Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)

That morning, he was supposed to work on a thigh piece for a fellow wolf, but the other man had cancelled, telling Gibson in apologetic tones that as the new Omega, he probably needed rest.

It grated on him that the other man had been right, but he did his best to ignore it. He hadn’t done a tattoo since becoming the Omega, and he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to at all. It was bad enough he could feel tension, hurt, and anger from others when he walked past them. What would happen when he was the one inflicting pain from the needle of a tattoo machine? He wasn’t sure he would be able to handle it, and because of that, he knew he’d have to take a break from the one thing that had centered him within the Pack.

Of course, he now had this new connection, but he didn’t know what to do with it. Nor did he know if he’d be able to fully control it. For all he knew, he’d break along the way, or worse, break someone he cared about because he didn’t know how to handle this so-called gift.

If he’d been born with the power or had known about it growing up like other Omegas in the past had, it would be one thing. But this had been dropped in his lap at a point in his life when he hadn’t been ready for it.

He had barely been ready for Mandy and Oliver. Let alone the ability to handle the emotional and physical health of an entire Pack and two more that were slowly joining theirs.

“Knock knock,” Mandy said from behind him. He turned at the sound of her voice, his wolf pushing against him for even a glimpse of her.

He smiled despite the weight on his chest at the sight of her. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair in wild waves around her head, and he thought she’d never looked sexier. She smelled of that delectable sweetness that was hers, wrapped in the warmth and strength that was Oliver.

Gibson wanted his scent mixed with the two.

And he would make that happen.

Soon.

He prowled toward her like he was a damn cat instead of a wolf and cupped her face, lifting her chin so he could look down into those eyes of hers he loved.

“Good morning,” he rasped before taking her mouth with his. She leaned into him, her breasts pressing into his chest.

“Good morning,” she breathed before leaning back to fan her face. “I swear, between you and Oliver I’m going to need a nap at some point so I can catch up.”

Gibson grinned. “Yeah? We too much for you, are we?”

She rolled her eyes. “Not too much. Just enough. Though sometimes I guess it feels like too much. And then at those times, I guess it will be up to you and Oliver to…play.”

Gibson licked his lips at the thought. “It does help that there’s always someone waiting in the wings in case we need to tap out.”

She snorted and hugged him around his waist. “Yes, because it’s just like a cage match.” She sighed into him and inhaled. “You smell…happy.”

He laughed. “Oh, really? How can I smell happy?”

She wrinkled her nose, and he leaned down to kiss it. Funny, he was still horny as hell, like he’d been before, but instead of the angst and worry that had come with it, he felt…relieved. Mandy had done that to him by just being near. He didn’t know what that meant, or rather, he didn’t want to think too hard about what that meant, but he’d take it as it was. For now.

“I don’t know. It’s not like you with the whole actually feeling emotions things, but when I came in, my wolf perked up because yours did. I guess that’s what I mean.”

He looked down at her, his heart in this throat. That she’d caught that with one look told him he hadn’t been hiding how he felt about her well at all. Why he felt the need to hide anything from her was beyond him though. Maybe it was because they were moving awfully fast for two wolves who had done their best to stay out of each other’s way in the past.

“You do make me happy,” he said softly. He ran his thumb over her jaw and swallowed hard. If he didn’t slow down, he’d take her against the wall, and he needed to breathe first. She deserved more than a rut to get him off. “I was just going to have a soda. You want one?”

She tilted her head as she studied his face. “I could use something to drink. Aren’t you going to ask why I’m here and Oliver isn’t?”

He blinked and cleared his throat. “I guess I was just so happy to see you I forgot the usual things like not being a selfish asshole.”