Page 10 of Truth or Pack

I barely made it down the driveway before I saw just how much water was out there. We weren’t getting out by road and there was no way we’d get the tow trucks or insurance out here, either.

Changing directions, I cut through the woods instead. Thankfully, the tree-covered hill was higher than the road so the water didn’t affect it.

This was also a path I knew well.

“Wait up. Where the hell are you going?”

“Fuck you, Holt. I don’t need an alpha escort or your attitude,” I shouted back, picking up my pace until I was power walking.

“Mathias would be better at this,” he muttered to himself as he fell into stride next to me, glaring down at me. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re a dick,” I growled. “I stopped caring what others thought of me a long fucking time ago. Mostly thanks to you and your friends.”

“You always did have a chip on your shoulder, didn’t you?” he shot back, not letting it go.

The snide tone had me stunned. I stopped walking and turned toward him. The movement was slow and felt a little unhinged, but so was this entire fucking situation.

“A chip on my shoulder? Are you kidding me right now?” The fucking audacity of this alpha. Apparently, things had not changed at all.

“Look, clearly we got off on the wrong foot. College was a long time ago. We can work past it until we figure this out.”

“There’s nowe,” I said with a humorless laugh. It took everything in me not to stare into those brown eyes. They reminded me of fresh-tilled earth, shifting from darker to light in the best way.

He also smelled so fucking good out here with no wind to snatch the scent away. Blackberry cobbler. It was tart and sweet, and had a hint of spice. The alpha musk only enhanced it.

Damn him and his scent.

“Whatever fate was thinking with this whole thing, she was wrong. I’d rather die alone than be with someone as terrible as your pack,” I finally choked out, the emotions spilling out of me in the form of angry tears as I turned and bolted.

I felt twelve, not thirty, as I ran toward town. Running wasn’t something I did often… or for fun. I was winded before I made it far but it did the trick. My omega side was in turmoil. This was a betrayal, even if they didn’t realize it yet.

The alpha was rooted to the spot and I was blessedly alone.

I’d never enjoyed the silence more than I was at this moment. I couldn't believe that the asshole thought I'd simply forgive and forget. He and his little crew made my life hell and I wasn’t just going to forget that.

This walk was just what I needed to clear my head, I was almost grateful for my car being out of commission.

"Where should I go first?" I muttered to myself as I neared the end of the winding path. I knew that I needed to think about something else for a moment so my face wouldn't be all red and splotchy when I got to town.

This omega wasnota pretty crier.

Breakfast would be great. Then the bookstore. There was also a little coffee place near Luca's that I could hit first. I'd need caffeine and lots of it to get through this day.

The most frustrating thing at the moment was the radio silence from my mother. Even as I checked my phone again, there wasn’t a single notification. She was committed to the bit and had no idea how badly she fucked up this time.

Honestly, she probably wouldn't even care. This was just another instance of me being too difficult.

As I walked down the final path, I kept a slow and steady pace. I was going to enjoy my time out of the cabin before I had to go back to my nightmare. Holt was right about taking pictures for the insurance company.

My phone dinged twice, one was something for work, the other was Bea. That one I opened.

Bea

Did you survive the night?

Taryn

Well, I almost committed murder but I've escaped the house and am walking to town now thanks to the streets flooding.

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