Chapter Forty-Nine: Briar

Briar stared at her reflection in the mirror, hardly recognizing herself. The dress she wore stopped just above her knees. The silky white fabric was thin and clung to her curves. While it wasn’t too low cut in the front, the back plunged down, exposing every inch of her back. She wore simple nude heels that were the highest she’d ever worn, and they had styled her hair into a half updo with loose waves falling around her face. After all of that, Stephen had even coached her on walking in her new shoes.

Jasmine had kept her makeup simple, using her skills to enhance Briar’s natural beauty, while explaining that they wanted her to look as innocent as possible. Briar didn’t respond that she didn’t feel particularly innocent after the last couple of weeks that she’d had, but she kept her thoughts to herself, while continuing to ask as many questions as she could think of about what the experience would be like. While none of the three helping her get ready had been through what she was about to go through, they had spent years working in the brothel and they’d heard enough stories over the years that they had a good idea what the auction process, and what happened afterwards, was like for the majority of the girls.

“You won’t be expected to know anything really, because you’re a virgin. It’s part of your appeal. Just make the man feel like he’s made you feel amazing by the end of your time with him. Even if he hasn’t.” Stephen particularly was a fount of information, offering up far more details than Briar had expected. “But don’t be too dramatic. You need him to think that it’s real.”

Briar nodded, trying to remember every bit of advice that she was given.

“Once the auction and your weekend with the buyer is over you’ll have a week to rest at the Dragon’s Lair. We’ll all be there to see you the moment you get in. You’ll be pampered and prepared for the next part of your work. And the girls there will be happy to give you lots of advice. There’s no shortage of customers, so for the most part, the workers there get along quite well.”

The door opened as Briar turned, admiring the work the three had done to get her ready, and as she looked up she was surprised to see Caelan standing in the doorway. She wasn’t sure why, but after seeing how disapproving he’d been on the plane, she hadn’t expected to see him again after she’d signed her contract. Or at least, she hadn’t expected to see him until well after the auction.

“Oh. You’re in here. I thought that this room was empty.” Caelan’s voice was flat and a bit odd, causing Briar to tilt her head, her brow furrowing as she tried to figure out what he was up to. She was certain that the man before her was capable of lying, but she was also certain that he was lying about not knowing she was in this room, although he made no effort to hide his dishonesty. “I guess we’ll have to put you someplace else, Harlow.” He stepped to the side and Briar got a glimpse of the girl standing behind him.

“Wait. Harlow? What are you doing here?” Caelan turned back around, gesturing for Harlow to enter the room, a cocky smirk curving up the corner of his lips.

“Briar?” Harlow didn’t answer her question but instead stepped past Caelan, her eyes growing wide as she took in Briar’s appearance.

“Beta Poe and Hux kidnapped me. They knocked me out and brought me here to sell me. But it doesn’t work that way here I guess. Mr. Rose has offered me a job, but I’m not sure if I’m going to take it. I can’t imagine not seeing Kayla every day.”

Harlow let the words rush out from between her lips as if she couldn’t help herself. She and Briar had known each other back home in Alaska, and their infrequent encounters had always been friendly, but each had been so busy with all of the work they had to do to survive, that Briar wasn’t sure she would actually have called Harlow her friend before everything had happened that had brought her down to Las Vegas. Now, however, seeing a familiar face, particularly with the stress of what she was doing, and what she knew she was giving up, Briar nearly felt as if her best friend had just walked into the room.

“Is it safe for you to go home?” Briar understood quite well why Harlow might decide to stay away from their hometown, even if it meant not seeing Kayla regularly. “And is Kayla safe back there? I only agreed to do all this because Mr. Rose said that he would move my sister and mother to a new pack and set them up. I’ll even get to see them sometimes. Maybe you could work out the same sort of thing. I made sure it was in my contract before I signed it.”

“You signed the contract already?” Caelan spoke for the first time since he’d watched Harlow walk past him into the room.

“My sister and mother will be safe.” Briar didn’t answer his question directly, but she knew that she didn’t need to. Caelan had heard her say already that she’d signed the papers. After all, she wouldn’t be there, getting pampered and dressed up like this, if she hadn’t.

“And that’s all that matters.” Caelan spit out the words, obviously barely keeping a lid on his anger.

“Don’t upset her.” Margot stepped towards the huge dragon shifter, a frown on her face. “You know what Hudson would say if he even knew you were in here, much less having this conversation with her. Don’t you dare upset Briar when we’ve got her all ready and beautiful for the night ahead of her.”

“Your auction is tonight?” Briar nodded, her cheeks turning pink as she thought about what the night held for her.

“Wait. You two aren’t sisters?” Stephen interrupted their conversation, stepping between the two women and looking back and forth.

“No.” Briar said quickly.

“We don’t know.” Harlow said at almost the exact same time.

Briar turned towards Harlow, who had taken a few steps further into the room, looking at her expectantly.

“You can’t just say that and then not explain.” Briar finally spoke when Harlow stood there silently, twisting a ring on her finger as she fought to find the words to explain why she had said what she just said.

“I just found out that I’m supposedly not human. I’ve been being given drugs to suppress my wolf since before I was old enough to shift. Brielle, you’ve met Brielle?” When Briar nodded, Harlow continued with her story, “She seems to think, from what Beta Poe and Hux told her when they were trying to sell me, that Beta Poe is my father.”

“But that wouldn’t make us related.” Briar was frowning as her brow wrinkled. She was obviously confused by what Harlow was saying.

“You aren’t an Omega, Briar.” Caelan was the one who interrupted her from the back of the room. Briar turned her eyes in his direction, staring at the dragon shifter like he’d lost his mind.

“Of course I am. I’ve spent my life serving others. I’ve bitten my tongue and done exactly as I’ve been told. I couldn’t be any lower in the pecking order of our pack if I tried.”

“But that’s not what makes a wolf an Omega. Believe me, I know. We’ve had a few live here. And they’re submissive in a way that you aren’t. It’s part of who they are. You might have been beaten into playing the roll, but you have a fire in you that hasn’t been put out, despite all the abuse you’ve endured. A true Omega wouldn’t have stood up to me the way that you did in that hotel room. Think of your mother, and probably your sister too. Can you imagine either of them being as sassy to me, a dragon shifter who most male shifters are terrified of, the way you were?”

“I knew you wouldn’t hurt me.” Briar shook her head, obviously still having difficulty wrapping her head around what she was being told.

“You two stayed in a hotel room together? I bet Hudson doesn’t want that to get out.” Stephen’s comment was to Jasmine, but it was Margot that told him to hush and let the girls talk.

“Maybe it’s not true. I’m really only going off what we look like. And the fact that I think Beta Poe is scum and capable of just about anything.”

“That would mean that my father wasn’t really my father.” Briar’s voice was soft, but her eyes went from Harlow to her own reflection in the mirror and then back again. “And it would mean that Cara was our half sister.” A shudder passed through Briar’s body at the thought of being related to the person who had nearly had her killed.

“It would.” Harlow’s voice was soft. “It would also mean that we were sisters. And that Kayla’s your niece.”

“We need to find out.” Briar’s voice was suddenly firm.

“And we will. Even if we have to pay for a DNA test to get our answers. I mean I think that’s the only way we’ll know for sure. I don’t think either of us should ask Beta Poe if he really went around knocking up women in the pack who weren’t his mate, for the last couple decades.”

“I might be able to help you get the answer to that question.” Harlow nearly fell over as the sound of the voice coming from the doorway, but it was Briar’s reaction that had her stepping forward to put her arms around the woman that she thought was probably her sister.

As Theon stepped into the room Briar swayed on her feet, the blood draining from her face.

“Please don’t kill me. I promise, I’ll stay away. I’ll never come back. Just let my sister and my mother leave the pack and I swear, I’ll never be a problem again.” Harlow heard Theon swear under his breath behind her, but she was too busy gathering the woman she believed was her sister into her arms.

“You’re safe here, Briar.” Harlow whispered, not turning to look at Theon. “I promise. He’s not here to hurt you. And I know he doesn’t deserve your forgiveness, but give him a chance to say what he has to say. Maybe we can fix some of this mess after all.”