Page 61 of Power Shift

“The doctor? Is this about him not sleeping well?” I ask no one in particular.

“Speaking of his lack of sleep, are we going to talk about what he said at dinner?”

My chest pangs. “Which part, exactly? The aches or the sickness?”

“Both. He never mentioned anything to me.”

“Me neither, but I’m not surprised. He feels what’s happening with us more than we do.”

“How do we help, Jas?”

“I don’t think it’s us who can help.”

He pauses, stare heavy. “The omega?”

“She’s here now for a reason, Dash. Even if you don’t believe that the way Ronan and I do.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe it. I just don’t feel the pull like you and Ronan do. I’m not dumb enough to think that if Landon were anyone else, you wouldn’t already have her moved in here and attached to your hip. My hesitation isn’t anything against her. Maybe things are just different for betas.”

I don’t bother lying and telling him he’s wrong about me and Ronan.

“You know that’s not true. Betas have scent matches the same way alphas and omegas do. There are differences, but not ones that big. Just because you don’t feel it to the extent we do yet doesn’t mean it isn’t there. If you open yourself up to the possibility instead of putting all your focus into Landon, maybe you’d be surprised.”

“And if I do open myself up and still don’t feel it? Then what? Do you have a plan for what happens if Landon ever did accept her and I still don’t feel a bond?”

“No, Dash. I don’t have a plan for that,” I bite out, my frustration bubbling over.

He sighs. “I’m sorry. That was unfair.”

“It wasn’t unfair. I just don’t have an answer for you. I’m still trying to keep us all together right now while also grasping ontoBriar. It won’t be possible to choose between the pack or her,” I say, defeated.

“You have my word that I won’t make you choose. Mate or not, she’ll be pack in my eyes no matter what happens.”

“Do you mean that?”

He clasps my shoulder. “We’re family. Of course I mean that.”

“We’ll convince Landon. Even if it takes weeks,” I swear.

“Can you picture us with an omega? God, what do we even do with one?”

I laugh hard enough for it to transform into a cough. “She’s not a stray pet.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“It’s what it sounded like.”

He releases me with a shove. “I meant that none of us have been on a date in years, and now we’re supposed to court an omega? How are we going to convince her to choose us when we can hardly even keep our pack together?”

“There’s a reason omegas are the heart of a pack, Dash. I think if we give this a chance, we’ll be surprised with how we come back together.”

As long as we can get Landon on track.

Once we do that, we have a real chance at this. At convincing Briar that we’re the pack for her the way I know she is.

21

BRIAR

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