Page 21 of Alpha's Claim
Colt leaned against the railing of his balcony, swirling the whiskey in his glass as he stared out into the twilight. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky washed in deep blues and purples. A slight breeze swept across the land, stirring the trees and sending the faint scent of wildflowers toward the house. Normally, the quiet of the ranch in the evening soothed him. But tonight, it only deepened the ache that permeated his heart.
Briar wasn’t coming.
He’d known it the second Etta told him she begged off dinner, feigning exhaustion. Etta had relayed the message without prying, but the glimmer in her eyes said it all: the girl needed space. Colt hadn’t pushed, even though disappointment gnawed at him. He missed her. More than he should, considering how short a time she’d been here.
This balcony, the quiet moments they shared as the sun set, had become his solace. A place where he could unwind without the burden of being alpha pressing down on him. With Briar beside him, everything just...fit. It was easy, natural. She calmed the storm inside him without even knowing it. And the fact thatshe wasn’t here now? It left him restless in ways he didn’t want to admit.
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly as he let his gaze wander over the ranch spread out before him. Copper Canyon was more than just a patch of land—it was his home, his sanctuary, and it had been missing something for a long time. Now, with Briar here, that missing piece was starting to fall into place. He could feel it in his bones.
But she needed time, and damn it, if time was what she needed, then he’d give it to her—so long as that time was spent here. No matter how much his wolf wanted to claim her, Colt knew he had to tread carefully. Briar didn’t understand what she meant to him yet. She was his fated mate, even if she didn’t know what that was or believed she was his. He knew. As much as it twisted him up inside, he vowed not to push her, not until she was ready.
He heard the creak of floorboards behind him, followed by the unmistakable shuffle of boots. Colt didn’t bother turning around as his youngest brother, Bryce, strolled out onto the balcony and propped himself against the railing beside him, a mischievous grin already spreading across his face.
“Well, look at you,” Bryce drawled. “Big, bad Alpha out here brooding over his mystery woman.” He clapped Colt on the shoulder with a teasing shove. “You’ve got it bad, brother.”
Colt grunted, not in the mood for Bryce’s antics. “What do you want?”
“Just checking in. Etta told me Briar wasn’t joining you for supper tonight.” Bryce gave him a knowing smirk. “Guess you’ll have to figure out another way to sweep her off her feet, huh?”
“Drop it,” Colt warned, though his voice lacked any real bite.
Bryce chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. “Come on, Colt. You’re practically in full-on courtship mode, and it’s hilarious. Imean, private sunset dinners on the balcony? That’s somenext-levelromancing. Honestly, I didn’t know you had it in you.”
Colt shot him a sideways glare, though the corner of his mouth twitched despite himself. “You’re an idiot.”
Bryce shrugged, unfazed. “Maybe. But I’m not the one mooning over a girl who barely knows I exist.”
“She knows,” Colt muttered under his breath, swirling the last bit of whiskey in his glass before downing it in one gulp.
“Sure, she does,” Bryce said, his grin widening. “But do you know what you’re doing, brother? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re about two steps away from serenading her under her window.”
Colt rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help the low chuckle that escaped him. “Get lost, Bryce.”
“I’m just saying.” Bryce clapped him on the shoulder again, his laughter trailing behind him as he disappeared back into the house.
Colt shook his head, but a small smile lingered on his lips. His brothers had been relentless since Briar arrived, teasing him at every opportunity. And as much as it annoyed him, they weren’t wrong. He was in courtship mode—whether he wanted to admit it or not. Every time he saw Briar, his instincts screamed to claim her, to make her his in every way that mattered.
But it wasn’t just instinct. It was her.
He could still see her in his mind’s eye, kneeling in the garden with dirt on her hands and his mother’s floppy hat shading her eyes. The way she had taken to that overgrown patch of earth, breathing life back into it with a quiet determination that spoke to something deep inside him. She belonged there. She belonged here. She belonged with him. And he’d be damned if he let her slip away.
Colt’s gaze drifted toward the garden, now hidden in the deepening night. He loved the idea of Briar tending his mother’s garden, of making it her own. There was something poetic about it—Briar restoring what had been lost, just like she was starting to restore pieces of herself.
An idea sparked in the back of his mind, one that had been forming ever since he’d seen her out there, knee-deep in dirt and looking more at home than he’d ever expected. He needed to do something for her. Something that showed her she wasn’t just a guest here—she belonged.
Colt pushed away from the railing, his decision made. He had a plan.
He headed back inside, his boots thudding against the hardwood as he made his way toward the kitchen. Etta was at the stove, humming softly to herself as she stirred a pot of something that smelled incredible.
“Etta,” Colt said, leaning against the door frame. “I need your help.”
The older woman turned, one eyebrow raised. “With what, exactly?”
Colt crossed his arms over his chest, a slow grin spreading across his face. “I want to plan a picnic. Somewhere nice, out on the property. Just me and Briar.”
Etta’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Well, now. Aren’t you just the romantic?”
Colt chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Can you help me put it together?”