6. Trent
Trent
River is in a bad mood the moment he storms into Daisy’s lake house.
Daisy has booked one of the new lake houses at the Wynter Lodge, since she’s pretty tight with the Wynter pack these days.
Her Alphas, Pack Thorn, are first cousins with Noelle Wynter-Hale, of course.
Honestly, I was kind of pissed when I learned that my big sister had forgiven those assholes after what they did to her back at high school.
I was there that day in the gymnasium when they humiliated her at Silverpine High. They just walked away and let the whole school laugh at her.
At least they’re not here right now. Instead, they give her space and time to spend with her baby brothers.
That was nice of them.
River throws his suitcase down by the door, and seriously… What has gotten into him?
“Woah. What is with you?” Daisy laughs, reading my mind as she types on her tablet.
We’re both sitting by the fireplace with the plush seats, and an Alpha could really get cozy in a place like this.
My eyes find Daisy, and the tablet on her knees specifically. I’m not going to pretend to myself that she isn’t writing smut.
I bet Pack Thorn gives her a lot of inspiration.
Bastards.
River scowls down at her. “You really want to know, D? Well, it just so happens that I ran into an old friend of yours from Manchester.”
Daisy blinks up at him in surprise. “Manchester? How? And… who?” Her face pales. “It’s not Martina, right? That girl hasn’t stopped texting me since I got published.”
Does she mean Martina Coleman? I shudder at the memory of that girl. I never thought I’d find a British accent on a woman unattractive, yet on Martina… it was like nails on a chalkboard.
She was what the Brits called a “chav.” Orange makeup, gold hoop earrings, etc. They even do skits about the stereotype in many British comedies.
River growls in frustration, and does the memory of Martina irk him, too? “No. Taylor, or whatever her name was.”
Taylor? I don’t think Daisy ever had a friend called Taylor back at Silver Grove High.
It takes Daisy and me a few moments.
That’s when my eyes pop, and then I get a vision of a beautiful set of ocean irises. Truth be told, I never really forgot about them.
They’ve invaded my dreams every night these past ten years.
“Wait… Saylor?”
Fuck. The last time we saw her, it was just after final exams at Sixth Form. We had rejected her, and it’s something I regret every day.
I guess I have no place judging Pack Thorn when we did the same to Saylor.
We just didn’t reject her so publicly. We’d waited until the bullies had left the vicinity at least.
Still, in the end, am I really any different from Rowan? The worst thing an Alpha can do to an Omega is reject them. Especially their scent match.
Omegas can get incredibly sick if their Alpha doesn’t reciprocate their feelings.
However, from the very first day I saw Saylor, I knew she was ours. But we were already dating Emma at that time, so we couldn’t be unfaithful to her. In fact, even after she died, we remained loyal to her ghost.
It just felt too soon after her death to accept another girl into our lives.
But it seems fate has given us another chance.
Maybe.
If we didn’t already ruin it the first time.
I remember how Daisy was when we moved to Manchester. She tried so hard to move on from Pack Thorn at first, but I still saw the hurt in her eyes every time she remembered what those assholes did to her.
Daisy gasps, her hand flying to her mouth. “Of course! I forgot she got signed recently by FatedBond Press’s London office. This is amazing. We have so much to catch up on!”
River shucks off his jacket now, and he completely misses the hook on the wall when he tries to hang it up.
However, I still catch the faint scent that lingers on its fabric.
An English meadow… right after a soft rain… When I close my eyes, I can almost hear the blackbirds singing at dawn.
It’s Saylor’s scent, and it’s one I never quite forgot, even after all these years. It truly is breathtaking.
Saylor was breathtaking. But she was just too shy and humble to realize it. She was the best-looking girl at that school. It was why Martina picked on her, and why her boyfriend, Ryan, took every opportunity to humiliate her.
Ryan had a thing for Saylor.
Perhaps D won’t be the only one checking in on her.
But of course, I have no right.
Because I rejected her.
She won’t want anything to do with me or my brothers ever again. Still, if I do pursue her, it will just be to apologize.
The guilt has been destroying me all these years. Her heartbroken, ocean blue eyes will be etched in my memory for all time.
River storms up the stairs now to his room. Daisy calls out after him. “Where are you going?”
I sigh. “He’s going to rid the scent of an English meadow from his clothes, D.”
She raises a brow at me. “English meadow? What are you talking about?”
Of course she wouldn’t know. Saylor was our scent match, after all. Not hers.
But I shrug, pretending to act nonchalant as I return to my book.
Daisy gets up next, grabbing her tablet as she moves toward the door. She only grabs the device because she thinks I’ll peek at her writing.
Trust me, I won’t.
There are some things an Alpha really doesn’t need to know about his sister… especially the things her Alphas do to her…
“And where are you going?” I ask, mirroring her question to River earlier.
She beams at me. “I have an old friend to catch up with. Damn, I really have missed Manchester. I hope she still has the accent.”
Yeah, me too.
I’m still laughing long after Daisy shuts the door, and I don’t blame her for her enthusiasm.
She found herself in Manchester. So, to see someone from her old life really will make her feel like she’s back there once again.
Zale moves inside the house when she rushes past him, holding his palms up as he allows her passage. He looks at me. “Where’s the fire?”
I exhale, reaching my fingers up to rub between my brows. Zale joins me, taking the seat Daisy occupied moments ago.
When I look up, I find his gray eyes. They burn with curiosity. “It appears there’s been a new development, Z.”
Zale is quiet. Then he joins me in another sigh, running his hand through his long black hair. “Spill it.”
Well, I hope he’s prepared.
Because a certain ghost from our past has returned. The room falls quiet for several long moments.
River eventually trudges back downstairs after changing his clothes, his hair damp. He doesn't say a word as he heads straight for the kitchen, opening the fridge with more force than necessary.
"Feel better?" I ask.
He grunts.
Zale folds his arms. "You smell like half a bottle of body wash."
River shrugs without looking at either of us. "Didn't like the smell on my jacket."
The one that still lies on the floor. Zale’s eyes track toward the garment at once, and his nostrils flare as he tries to check out the scent for himself.
I see the exact moment it registers. His pupils bloom, and then a small growl echoes in his chest.
So, I guess there is no need to be coy now when I say, "You mean… Saylor's scent?"
River’s shoulders stiffen. Zale whips his head around, staring at me in shock.
Silence stretches between the three of us now as the realization finally settles.
Our old scent match from England has returned to our lives. The one we rejected. Because we were stupid. River finally laughs, a humorless sound. "She looked at me like..."
He trails off, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Like what?" Zale asks, exasperated.
There’s no missing his frustration and envy. After all, River got to be stuck inside a tiny plane cabin with her, breathing the same air.
And yet he has the gall to be pissed about it. As if his brothers are not drowning in jealousy.
River closes the fridge door. "Like she expected me to hurt her."
None of us speak.
I’m not surprised. Of course she expected it. Because we already have hurt her once.
River exhales heavily. "And the worst part?"
He finally looks at both of us now, his green eyes blazing. "She ran away from me. Like I was the monster under her bed.”
Zale closes his eyes, releasing a gritty sigh.
Yet I keep mine wide open. Because all I can picture are those huge, ocean blue eyes staring up at us in that empty hallway.
Back then, we'd convinced ourselves we were doing the right thing because Emma had just died.
But not for the first time… I wonder if that was the biggest mistake of our lives.
We really are a couple of idiots.