Talk About… Rivalry (Rockwood Valley Omegaverse #2)

21. Maverick

Maverick

“ E verything.” That one word held so much pain that my chest ached for the small omega in my lap. I continued to run my hands up and down her arms, never breaking eye contact.

“What does that mean, Sidney?”

My voice was practically a plea, begging her to trust me. I wasn’t sure about this whole pack nonsense, especially with Leo being part of it. I couldn’t stand the thought of trying to share a life with someone who was risking everything I’d worked so fucking hard for.

Yet, I never doubted Sidney for a second. I may have been stupid, though. This was proof that I shouldn’t have pushed her away, that I should have been a fucking man and just told her how I felt.

Maybe this was my chance to fix that.

I’d already texted the group chat that Bennett created. I told them that she needed them, and I meant it. I was never an alpha that was good with words. She needed a beta, and probably her omega, to get her settled.

She still hadn’t managed to speak but I refused to let her go. Her body was quivering like a leaf in the wind. When she would peek up at me, her eyes were swimming with tears, fresh ones falling every few minutes as another wave of pain hit her.

The fact that we were in the parking lot of the Omega Network Clinic was only amping up my anxiety.

What had the doctor told her that had caused this sort of reaction?

Then I remembered what Leo said about catching a glimpse of her scent.

Had she done the same?

She was too far gone to realize the others were walking up. Leo was the first to reach us, and for once, I was relieved to see him. He sat next to me, his thigh pressing into mine as he sat close enough to pull her out of my lap and into his.

She looked at him, almost startled.

“What are you doing?” she questioned. God, even her voice sounded off. It was strangely raspy and vulnerable, a whisper in comparison to her usual strong cadence.

I always considered Sidney outgoing, one of those omegas who could command a room.

Maybe it was just my attention that she always commanded.

I knew when she walked into a room. I heard her laughter in a crowd. My eyes were drawn to her like she was a magnet and I couldn't resist her pull.

Leo gently wiped away her tears with his thumb before tucking her hair behind her ears. Every movement was gentle and reassuring.

I still didn’t know how to process that.

“Look, I’m going to be really honest here, Sidney. I thought that I was going to feel the same as I did back then. That I was going to want nothing to do with you. Then I got stupidly defensive on Taylor’s behalf, but it was unfounded. Last night I realized that everything I knew about you was wrong. That’s something we can talk about later and then I will apologize all over again, but I want you. We want you. Don’t shut us out.”

She didn’t speak, just looked at him. After a few beats, he rushed ahead.

“You’re mine, Sidney. I’m here for you. Always.”

Another sob broke free. “That’s the fucking problem. I’m no one’s.”

“You’re very wrong about that,” I said my voice was low and gravelly a growl that had her eye snapping my way. “You’ve been mine for a long time, I’ve just been too stupid to speak up.”

Now her eyes were wide, shock washing over her features.

“I’ve tried to keep my distance from you, Sidney. At first, I didn’t understand this thing between us. I figured that we weren’t scent matches or that you didn’t feel the same way I did. You know better than most that I’m shit with people, I always have been.”

That had a wet chuckle escaping. A flash of pride hit me. I did that. Me.

“You’re gorgeous, you’re smart, you’re independent, you’re outgoing, and you’re a lot of the things that I could never be. That date, I just wanted you to say something, to stop me, and when you didn’t I thought it was a sign I needed to move on.”

She winced and I continued, not wanting to make this worse. Fuck, I wish I was better with words.

I couldn’t lose her.

Sidney was everything.

“I fucking hated every moment of that date. She wasn’t you, and that was all I could think about.”

She started to open her mouth and say something but I stopped her, needing to get this off my chest.

“It was never on you to say something, Sidney. That was my job. I was just too scared that you would turn me down and that was stupid in itself.”

“I wanted you, too,” she admitted, reaching over and taking my hand even as she made no move to get off of Leo’s lap. She had melted into him.

For the first time I genuinely considered if this was what a pack meant. I wasn’t jealous, just relieved.

Taylor and Bennett arrived at the same time. This time, she caught the sound of their footsteps stomping across the pavement as they rushed our way.

“Sunshine, what happened?” Taylor asked, his voice gentle and imploring as he sank to his knees next to her, brushing a kiss over her forehead.

My chest tightened at the easy contact. What was wrong with me that I couldn’t just do that? Why couldn’t I tell her how I felt before now? I should be able to reach for my omega anytime I wanted.

It was a hard pill to swallow, knowing that she needed them way more than she needed just me right now.

Maybe there was some merit to this pack business. They could give her what I couldn’t.

Bennett didn’t sink to the ground like the rest of us, he looked around as if checking for danger. When he realized we were well and truly alone he crouched down next to her.

“Angel, we are all more than willing to talk. We just want to figure out whatever’s going on in that pretty little head of yours. But this isn’t the place to do it.”

She blinked up at him. His voice was strong and sure enough that it commanded her attention. Her gaze shifted to the half-empty parking lot around us before she winced.

The Sidney I’d always known, the one who used her strength as a form of armor, took over. Her face was determined as she swiped furiously at the tears running down her cheeks. She swept fingers through her hair before tossing it over her shoulder and trying to climb out of Leo’s lap.

Apparently, he wasn’t ready to let her go. Couldn’t blame him there.

“Do you want us all to come with you wherever we’re going,?” Leo asked gently. She looked at him still seemingly startled by his presence as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“I guess?” she questioned more than said, but that was enough.

Leo stood easily, lifting her with him. He walked around to her passenger door before settling her in with Taylor’s help.

“Where are we going?” Taylor asked as he climbed in behind her, a hand moving to her shoulder. I’d never seen Sidney as the touchy type but she leaned into her omega.

I walked around front, ready to drive, but Leo beat me to it. He gave me a smirk as he slammed the door, my growl echoing in the silence that followed the thud of it slamming closed.

I took back my earlier thoughts. The beta was a dick, through and through.

“You can follow in that big old truck of yours, alpha,” he said. Between the teasing and the mocking voice, it seemed our rivalry wasn’t gone, just suppressed for a moment while we took care of our omega.

“Why don’t you take us to this pack house of yours?” Bennett suggested. “It’s better than our shared spaces or the inn.

“Follow us there,” Leo offered. He turned on her car before checking on her again. I didn’t hesitate to head for my truck. It was only a few feet away, parked haphazardly in my haste to get to her. Honestly, I was lucky I parked at all.

Bennett pulled up in a sleek SUV, giving Leo enough room to pull out. The beta took the lead, probably liking it a bit too much if I had to guess.

Bennett followed and I pulled out behind him, keeping our procession close as we drove.

I’d lived in Rockwood Valley my whole life and I thought I’d seen just about everything there was to see. When Leo pulled out onto an old road I always considered farmland or rental cabins, I realized I was dead wrong.

The road was serene, gorgeous even. It didn’t take him long before he pulled into a long, gravel lined driveway leading up to an old farmhouse.

It clearly needed some work, and from the tarp covered construction materials out front, I’d say he was already in the process. It was huge, though. More than enough space to accommodate our tentative pack.

We all parked out front and I was over on Sidney’s side of the car before Leo had a chance. I heard his easy chuckle as I pulled open her door and helped her out. She stood on wobbly legs and I kept an arm around her waist as we led her inside.

Whatever happened today had shaken her and the need to find out what happened was so visceral that it couldn’t be ignored.

Some of Leo’s confidence faltered as he led us up the porch. He glanced around at his house with fresh eyes trying to see it through our perspective most likely.

“Look, it’s a work in progress. There’s a lot about this place that’s a mess, but I’m working on it.”

“ We have been working on it,” Taylor emphasized. “And that’s so not an important point right now.”

“Agreed,” I grunted, nodding for him to open the door. Leo did as I asked, holding it wide so I could lead Sidney inside, too.

Bennett walked in behind us, letting out a small hum of approval.

Even I couldn’t find much to complain about. The house had character. Sure, there were a lot of updates to be made, but it was already starting to improve. Fresh coats of paint covered the walls and the floor shined under our feet. The base was here and that was what mattered.

This was one of those old houses where the architecture shined. I wasn’t the only one who loved it.

“This house is beautiful,” Sidney said. I hated how her voice wavered. Instinctively, I rubbed at the ache in my chest with one hand, my other tightening around her waist just a little. Feeling her in my arms was calming some of it, but I needed to know what happened.

“We don’t even have a couch yet,” Leo said. “But we can settle at the kitchen table.”

I led Sidney to the table he pointed out. I pulled out a chair and settled down, draping Sidney across me. I wasn’t ready to let her go yet.

She went red and tried to move, but I tightened my grip, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

“I’ll let you go if I have to, Sidney, but having you in my arms is calming my alpha down right now.”

“What happened at that doctor’s office today?” Taylor asked.

She let out a breath and I half expected her to not give us an answer. I should have known she’d surprise me. Her voice was a little stronger this time, even if she wouldn’t look at any of us as she spoke, eyes trained on the table in front of us.

“I’m pretty sure we all know that I don’t have the ability to scent and I have no scent myself. My heats have always been unpredictable. They’re short and choppy, something I could just ride out alone.”

My stomach turned at the thought of her riding out a heat by herself. Somehow, I kept myself from saying anything, knowing she needed us to simply listen.

“At The Landing last night… for the first time in my entire life, I caught a scent.” Her eyes flickered to Leo, confirming what he’d already told us.

Bennett cleared his throat and leaned forward, making sure her eyes were on him. “I scented you that night we spent together. It was brief, but it was there.”

A little growl escaped me but Bennett just waved me off.

“You don’t get to complain when you didn’t even tell her how you felt,” he chastised me. My mouth snapped shut.

He was right. What could I fucking say to that? This was all my fault. I could have had her for years at this point.

If today was any indication, she needs all of us, just as much as I need her.

“Dr. Graves thinks that at least one of you is my mate, and that it’s likely going to kick my heat into gear. Hence the weird emotions. He gave me a week, maybe two, to prepare but that’s only a guess. The doctor suggested that I talk to you guys about helping me through it and…”

She cut herself off, unable to get the words out. We glanced at each other to check in, not one ounce of hesitance between us.

We were all willing to help her through her heat if she wanted it. I would even put aside my differences with Leo.

Anything for her.

She shook in my lap and I tightened my grip, about to ask what was wrong when the other alpha spoke up.

“What is it?” Bennett prompted her. He had a way of speaking that was so commanding, firm but gentle enough that the answer came tumbling out of her.

“He thinks that mate bites will fix my issues. But I can’t ask you guys to give that up for me. If I’m not your mate, I’m not willing to ruin your chances at finding the omega fate wants you to have.”