Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)

Oliver did his best to not swallow his tongue at the sight.

“I didn’t scent coffee from your place so I brought you some,” Gibson growled. “I need caffeine if I’m going to be up at this ungodly hour.” He handed over a cup and Oliver nodded. “I don’t know how you like your coffee, so black’s going to have to do.”

He sat down next to Oliver and sighed.

“Black’s fine,” Oliver said softly. “Black’s just fine.” He paused. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” They sat there in silence, drinking their coffee and watching the morning come.

His bear settled down, enjoying the way Gibson was so close. They weren’t touching, but they were seated close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off the other man. Oliver took a deep breath and knew it was a mistake. The Omega’s rich scent washed over him and he had to hold back a groan.

Instead of doing something like acting on his instincts, he ran a hand through his wet hair and grimaced. He needed to at least brush the mass when it was at this length. Since it went past his shoulders, he usually had it back in a ponytail, but he’d slept roughly, and had showered without bothering to wash it because he’d just needed the water sluicing down his skin. Now he had a tangled mess that matched his rough beard that had grown past his chin.

He probably looked like a homeless person who needed a hot meal. No wonder Gibson had shown up with coffee.

“I felt you, you know,” Gibson said finally, and Oliver set down his now empty coffee cup.

“What do you mean?” he asked roughly.

Gibson set down his cup, as well. “I felt your pain, the angst of your dream. Or was it a vision?” He shook his head, his hair brushing the tops of his shoulders. “I don’t know exactly how, but I felt it.” He looked into Oliver’s face. “I’m not supposed to feel a bear, am I? Or maybe we’re all one Pack now that we’re so close and forming bonds within the den.” He paused. “But Oliver, I felt it. If that’s what you feel in each vision, then I don’t know how you can make it through each day.” His body shuddered. “That was…it was a lot.”

Oliver sat, stunned. No one had ever felt even an inkling of what it meant to be him, to experience a vision. He’d never met another Foreseer. Unlike those of his past, he hadn’t been trained alongside those who held his abilities. Instead, he had to feel his way around his role in the Pack—much like Gibson would have to do now.

“I didn’t know you could do that.”

Gibson met Oliver’s gaze. “I didn’t know I could either.” He swallowed hard, and Oliver watched the way his throat worked, trying not to feel like a lech. The fact that he was a year younger than the other man didn’t matter. “I’m still getting the hang of this. It’s only been a few days, and it’s not like I know what I’m doing, but I’m trying. I can’t figure out which emotion goes to which person yet unless I’m alone with them. And I can at least block those far away from me.” He sighed. “Thankfully, I don’t live by a lot of people.”

“Just the Tracker and the Foreseer, who need to be alone for reasons of their own.” He and Cole lived near each other on the edge of the den because of their roles within their Packs. Gibson had been there first, however, because Oliver figured he felt responsible for marking each member of the Pack around their brand, and needing to be alone was a result of that responsibility.

“What I felt wasn’t Cole,” Gibson said softly. “I don’t know how I know that, I just know.” He stood then, running a hand through his hair. “I’m apparently going to be able to heal not only emotional wounds but physical ones as well eventually. But I have no idea what the hell I’m doing.”

Oliver leaned back against the stairs. “Welcome to the club.”

Gibson sighed and met Oliver’s gaze. “Do you need to talk about what you saw?”

Oliver shook his head. “Not now.”

“Okay, then.”

There was an awkward silence as the two stared at one another. Oliver didn’t know why Gibson had come, other than that he’d felt he had to. But had that been because he was the Omega…or for another more personal reason?

Oliver opened his mouth to speak as a warm and sweet scent filled his nose. He turned as Mandy came through the same grouping of trees Gibson had earlier, her hair in a messy bun on the top of her head and a frown on her face.

Oliver scrambled to his feet even as Gibson ran toward her.

“What’s wrong?” Gibson asked, taking her in his arms.

While Oliver had felt jealousy when he’d seen Theo hold her, seeing Gibson with his arms around her gave him a completely different—and perhaps welcome—feeling.