Chapter Sixteen
Craven
We found ourselves loitering in front of the sheriff’s office, and Holt couldn’t help but comment about it.
“You’re loitering, too,” I said, my eyes flicking to the bookstore with every word.
“I’m the sheriff. I don’t loiter. So, what exactly was the plan here, boys? You were going to try and meet Tawny? Court her? Spill all the tea.”
Rork choked on air. “Spill the tea? Why are you talking like a social media post?”
Holt smoothed down his hair. “Karissa says it. Rubbed off on me. Answer the question.”
Flint bobbed from foot to food. This was embarrassing.
Not because we were pursuing our omega. That was the only normal part of this thing.
But turning a simple meeting into a town drama gathering with the addition of law enforcement, well, it wasn’t our best moment.
“We came to meet her. It was supposed to be an easy introduction.”
“And so you could scent her,” Poe said. All three of us growled a bit. He put up his palms. “Hey, I’m speaking the truth. That’s all.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Maybe. Yes. Yes, we were.” No point in denying it. The way alphas and omegas knew if they were scent-matches was by, of course, scenting each other. Especially shifters.
We shared a laugh over that. I almost had the inclination to go home and start over with her. Without an audience and town gossip.
Maybe we’d jumped the gun in our haste.
Maybe we’d ruined everything.
My wolf was close to rabid. No, I hadn’t met her face-to-face but knowing she was inside, scared and crying, well, his instinct had kicked in full-force. Forget the scent. Forget any kind of introductions. Hell, I didn’t even how she laughed.
Biology and Fate knew what they wanted.
We talked about mundane things while we waited. The longer we did, the more anxious we all got. I could feel my brothers through the bond.
“Today might just be your lucky day.” Vaughn ticked his chin in the direction of the bookstore.
Karissa was outside and waved us over.
Once we closed the distance, Karissa brought us to where Tawny stood inside, looking sheepish. Blushed cheeks.
Goddess, Rork was underplaying how beautiful our omega was.
“All right, lady and gentlemen. Tawny, these are my mates Holt, who happens to be the sheriff, Vaughn, and Poe. And these three are Craven, Flint, and Rork. They are a pack. Guys, this is Tawny who now knows that three creeps aren’t trying to come in and murder or maim her.”
Karissa’s pack shook hands with Tawny, but we didn’t. It was a different dynamic. And I was sure that one touch from her, friendly or not, would have me drooling.
“Achoo!” Flint sneezed, breaking the ice. “Sorry. Allergies.”
Tawny nodded. “Nice to meet all of you. And yeah, I’ve been sneezing nonstop.”
Karissa and Tawny hugged. “Okay, boys. Behave. And, Tawny, if they give you any trouble, call us back. But I don’t think they will be. Also, you and me, let’s get that book club going. You have my number.”
The pack and Karissa left, waving goodbye to us and then we were left in silence. Except for Flint; he was sneezing his damned head off.
I sighed, looking around the place. There was a lot of work to be done. A lot. But the place had potential. Pleasant Pages had once been a bustling business, as bustling as a business could be in a small town.
Tawny drew my gaze. Her brown hair was pulled over her shoulder in a braid now, and her eyes showed proof of her earlier crying. She wore jeans that gave me all kinds of ideas and a simple T-shirt that hugged her breasts and pulled tight against her hourglass waist.
A goddess in her own right.
“We’re sorry,” Rork blurted, breaking the spell. “We didn’t mean to scare you. We wanted to introduce ourselves. I already did, but Craven and Flint wanted to meet you as well.”
Her scent billowed all around us. The sweetness of pancakes and maple syrup wafted, getting richer by the second. “It’s okay. I-I was lost in thought and worries and then you knocked and my mind went to the worst-case scenario. It does that sometimes.”
“Happens to us all,” Flint said, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket like he knew he was going to have a sneeze-fest. “This place is great. I can’t wait to see it up and running again.”
Tawny’s shoulders sagged. Her smile faltered. The pancakes and vanilla took on a zing of ginger or lime, souring most of her smell.
“We really are sorry,” I repeated. “We can leave if that makes you more comfortable.”
She shook her head and relief flooded my system. “No. It’s been a day. That’s all.”
Flint walked over to the seating area and pulled the fabric from the chairs and small sofa. “We’d love to hear about it, Tawny. Please…sit.”
“There’s nowhere to sit, not for all of us, anyway,” she sniffed. “I only have two folding chairs.”
“Then let’s go to lunch and talk there.”