Page 167 of Power Shift

I couldn’t care less about whether she likes me or hates me.

The door pops opens, and I smell Briar before I have a chance to enter the room. Her perfume is . . .intense. It’s everywhere, yet not where I need it. I want it rubbed so deep into my skin that it will linger there for the rest of my life.

My cock hardens, pulsing as I gulp and focus on Clover. “Where is she?”

“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t allow you in here. Sadie has given me approval to let you in long enough to grab Briar, so do that quickly and then leave. Take her home and care for her. Please. She needs all of you right now,” she says, her stress obvious.

“All I want is Briar. Sadie’s safe with me.”

“I know. I wouldn’t have asked you to come in—alone or with an escort—if I thought differently. But I’m pissed off at all of you. If I knew she was in heat, I wouldn’t have told her about this. Briar shouldn’t have been here tonight.”

I take the hit. “I know. We all knew that. This clinic is Briar’s life, though. This is everything she loves, and we weren’t going to take that from her.”

“Harbour of Hope used to be everything she loves. It’s not anymore. Now, she has all of you to fill the hole she got used to stuffing full of this place. She deserves more in her life than work and a dream of pack life. Just give her that, alright?”

“We will.”

Slowly, Clover takes a sidestep and leaves an opening for me to come inside. I chase Briar’s scent and find her sitting on the floor. The wet spot in the centre of her chest is almost as bad as the gleam on her forehead. No doubt, she’s sweated through the back of her top as well.

Her hair is frizzed and stuck to her throat as she moans and rolls her head to the side. I struggle not to choke on the intense mix of scents in the room and, for once, am more than happy to be a beta instead of an alpha.

“Dash?” Briar croaks, straining to open her eyes.

The dullness in them is alarming. I drop to a squat immediately, cupping her face in my hands and tilting it upright. She rubs into my touch and moans, a shiver moving down the entire length of her body.

“It’s me, sweetheart. Time to go home.”

“Home,” she repeats softly.

She weighs nothing in my arms when I lift her and look at the hospital bed for the first time. The omega lying on it is gazing lovingly at the baby in her arms, so exhausted she can hardly keep her eyes open. The soft words she murmurs are inaudible, but I can guess they’re declarations of love.

Sadie pulls her attention from the baby just long enough to give Briar a worried once-over. Then, she’s looking at me and pushing forward a silent plea.

Take care of her.

I nod.Of course.

“Call me when the heat breaks,” Clover says, hovering.

“We will. Thank you for watching over her.”

“I didn’t do much. She was the one who held herself together.”

I lower my lips to Briar’s forehead, meeting skin hot enough it burns. “That’s my girl.”

“Leave before you lose your chance. And don’t forget to keep her hydrated. She’s going to need a lot of liquids before you even think about getting her into a nest.”

“Water, got it.”

Briar curls against my chest, her body shaking like she’s cold but having the opposite effect. She perfumes again while bringing her face to my throat and inhaling. I’m already out the door by the time she starts squirming, legs rubbing tightly together.

“Have the time of your life, Bee!” Clover calls before we get too far.

Briar doesn’t reply. Her mouth is too busy sucking on my throat.

I tighten my hold on her and ignore the ruthless tug in my chest. It’s unlike anything I’ve felt before. Like someone’s reached into my chest and started pulling my ribs out one by one. But the only person who could pull that off is in my arms.

The receptionist tells us goodbye, and then I’m rushing us out the front door.

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