Chapter 15 Daisy
Daisy
The Wynter Lodge hosts a spring festival as the guys and I have been personally invited by Noelle herself.
Now me, Ash, and Briar walk through the crowded lanes of the stalls, gazing at various games and fairground rides. They even have an Easter Egg hunt, of which we participate, of course.
So, the three of us now search for clues in the woods. Children run around in excitement, seeking out chocolate eggs.
So far, I’ve only found two. But it’s just nice to take part in the celebrations.
Also, it’s a beautiful, sunny day as spring is in the air, bringing with it the scent of new beginnings.
Looking at the three of us, you would think we had always been a pack. It’s surprising how natural things feel between us, but there are still those awkward pauses—things left unsaid.
We have no history—unlike Noelle and her pack—and the only memory we share is of that awful day. But I am trying to put that behind us.
Perhaps we can work. Maybe…
A bleak heaviness washes over me as I recall the look of disdain on Rowan’s face. He was the one who never wanted me, not his brothers.
They always went along with what he said, but they are here now to make amends. That’s all that matters.
“Are you okay, Daisy?”
The question comes from Ash. I put on a brave smile, meeting his soft green eyes.
“I am, Ash. Thank you.”
He doesn’t pry further. He knows I’m upset by Rowan’s blatant rejection.
Just why doesn’t his brother want me? Perhaps I am still the same nerdy girl I was back in high school.
I will never be good enough for an Alpha like Rowan. For one, he’s handsome and smart, and he carries himself with such confidence.
It’s hard to believe we’re the same age. I’m still childish and insecure. But he was always that way, even at seventeen.
It must be so nice to have life figured out already.
I don’t think I will ever truly know myself. I am always discovering something new. Perhaps Rowan is just as confused and lost as the rest of us. If he is, then he hides it well.
Maybe too well.
He must be grieving his mother, surely. His mask is just so impenetrable. It’s hard to read him.
Our Easter Egg hunt leads us to the verge of a clearing. Briar searches the long grass beside a painted sign of a bright pink egg.
“Not a very convincing egg,” Briar points out, pushing the grass aside. “We could be looking for a blob at this rate. Or a rock. How hard is it to draw a goddamn oval, for crying out loud? My bets are on Noelle. She may be the writer in the family, but her drawing was always questionable.”
Ash snorts. “Then take it up with her, B. Maybe next year, you can paint all the eggs on the signs.”
I study Briar next as he keeps searching for either a blob or a rock. “That’s right… You were always good at art. Do you still do it?”
The Alpha sighs, ruffling the tufts of grass. “I dabble here and there. Mostly, I just work at the bar. I do tattoos sometimes, too.”
Ash glances down at me. “Briar is a little directionless right now.”
Briar rolls his eyes at his twin. “I am not directionless. I am just finding myself. We can’t all be big burly tree huggers like you.”
Ash grins, flexing his biceps. “Nope. We can’t.”
I stifle a snort. I used to see this playful side to them back at school. But of course, I always watched from a distance.
Now, I get a front row seat.
Ash kneels next as he observes a cluster of daisies. Several bees collect pollen from between their white petals, and it’s just so strange to see such a big Alpha admiring the flowers.
They are pretty, I guess.
That’s when he plucks one up from the cluster, rising back to his feet. He doesn’t say a word as he places the stem of the daisy into my hair and smiles, showcasing a lovely set of dimples.
My heart pounds as his fingers slide across my cheek slightly, and I get a feel of those hard calluses…
My—I have no idea what to say. He has left me speechless. It’s a promise. Symbolic.
A daisy for Daisy…
“Found it. What do you know... It was an egg after all.”
Briar holds up the bright pink egg. It’s covered in metallic foiling, and I smile at the Alpha. He grins back at me with pride, flexing his own muscles.
That’s when I spot the daisy on his right arm.
My heart thuds yet again.
Could it be…?
A little girl appears from the woods next, wearing a big pair of fluffy bunny ears on top of her curly head. When she finds the egg in Briar’s hand, she turns downcast. She even juts out her lip.
So cute and sad…
Briar looks at me and Ash. Then his eyes land on me. I smile, letting him decide. In the end, he hands the egg to the little girl. “Look what the Easter Bunny left for you.”
The child doesn’t speak. But she does smile up at the Alpha, placing the egg in her basket as she rushes back to her parents on the other side of the clearing.
I smile, stepping toward Briar. I pat his shoulder ever so slightly, right where his daisy tattoo is. “That was a nice thing you did, Briar.”
The Alpha shrugs, gazing at the spot where my fingers graze him. I move it away quickly, gripping a tight hold of my own basket again.
Briar wraps his hair in a tie, marching back towards the woods. “Well, those eggs aren’t going to find themselves.”
Right. Of course.
The Easter Egg hunt.
I look up at Ash. He gestures his hand forward in a ladies-first manner. And now we both follow Briar into the woods.
Just maybe things will work out with us.