my place between them. One big inhale of all their scents, and I’m out.

Fifteen

Summer

“Wake up, pretty girl,”someone whispers in my ear, placing kisses along my neck and down to my shoulder. The sweet, feather touches feel sinful. Going so far as to make my core flutter at the contact, but I’m not ready to get up just yet. Every inch of my body feels as if it got run over, and my eyes are so heavy I can’t open them.

How many hours of sleep did I get? Three?

“Go. Away,” I grumble, shoving my face hard into the pillow to block out the light and his voice.

His masculine chuckle still manages to filter through the couple of inches of cotton I have covering my ears. “I thought, since everyone else is busy today, you’d want to go to the pound with me.” There is the smallest amount of insecurity in his voice, enough to get me to open my eyes and peer up at him. Hope shines back at me when I half-heartedly glare at him. Rather than deter him, it makes him grin.

“Come on, please. I’ve wanted a puppy for years,” he pouts. Something tells me there is more to the story, but instead of pushing right now, I throw the covers back and groan. I don’t get up, though. The sound is more of an indication that I’mtryingto get up. Hudson laughs at me and extends his hands to help. I place mine in his warm, calloused ones, and he tugs. My body jerks forward too fast for me to have any control over it, and he wraps me tight in a bear hug. He’s completely dressed and tugged me right out of bed. It feels good to be held, but my feet are dangling at an odd level, my toes just barely able to touch the ground, but not enough to actually provide support. I start to wiggle, trying to find purchase.

With a disgruntled huff, he ignores me trying to get down, and yanks me up even tighter. The squeal that comes out of me is high-pitched and surprised. Goddess bless him because he ignores it. Doesn’t even wince at the sound. His arms tuck under my butt, and I wrap my legs tight around his waist, arms around his neck.

Sandalwood and orange blossom go a long way to waking me up as I tuck my nose into his neck. Damn, he smells delicious.

Just a few more hits…

I take a few big sniffs of his scent, and then, just because I can’t help myself, lick a path up his neck before biting gently where I’m going to put his bond mark during my next heat.

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