Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3) (6 page)

The coffee machine beeped, but Oliver ignored it. This was what he wanted, what he’d dreamt of when he was allowed to dream as a man rather than the Foreseer. If he did this, he might hurt them both in the process. But something was pushing him forward, whether it was fate or just his own will, he didn’t know.

But he could take this chance.

It was the only one he had.

Gibson was the first to speak. “I don’t know what’s coming. I just know something is.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But I can…I can take that chance.” He looked at each of them. “I want to.”

“As do I,” Oliver added. “I want to see if we can do this.”

And with that, something clicked into place within him.

He didn’t know what was next, but he knew he might not be alone when it happened. He might break himself in the process of figuring out what was going on between the three of them, but he swore to himself that he wouldn’t break the other two.

He’d always seen death. Never his own, but he’d never seen true hope either.

Maybe, just maybe, this could be it.

Gibson pinched himself, wondering how the heck he’d ended up here. He’d woken up from a restless sleep because he’d
felt
Oliver’s vision. He wasn’t sure how being an Omega was suppose to work fully, but he would have thought the fact that Oliver was a bear would limit the way Gibson could go through the emotions and vividness of the vision.

As it was, he still wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with these newfound powers. Others in the Pack seemed to think he would be their savior; the one who would be able to bring a new health to their people. He didn’t think of himself that way, and he was worried that he’d fail.

That’s what he did.

He failed at trying to bring a sense of ownership and pride to a brand put there by those who’d enslaved them. He failed at trying to find a way to fit in with his people. And he was failing at figuring out what to do with Mandy and Oliver.

Somehow, he’d ended up at Oliver’s table next to the two people he wanted but shouldn’t have. And yet they wanted him just as much.

He’d have pinched himself again to make sure he was awake, but from the way Mandy was looking at him, he figured he should probably say something rather than sitting here like an idiot.

They wanted to be with him. With
him
. The loner wolf, who grumbled more than he spoke. He’d have thought Oliver would want to be with another bear to help him with his burden, and Mandy…well, he’d thought Mandy was with Theo.

Apparently, he’d been wrong on all accounts.

And now here they were, calmly discussing forming a partnership. Of course, they’d carefully not mentioned the word mating. As if once they did, things would get too serious.

“Gibson?” Mandy asked, her voice soft. He loved that voice, the way it wrapped around him and his wolf. He always felt like he was being petted when she spoke directly to him—not that she did that often. But when she did? He buried himself in it, rolling around like a pup in freshly cut grass.

She reached out and put her hand on his fist. He hadn’t even realized he’d put both hands on the table, as if he’d needed to grip something in order to stay centered, grounded in reality. His brain hurt, his heart just as much, but for some reason, it wasn’t as bad as it had been the past few days. Since he’d first found out that he was the Omega, he’d had to wade through emotion after emotion, sometimes falling to his knees when it became too much. Over time, he knew he’d be able to find each individual thread and work with it, either taking the feeling into himself if it was too much for the other shifter, or using it to make sure they were healthy. One day, he would even be able to heal physical wounds, but from the way he weakened with just the onslaught of emotions, he was pretty sure that would be years off, if ever.

And yet…and yet he’d known exactly what Oliver was feeling during his vision. He’d also known it was Oliver and not another that might have been near.

And as he focused, he could also feel the nervousness, the excitement, and the raw hunger of Mandy. He wondered for a moment if it was because her emotions mirrored his own, as well as Oliver’s.

“Gibson,” Mandy said again, squeezing his hand. “What’s wrong?”

He swallowed hard and blinked away the torrent of his thoughts. “I’m okay.” He paused, tasting the lie. “Or at least I will be. It’s weird right now.”

She winced, and he quickly turned his hand over to hold hers in a firm grip.

“I’m not saying being here with you and Oliver is weird, though in reality, it kind of is since we’ve done so well avoiding one another.” Oliver snorted, and Mandy gave him a small smile. Gibson relaxed somewhat. “We’re not avoiding each other now, though. And because of that, or maybe in spite of it, I can actually relax for the first time in days.”

“What do you mean?” Oliver asked.

Gibson met the other man’s gaze even as he ran his thumb over Mandy’s hand. He felt her shiver, and he knew he had to stop soon or he’d take them all too far too quickly. Though since they were shifters, there wasn’t really a chance to be too quick. Once the wolf, bear, or cat decided, the man followed. Ready and willing.

“With the two of you here, I can actually unravel whose emotion is whose. It’s not as overwhelming. I can breathe again.” He hadn’t known how much being an Omega had been affecting him until he sat between these two at this scarred wooden table. What would it feel like to be with them fully, to know that they were his and his alone?

He swallowed hard, knowing he needed to give them space before he did something stupid like bend them over the table in question.

“Really?” Mandy asked. “Is there anything we can do to help? I know it has to be a lot all at once.”

“Plus, we still don’t know who attacked you,” Oliver said, his tone dark. “There’s something going on. I can feel it.”

Gibson squeezed Mandy’s hand as her wolf brushed up against his. He liked the feeling. “I feel it, too. There’s an undercurrent I can’t place.”

Mandy sighed. “I thought the leaders of SAU going underground but leaving their guards in place would be enough of an undercurrent. Between that and the three Packs learning to live together as one, the amount of tension should be enough. But if what you’re saying it true, if what Holden scented when you were hurt is true, then we have more problems than just humans.”

Gibson’s jaw clenched. “It was a shifter.” He’d known that of course, had scented something not human, but it’d happened too fast for him to fully gauge what kind of shifter.

Oliver nodded. “Though we don’t know who. They did something to their scent.”

“So we have humans after us, keeping us in cages, and now infighting within our own,” Mandy said slowly. “I don’t like it. I feel like we’re right on the edge of so many things, and with one breath we could fall, changing it all.”

“We have strong Alphas and Betas, as well as shifters who can take care of their own,” Gibson said, more to himself than them. “I trust those in power more than I thought I’d trust anything, and that’s saying something.”

Oliver nodded. “I agree. Whatever is going on isn’t happening with those in the upper hierarchy.”

Mandy frowned. “It’s not with the submissives either. I’ve never seen us so healthy. Now that Holden and Soren are mated, things are settling. And I know it’s a lot to put on your shoulders, Gibson, but with you now as the Omega, it’s almost complete.”

“I hope I can do something to help at least,” Gibson added. “But you’re right, this feels like it’s someone we’re missing, someone in the center of the Pack that might feel ignored.”

Oliver reached out and gripped Gibson’s other hand. He sucked in a breath, his wolf content for the first time in his memory. He pushed that aside, though, knowing his Pack needed him to think about what had happened, instead of what could happen between the three of them.

“I think…I think we need to look at the Pack as a single unit, instead of three. There are three sections now forced to live as one.” Oliver tilted his head. “I think this might be something we haven’t thought of.”

“A vision?” Mandy asked.

“Not this time,” Oliver answered. “A sense of knowing.”

“We’ll be on alert,” Gibson said. “We all will be. And we’ll figure it out. Because we’re too close to the end of the SAU for us to fall apart from within.” He paused. “And while we’re doing that, we’re going to take a chance.” He met their gazes. “And see what we can have between the three of us, because my wolf knows what you’re feeling, at least part of it, and I don’t think I can keep to myself anymore.”

Mandy narrowed her eyes. “Between Oliver’s visions and your emotional seeking, I’m at a disadvantage here.”

Oliver stood then and walked around the table to cup her face. “No, you never will be. Because you’re the center. You’re the one who came here, who opened up to us first. You’re the one with true bravery. Never forget that.” And as he finished, he lowered his mouth to hers. Gibson stood up, aching for those in front of him, his wolf so damn pleased at the turn of events.

Oliver finished the kiss, and before Mandy could get her bearings, Gibson slid his palm over her cheek and kissed her soundly. She tasted of sweetness and the future. He wanted to hold her, be with her, have her, and yet he knew this was just the beginning. This was what they were fighting for, what they had sought to protect all those years ago. And now, instead of being on the outside looking in, he was a part of this. Part of
them
.

He pulled away, leaving Mandy breathless as well as himself.

“Okay, then,” she whispered, her lips swollen and her eyes wide. “Okay.”

“We’re not finished yet,” Gibson said and turned to Oliver. The big bear titled his head. Oliver was a good three inches or so taller than him, but he didn’t care. He leaned over Mandy, gripped the back of Oliver’s head, and brought him in for a kiss of his own.

The other man’s lips were different, more firm and supple. Their kiss was harsher, a clash of dominance and teeth. He nipped at Oliver’s bottom lip before licking the sting away and deepening the kiss. When he pulled back, the two of them faced off and Oliver grinned.

“This is going to be fun,” Oliver said softly. They both looked down at Mandy, whose eyes were even wider, her mouth open.

“That was so freaking hot,” Mandy said with a grin. “We need to do that again. Often.”

Gibson smiled fully then, aware he hadn’t done that in far too long. “Yeah, we do. But right now, I need to go to Holden’s. I have a meeting.”

Mandy nodded, and Oliver slid his hand over Gibson’s shoulder.

“I’ll be back, though,” Gibson said quickly. “I mean, if that’s okay.”

Oliver squeezed. “It’s okay. In fact, I think you need to. We’re not done talking about the three of us yet. Nor are we finished discussing what led you here.”

Gibson sobered. “I’ll come back when I can.” He looked at Mandy. “Are you staying here?”

She shook her head, biting her lip. “I need to go home and change and do a few things for the maternals.” She looked over at Oliver. “But I can be back for lunch. Will that do?”

Oliver smiled softly at her and cupped her face. “Yes, that will do.” He looked up. “Be safe today.”

Gibson nodded before turning and heading out of the house. If he didn’t go now, he was afraid he wouldn’t leave at all. His wolf rode him, and yet he knew it wasn’t just his beast. He wanted them both as a man also, and he knew he would have them soon. There was no denying that. Not anymore.

He’d pushed himself away from anything that might bring him comfort, might bring him pleasure for so long, and now that he’d had a taste of what he could have, he knew he couldn’t let go.

Not now. Maybe not ever.

He ran toward his Alpha’s house, aware he wasn’t fully dressed nor showered, but he wasn’t in the mood for niceties. He wanted to get back to Oliver and Mandy. The fact that they were the ones at the forefront of his mind even with everything else going on in his life spoke volumes.

When he got to Holden and Ariel’s, it was Soren he saw on the porch. The Beta of the Pack stood there, his hands crossed over his chest and his brows raised.

“Is it me, or do I scent a bear
and
a certain pretty wolf on you this morning?”

Gibson showed off his teeth as if he were in wolf form baring fang. “None of your business, cat lover.”

Soren grinned then. “True enough.” He lifted his arm and inhaled. “Yeah, I smell like my feisty mate. Not a bad thing at all. But you? You surprise me.”

Gibson growled. “What of it? You have a problem with my choices.”

Soren held up his hands, palms out, the grin leaving his face quickly. “Not at all, Gibson. I’m happy for you, even though I don’t see a mating mark so it must be early in your dance. I’m only saying you surprise me because you’ve held yourself apart for so long, and now that you’re starting to come back to us, you’re going full tilt.” Soren smiled broadly. “I like it.”

Gibson shook his head. This damn wolf was like a cat sometimes. It made sense, considering the man had mated a Feline of his own. “Are you done poking at me now? Holden wanted to see me.”

Soren stepped out of the way. “Come on in. He summoned me, as well.”

“I don’t summon,” Holden bit out as Gibson and Soren made their way into the living room. “I ask.”

Ariel snorted and patted her mate’s chest. They stood in the center of the living room, her tiny form looking so fragile against Holden’s. Gibson wondered how the petite Mandy would look between him and Oliver, and had to quickly get that thought out of his mind before he did something stupid like get a hard-on in his Alpha’s home.

“You summon, baby, but it’s okay,” Ariel said with a wink. “It’s good to see you up and about, Gibson.”

Gibson opened his mouth to say something, but staggered back as a wave of intense emotion hit him like a wall. Excitement, fear, love, adoration, nervousness, and relief spread over him, and he hit the ground hard, his head slamming against the wooden floor.