Page 16 of Truth or Pack

"We’ll manage," Holt promised. He was determined and that might just be enough. At least we had two alphas in our group, because I wasn’t that strong.

"What do we do if we run into Taryn?" Ash asked. It was still strange to see them unsure.

"Hope that she doesn't see us and that we get back before she does," Holt answered with a shrug.

"I'm going to split the list into thirds and send you each part. That way we can divide and conquer," I told them as I separated the list out and texted them each their portion.

"That sounds like a good plan," Holt agreed and I did a double take at him. That was the first time in a long time that he'd said that to me.

"What's on the menu for lunch?" Ash asked as his stomach growled.

"I was thinking subs. That's what all the deli meat is for. We can prep it and build our own," he told us.

"That’s smart and we can eat them more than once, not wasting any leftovers," I agreed, feeling better by the minute.

"We don't know her likes or dislikes yet, so I have a variety. Pay attention, if things go well and we need a second trip we can do it with a bit more knowledge,” Holt said.

I don’t even think he realized he was considering it now, not just denying it. That was at least a start from this morning.

There was no sign of our omega as we entered town. Then again, it would be hard to spot her with everyone trying to handle the worst of the damage.

Thankfully, out here, it looked more like busted windows and debris, not broken buildings. I let out a sigh of relief when we saw the grocery store had a giant sign out front saying it was open for business today.

“Everyone has their list, get to it,” I said, not wasting time as I snagged my cart and went toward the produce section. Holt eyed me, silently telling me to pick well before he moved toward the deli and meat counter.

Ignoring him, I methodically worked my way down the list, making sure to pick out the best ingredients. Soon, there was a rainbow of fruits and veggies in the cart, a few extras outside of what Holt put since we wanted variety.

Shopping for someone you barely knew was hard. If the power went out, we’d be wasting money, but I couldn’t dwell on that. We needed to eat.

Somehow we all managed to make it to the checkout around the same time. It looked like far more than a few backpacks could hold so Holt added several sturdy reusable tote bags.

My eyes kept drifting to the large front windows, hoping I would spot her, and at the same time dreading it.

The truth was, there would be no way to move on until we all aired out all the ugly truths.

I just hoped she would stick around long enough for that to happen.

How long could a person avoid going home? Apparently, the answer was for hours. By the time I made my way through the forest, rain was starting to fall again and the sun had dipped below the horizon so all that was left were the last dregs of daylight.

It was about as somber as my mood.

Nerves were bubbling in my stomach as I realized that more rain meant we weren’t just stuck for tonight, but even longer. I heard someone talking in town about more potential storms hitting if the wind didn’t shift.

Dread had bile rising. I didn’t want any part of this. How could fate have decided that my mates were the three men who’d not just humiliated me through university, but got their petty omega girlfriends to make it so much worse.

Our cabin was one of the few without much damage… outside of our cars. That was something I couldn’t think about. The insurance agent said to send them pictures of the damage but to not hold my breath on a quick turnaround. Our little town here wasn’t the only one affected.

As I pushed the door open I was hit by the savory, herby scent of pasta and garlic. Despite my panic, my stomach rumbled loudly at the thought of food. The only place that wasn’tpacked today was a small bistro and they mainly had vegan food. I had nothing against it, that just wasn’t my style.

“You’re back!” Mathias cheered before Ash quickly elbowed him, his smile deflating instantly, turning apologetic. “We got some groceries and made dinner. We were hoping we could share a meal and talk a little?”

Part of me was glad they got the groceries because I hadn’t made it there. The other was too angry.

“Why?” I asked, my arms crossing defensively in front of me. It might be petty of me, but I’d earned every ounce of sarcasm and spite that dripped from my tone.

“We’re mates,” Holt said, just as blunt as he was this morning. “And you hate us. I think there’s plenty to talk about.”

His tone was gravelly with frustration but he didn’t bark at me. I half expected the surly brute to put up more of a fight.

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