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Ryder gave her a strange look, as if he was reading her thoughts, then nodded. “Yes. Gideon wanted to do a hunt with you next to him to introduce you to the Pack outside the mating ceremony. It’s not a full moon hunt, but since we don’t actually need the moon to shift, we’ll still go through all the same motions. And this time, you’ll be with us. It’ll be a good way for you to get to know the Pack.”
She nodded, smiling slightly. “That was good of him to think of that.” Though it would have been nice if he’d actually spoken to her about it first. She didn’t like being kept in the dark, and if she was going to act as the Alpha’s mate, she had to not look like an idiot.
Ryder smiled. “Gideon doesn’t usually tell others what he’s up to. He just does it.” He leveled a look at her. “It will be something you’ll have to work on with him. You might have a better shot than we ever did.”
Nothing like having the weight of a family’s worries on her shoulders before she even left the house.
They sat there in silence for a few moments, drinking coffee. It wasn’t awkward since Ryder seemed to be a quiet wolf to begin with, but she wanted to ask more questions. Before she could open her mouth to start, the door opened, and the Brentwoods piled in.
She stood up, wiping her hands down her pants, trying not to feel out of place. It was almost impossible to do so considering she was the outsider, despite her new bonds.
These people would be her new family. It wasn’t as if she was leaving her own family forever, but mating into a new Pack was different than just a normal mating. She’d lost the physical bonds she’d had before, and now she would have to make new ones. New ones with people she didn’t know at all.
Why had she done this again?
Oh yes, because Gideon needed her.
His Pack needed her.
She needed to remember that.
The Brentwoods reminded her of her family in that all of them had a similar, distinctive look about them. Each of them had dark hair and bright blue eyes set in faces with chiseled features and full lips. Seriously, even the cousins looked as though they were all siblings with one another. Plus, they were some of the most beautiful people she’d seen.
Even though they were all attractive, she silently thought that Gideon was the best of the bunch. Not that she’d tell them that.
None of them spoke at first, but each sat down on the pieces of furniture filling the living room. Gideon came in last, and her wolf pushed at her, whimpering because they weren’t close enough. Brie held back, barely. He stood in the doorway, his gaze raking her body before he turned away and moved past her to sit on the arm of the couch next to an open spot.
Without a word.
Well, heck. Now what was she supposed to do?
She went back to her seat and sat down, aware that every eye in the room was on her. Instead of cowering under the strength of their wolves, she straightened her spine and raised her chin without meeting any of their gazes. There was only so much her wolf could do in this situation. Maybe a more dominant wolf could have gotten away with more, but she was who she was, and despite what Gideonmighthave needed, there was no changing that.
Brynn tilted her head then sighed. “Well, it seems I’ll be the first person to speak since my brother is being oddly quiet.” She smiled softly, her face brightening a bit. “Welcome to the family, Brie. I know we’ve all met you over the years and even more of us last night, but big brother here thought it would be good to have all of us over so you can get to know us better without the rest of the Pack around.”
Brie smiled back, relieved the other woman had broken the ice. The fact that it had been Gideon’s idea in the first place warmed her. She didn’t know him, yet she wanted to. Sheneededto. If she couldn’t find out who he was directly from him—it was apparent he wasn’t a big talker—then she’d find out through his actions and through others. It was going to have to be the best she could do.
And she could do this, she reminded herself.
Brie cleared her throat. “Well then, it’s nice to meet all of you. Again.” She let out a small laugh, grateful that a couple of them joined her. “This isn’t awkward at all or anything.”
Walker, the Healer she remembered, grinned. “Not at all, Brie. We’re happy you’re a Brentwood now. You know we’ve been friends with your family for a couple decades now, so we know some things about you. But it will be nice to find out more from having you in our presence.”
Ryder sighed. “Thisdoesfeel like an awkward date with the bunch of us seated like this. How about we all introduce ourselves and tell you our roles in the Pack. You might already know all of it, in fact, youdoknow it, but this way we can make it more formal in an informal setting since you are now our Alpha’s mate, rather than Jasper’s daughter.”
“That sounds like a plan,” she answered back, aware Gideon’s gaze rested on her. Yet the man still hadn’t spoken. Shereallywished he’d speak. They hadn’t said a word to each other since they’d bonded. Considering they’d fallen asleep soon after in a tangle of limbs, the last thing she remembered of her mate was him pulling out of her.
Not the most helpful way to begin a mating in retrospect.
Ryder smiled softly. “Well then, Brie Brentwood, I’m Ryder Brentwood, Heir to the Pack. I’m the second oldest in our immediate family, hence why I’m the Heir and not Mitchell.”
She stiffened for a moment at the sound of her new name coming from his lips, but tried not to show it too much. He’d said it before, of course, during the mating ceremony, but her mind had been on other things—namely trying not to pass out. She’d learn to live with the new name as many mates did, but it still didn’t seem real, despite how she’d spent the night before.
Despitewho’dshe’d spent the night before with.
Mitchell, the one with the same blue eyes, though they held a touch more pain, gave her a curt nod. “Max and I are brothers,” he said, pointing between him and another wolf with a very sweet smile. “We’re also cousins to the rest of these guys.”
“We were all raised together,” Max said, a smile on his face. “Hence the reason why people confuse us as siblings.”
