Talk About… Rivalry (Rockwood Valley Omegaverse #2)

3. Maverick

Maverick

“ H ey, the viewers want to know if you ever smile, Mav,” Cameron teased, giving me a slap on the arm as he moved around me to take another order.

I gave the camera a dry look and shook my head.

“No. Smiles are for the weak.”

It was a joke and Nash barked out a laugh. My two brothers and I were always considered ‘the triplets’ in town. It wasn’t until we were older they even bothered to try and tell us apart.

Now, it was easy. We were three polar opposites, from our style, to our hair, to our personalities.

A lot of close brothers might pack up, but that was never in the cards for us. We were family and that wouldn’t change, but the thought of sharing an omega with them was crazy.

Cameron had found a mate early on in high school. Even if he fucked it up and has been miserable since. She was amazing, but more like a sister to me, completely platonic, and not a scent match, which meant she wasn’t our omega, just his.

Nash was into feisty, but sweet girls. The best of both worlds, he called it.

I was into… one girl.

Sidney Vance.

She’d haunted me from the time we were all old enough to notice omegas. When she walked into a room, it was like the world lit up a little brighter. Her laugh was contagious and she was always cracking a joke. Her sarcasm was sharp and I always found it sexy as hell when she put other people in their place.

See, Sidney and I were about as opposite as you could be but in the best ways. Where I would generally bite my tongue, she wasn’t afraid to let her words fly. I was a man of few words and she could talk for hours… and I could listen, hanging onto every word.

There was just something about her that I couldn’t put my finger on, something deeper that made me realize that she was more complex than anyone ever gave her credit for.

Sidney was a hard worker. I’d seen her do more physical labor than most alphas could manage. She was fit from working on the farm, her skin slightly bronzed from the sun.

All in all, she was a goddess, and I was obsessed.

Then there were times where she was quiet, staring off almost like the weight of the world was on her shoulders and god was that something I could relate to.

After my dads died, I was left to pick up the pieces. We had help back then but my brothers were falling apart, my mom didn’t move from her bed for days, and Avery was just lost .

So, I did what had to be done and made sure everyone was surviving. Especially after Cameron pushed his mate away and shut down right along with Mom.

Then it was me who cooked all the meals, made sure everyone ate, and tried to make sure Mama was trying to function at least on some level.

After that, I was the one who did what I could with the family business, keeping it afloat as soon as I was old enough to serve alcohol. Hell, before then I was helping Mom stock the shelves and manage the books before it opened for the day, and on busy nights I’d stop by to clean and close up after the doors were locked.

Now here we were years later, taking care of the same bar, only now Mom was able to step back and we kept it running.

When Avery came back to town, everything changed again—for the better this time. Not only did I have my little sister back and my family was as whole as it would ever get, she’d helped us build the business in a way that I never even considered.

PackVlog had blown up Whitaker Brews. In a few short videos and going live, she managed to double our revenue.

Now we went live once a week, all of us brothers working the shift together so we could win over our viewers.

“Maverick, keep the viewers company,” Nash said, shoving me towards the camera. For some reason people saw me as a challenge, the brother who they just needed to crack. I didn’t get on often, leaving it to the others who were far more charismatic, but when I did hop on, they went nuts.

Too bad for them, I was taken. At least I wanted to be. If she would ever look my way.

“Hey, guys,” I rumbled as I stepped closer, crossing my arms and practically glaring at the camera. I watched as the hearts flew up the screen, everybody liking the video. Our like count was nearing five-hundred thousand, which wasn’t bad for us just starting an hour ago.

Though, it could have something to do with Cameron pulling off his shirt after someone spilled beer on him. I swear anytime things got a little bit feral around here, people lost their minds.

I read through a few more comments before answering one.

“No, we’re all single,” I said, though it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Here come the marriage proposals, I thought to myself, biting back an eye roll as I read the messages. Some of the more ridiculous ones had me quirking up an eyebrow and shaking my head to show them that I saw.

“How long have we been working here?” I read out loud, picking up on one of the questions that wasn’t thirst trap related. “Pretty much our entire lives. Our dads opened this place when we were young. We lost our dads and our mom ran it until we were old enough, then we stepped in and never looked back.”

A bunch of comments rolled in, telling us they were sorry.

“Thanks, guys. It was tough but we had each other.”

Cameron was walking by and I reached out faster than he could blink and shoved him in front of the phone again.

“I did my five minutes, you’re up,” I growled at him before walking off to take more orders. He didn’t bother to put up a fight. In fact, when I glanced back he was flexing like a douchebag.

Whatever works, I guess.

My sister, Avery’s voice stood out among the crowd. Maybe it was obsessive how they were always on my radar, but I could pick her out of the chaos fairly easily.

When I saw her walking side by side with Sidney I swallowed hard, fighting off the blush that always seemed to rise when she was here.

I swear the omega was more alpha than I was.

I had a feeling she thought that I just looked out for her because she was part of our lives since being friends with Avery. That I just saw her as another little sister.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Hey, big brother,” Avery sang out. Someone just stumbled away from the only two open barstools and they snatched them before anyone else could. I wiped the sticky bar top in front of them and put two coasters down, quirking an eyebrow at them.

“What will it be tonight?”

“Just a Sprite for me,” Avery said. Her hands rubbed her rounded belly with a small smile on her lips. She was glowing, happier than I think I’d ever seen her. Finding her pack and coming home was the best thing for her.

I still couldn’t believe that I was about to be an uncle in a few months. Sometimes I wasn’t sure how to feel about it but she assured me I’d be a natural once I had those sweet babies in my arms. I couldn’t argue with that. She’d done the same to me.

“Girl, not me. If you want me to rehash these bad date details I’m going to need something stronger,” Sidney groaned before turning to me. “How about a Long Island?”

Mentioning a date made me want to argue, but I simply nodded and turned, making their drinks and mulling over the possibilities about what made the date so bad… even if I was secretly glad it was.

After I slid her drink and waved off her card, I hovered nearby, cleaning some glasses that didn’t really need cleaning and wiping the bar top...anything to listen.

“I kid you not, Avery, these assholes handed me a contract .”

What the hell? Now I needed names of whose asses I’d be beating after my shift.

“Oh my god, no.” She laughed. “What could possibly be in a first date contract?”

“Some bullshit about what would be expected of me as their trophy omega. I kid you not, they used those exact words. Oh, and if I didn’t live up to those expectations? They outlined the punishments I’d receive if I didn’t have dinner on the table or tend to their every need the moment they requested it. Oh, and since we weren’t true mates, I would just be a temporary placeholder until they found their mate.”

Okay, now I was growling low, trying to stop it but that sent fury through my fucking veins. How could anyone look at a girl like Sidney Vance and try to mold her into some fucked up omega standards that had been outdated for years.

Fucking twats.

Avery was frowning almost as hard as I was as the next words slipped out of Sidney’s mouth, her voice quivering with pain.

“Maybe this is the best offer I’ll get, always a placeholder for packs until they find their mates.”

Fuck. If anyone was lucky enough to have her and threw her away, they’d be fucking stupid. She was the complete package, brains, beauty, and sass.

Avery wasn’t having it, either, her words firm as she leaned in so Sidney couldn’t ignore her.

“Sidney, just because your scent doesn’t work now, doesn’t mean it never will. You’re not broken. Even your doctors are hopeful that when you find your mates your scent will come in.”

My heart broke for her. I had no idea that she wasn’t just wearing blockers. I always found it odd she didn’t have a scent and figured since she never reacted to mine that I was simply not her mate. That didn’t stop me from wanting her and willing to give up everything to have her.

Wait… Holy shit. If her scent was dormant… that could mean she was my mate. That we were scent matches and we just didn’t know it yet.

That possibility was enough to make me want to snatch her up and carry her out of here right now, to test out the theory.

Though, Avery would kick my ass, pregnant and all.

I’d spent years hoping Sidney would one day wake up, come near me, and be struck by that telltale reaction to finding a match. Her green eyes widening, freezing mid sentence, nostrils flaring as she took in another deep breath to confirm.

But it never came, and now I knew why.

Fuck, my mind was chaos and I didn’t know how to handle it. Did I say something to her? Press her for more information.

But I couldn’t. She’d probably be horrified to realize that I overheard it all.

“To make it even worse,” Sidney said, not skipping a beat, “They found a fucking scent match right there in the middle of dinner. They threw me under the table faster than I could blink, leaving me with the fucking check.”

Her face twisted into a grimace, eyes far away as if she were reliving that awful moment.

A deep, low growl filled the air, and it wasn’t until they turned to me that I realized it was coming from me. I let my eyes close and took a deep breath, my fists so tight that my blunt nails were digging into my palm.

How could those fucking assholes leave her with the check? No matter if they found their mate or not, you handle something like that delicately.

The fact that they hurt my omega made me want to track them down, even though I had no names or faces.

“Sorry, I just overheard that last part. That’s shitty, Sidney, I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

She let out a sigh and shrugged. “I wish I could say that it was the worst part of the night. The contract was worse. And the waiter was really cool about it. I paid for my food and the desserts so I could take them home, which means they skipped on their bill. The restaurant banned them after I gave them their names so they could try to hunt them down. It would serve the dicks right if the police got involved.”

“Fuck those assholes,” Avery said. “There’s a mature way to handle situations like that, you don’t just skip out on a date and be a dick.”

“Then they had the audacity after making me listen to them rant and rave about themselves, to say that I was not that attractive and was simply a placeholder anyway to appease her. I handed her that contract, and honestly, if she signs it then they probably deserve each other.”

“There’s no way that a contract with punishments is legally binding,” Avery scoffed.

“Girl, I don’t know, I’m not a lawyer, but I hope they live the life they deserve.”

“Just give me their address and I’ll make sure they do,” I promised, a wicked smile spreading across my face.

Sidney laughed and held up her now-empty glass.

“How about you just give me a refill, big guy? That’s all I need.”

Avery and I shared a look, one that said she was very much in agreement with me beating their asses, but I did as she asked. I made sure her second one was a bit weaker. Something I knew damn well she wouldn’t miss.

When I handed it over, Sidney took a drink then narrowed her eyes.

“I’ve had one drink, Maverick Whitaker, you do not get to cut me off yet.”

I didn’t answer her, simply crossed my arms and stared her down. She knew damn well that I could be more stubborn than she was.

With a huff Sidney drained her drink and turned herself around, giving me her back for a moment.

“Oh my god, I have to pee again,” Avery complained before climbing down her chair and waddling off to the bathroom.

Though, I would never tell her she was waddling out loud. My poor sister was carrying three babies—that deserved nothing but praise.

“You know,” I said, leaning closer to Sidney, hoping that I could convey with my eyes just how much I meant what I was about to say. “If you ever need me, I’m here for you. That pack was full of idiots. You’re beautiful and incredible, Sidney. They never deserved you anyway.”

Her lips parted and I watched as her tongue darted out, wetting them. Her eyes started to close for a second before she took a breath and then her sarcastic mask was right back in place.

“If only the rest of the world thought the same, Maverick.”

God, I wished she could see that I didn’t give a single fuck what the rest of the world said… this omega was mine.