Playing You (Omega's Luck #3) - Claire Cullen Page 0,37

to change at home, I normally go to a local shifter park. There’s one only a few blocks from Mrs. O’Brien’s house. Maybe you’ll come with me once we’re back? There’s an indoor area and lots of outdoor space. No kids after six p.m. and every second Saturday either, which is great when you don’t want cubs hanging off you the whole time. I seem to have that problem a lot.”

“Because you look like a cuddly teddy bear?” Riley suggested innocently.

Brendan huffed out a breath. “Something like that.”

“I think I’d like that. I mean, if this works, and I still have a shifter animal, it would be nice to reconnect with him properly. Is it… expensive?” He was conscious of his finances, given how long it had taken him to claw his way up out of poverty.

“Nah. There’s a monthly membership fee, but it’s not going to break the bank. You could consider it an employee perk and let me cover it…”

“You pay me well enough as it is,” he said quickly. The alpha’s generosity knew no bounds. “At this rate, you’ll be signing over half the company to me.”

Brendan grinned. “Hey, but then you’d have to do half of the paperwork. Win-win from where I’m standing.”

Despite the tension he felt, Riley laughed. “You’re impossible.”

“If that’s a compliment, I’ll take it. If it’s an insult, well… I’m not the only impossible one in this room.”

Riley pretended to look around, feigning innocence. “I don’t know who you could be talking about. There’s no one else here.”

The alpha’s grin sparked a feeling of warmth inside him, and he grinned back.

“Okay, enough dawdling. Time to get active.” Brendan moved onto his knees, his hands resting loosely on his thighs. “It’s hard to describe it, but I guess it’s kind of like meditating? You clear your mind and leave space for your shifter animal. My guy is always raring to go, so the second my thoughts are quiet, he’s right there. Yours, though… It’s been a long time, so I’d guess he might be far away? You’ll have to give him the time and space to come to you.”

As Riley listened, he realized that it wasn’t going to work with him just observing Brendan. With a sigh, he tugged off his sweater.

Brendan’s eyes lit up, but he frowned a moment later. “Riley?”

“Watching you isn’t going to be enough. I need to be doing it right alongside you.”

Standing up, he unbuttoned his pants and shoved them and his underwear down his legs. He pointedly didn’t look in Brendan’s direction, feeling his cheeks grow hot.

“You’re right,” Brendan agreed quietly. “We’ll do this together.”

That did draw his gaze back to the alpha’s, finding nothing but compassion there.

“Thanks, Brendan. I really appreciate everything you’re doing.”

“Hey, you’re the one saving my sanity this weekend, remember? It’s been heaven so far.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

He sank to his knees, doing his best to mimic the alpha’s posture. Brendan looked loose and relaxed, which was pretty much the opposite of how Riley felt right then. He forced himself to take a few deep breaths, conscious of the slow rise and fall of his chest.

“Close your eyes,” Brendan urged. “That’ll make it easier.”

Riley wasn’t sure anything was going to ‘make it easier.’ In fact, he had one very distinct worry that he couldn’t quite shake.

“Is it going to hurt?”

He searched Brendan’s eyes as he asked, certain that the alpha wouldn’t lie to him.

Brendan seemed conflicted for a moment, but then he nodded to himself and spoke.

“It always kind of hurts. But it’s a good hurt. Like stretching a muscle. You feel better after. And it fades quickly.” In the face of Riley’s uncertainty, he added, “If it was that bad, no one would ever shift. But yeah, since it’s been so long for you, it might hurt more. My guess is that the relief will be so much sweeter. That’s what you need to focus on. Your shifter animal has been trapped in the cage of your human body for years. On some level, you feel that, every hour of every day. Think how good it will feel to be free of that.”

Now that Brendan had said it, Riley knew exactly the feeling he was talking about. One he’d carried with him as far back as he could remember. The constant, nagging sensation that his skin was just too small for his body. It was a feeling he had always pushed to the back of his mind and tried to pretend wasn’t