36. Brylee
36
brYLEE
“Where is he taking you? Ohmygawd, this is so romantic I could die.” Harper throws herself dramatically on my bed, her pin-straight brown hair cascading around her. “This is like one of those forbidden romances I love to read. The sexy professor and the rebellious student…”
I slap at her foot, forcing it to the ground, and sit in the now vacated space to put on a pair of pumps. They look amazing with the pretty red dress Harper let me borrow.
“For starters, Luka isn’t my professor. He’s Teddie’s,” I tell her as I put my final shoe on, then straighten. “And secondly, this isn’t truly a date. This is just an alpha and omega, going out for dinner.”
Harper blinks at me. “Yes. Like a date.”
“Not a date,” I insist firmly as I finally rise from the bed. I make a beeline toward the full-body mirror hanging on my door and twist back and forth, studying myself.
My blonde hair—that Harper spent hours curling—falls in perfect waves across my shoulders, and the red dress feels like it’s hugging me too tightly, as though it’s holding my nerves in place. I spent hours getting ready—choosing the right outfit, applying makeup carefully, adjusting every little detail until it all felt just right. But now, looking at myself, I can’t help but feel exposed. The dress, the makeup, the perfect look… It’s all so much, and yet it feels like a shield I’m wearing to hide what’s beneath.
I’ve been hurt before, and that fear, that doubt, lingers like a malignant tumor in the back of my mind. What if tonight is just another reminder of how easily trust can be broken? How easily hearts can be shattered? What if I’m not enough?
I take a slow breath, trying to steady myself. My fingers hover over my dress in an attempt to smooth out imaginary wrinkles. I want this to go well, despite everything I said to Harper. I want to feel something different tonight, something positive, but the weight of what I’ve been through holds me down, threatening to suffocate me.
Harper materializes behind me in the mirror and places her hands on my shoulders.
“Breathe, Brylee,” she says gently. “Just breathe.”
I do so, sucking in a lungful of scorching air. The black specks freckling the edges of my vision dissipate. I’m grateful I managed to stop myself before I spiraled into a full-blown panic attack. That’s the last thing I need tonight.
I shoot Harper a grateful smile before stepping away from the mirror and grabbing my clutch.
“I should head to the front entrance. I have some paperwork I need to fill out before he picks me up.”
All omegas leaving Darling on an official date need to complete a plethora of forms, which range from benign to invasive. My strategy is going to be to scribble illegibly so that the forms are complete but give no real information…except of course, my date’s name. That has to be logged in a database. Ugh.
I have a feeling that, by tomorrow, my parents will know about this little not-date with Luka. I wonder how they’ll react, considering their hard-on for Brock and his pack.
“Have fun!” Harper calls to my back. “And make sure Luka uses the door when he picks you up, instead of the window, okay?”
I flip her off.
* * *
By the time I finish all of my paperwork and step outside, Luka is waiting for me, leaning against a sleek sports car that I never could’ve imagined him owning. Ridge? Maybe. He definitely seems like a car guy. Kylian? Most definitely.
But Luka? Straight-laced, frowning, posh Luka? Hell no.
I bite my lip as I step toward him. Despite my trepidation, I can’t help but notice how handsome he looks. His brown hair is slightly tousled, giving him a relaxed yet effortlessly stylish look. A bit of scruff covers his face and adds a rugged edge to his otherwise polished appearance. He’s dressed in sharp, tailored dress clothes—a fitted blazer, crisp trousers, and a tie—that complement his strong, well-defined frame. The combination of his suave demeanor and the high-end car beside him exudes a sense of luxury and charm, making him look like the epitome of modern sophistication.
I feel…plain in comparison. Dull.
Self-consciousness cracks through my chest.
Is this dress sophisticated enough for Luka? Pretty enough? Maybe I should’ve let Harper put my hair up instead of leaving it down?—
No!
A tidal wave of anger sweeps away all other emotions. I refuse to allow self-doubts to plague me like they did years ago. I’m stronger than I once was, and not just physically.
So, taking a deep breath, I heft my chin into the air and stalk forward confidently, praying Luka doesn’t notice the way my hands shake by my sides.
He straightens as soon as he sees me. Fire burns low in my belly at his awestruck perusal.
“You look…” He swallows, a muscle in his throat bobbing. “You look positively divine.”
“Thanks.” Prickles of heat race up my neck and settle in my cheeks. “So do you.”
“I…errr…we got these for you.” He pulls his hand out from behind his back, and I gawk at the mismatched assortment of flowers arranged there.
Flowers.
They got me flowers.
An indecipherable feeling arrows through me as I take the bouquet from him. Each flower is unique but beautiful. Hesitantly, I run the pad of my thumb across the petal of a purple flower. My favorite color. The one beside it may just be the prettiest I’ve ever seen, though the third flower is the most unique. I bring it to my nose and inhale deeply, relishing the patchwork of scents. The fourth and final flower… That one smells the best. Definitely.
I can’t help but compare these flowers to the guys themselves. It’s apparent they each had a hand in picking them out. If I had to guess…
Kylian chose the purple flower. He must’ve noticed the accents in my room, along with my bedspread and comforter. Colter picked the navy tulip. It’s unique, like him, and kind of smells like…well…me. At least, the version of me on suppressors. It’s a much more subdued scent than some of the others. Ridge definitely selected the sweet-smelling flower. He seems like the type of man who would play by the rules, and most alphas know that omegas are drawn to objects—or people—with enticing scents.
That means Luka chose the jasmine.
Did he choose it just because it’s beautiful? Because of the scent?
I rack my brain, trying to remember a class I took last year on floral arrangements. A lot of flowers have hidden meanings to them.
Jasmine… That means love, purity, and devotion, right?
My heart stutters in my chest before screeching to an abrupt halt. It must be a coincidence Luka gifted me this particular flower. Perhaps he thinks it’s pretty or likes the smell.
I realize I’ve been silent for a solid minute, absently rubbing at the petals of the bouquet. I glance up to see Luka staring at me. Is that…anxiety I see in his eyes? I thought I was the only one terrified.
“These are beautiful, Luka. Thank you. And, errr, tell the others thank you as well.”
Luka’s face lights up instantly, and my breath catches at the sight. He’s handsome normally, but when he smiles like that, free and uninhibited, I can’t help but feel a little lightheaded. He’s radiant, though I can’t help but think that he doesn’t smile often enough. None of them do, now that I think about it.
Except for Kylian—but those smiles are usually reserved for pain and bloodshed.
Luka hurries to open the passenger door for me, and I slip inside, running my hands restlessly along the smooth leather of the seats.
Luka gracefully slides into the driver’s seat and starts the car. Immediately, a voice sounds from the radio.
“…isn’t just done from the bedroom. Wooing starts from the very first moment you speak to your omega. Remember to ? —”
Luka’s cheeks turn crimson as he hurries to turn down the volume dial.
“I forgot that was on.”
Some of the nerves in my belly fizzle away.
“Were you listening to?—?”
“No,” Luka says quickly. Too quickly. “My younger brother borrowed my car last.”
“You have a younger brother?” I swivel slightly in the seat to stare at him, one of my eyebrows arched.
There’s a beat of silence, then Luka says, “No.”
Laughter bubbles in my chest, and I swear the lingering tension diminishes.
“So do you lie to all the girls or just me?” I tease.
He groans and throws his head back against the seat as he steers us out of the parking lot. “Can we just start over? Please?”
“You sure?”
“Very.”
“Okay. If you insist…” I reach for the radio dial and turn the volume back up.
“If you can’t love your omega outside of the bedroom, how are you supposed to love her inside of it?” the speaker says, his soft baritone filling the car.
“What are you doing?” Luka demands, quickly reaching to mute the radio once more.
“You’re the one who said you wanted to start over. And if you remember correctly, when I first entered your car, the podcast was on…”
Luka’s lips twitch. “Evil minx.” He then sighs and runs a hand through his artfully styled hair. “This isn’t how I wanted our first date to start.”
“This isn’t a date,” I blurt out automatically. When he glances at me out of his periphery, one eyebrow quirked, I say, “It’s a cashew.”
Silence.
Complete and utter silence.
Then Luka throws his head back and laughs so hard that I actually jump in my seat. Tears stream down his face, and he uses one hand to brush them away while keeping the other on the steering wheel.
A smile tugs up my own lips, even as I say, “Oh my god. Stop crying or you’ll make us crash.”
“Cashew? Really?” Luka snorts. “That was the dorkiest joke I ever heard in my life. And besides…dates aren’t nuts but fruits.”
I shake my head adamantly. “They are not fruits.”
“Want to bet?” Amusement glitters in his eyes as he glances at me before focusing on the road once more. The butterflies in my stomach go absolutely crazy, and I wipe my sweaty hands against the bottom of my dress.
“What are we going to bet?”
Luka contemplates for a moment, one of his long fingers tapping against the edge of the steering wheel. After a moment, his lips unfurl into a mischievous smile. “If I’m right, you have to come to dinner at my house this week with me and the other guys.”
I swallow. Dinner with him and the others? I’m not sure I’ll be able to handle dinner with just him alone. Refusal is on the tip of my tongue, but it isn’t what comes out.
“And if I win?” I inquire.
“What do you want?”
I think, then smirk triumphantly as an idea occurs to me. “The four of you have to ease up on Ted.”
Luka doesn’t even hesitate before saying, “Deal.” He’s either immensely confident in himself…or desperate to please me. “You know, Brylee, that we’re not trying to be assholes when it comes to your brother.”
I make a noncommittal humming sound, even as my curiosity piques.
“We don’t hate Teddie,” Luka continues. “At first, we only pushed him hard because he’s the crown prince, and we’ll need someone strong in power if our country is going to survive this shit. But then, when we discovered you…”
“Yeah?” I press, urging him to continue, my heart galloping in my chest. I’m going to need bug spray if I have any hope of surviving the butterfly infestation in my belly.
“I know you two are close. All we ever want to do is protect you—even from the emotional pain of losing someone you love. We want to help make him stronger because it’s rough out there.” Luka’s gaze slides to me, and I’m struck dumb by the emotion in his eyes. I feel hot and cold all over, and prickles of awareness race across my skin.
He’s pushing Teddie…for me? To protect me from the pain of losing him? I know they alluded to it before, but hearing it said so blatantly causes my chest to tighten.
Memories of the last time I saw my brother play on a loop in my mind.
His sunken cheeks…
His glazed eyes…
His dry lips…
The sweat on his cheeks and forehead…
Luka can’t protect me from losing Teddie. None of them can.
I ignore the uncomfortable stinging in my eyes and dig my phone out of my clutch.
“Let’s see who won the bet, shall we?” I ask, grinning in his direction.
But my smile instantly falters when I type in dates .
It appears I’m going to Alpha Team X’s house later this week.
Fuck.