Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3) (7 page)

Soren reached for him and put his hand on Gibson’s chest. “What is it?”

Gibson squeezed his eyes shut. “Too…much…” He gasped. He’d forgotten for a moment that he was the Omega. Apparently, whatever calming effect Mandy and Oliver had over him had worn off and now he could feel
everything
.

He couldn’t untangle the web made from the other three in the room, and their fear and worry overwhelmed him.

“Shit, he looked fine just a second ago,” Holden growled. “Soren, get Mandy and Oliver. I can scent them on him. If he was calm after leaving them, they might be able to help.”

“On it,” Soren said, his voice and scent fading as he left.

Ariel’s small hand touched Gibson’s forehead, and his body shook. “What can we do?” she asked, tears in her voice.

“I don’t know,” Holden bit out. “But you’re stronger than this, Gibson. You hear me? You’re going to get through this, and you’re going to be fucking amazing. Because I will not let you leave this world because of what
we
feel. You get me? You’re stuck with us.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Gibson grunted, trying to smile. He couldn’t though, his head hurt and his body felt heavy. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath, and when he did that, a burst of new emotion slammed into him and he felt his body going lax. But even as it did, he found a new…tangle that forced his eyes open. “Congratulations,” he murmured.

Ariel’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I can feel…” his voice trailed off, his body unable to go much longer.

“Shit,” Holden cursed. “You’re feeling the new life within her, aren’t you? That’s why you’re doing this. Because you figured out she’s pregnant.”

“Oh, Gibson,” Ariel said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

Gibson was about to pass out, but he used the last of his energy to grip her hand. “No need,” he rasped. “I’ll get used to it. Congrats, Mom.”

She smiled at him, and that was the last he saw before he passed out, the intensity of the emotions too much for him.

He came to with his head cradled in a soft lap that smelled of sweetness and submissive wolf. The scent of bear and promise came from his side, and Gibson’s wolf immediately relaxed.

“Well, that settles it,” Holden said with a growl, and Gibson opened his eyes.

His head rested in Mandy’s lap as she ran her fingers slowly through his hair. Oliver sat on the hardwood floor next to him, his legs crossed. The bear frowned at him, though the relief in his eyes calmed Gibson a little.

Holden stood at Gibson’s feet, Ariel at his side. He could scent Soren in the room but he didn’t feel like turning to see the other man.

“What settles what?” Gibson croaked.

Oliver held out a mug of water. “Drink this.”

With the help of Oliver and Mandy, he gulped down the water greedily, his parched throat easing.

“What settles what?” he repeated, his voice less scratchy this time.

“They calm you,” Holden answered finally. “You stopped screaming and woke up as soon as they were near you.”

Oliver gripped Gibson’s free hand. “Don’t scare us like that again.”

“That’s rich coming from a man who passes out with every vision.”

“Stop it,” Mandy said softly, her eyes downcast. With so many dominants in the room, this had to be hard for her. “Please.”

He reached up and cupped her face above him. “I’m sorry, sweetness.”

“If we help you, maybe you and I can help Oliver,” she whispered, though everyone in the room would be able to clearly hear her since they were all shifters.

“Maybe,” he said just as softly.

“I think the three of you need to spend more time together,” Holden said into the silence. “Maybe you’ll be able to gain control of your abilities. And if you can’t, well, I’m pretty sure the three of you want to be together anyway.”

“You can’t order anyone to mate, Holden,” Ariel chided. “But he’s sort of right, you know. If you guys find your own path, you should be able to help one another. And then maybe the Pack in time.”

Gibson looked up at Mandy and then at Oliver. “What do you say? Want to try to figure this out?”

Oliver grunted. “I thought we already decided that.”

Mandy traced Gibson’s jawline with her finger. “We’re here, all three of us. We’re going to find our way. And if we help center each other, then it’s a sign in the plus column.”

Gibson sighed, knowing he should get up from the floor, but he couldn’t. Not yet, not with Mandy so close.

If she and Oliver found a way to help him navigate the turbulent waters that came with being an Omega, then he’d take them to the moon and back. But that wasn’t the only reason the three of them wanted to be near each other, and they knew it.

Things were changing rapidly, and it was all Gibson could do to keep up. With the dangers lurking outside the den walls and now from within, he’d take the good with the bad.

Because it was all he had left.

Mandy ran her hands over her arms, suddenly very cold. Something was coming; she could feel it deep down to her bones. There was a change in the air, and her wolf could sense it. The fact that she’d left Gibson and Oliver to their own devices because they’d needed sleep after the events of the day was only part of it.

Her mind still whirled from their conversation earlier that morning. The whole thing was like an out of body experience, and yet she knew it had been her at that table, her with Gibson’s head in her lap when he’d been in pain. And that kiss? Those kisses? She’d just about melted to the floor, her body a pile of mush thanks to those two very dominant men and the way they’d taken control of her and the kiss.

She’d wanted Gibson for as long as she’d been able to want a man in that fashion. And she’d wanted Oliver from the moment she’d first laid eyes on him. That she’d wanted both hadn’t fazed her, though the idea that she would make a move toward them was the thing that had been farfetched. It didn’t seem real that they would want her, as well.

In only a matter of hours, they’d somehow opened up to one another and found a connection she’d never thought possible. They wanted her like she wanted them, or at least wanted to see what they could have. It may have been the desperation talking, the idea that their lives were in danger at the edge of this new world, the edge of a war that was being fought around them, but she would live with that. They were going to
try
. And yet it was only the beginning.

“Mandy?”

She turned at the sound of Theo’s voice, her shoulders automatically tensing as she did so. That didn’t usually happen around him, and the fact that it did hurt like nothing else. She hadn’t seen him since he’d dropped her off at her place when she’d told him she didn’t want to be his mate. She’d missed him, of course, but the space had been needed. And then with everything going on with Oliver and Gibson, she’d pushed Theo to the back of her mind. It might make her a horrible friend, but she’d only been able to deal with one important thing at a time.

He stood, framed by her front door, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his brow furrowed. Just a few days before, she would have gone to him and hugged him in greeting. His wolf felt so lost and confused that it only made her wolf want to comfort. That was what she did, how she lived, how she breathed. The fact that she couldn’t do that because she’d broken something between them ached.

But it wasn’t a few days ago, and things had shifted between them. She hadn’t wanted to lose Theo in the process of finding herself, of finding a future where she could be whole and survive, perhaps thrive in, but it seemed that choice might be out of her hands.

She hoped they were both strong enough to stay friends. Because while she wanted Oliver and Gibson in her life, it was Theo who had been there for her when she’d had no one.

Mandy shouldn’t have to make a choice, and yet things were never as they were in dreams.

“Hi,” she said finally. Awkwardness settled between them and she shifted from foot to foot. If she’d been in wolf form, her tail would have been firmly tucked between her legs.

“I’m sorry for walking out like I did,” he said finally before closing the door behind him. He let out a breath, his jaw set, but the sadness in his eyes was a mark on her soul.

“I’m sorry you felt like you had to walk away.” That wasn’t a true apology and she knew it. Only she didn’t feel like she
should
apologize for feeling what she did.

She moved toward him then, keeping her hands close to her body so she didn’t accidentally touch him. They were wolves, tactile creatures and used to touch, yet she knew she couldn’t reach for him then, even for a hug, without giving him the wrong impression.

Theo must have seen her indecision. He snorted. “I never asked you, you know.”

She tilted her head. “What?”

“I never asked you if we could be mates. I just assumed. And I guess that makes an ass out of me, huh?” He said it dryly, but she felt the heat behind the words. She wasn’t sure if he was angry with her or himself, but either way, this wasn’t what they used to have and it worried her.

“Theo…”

He shook his head. “No, it’s on me. I get it. I just thought…” He sighed. “I thought we would make it through all of this, this war, this uprising… Together, you know? But I guess I was wrong.”

“I don’t want to lose you, Theo.”

He gave her a sad smile. “You never really had me, it seems.”

Annoyance filled her. “Stop it. What is wrong with you? We were
friends
. Best friends. And yet now that I’m finally honest with myself, you’re going to be like this? Your wolf doesn’t want me, Theo. You just thought you did because you didn’t have anyone else. You’ll find your mate. I promise.”

His eyes narrowed. “Like you found Oliver and Gibson?” At her pause, he shook his head. “You can’t hide things like that in a den this small. I can’t say I’m happy for you, not yet, and that makes me an asshole. But as long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

Mandy sighed. “Mates aren’t just supposed to protect each other. There’s more to it.”

“And, apparently, we didn’t have that.” He held up his hands. “I didn’t come here to fight. Only to say I need some space.”

She pressed her lips together.

“I get that that makes me an idiot. An unfair one. But I need some space to think about what I want and what I thought I wanted for that matter. You have Oliver and Gibson now. You’ll be busy.”

That was a low blow, and she raised her chin, not meeting his eyes. Her wolf wouldn’t let her, and it galled her that the other half of herself worked against her. Maybe if she’d been a dominant wolf, she’d have been able to navigate the muddy waters of who she and Theo were without hurting either of them, but that wasn’t the case and she would have to learn to deal.

“If that’s what you feel like you need to do. But remember this, Theo. We’ve been best friends since we could crawl. If you’re going to throw that all away because you’re not getting what you want, then maybe you need to think about the relationships in your life.” She pressed her lips together once more, forcing herself not to say anything more because she wouldn’t be able to take it back.

He studied her face a long moment before sighing. “I want you happy, Mandy. That’s all I ever wanted.”

She blinked up at him. “I think I can be happy this way, for what it’s worth.”

Theo gave her a slight nod. “I’ll…I’ll be back later, I guess. Just stay safe, okay? We still don’t know what happened to Gibson, and the SAU guards are being suspiciously quiet since the higher-ups disappeared. Something’s off, and I don’t like it.”

Something was off about a lot of things, and no, Mandy didn’t like it either.

“I’ll stay safe,” she promised. At his look, she shrugged. “I’ll try to. Is that more honest?”

He gave her a tight nod before turning away and leaving her home. She swallowed hard, her hands shaking at her sides. She hated confrontation, and yet she seemed to be dong a lot of that recently. Mandy ran her hands over her face, knowing she needed to get back to work or she’d go crazy. Oliver and Gibson would be over eventually, and while she was alone now, she wouldn’t be for long. Because of the way the bears and cats had been forced into the den, she now had three roommates, all submissive female wolves who were on shifts in the den center.

Oliver and Gibson were the important ones and had homes of their own. And she needed to kick herself.
I’m important, too
, she told herself once more. She was. And those who didn’t see that, didn’t understand that, were the ones lacking.

However, exploring a relationship with two men would probably be easier at their places rather than hers. She might be alone for the moment, but she wouldn’t be for long.

She made herself a cup of tea, using some of the blend that Soren had snuck into the den, and was about to get to work when someone knocked on the door. She turned toward the sound and inhaled, a small smile playing on her lips after she caught the scent of the wolf and bear who filled her dreams.

She left her tea cooling on her shabby dining room table next to her notebooks and made her way to the front door to let them in. It wasn’t lost on her that Theo had walked in without knocking, and yet these two were cautious, respectful of her space. Theo had earned the right to come in when he felt like it long ago, and yet she had a feeling that might change now. It hurt, but she would learn to deal. It was what she always did.

As for Gibson and Oliver, the way they knocked on her door rather than making themselves at home would change, as well. Everything in her life seemed to be changing, emotions long since buried making their way to the tip of her fingers, to her heart, to her entire being.

When she opened the door, she had to keep herself from sucking in a breath. It wasn’t fair that these two were so good-looking. Oliver had pulled his chestnut hair back in a band, but his beard touched the top of his chest. Gibson’s dark brown hair brushed the tops of his shoulders and covered his eyes a bit until he brushed it back. The action sent shivers through her since his biceps bunched just right with the movement. He had more scruff than beard, and she loved the look of them both. If this worked out, she would be one lucky wolf.