Briar (Beware Of The Widows #6)

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

AVA (brIAR)

When I say this is the worst day of my life, I’m not exaggerating. Any other designation I could have lived with. Beta, Alpha, anything but Omega.

But here I am, standing in the bathroom staring at the slick coating my panties.

“Fuck,” I hiss, my pulse sky rocketing as the pure terror of what this means slams into me like a bag of bricks.

I have to hide these, mask the scent of lavender permeating the space around me.

Bleach every square inch of this damn bathroom if I have to because as soon as they smell me, smell what I am, I have no doubt that they will forget all about the fact that my mother is their omega and take what doesn’t belong to them.

I’d rather die than willingly let one of them touch me. But that's the thing with the Barns pack. They don’t care about consent, if anything they’d rather you didn’t give it.

My mother’s worst mistake was bringing those three men and their just as fucked up son into our lives.

But they had money, had drugs, and that was my mother’s weakness.

The only reason why she didn’t sell me for a fix in the past is because she’s too jealous.

The idea of someone wanting me over her always sent her into a nasty spiral that ended with me being degraded, and bruises left on my pretty face, or a chunk of my hair gone.

Whatever helped her feel better about herself.

When she met Pack Barns, they were immediately taken by her. Her beauty, the fact that she’s willing to let them do anything, and sadly I do mean anything, to her body.

Within a month of meeting them, she already had them moved in and their bite marks proudly displayed on her neck.

I’m not sure why she thought letting them bond her would keep them loyal. I’ve seen them around town with a new omega on their lap more than once. I never dared to tell my mother though because she would have denied it, told me I was lying and well, I just didn’t care.

I’m just trying to survive. I’ve been counting down the days until I turn eighteen. When I could leave here and never come back. If it wasn’t for the fact that my mother threatened to track me down and drag me back if I tried to leave sooner, I’d have run away years ago.

But the money she got from the government each month was her meal ticket. At least whatever was left over after she wasted most of it on drugs.

The only good thing to come from Pack Barns was the fact that they pay the bills and buy the food. Mind you, after they make their way through everything, there isn’t much left over, but it’s enough to survive. And I don’t have to worry about the electricity or water being shut off.

I have a room to myself, so I have some resemblance of privacy. Not that you can really call it a room. I’m pretty sure it’s a storage space. It’s big enough to fit a bed, dresser and lamp. No windows and the door locks from both the inside and outside.

I used to have a real room, but was kicked out so my stepbrother Ryan could use it.

I’ve never once felt safe in this place. And I sure as hell don’t now.

The sound of loud laughter beyond the door has my head snapping up. Fuck. They’re back from the bar. Shit! I thought I’d have enough time to deal with this, grab the bag I have packed and ready to go, and to get out of here before they’d return.

Grabbing my phone off the sink, I see that it’s one in the morning. Really? My body literally gave me one hour into being eighteen before presenting. Just my fucking luck.

If I hurry, I still might have a chance to get out of here undetected.

The sound of music blasting through the house fills me with the smallest bit of relief.

If they’re playing music, that means they’re more likely to stay up late and get drunk.

When they party, they tend to stay mostly in the garage.

This bathroom, and my room are on the other side of the house.

I can clean up, grab my bag and slip out of the door hopefully without being spotted.

Slipping off my drenched panties, I toss them into the sink and quickly work to clean myself up, shoving a ball of toilet paper as a makeshift pad before pulling up my sleep shorts. I wear skin tight ones, so thankfully it holds everything in place.

After I flush, I grab the cleaning supplies from under the sink and spray the bleach all over the toilet and surrounding area. Once that’s done, I turn the sink on, letting the water go so hot it nearly burns my skin and rinse my panties clean of slick before dousing them in bleach.

The reason why I’m going through all this trouble to hide my scent is because if they smell me, if they find out what I am, they will come looking for me. I know it.

My fucked up, sick in the head stepbrother has been waiting like a pervert for me to present. He doesn’t care that his fathers are mated to my mother. It’s never been a secret that he’s attracted to me, and his fathers have joked about us being together, keeping it in the family.

They’re fucked in the head, every single one of them.

Over my dead fucking body would I be anything to that sick fuck. He’s just as bad as his dads, if not worse.

Grabbing a trash bag from under the sink, I throw my panties in them, tying it tightly, then get to work on cleaning the sink, pouring the rest of the bleach over it.

Once that's done, I take the can of air freshener and start to spray it all over my body. The fake vanilla scent has me wanting to gag, but I push through.

Before I leave, I make sure I cover my tracks the best I can before carefully opening the door. I wait, listening to the sounds of the house. The music is still playing, chatter coming from the front of the house.

It’s now, or never. I can’t risk someone coming back here to check on me. Because I know Ryan will. He always fucking does. Phone in hand, I shove the bag into my back pocket, and rush down the hallway towards my room.

I’m in survival mode, a mental space I’ve mastered at this point. While on the outside I look calm, put together, determined, on the inside I’m freaking the fuck out.

Because now it’s real, now it’s serious.

This is, at least to me, between life or death. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d rather die than stay here, than let one of them touch me, than to be Ryan’s omega.

Dropping to my knees, I reach under the bed and wrap my fingers around the handle of my backpack and pull it out. Slipping it on my back, I grab my sneakers and slide them on. I’m about to leave before I remember the pocket knife I shoplifted from the corner store down the road.

I dart back to my mattress, lifting it up to find the slit cut open and shove my hand inside. Once I have my knife, I get the fuck out of there.

Double checking that no one’s around, I quietly rush towards the side door.

As soon as the cool night air hits me, a wave of relief settles over me. It’s dark outside, but the moon provides just enough light for me to be able to make it to the tree line without tripping over my feet. Hopefully.

Just as I take a step forward, ready to run for it, the smell of cigarette smoke fills my nose. My whole body freezes up, the familiar scent sending a wave of fear down my spine.

“What the fuck are you doing out here, Ava?” Ryan’s voice is like a shock to my system.

My heart threatens to burst from my chest.

I’m so fucking stupid. Of course there was a chance he was out here smoking. I should have factored that in, not just assume he was drinking with his dads. I know he smokes, like a damn chimney.

How could I be so damn stupid?

I don’t respond, I can’t seem to get my words to work even if I wanted to.

My breathing starts to come in quick sharp breaths, my head starting to spin as this annoying pounding starts to build.

“I asked you a fucking question.” His low, harsh growl has my spine stiffening. When he grabs onto my arm, his fingers curling around my bicep sending a jolt of pain through me, my head snaps in his direction.

Wrong move. I should have ignored him and taken off.

His cold steely eyes are like a dagger to the heart. And as if to drive the blade deeper, his scent fills my nose. It’s familiar, yet new.

And the moment my body lights up like a firework, my clit throbbing and my core aching, betraying me beyond compare, I know my worst nightmare is coming true.

No. Not him. Not this. Anything but this.

His pupils dilate, turning nearly as black as the night sky under the dim glow of the moon.

A low, chilling rumble vibrates through his chest, pulling an unwanted whimper from me.

What the hell was that?

And why the fuck does my body want him?

No, no, please no!

Thankfully my body isn’t in control right now. My mind does me a solid and snaps the fuck out of the state of shock I was in, sending me into a whole wave of denial.

Trembling, I take a step back, pulling myself free from his grasp.

A slow menacing smile curves his lips.

“Well I’ll be fucking damned,” he crows, a little too loudly.

My attention darts to the far side of the house, fearing that his fathers will hear him.

“I knew it. I fucking knew it. We were meant to be, baby. You’re mine. All fucking mine. And now, I finally get to have you.”

His words sober me up instantly and I return one of my own sneers of disgust his way. “Over my dead fucking body,” I rasp out.

“It’s so fucking cute when you’re feisty like this. I can’t wait to put you in your place. Now be a good omega and do as your alpha tells you and come here.”

“No,” I shake my head, taking another step back. “Fuck you.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it.” His laugh is something from a nightmare.

“Ryan, what the fuck is going on?” Buck, one of his fathers, barks loudly from inside the house.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Shaking my head, I take another step back, and another, putting a bit of distance between me and Ryan.

The door opens and out walks Buck, followed by Mitch and Ricky.

“Ava? What the fuck is she doing out here? Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Ricky asks.

“We got some great news, dads,” Ryan says loudly, sounding a little drunk. “Ava here has presented. She’s an omega.”