Page 30 of Truth or Pack

“I have a life, too,” she argued, though it was weak. “An apartment, a business. So do you guys.”

“Well, we don’t have an apartment,” Ash said. “We have a big house on Holt’s family ranch. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, but a quick motorcycle ride into town.”

Now he sounded unsure.

“The back has the best morning views,” I said. “The house is beautiful. We restored it from an old farmhouse. It’s a nice break from the city, actually.”

“Truth or dare, Mathias?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“Truth, baby,” I answered, trying to convey she could trust me with whatever she needed to say.

“Are you scared?”

“Terrified. But I think it will be worth the unknowns. You’re worth everything, Taryn.”

She closed her eyes, a single tear escaping. Ash was close enough to catch it before it rolled all the way down her cheek, gently wiping it away and pulling her into a hug.

“You don’t have to be scared. This is just a new adventure. One where we learn who each other truly are and find a way to blend that into a pack,” he said.

Damn, that was much more smooth than I expected from him. Maybe she was affecting us all.

“I can’t just move in with you,” she argued, though it was getting weaker by the moment.

“Why not?” Holt asked. “You can have space while still getting to know each other.”

“And if I asked you to move into my place?”

“An apartment that clearly wouldn’t fit us all?” he shot back. When she didn’t budge, the fight left him.

“I’d follow you, omega. You’re mine and I can’t protect you towns or cities away,” he admitted.

“Two weeks,” she said, leaving us all confused.

“Two weeks?” Ash asked. “I’m going to need more explanation than that, princess.”

“I’ll give you two weeks to show me this will work out with you before I dissolve my lease and fully move. We can plan dates and keep learning about each other. I’ll be getting my affairs in order, then we can talk about where to stay,” she explained.

Before Holt or Ash could open their mouths and fuck this up, I answered for us.

“Two weeks,” I agreed. “We are going to court the hell out of you, omega.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’d expect nothing less.”

“Good,” Ash said, scooping her up and twirling her around. Her shocked laughter filled the air and it settled something in me, smoothing those hardened edges the storms had brought about.

He looked like he wanted to kiss her, but when she turned away, he set her down.

“Does this mean I can show you all the features I added to your car?” he asked, a grin lighting up his face again.

Somehow we’d avoided the storm of her fury. That was ahugewin.

“Then we need to talk plans for a custom paint job,” I added. “My treat.”

“As far as courting presents go, this is pretty badass,” she said, reluctant but amused. “You guys don’t do anything by halves, do you?”

“We were ignorant once. I’m hellbent on not letting that happen again,” Holt said. They shared a look, one full of the shadows of the past, but it was also lined in a little bit of hope.

Ash didn’t give her time for that to sink in before he was dragging her toward the car, talking excitedly about the features as he sat her in the driver’s seat, talking a mile a minute.

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