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Brady notices him the minute the McDavid pack arrives.
They had been planning for this moment for months – years, probably, though Brady’s parents hadn’t mentioned it until they had entered into official negotiations with Alpha McDavid eight months ago – but now the day was here. Matty was getting married, tying the Tkachuk and McDavid packs together permanently by bonding with Alpha McDavid’s second.
Brady stands with his family as they wait for the McDavid pack to enter the Tkachuk community hall. Matthew is still, quiet in a way that Brady has never known him to be, Taryn on his other side practically vibrating with excitement. He bumps his elbow against Matty’s, and stifles a laugh as his older brother practically jumps in the air.
“You okay?” He asks, and Matty nods stiffly.
“Yeah, sure, this is completely normal, right? I mean, I get married to a complete stranger every day.”
“Boys.” Their mom admonishes from Matty’s other side.
“They’re not even here yet.” Brady tells her, which gets a glare from his father and alpha that has Brady wilting slightly. “You know you don’t have to do this.” He tells Matty, who rolls his eyes.
“Because McDavid will take it so well when they get here, and I reject his second.” Matty has a good point, Brady concedes, but it’s also 2021. Yeah, arranged marriages are still a thing, but Matty’s also not going to be forced into anything. No, he remembers clearly when their parents had brought the McDavid offer to Matty, had let him participate in the final negotiations, had let him have the final say in formally accepting the proposal.
It was a good deal for all involved, Brady could also concede. The McDavid pack were small but strong, well-respected and making all the right moves to become one of the most powerful packs in North America. Aligning themselves with the Tkachuk pack was another step in that, his family being one of the oldest packs in the States. It was also good for his family, especially after the many raised eyebrows they had earned when his father had announced that Matty would be his heir. An omega inheriting leadership of a pack was not unheard of, but not when the alpha had two healthy, strong, younger alpha children. In centuries past, Matty would be skipped over in favor of Brady, but Keith had stood firm, and Brady was more than happy to support him. He had little interest in being the pack alpha, and now they would forge a new path for their pack with Matty and his future mate as leaders. With the support of the McDavid pack, Brady was confident that no one could successfully challenge them.
Brady was pulled from his thoughts by the doors of the community hall finally opening. Johnny and Kevin were at the front of the McDavid party, guiding them in before taking their places among their side. Alpha McDavid and his mate led the small group – there were more members of their pack on the outskirts of Tkachuk territory, Brady knew, but this was the ceremony that would cement their alliance, allow the rest of their party to join them for the celebrations.
Alpha McDavid was less intimidating than Brady had expected, but with a friendly countenance as he approached Brady’s father and alpha.
“Alpha Tkachuk.” He greeted, bowing his head slightly as his mate did the same, but a little more deeply. “Thank you for allowing us into your home.”
“Welcome, Alpha McDavid.” His dad replied. “You are welcome here, as are you, Omega McDavid.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was light and soft, airy. “My thanks to you as well, Omega Tkachuk.”
“I hope you’ll find your lodgings to your liking.” His mom replied, and it was always so strange to him to see his parents act so formally that Brady had to stifle a laugh.
“Allow me to introduce my son, Matthew.” His dad gestured to Matty, who bowed his head at McDavid stiffly.
“An honor.” McDavid replied. “And this is my second, Leon Draisaitl.”
Brady watched Matthew as a tall, solid, brick shithouse of a man stepped around McDavid’s mate. He was everything you’d expect an alpha to be, and Brady bit back a grin as he watched Matthew’s eyes brighten with interest. The second – Draisaitl – frowned as he took in Matthew, and Brady felt his hackles rise because what the fuck.
“Omega.” His voice was accented, stilted, formal and cold and he watched Matthew’s shoulders bunch up around his ears.
“Alpha.” He ground out, and his dad and McDavid were obviously reading the room as the met in the middle and shook hands.
“You must be tired after your long trip.” His dad announces, and Matty and Draisaitl were still practically glaring at each other. “We welcome you to our territory as we join our packs. Please, my wife and second will take you to your rooms and let you get settled before the bonding.”
“Thank you.” McDavid replies, and Brady didn’t miss the dirty look he sent Draisaitl’s way.
His mom and Tom, his father’s second, gesture toward the exit, and that would have been it for Brady, except…he watches as the McDavid party moves to leave, and sees a younger man a few rows behind McDavid and Draisaitl and Brady is frozen. He isn’t particularly handsome, but Brady has never felt such an immediate zing of attraction. He has fluffy, curly hair, and a crooked smile as he talks quietly to the man next to him, and the smile lingers as he locks eyes with Brady before turning his attention back to his packmate.
Brady stares at the back of his head until Taryn smacks him back to his senses.
“What the fuck was that?” Matty snarls as they return to their home. The fact that he’d managed to keep it together until they were in the privacy of their own family space was impressive to Brady.
“Now, Matty-“ His mom starts, but Matty whirls on her immediately.
“Do you really expect me to mate with him? He practically insulted me in front of both of our packs!”
“I think that’s a little dramatic.” Their dad muses from where he’s pouring himself and his wife a drink.
“It’s kind of not.” Brady argues. “Did you see the way he looked at Matty?”
“Yeah, like I was shit on the bottom of his shoe.”
“The agreement’s already been signed.” Their mom sighs. “And, you don’t know, he may have just been nervous. This is all new for him, too.”
“He hates me.” Brady watches as Matty collapses on the couch, burying his face in his hands.
“He does not.” His mom settles into her own chair nearby, taking the glass that their dad offers her with a grateful smile. “He doesn’t know you.”
“And, even if he does, he still has to bond with you.” Their dad supplies unhelpfully. Brady locks eyes with Taryn for half a second and then they both dive onto the couch, covering Matty’s body with their own. Matty fights it for a moment, like he always does, before relaxing under their combined weight and alpha scents. Brady feels Matty shift until he can press his face into Taryn’s neck and wrap a hand around Brady’s. It was the best way they had found to comfort Matty since they were kids, to smother him with love and attention and familiar scents until he could let go of whatever was bothering him.
Brady isn’t sure they could lay there in a puppy pile long enough to really help this time.
“I’m going to be mated to someone who hates me.” Matty complains later that evening, as Brady straightens his brother’s tie.
“You don’t know that he hates you, bud.”
“Pretty sure he does. I’m going to have to spend the rest of my life with that asshole.”
“Maybe he’ll surprise you.” Taryn supplies from where she’s sitting, stretched out on the couch in attempt to not wrinkle her dress.
“Yeah, maybe he’s just shy.”
“Worst comes to worst, you marry him and then tell him you have a headache for the next thirty years.”
“Thanks, Tare.” Matty rolls his eyes. “Super helpful.”
“It’s what I’m here for.”
“You guys,” Matty sighs, and it’s only then that Brady notices the wet sheen in his eyes. “I’m going to have to lead our pack with this guy.”
“Matt.” Brady pulls him into a hug, and feels Taryn’s arms wrap around them both a few seconds later. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Yeah, and if he’s an asshole, we will totally murder him for you.” Taryn’s voice is muffled by the back of Matty’s jacket, but Matty’s wet laugh raises Brady’s spirits slightly.
“They’ll never find the body.” Brady supplies, and Matty nods against his shoulder.
“Okay.” Matty pulls away, wiped his eyes, and nodss his head. “Let’s do this.”
McDavid must have said something to Draisaitl, because when they arrive for the mating ceremony his second is, if not friendly, at least polite. He defers to their parents, and takes Matty’s hand with a small smile. Matty’s still tense, still obviously wary, but he doesn’t let go of Draisaitl and they seem to come to some unspoken truce as their pack’s high priestess wraps the same length of rope around their wrists that’s been used by Tkachuks for generations. Their dad and McDavid give them the customary blessings, his dad welcomes Draisaitl and those coming with him into their pack, and just like that it’s over. Just like that, Matty is bonded and Brady has a new future alpha.
The celebration that follows is raucous, to say the least. The rest of the McDavid contingent have joined them, and they set the bonfire alight in the center of their community as the sun dips below the horizon. Brady sticks close to Taryn and Quinn, keeps a careful eye on the table where Matty and Draisaitl – he supposes he should call him Leon, since he’s his brother-in-law now – are sitting alone at the front of the room. They seem to be talking off and on, and one time Brady even catches Leon smirking at something Matty told him. It makes something loosen in his chest, a bloom of hope in its place that maybe Leon could make Matty happy.
Toward the end of the night, he feels eyes on him, turns away from Taryn to find the boy from the welcoming ceremony watching him. He’s surrounded by younger members of the McDavid pack – soon to be members of the Tkachuk pack, he reasons. A small contingent will be staying with Leon, becoming members of their pack as part of the newly established alliance.
Brady hopes that this boy will be one of them.
He wants to talk go up to him, talk to him, get him to smile that endearingly cute, crooked smile at him, but he knows he can’t. They’re not pack, haven’t even been introduced, and Brady can tell from here that he’s an omega. There’re rules, even if they’re a little antiquated, and the last thing he wants is to offend this boy or his alpha.
“Hey,” he looks away from the boy to nudge Taryn’s side. She leans over from where she’s talking to her best friend, Amy, and raises an eyebrow. “Do you know who that guy is?” He gestures in his direction, then scrambles to grab her attention. “Oh, my god, don’t look!”
“How am I supposed to know who you’re talking about if I can’t look Braeden?”
“I don’t know! Okay, just…be subtle, or something.”
“Ugh, fine.” Taryn rolls her eyes and scans the crowd. He can see when she sees him, her eyebrow raised. “Curly hair, weird smile?”
“Yeah.” Brady sighs, and fights the urge to look over at him.
“No, but give me a few minutes.” She leans over and whispers something in Amy’s ear, who says something to her boyfriend, who gestures at his best friend, and on and on it goes, and Brady has a moment of panic thinking of he’ll be the talk of the pack gossip mill by the time this is over.
“His name is Jimmy.” Taryn tells him an hour later as they’re swaying together on the dancefloor.
“Jimmy.” Brady repeats, his eyes looking for the other man instinctively.
“And…” Taryn pauses for dramatic effect, a wicked smile on her face. “He’s transitioning to our pack.”
Brady feels a balloon of hope fill his chest.
The next few months are a blur. They’re so busy with the new members of the pack, finding them places to live, getting them settled and integrated into established pack dynamics. Brady sees Jimmy half a dozen times, but every time he tries to talk to him, one of them is pulled away by one thing or another. Brady feels cursed, if he’s being honest, or maybe that the universe is trying to tell him something. Still, he sees him across the room, and he can’t help but want to get to know him, to talk to him, to see if the spark he feels is one-sided.
He feels that urge especially when he looks at Matty and Leon.
Despite their bumpy start, they seem absolutely enamored with each other now. Matty is openly affectionate in a way that Brady’s never seen. He hovers near Leon’s shoulder at pack meetings, reaches for his hand when he thinks that no one is looking, smiles himself stupid when Leon does something that Matty finds cute or funny. Brady had worried, in those early days, that Leon didn’t feel the same. But, once he got to know Leon over family meals, got to see him give his all to his new pack, he knew that Leon was just as smitten. He’d caught them on the back porch of their parents’ home after 4th of July celebrations, Leon’s arms wrapped around Brady’s brother as he nuzzled his nose along Matty’s hairline. Matty looked at peace, preening under the attention. He’d looked happy, and Brady had realized with a jolt that he wanted that too.
He had a rare day off from work and pack responsibilities, and suddenly all he’d wanted was to sit out on his boat for a few hours and not worry about anything. He packed up his gear, scribbled a note on the fridge for his parents, and set off down toward the dock. It was early, there was no reason to think that anyone would be out, and Brady was startled when a familiar scent hit his nose. He saw a figure sitting at the end of the dock, past the small collection of boats that belonged to the pack, their feet dangling over the water as the sun rose over the horizon. Jimmy seemed to sense his presence as he approached, and he turned to look at Brady with wide eyes.
“Hi.” He greets, his voice shy and accented and like music to Brady’s ears.
“Hi.”
“I’m not…” He starts, nerves creeping into his voice. “It’s okay that I’m here?”
“Of course.” Brady replies quickly. “You’re pack.”
Jimmy blushes shyly at that and nods, turns to look away and Brady can’t have that.
“Do you like to fish?” He finds himself asking, the words leaving his mouth before he can stop them.
“I’ve never fished.”
“Never?” He shakes his head and Brady gestures over toward his parents’ boat. “You’re welcome to join me.”
“Oh,” Jimmy’s voice turns a little wary, and Brady realizes that he just asked a strange omega to be alone with him on a boat when he doesn’t know Brady from Adam.
“I mean, it’s totally fine, you don’t have-“
“Let’s go.” Jimmy jumps up, and he gives Brady that crooked smile that he’s been craving so much, and Brady feels lit up by it.
He may not have been on a boat before, but Jimmy’s a quick study, follows Brady’s direction easily, and soon enough they’re making their way out of the no-wake zone. Brady’s at the wheel, and he’s got a perfect view of Jimmy as he sits at the front, watching the water lap around them until they’re out on the lake proper. Brady wouldn’t usually go very far, but he wants to show off for Jimmy a little bit, give him a better glimpse of his family’s territory. The Meehan pack owns the other half of the lake, but this is all Tkachuk territory. He makes a long, lazy loop, and every now and then Jimmy looks back at him and smiles and it’s so worth it.
Finally, he picks a spot he likes and drops the anchor, grabbing the fishing poles and handing one to Jimmy. He shows him how to bait the line, then cast it out, and Jimmy looks at him expectantly.
“Now?” He asks, and Brady laughs.
“Now we wait.”
The silence lasts all of five minutes before Jimmy starts getting antsy, squirming in his seat. Brady waits him out, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
“What?” Jimmy finally asks petulantly, and Brady grins.
“You have no patience at all, do you?”
“I have plenty of patience.”
“Sure.” Brady nods, but decides to give him some relief. “How are you liking St. Louis?” How are you liking the pack goes unsaid.
“It’s nice. Warmer than Ontario.”
“Everyone’s been good to you?” He knows their pack is a good one, but he worries about everyone making the new members – Jimmy in particular – feel welcome.
“Yeah, they have. I was worried, you know. I came to Canada when Leon joined the McDavid pack, I thought I couldn’t get lucky twice.”
“It says a lot about Leon, that you would follow him to a new pack twice.”
“He was my hero, growing up. We’re distant cousins, but he always treated me like a little brother. I was only twelve when Leon left our pack, but I knew I couldn’t stay, and he agreed to take me with him. When he told me that he was going to bond with your brother, I just…”
“You trust him.”
“With my life.” Jimmy nods.
“He’s good, to Matty. Makes him happy, I think.”
“Your brother makes him happy, too. I know your pack thought he was rude when we arrived, but I think he was just scared and didn’t want to show it.”
“Alphas don’t like showing weakness.” Brady supplies, and Jimmy nods.
“But he really does care about him, about this pack.”
“That’s good. We’ll be stuck with each other for a while.”
“Forever.” Jimmy corrects, and Brady raises an eyebrow.
“You could bond, move away to another pack.” He tells him, and Jimmy blushes and shakes his head.
“No, no, I think…I think this is my pack.” He looks up at Brady from underneath his lashes, and Brady’s heart stutters in his chest, and he only just manages to smile at him.
They stay out on the boat for a few hours, until the sun is high in the sky and beating down on them. Brady docks the boat easily, and Jimmy helps him carry the fishing gear off and sets it down neatly on the wooden planks of the dock.
“Thank you, for today. I had fun.”
“Me, too.” Brady nods, feels a knot of nerves in his stomach as he stares at the omega.
“Well, I’ll…see you around?” Jimmy offers, and Brady nods so fast his neck hurts.
“Yeah, yeah, definitely.”
“Okay, well…bye, Brady.” Jimmy smiles at him and heads down the walkway, and suddenly Brady’s desperate for him not to leave just yet.
“Jimmy!” He calls, and Jimmy freezes for a moment and turns around, raising an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Wait up, I’ll walk you to…wherever you’re going.”
“No, what did you call me?” Jimmy asks, and Brady knows he must look confused.
“Your name?”
“Brady, what do you think my name is?”
“Uh…Jimmy?” He tries, and the other man breaks out in a smile so wide Brady smiles too.
“Who told you that?”
“Uh…Taryn? My sister?”
He beams up at Brady and shakes his head.
“Tim,” He tells him, knocking his shoulder into Brady’s. “My name is Tim.”
“Oh, my god.” Brady rubs his hand over his face in an attempt to hide what he’s sure is a furious blush. “Well, nice to meet you, Tim.”
“Nice to meet you, Brady.” Tim beams.
Brady waits, but it’s surprisingly hard to get Leon alone. He and Matty are practically attached at the hip, and this is not something he wants to discuss in front of his brother.
“Tare,” He finally grabs his sister and pulls her aside during a family dinner two weeks after his fishing day with Tim. “I need your help.”
“Okay…”
“I need you to distract Matty so I can talk to Leon.”
“Why do you need to talk to Leon?”
Brady crosses his arms over his chest. “None of your business.”
“If you need my help, I think it is my business.”
“Taryn, c’mon, please?”
“Tell me why.”
“No.”
“Tell me.” She reaches out and pinches his arm and he only just bites down a yelp.
“Fine.” He snarls, and pulls her further down the hall, away from where their parents, Matty, and Leon are sitting around the living room. “I need to talk to Leon about Tim.”
“Why do you need – oh.”
“Shut up.” Brady grumbles, feeling his fact heat at the sheer glee on his sister’s face.
“You know, Dad is his alpha now, not-“
“I know that.” He snaps. “But Leon is…he’s Tim’s family, it feels right to get his okay first.”
“But you are going to talk to Dad?” She asks, and there’s a seriousness to her tone, and Brady knows she knows what Brady’s not saying.
“I hope so.” He shrugs and lets her pull him into a hug.
“Okay, give me five minutes and I’ll get Matty away from his husband.”
True to her word, Brady watches as Taryn successfully gets Matty and Leon outside onto the back porch, and then pulls Matty away toward the woods with her arm threaded through his. Brady takes a deep, fortifying breath and then steps through the sliding glass door. Leon looks up and lifts his beer at Brady in acknowledgment before turning back to watch Taryn and Matty wander off.
“Hey.” He greets, and Leon hums. “I was hoping…I was wondering…”
“Is this about Tim?” Leon asks, and he laughs when he looks over at Brady.
“How did you…?”
“I’ve seen the way you look at him.” Leon shrugs. “And I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
“He does?” Brady knows he’s probably smiling like a dope, by the way Leon rolls his eyes fondly at him.
“He also mentioned your fishing date a few weeks ago.”
“It wasn’t a date.” Brady insists, because it wasn’t, because alphas and omegas who aren’t officially courting aren’t allowed to date.
“Sure. Still, it’s not my place to give you permission or anything like that.”
“I know, I just…I know that you’re important to Tim, so I wanted to speak to you before I asked him.”
“So, you are going to ask him, then?”
“I want to. Do you think he’ll accept me?” Brady watches as Leon stares down at his beer before a small smirk appears on his face.
“I think he’s disappointed you haven’t already asked.”
Brady waits some more, because you – hopefully – only ask to court once. But he finds excuses to talk to Tim, little moments when the core of their pack are together, or community events where they’re celebrating one thing or another. Tim always responds, always smiles at him, and he knows they’re probably the talk of the pack, but Brady really can’t bring himself to care when Tim looks at him with unabashed fondness.
Brady has his suspicions when Leon asks for Tim to be invited to their weekly family dinners, but he still jumps up with he rest of his family when Matty tells their parents that they’re going to be grandparents. He pulls Matty into a tight hug, then Leon, then looks over to Tim, who’s positively beaming, and Brady just knows.
They announce that Matty’s expecting at a community dinner a few weeks later. With all of the attention on the future pack leaders, Brady puts together a plate of bread, cheeses, and meats from the buffet line set up and carries it over to the table where Tim is sitting. He’s fairly confident of the answer he’s going to get, but he still feels like he’s going to throw up when Tim’s friends fall silent around him. Tim looks up, locks eyes with Brady, and the small smile he gives Brady is enough to spur him on.
“I-I would like to announce my intentions.” Brady says, as confidently as he can muster. “If you would accept me.”
Tim’s smile grows a little wider, still crooked, and he stands up so he can be eye level with Brady.
“I accept.” He tells him, and Brady knows he probably looks absolutely stupid with how big he’s smiling, but he doesn’t really care at all because Tim is accepting him.
“I’ve brought you food.” He holds the plate out, and it’s only shaking slightly when Tim accepts it.
“Thank you, alpha.” He tells him, softly, and Brady can’t resist how right it feels for Tim to call him alpha.
“Dude!” Matty’s voice booms from across the room, and suddenly Brady feels the eyes of the entire community hall on him. “Way to go, bro!”
“Oh, my god.” Brady mutters, and turns back to Tim. “I’m so sorry, he’s an idiot.” Tim only shrugs, still holding the plate of food.
“It’s okay.” He looks like he wants to come around the table, and Brady wishes he would, even if the eyes of the pack are on them.
“You’re worth it.” He tells Brady, and Brady…
Well, Brady kind of loves him.