Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)(24)

She wrinkled her nose, and he leaned down to kiss it. Funny, he was still horny as hell, like he’d been before, but instead of the angst and worry that had come with it, he felt…relieved. Mandy had done that to him by just being near. He didn’t know what that meant, or rather, he didn’t want to think too hard about what that meant, but he’d take it as it was. For now.

“I don’t know. It’s not like you with the whole actually feeling emotions things, but when I came in, my wolf perked up because yours did. I guess that’s what I mean.”

He looked down at her, his heart in this throat. That she’d caught that with one look told him he hadn’t been hiding how he felt about her well at all. Why he felt the need to hide anything from her was beyond him though. Maybe it was because they were moving awfully fast for two wolves who had done their best to stay out of each other’s way in the past.

“You do make me happy,” he said softly. He ran his thumb over her jaw and swallowed hard. If he didn’t slow down, he’d take her against the wall, and he needed to breathe first. She deserved more than a rut to get him off. “I was just going to have a soda. You want one?”

She tilted her head as she studied his face. “I could use something to drink. Aren’t you going to ask why I’m here and Oliver isn’t?”

He blinked and cleared his throat. “I guess I was just so happy to see you I forgot the usual things like not being a selfish *.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, you being happy to see me is one thing, but you’re not a selfish *, not with that kiss. As for why I’m here, I have a few things to do workwise, but I brought it with me.” She pointed to the satchel he’d failed to notice that she wore across her body. “Oliver is playing Uncle Big Bad Bear with the cubs today. They missed him apparently, and he wanted to make sure you and I had some time alone together. If I’m not mistaken, he’s planning on making sure the two of you have time to spend together alone, as well. And then the three of us.” Her eyes crossed. “It’s a lot of relationships when you put it all out there like that.”

He shook his head, a smile spreading over his face. “Yeah, but we’ll find a way to make it work. And honestly, it only seems like a lot, I think, because Oliver and I usually do our best to stay on the fringes.”

She nodded as he led her to the kitchen and got her a soda of her own. “Yeah, and while I might know a lot of people, I tend to stay by myself. Too many dominant shifters at once and my wolf needs a timeout.”

He took a sip of his drink. “I get that. Well, at least I sort of do. I’ve never liked being around a lot of people, even though I usually have one or two in my shop daily. I don’t know if it’s my wolf or just me that makes that happen, though. I know Oliver needs to be on his own a lot because of the whole Foreseer thing, but I don’t know what it feels like to have a wolf inside that’s not even a little dominant.”

She smiled then, her eyes brightening. “And I don’t know what it feels like not to be submissive. My wolf, much like me I guess, needs to comfort, too soothe. It’s not that I’m weak, but more…a different kind of wolf I guess.”

Gibson frowned. “I never thought you were weak. It takes a certain kind of strength to aid the dominants when they can’t help themselves. Who thought you were weak?” His wolf rose, needing to know, as well. A tendril of sensation slid over him, and he knew it was Mandy. He couldn’t tell what emotion it was exactly, but it felt a little like shame. He didn’t understand it until she spoke next.

She bit her lip. “There were a few, but Claire honestly was the worst.” She let out a sigh, and Gibson set down his can so he could bring her close. “Once Holden mated Ariel and everything happened with the SAU, things were different, but I was always careful around her. And I hate that I’m even saying this because she’s gone and can’t speak for herself. Someone ended her life, and we have no idea who it was. Yet a small part of me is relieved I will never feel trapped and scared because of her again. She wasn’t a good person, but she didn’t deserve to die like that.”

Gibson kissed her temple and held her to his chest. She snuggled close, and he rested his chin on the top of her head.

“No, she didn’t deserve to die like she did, and we will find out who did it. Just like we’ll find out who hurt me and why the SAU is so silent right now. As for how she made you feel… Her dying doesn’t change that. It doesn’t make you a bad person for remembering what she did to you.” His wolf pushed at him, wanting to avenge her, but there was nothing to avenge. Not yet anyway.

“I feel like things have been up in the air yet changing so quickly ever since Holden found Ariel in the woods,” Mandy said after a moment. “It’s strange to think how things might change again.”

He ran his hand down her side. “I know,” he said softly. “I never thought I’d be here, be the Omega.” A beat of silence. “Be with you.”

She moved away from him then, and he felt a pang of disappointment until she stood on her tiptoes and reached up to kiss his jaw. “Make love to me, Gibson. Make me yours in truth.”

He slid his hands down her arms and gripped her fingers. “You want that now? You want me on you, over you, in you?”

“I’ve wanted it for a long time,” she answered. “The way the world is changing isn’t going to stop that. I want you as I want Oliver, though each way is unique.”