Page 19 of Pack Deception: Part Two

“Oh man, look at this,” he says, still laughing, and turns his phone for me to read. My eyes scan the small print, but immediately, the words ‘love you’ hop out at me.

“Who…?” I start to ask, and my eyes snag on the recipient of the text. “You told Summer you love her?” Shock. That’s all he hears in my voice. Not that he loves her. Fuck, wealllove her. But we’ve had more time to ruminate on the mate bond. We literally just laid it all out for her last night.

“Oh yeah. I told her last night but then pretended to fall asleep so she didn’t have to say anything back. Then again this morning. And I’m going to text her all day so she gets used to hearing it.” The smile on his face is limned with humor.

“So she hasn’t said it back? And you’re okay with that? Did she freak?” So many questions. Just swirling around in my head. He seems absolutely unbothered. That’s one of his best traits, though. He goes through life with a very devil-may-care attitude. Always sees the best in every situation. A lot like Mason in that regard. Brooklyn and I are the cynics of the pack. Summer seems like a nice balance between the two.

“Nah. She was definitely freaking out a little in her head. But I know she loves me. She loves all of us.” My heart warms at his suggestion that she might love me. “But she just needs to realize that it’s okay to admit it. To herself. To us. So I’m helping her out a little.” The man lifts a shoulder like he didn’t just blow my mind.

“Jesus, man. When did you become so fucking wise?” First, his advice about Mason, now his view on Summer. I don’t give him enough credit.

“Shut up, let’s just get started.” He huffs and gets out of the Jeep. No part of me was being sarcastic. But maybe I don’t compliment him enough because he thinks I was.

I follow him up the sidewalk and unlock the door. “I wasn’t kidding, you know. It’s freaking genius, and I think it’s going to work. That oldpackof hers fucked up her confidence.” The word pack feels dirty coming out of my mouth. I refuse to acknowledge them as anything to her. “So saying it first is probably really smart. I think it’ll help.” I shrug. What do I know, though? I can’t even keep my beta happy.

Something soft hits me in the back of the head, and I look down to see a wadded-up rag on the floor. Hudson is beaming at me. “Thanks, man.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s throw up the drywall in the front room first.” A nod, and then we get to work.

* * *

It’s been five hours of manual labor already, and we’ve barely made a dent. Well, we’re moving at a decent rate, I suppose; we’ve gotten all the drywall put up in the downstairs rooms. But Hudson and I usually work a lot faster than this. But he got me started with the horseplay, and it’s become a fun distraction. Each of us has been sending Summer flirty texts all day. Hudson, of course, has continued his “I love you” crusade, and I jumped in to get her even more worked up. Several shirtless pictures and provocative poses later, and she has stopped responding altogether. I think we broke her.

“Do you want to get started on the floor in the front room?” Hudson swipes some forehead sweat with the back of his arm. All the windows are open, and there is a decent breeze coming through, but with Spring coming in with full force, it’s heating up. And this old house doesn’t have the best insulation. We’re fixing that as we go, too, and the new windows being installed next week will help.

“Yeah, but I’m starving. Let’s order some lunch first.” That’s how we find ourselves sitting on the dusty floors in the front room of the house forty minutes later, eating wings and fries and talking about what we’ll finish today before calling it quits.

Three raps on the front door filter in before the sound of high heels is heard. My first thought is Brooklyn came by. But then I remember she’s got a ton of meetings today with her current clients and prospective ones. A feminine voice calls out. “Hello. Anyone home?” The woman doesn’t wait for an answer but walks through the entryway until she sees us sitting on the floor. “Hi! I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I saw all the trash in the front yard and wanted to check the house out.” I exchange a look with Hudson, and then we both set our food down and stand up.

“Okay, that sounds strange. Let me start over. I’ve been house hunting for quite some time. My omega wants more space, and I was hoping this house might be up for sale soon. Maybe I can look around? The outside is beautiful, and the location is perfect for us.”

What the fuck? Who just randomly walks into someone else’s house because it’s being renovated? This could be our personal home. This woman has no idea. But from the looks of her, it doesn’t seem like she gets told ‘no’ very often. Everything about her screams old money. From her expensive clothes, the way she holds herself, and that look in her eye. All confidence and surety, and not just the kind that comes from being an alpha. Like any problem she’s ever had has been solved by throwing money at it. I want to tell her to fuck all the way off, but Hudson is much more polite than I am. And besides, wedoplan on selling. If we could tack on twenty thousand or so more than we would have initially asked because, let’s face it, Miss Moneybags could probably pay it, then that would be ideal.

“Hi. Sure, we can walk you around the place and tell you our plans. We’re flipping and putting it on the market within the next six months if all goes well,” Hudson tells her amicably and walks forward to shake her hand. “I’m Hudson, and this is Maverick.”

She smiles, all teeth, and says, “Great to meet you both. I’d love a tour. Thank you.” Hudson smiles and starts leading her from room to room. He tells her about our plans to keep as much of the integrity as we can. I tune him out, focusing on her. Something is weird about this lady. I can’t put my finger on it.

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” she says, and I tune back in.

“Thanks, that was our omega’s idea.” Hudson beams proudly at the mention of Summer. I didn’t hear what they were talking about. But when I glance at our newcomer, her eyes are flashing, and she’s got a tight-knuckled grip on the cell phone in her hand.

What the…

She sees me looking, relaxes her grip, and pastes on a friendly smile. Yeah, time to wrap this up. “Well, we should probably get back to work if we want to finish before it gets dark,” I say to Hudson, raise a brow at him, and hope he gets the message. My attitude seems to confuse him because he drawls a response that definitely sounds like he has no idea what I’m talking about.

“Right. Yeah, sorry. So much to do today…” He rocks back and forth on his heels and claps his hands together. “Oh! But here, take my business card and give us a call if you’re interested in buying in a few months still.” He rifles around in his pocket and pulls out a very bent, used-looking card. Despite my thoughts on this woman, I roll my eyes.

Professional, Hud. Very professional.

“Great! Well, thank you for the tour. I’m sure I’ll be seeing youverysoon.” He shakes her hand one last time, and she strides out the door. When she’s out of range and the front door is shut behind her, he turns to me.

“What was that about? You didn’t have to be so rude.” Hudson crosses his arms over his chest, waiting for an answer.

I throw my arms out. “Are you serious? You didn’t think that was fucking weird as hell? What woman just randomly walks into a house that isn’t hers? Because why? Itlookedlike it was being renovated. And what was with that parting line? She’ll beseeingus soon? The fuck?” Not right. My instincts are screaming at me that there was something not right about her.

“You are being too paranoid. She’s looking for a house for her omega. It’s sweet. And it’s just an expression, Mav. Relax. Untwist your panties, and let’s get back to work. The sooner we’re done, the sooner I get home to Summer. Chop, chop.”

He’s being naive. But no matter what I say, he’s just going to brush me off. I’ll tell Brooklyn about it later.

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