Chapter 15
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
ARBOR
I seriously cannot believe Glenn is here. Part of me is thrilled, but the other realizes this could easily go sideways.
Thing is, I’ve been in heat with most of the alphas here.
It was just convenient. Attie was here, they were here. I needed help.
It worked. Until it didn’t.
Glenn’s hand moves under my shirt, and his fingers are slowly stroking my hip. It’s driving me crazy. The way his body feels against mine…
His other hand slides up to fiddle with the pendant sitting against my chest. I know what he wants, but I refuse to do that here.
“When we get back to my place, I’ll take it off,” I tell him.
“You inviting me over?”
“Won’t you just follow me there?”
Glenn huffs a laugh. “I may.”
He peers over his shoulder and then meets my stare again. “You gonna tell me what Ten meant about missing their dicks?”
“Do I need to explain my past to you?”
He’s quiet for a moment, considering it. “You don’t need to, but I’d like to know.”
Fuck, when he puts it that way, I can’t help but tell him.
“Look, the truth is, I’ve been with most of the alphas here. Just for my heats. Just for one night…”
His fingers tighten against me, and he pulls me closer, that possessive alpha coming out to play.
I’ve always hated that quality about alphas, always flinched when someone tried to possess me, claim me.
But with Glenn, it feels different. Safer.
Like the word ‘mine’ isn’t a cage but a shield from a world that doesn’t totally accept who I am.
“You use that stone on them?” he asks, breaking through my thoughts.
“Yes, it’s why I have it. Attie didn’t want me getting stuck here for days with a bunch of alphas fighting over me.”
“So, how did that work?”
I sigh, not really wanting to tell him everything, but knowing I should. He’s attempted to let me back in. And what good is keeping secrets?
“My heats have always come on a fairly regular schedule. So, I would come here in preparation for the day it was due, and Attie would make sure I was safe. He gave me the stone just in case I needed help, but I never needed to use it in an emergency. I’d always use it as a way to escape when the worst of my heat was over. ”
“Hm,” he nods. “When was the last time you were here?”
“Well, I never came when I was with Vince. But the last time was about a year ago? It got to be quite the drive from the city, and when I got the job with Timberwood, I decided to just suffer through alone.” I meet his gaze.
“And I did just fine until that night I caved and joined in the Heat Hunt.”
His nostrils flare in remembrance, and I know if I let him, he’ll push me up against a tree and fuck me. I’m certainly wet enough to let him, but before we can, we’re interrupted by Attie.
“You two done snogging?”
I roll my eyes. “He has no idea what that means.”
Attie flips me off. “I fucking do. I’m part British.”
“He’s definitely not.”
“What the fuck ever, dude? Come back to my place and have a drink with me. I haven’t seen my bro in months.”
“I’ve been busy,” I say.
“Yeah, yeah, and I want to hear all about how busy you’ve been.” Attie waggles his eyebrows, and I can’t help but sigh.
“Sorry about him. He just is who he is. There’s no changing him.”
“It’s fine,” Glenn says. “Let’s have a beer.”
“Yeah?” I ask.
“Yeah, I’d like to get to know your brother.”
My eyes sting slightly at how sincere he is. Vince wanted nothing to do with Attie. Said he wasn’t my real brother, so what did it matter?
“Okay, and maybe after I can show you around? I know this isn’t my clan or pack or anything, but I think it’s kind of a cool place.”
“As long as you don’t talk about how you got around, I’ll be fine.”
I let out a laugh at that and link my hand with his, pulling him back toward Attie’s trailer.
“I won’t. What I told you is all you’ll ever get. Just remember, I’m an omega and I have needs.”
As we walk toward the lawn chairs Attie has set around an unlit firepit, I hear Glenn murmur, “And now I can take care of those needs.”
He sure can, I think, as Attie hands us each a mason jar with clear liquid inside.
I sniff at it and rear back. “Gods, not your moonshine again. You know what happened last time I drank this?”
Attie gives me a wicked grin. “Sure do. I think Glenn would like to see that.”
Glenn peers over at me, taking a sip of the moonshine, obviously not as bothered by how strong it is.
“No one is seeing anything,” I murmur, holding the glass away from me. Even the smell is making me drunk.
“Since Arbor is no fun and won’t be showing you how wild he gets with that stuff, you want me to tell you?” Attie asks, but before Glenn can respond, he adds, “He stripped naked and climbed a tree.”
A gasp leaves my mouth. “I did not!”
“You did. Said you could fly. It was fucking great. You flapped your arms and everything.”
My face flushes red, and I can see Glenn trying not to laugh. Fucker. He finds this amusing.
“How did he get down? Did the flapping work?” Glenn asks, and I kick him lightly with my leg.
“Don’t egg him on.”
Glenn shrugs. “I’m interested. Do fae fly? I don’t know much about them.”
Attie leans forward, taking a long swig of his moonshine.
“Some can levitate. Sadly, Arbor’s only magical power is that he glows when he’s really horny.”
“And his scent…” Glenn adds, making Attie bob his head.
“Listen to this. When I met Arbor, I was like, what, ten? And I remember him coming into my room smelling like burnt sugar.”
“Gods, Attie. You don’t need to tell him this.”
“Why? It’s how we began. He should know. I mean, you’re serious about him, right? That’s what you told me earlier.”
I flush even darker, and Glenn peers over at me, his gaze intense.
“I mean, yes, but still…”
“Then he gets the good and the bad, am I right? Your past, present, and future?”
Glenn takes another sip of the moonshine. I can smell it on his lips from here, and I think if he kissed me, I’d get drunk just from the contact.
“Not that I think you being a scared kid in foster care is anything bad,” Attie clarifies.
My eyes sting again, and I glance away. “Yes, it’s true. I was scared. I’d lost my parents, and they took me away, placed me in some weird, overcrowded house, but luckily I had an annoying Attie to look out for me.”
“Crawled into my bed, and here we are now. Grown-ass men.”
“I mean, I’m a grown-ass adult. I’m not sure about you,” I tell him, and Attie chuckles.
“Truth. But you always were a harder worker than me.” He gulps down some more moonshine and then burps. “Always had something to prove.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not an omega.”
“Well, I’m a shaman with questionable ethics and abilities, but—” Attie hops up and stumbles into his trailer only to appear a moment later.
“I have this for you. It’s gonna work this time. I know it. I found an ancient recipe book. One from your people, actually.” He holds out a vial and shakes it. The green serum sloshes against the sides.
My face falls, my eye twitching as he holds it out to me.
“Go on. Take it. You’ve been asking me for this for ages, and I finally did it! Don’t be shy.”
“What’s that?” Glenn asks, taking another sip of his drink. I grab the vial and shove it in my pocket.
“Nothing.”
Glenn arches an eyebrow, obviously not believing me.
“It’s for his scent. Will take it away completely. Well, at least for a few days. But I can make more,” Attie blurts this unhelpfully, and my stomach twists.
“He just wants a chance at love.” Attie stands up and moves toward a clear barrel next to his door, refilling his tumbler and taking another glug of moonshine.
“That true? Is it really to take your scent away?” Glenn asks me softly, and I peer over at him, my throat bobbing.
“Yes.”
He hesitates a moment. “You gonna take it?”
I open my mouth to tell him of course not, but Attie beats me to it.
“’Course he is! He’s been gagging for this.
Calling me every week asking for an update.
The stress I’ve been under to perfect it, and I finally managed it.
Not to mention…”—he waggles his fingers at Glenn—“the slick potion your brother has been bugging me about. That took the literal hair from my head. Gods! What am I? A machine? All I do all day is get fucked and make serums for you assholes.”
He falls back into his chair, and I resist the urge to kick it. I’d gladly watch him fall backward.
But I don’t do that. I just keep my feet grounded, that vial burning a hole in my pocket.
“It makes me sad you don’t like your scent,” Glenn says softly, his eyes meeting mine. “I love it.”
My eyes water, and I sniffle. “Well, I was going to take this. I really was. It’s been hard to find someone who likes me for me. But then I met you…”
The glass Glenn is holding rests against his bottom lip as he watches me. I want to lean forward and kiss him, but I don’t.
“You know what? Why don’t I show you around now?” I suggest as I stand up quickly, tripping slightly. Thankfully, Glenn catches me, his arm moving around my waist to halt my impending fall. I’m pulled into his chest, and the moonshine sloshes over the lip of his glass and onto my skin.
It burns just a little.
Doesn’t help that Glenn’s tongue laves at my skin, licking it up. Makes me warm all over.
“You’re doing this on purpose,” I whisper, and Glenn’s eyes twinkle.
“Maybe I am.”
“Come on,” I reply, linking my hand with his once more. It feels right, having him touch me. But then again, it seems he brings out the slutty omega in me.
“Hey! Where you going? What about me?” Attie asks, stumbling up next to us. He’s put on a cowboy hat, one that I got him a few years ago. It was a joke, but he ended up adoring it.
“You can come too as long as you divulge no more of my secrets,” I tell him.
Attie pouts slightly. “We can’t keep secrets here. You know this. So beware and be very afraid.”