Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)(5)

Omega. Yes, Gibson thought, his Pack was screwed.





Chapter 2


Mandy ran her hand over the quilt at the end of her bed and frowned. How could things change so quickly overnight and yet remain so much the same? Her world had shifted, her axis forever altered, yet here she was, staring at the handmade blanket and wondering about her place in the world.

She’d done much of the same the day before, and yet her Pack had changed when she hadn’t been looking.

They’d found their Omega.

Her wolf sighed happily, content for the first time in her life. Well, maybe not fully content since there was something missing just out of her reach, but as content as she was going to be unmated.

She couldn’t quite believe that Gibson was their new Omega. He’d always been on the sidelines, the one there, but not completely. He’d marked each and every one of the Pack and most of the cats and bears, as well. He’d been the one to take what should have been an ugly reminder of their captivity and make it something beautiful, unique, theirs.

And yet she was never sure he felt that way.

She could still remember the way he’d never once looked in her eyes when he did her tattoo. It had only been a couple of years ago, and though he was a few years older than she was, Mandy had thought they’d had a connection.

Her wolf had chosen him right then and there.

Of course, Mandy hadn’t done a thing about it.

How could she when he never looked at her, never spoke to her, never once acknowledged her?

He wasn’t like some of the others, who felt submissives didn’t have a place in the Pack because their first instinct wasn’t to fight, but to soothe. Instead, he pulled away and did his best to ensure they were never alone together.

If she had been any other wolf, she might have confronted him on that. But her wolf hadn’t been able to.

And when the other man had entered their den, her wolf had done much of the same as it had with Gibson. Only now, instead of yearning for just one, it yearned for two without doing a thing about it.

Her wolf seriously confused her.

If Gibson had shown any interest whatsoever, she’d have done her best to push her wolf to make a move or to at least have a normal conversation with the man. But he hadn’t, and she hadn’t found the courage to get rejected. Now that Oliver was in the den, though…

No, that couldn’t happen either. He was the Foreseer. Someone truly important to his people, and someone who should probably mate with another bear so their line remained strong.

Mandy knew she wasn’t nothing and never thought of herself as ‘not good enough,’ but sometimes being a submissive wolf wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. For actions like going for the man—or men—she wanted, she had to work twice as hard to find the ability. And yet when it came to making sure the dominant members of the den had a place where they could feel safe and relax, she could do that in a pinch. She was pretty sure she was the most submissive shifter in the entire compound, and while that had never bothered her in the past, now it made for an awkward state of things.

Before Gibson was the Omega, she figured he had to be near the top of the dominance chain, though he’d always set himself apart. Everyone, including her, thought it was because he was the one who tattooed over their scars and brands. Now, however, it could have been instinctual since Omegas were outside the roles of dominance. They were the ones who cared for all emotions within a Pack. And since they were living in close quarters with bears and cats, it could be that one day he would care for their emotional well-being, as well.

Oliver was much the same with his ability to see the future. With his visions, he was able to protect the bears—and therefore the cats and wolves. Though she knew it took a toll on him with each new sight before unseen. Because of his role, however, he was also on the outside looking in.

Mandy sighed, tracing her fingers over the tight stitching her grandmother had done years ago when she’d made the blanket. The other woman had been a maternal dominant, strong, capable, and yet nurturing.

Some days, Mandy felt like none of those things and yet all of them at the same time.

“Mandy? Is this a good time? I can come back if you want,” Ariel said as she walked into Mandy’s room.

Mandy turned and smiled at her new friend. She didn’t have many because of where she was in the Pack. It was hard for the truly dominant to be casual with her when their wolves urged them to protect at all costs. While she did her best to allow her own wolf to soothe, usually it became too much of a push and pull with the way their wolves should act, rather than how the human halves of them could.

Ariel was different. Though she was mated to the Alpha and decently dominant in her own right, she hadn’t been born a wolf. Because she’d had so many years of being human, the instinctual way some wolves reacted around Mandy didn’t seem to happen to her. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason Mandy liked the other woman, and because of that, she’d found herself a friend.

“I’m ready now. Do you want to sit at the table and get to work?” she asked. “I know we could be doing this at your place, but I figured it’s nice to get out of the Alpha den every once in a while.”

Ariel rolled her eyes and tugged Mandy close for a hug. “Yeah, sometimes I need a break from the strength of their wolves. I swear every dominant wolf not on patrol is in my living room at the moment.” Her eyes clouded. “And Gibson is over there right now.” She paused, her teeth biting into her lip.