Page 83 of All Packed Up

Duh.

She’d heard of this behavior before. It was all part of being a possessive omega.

It was strangely new to her. Never had she felt the niggling hyper awareness around the Sterling Pack.

Well, her omega was just going to have to get used to the idea of Nic and Griffith together. If anyone deserved a second chance at happiness, it was Nic.

Swallowing an annoyed sigh, she walked past the garden and continued on.

“He’s done a lot with this place,” Nic commented.

Wendy glanced up at him in surprise. “You’ve been here?”

Nic nodded, cheeks flushing. “A long time ago, he brought me here. This used to be his uncle’s land, and he left it to Griffith. It used to just be bare bones. None of this was here,” he said, and waved a hand at all the garden beds. “Once Griffith inherited it, he had plans to move out here and clean it up. I’m glad he finally did.”

“Finally?” she asked. “What makes you say that?”

Nic swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. “Uhm… I guess it’s not really my story to tell. I’m just glad everything worked out for him, is all.”

There was a lot to unpack there, but Nic refused to remove the locks so Wendy could nose through the suitcases. Fine.

She’d get it out of him eventually. She didn’t have to know right then.

“Right through there,” Nic said, pointing to a break in the tree line to the left, “is a little creek. I’m not sure where it leads to, but it’s really pretty.”

Wendy perked up. “Well, let’s go see!” she urged.

Leaves and sticks crunched and cracked, scaring birds into a flutter. The woods came alive as they entered, the wildlife skittering away to safer places to watch the humans.

Watching her steps, Wendy carefully navigated the tree roots, holes, and other small obstacles of the forest as they made their way.

“Do you know where you’re going?” she asked suspiciously.

“Of course I do. It’s here. Somewhere,” Nic said.

Narrowing her eyes, Wendy took her gaze off the ground to glare at the beta, but she did it at the wrong time. Her foot knocked into a root, and she gasped as her weight was thrown out of balance, sending her forward.

A strong arm wrapped around her waist and caught her mid-fall.

“Please don’t make me carry you limping back out of these woods,” Nic pleaded.

Wendy caught her breath surrounded by Nic’s warmth and gentle scent. “I’ll try,” she murmured.

Nic didn’t let go of her hand when he released her, and she tried to hide a smile.

She felt like a schoolgirl around Nic, what the hell?

It had to be the heat, it was fucking with her.

But that didn’t stop her from clinging to Nic’s hand as they continued their trek.

The sound of trickling water reached them only a moment later, and Nic pointed in triumph. “Told you. I knew it was here somewhere.”

The sun beamed in through the scraggly trees, some bare, some stubbornly holding onto their green fronds amongst the cold. The light hit the water, making it sparkle as it trickled south in a small stream. Pulled right up next to it was a fallen tree, long rotted from years of neglect.

“Did you guys share a bunch of secret kisses out here by the romantic creek way back then?” Wendy couldn’t help but ask, and she hadn’t intended it to come out so bitter. She was genuinely curious. Just how deep had their relationship gone?

Her fingers itched to scratch through his shadow and pull his lips down to hers. She wanted a romantic kiss by the pretty water, but she’d never say it.