Page 22 of Fractured Fang: Omega

Gabe perked up at that, realizing he was on the cusp of getting a commissioned piece. “Yeah, that would be really great. I would love to put something together. Can you do one of those three-hundred-sixty-degree videos and show me what everything looks like around the hotel?”

“Absolutely. You know, we’re kind of celebrating an anniversary there soon. It’s been three years since we moved to the hotel. This would be a fantastic gift for the pack.”

Steelwick historically moved around a lot. They didn’t necessarily see pack lands the way other wolves or I did. It made sense, given the type of pack they were. I had a feeling that this mural was another anchor to their land, though. Now that they had many mated pairs with children, they seemed to be staying put longer.

I grinned, pride filling me at my mate and his work being appreciated by someone instead of scoffed at. Phillip had begrudgingly said that the mural was beautiful, but Armand? He meant it.

He wasn’t the only one. Wilder had been over the moon about it, and Franklin gushed about how well it captured the essence of the old house. I appreciated their support, but to have a member of an outside pack give his feedback? That was gold. It was validating in a way that Fractured Fang couldn’t be.

“You know, this might work out perfectly anyway,” Marcus said, his gaze shifting from Gabe to Armand and then to me. “We have a shipment that needs to go to a certain place.”

The way he said it had me confused. I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. If they didn’t want to let us know about it, why mention it at all? At least that’s where my head was until my mate responded.

Gabe narrowed his eyes. “Is that where I recognize you from? Have you been to Asilo?”

“Yes,” Marcus said. “I’m the designated contact for this region. Any communication that the forerunner has comes through me and goes to the council.”

“That makes sense,” Gabe said.

It made no sense to me, but I wasn’t about to ask right then. Marcus assumed I was in the know, and perhaps Gabe would fill me in later. But right then and there, I was very much not in the know—I was completely clueless.

“I’m going on a mission here shortly, and I usually send the supply shipment during that time, but obviously, I won’t be around. Maybe since you’ve lived there before, you can take it?” Marcus looked to Armand for confirmation.

Armand nodded. “If Gabe is available, he absolutely can. That would be great.”

“I would be happy to. I’m going to need the supplies from there anyway; that’s where I left most of my paints.”

I didn’t know what the heck this Asilo pack was, but I was dying to hear more. Not only was this pseudo-secret, which honestly would have piqued my attention on a good day, but it sounded like my mate had lived there. From any of the signals he’d been giving, it had been a good thing, unlike whatever he hadn’t been brave enough to share with me yet.

“Awesome. How about you come to Steelwick next week?” Armand suggested. “Macs, you’re more than welcome to come with Gabe. Although I can’t speak for you going to Asilo, that will be up to the Forerunner.”

Gabe squeezed my hand. “I’m sure it will be fine. I will talk to Morgan.”

Armand and Marcus walked away, and it was just my mate and me, eating our lunch together, and staring at his mural.

“You probably have a few questions about Asilo.”

I grinned, facing him. “A few, but I’m sure you will tell me in your own time.”

“Well, the big picture is that sometimes omegas need to hide from people and packs. It sucks, but sadly is the truth of it. Prides, like Asilo, operate like Steelwick does, just with a different methodology and immediate goal.” He turned to face me. “They are their own pack, but they have a greater purpose. Asilo’s purpose is to shelter omegas and their children who need assistance and help rehabilitate them. They do therapy or physical rehabilitation, whatever is necessary, to get them back on their feet. And then they work to find placements for them to live once they are ready.”

My stomach dropped. If Gabe had lived there, that meant things were worse for him than I thought. But maybe I’d misinterpreted a bit of those things. There was so much code in that conversation I wasn’t at all sure what end was up anymore. “And you stayed with Asilo for a while?”

Gabe nodded. “My situation wasn’t as extreme as some. But I found myself in need of assistance and didn’t know where else to turn. I… It wasn’t just me. There was a little boy named Levi. I needed a place to keep him safe. But until….Gosh, this is harder to spit out than I thought.”

I laid a hand on his thigh and squeezed. He was sharing something so difficult to speak of he hadn’t even told his mate, despite trying a couple of times. I needed him to feel that I was there for him, that it would all be okay, and that there was zero pressure to push harder than he could handle.

“You don’t have to tell me anything right now. I trust that you will tell me when you’re ready. I’m here, mate. Always. And I’m so incredibly proud of you. Not only are you trying to share something you may or may not be ready to share, but…just think about it.”

I didn’t want to dissuade him from sharing, from opening up to me. But his body was starting to tremble. I needed to give him a way out, one he would feel comfortable taking.

“If every pack wants a mural done by you… Well, that’s a hell of a lot of income. That’s a lot of people you will have made happy with your art.”And maybe your dad will finally figure out your worth is more than just sweat and labor.But I kept that last part to myself.

“I don’t think every pack will want a mural.” Gabe smiled, and his cheeks turned ruddy in my most favorite way.

“True. They might want individual paintings of themselves or their families, maybe some abstract art. I’ve seen the sketches you’ve done of the babies. I bet there are plenty of packs who would love to have sketches like those of their cubs. I’ve seen the transition pieces you’ve done of my wolf and me. A lot of shifters out there might like that. They’ve never seen their animal form unless they looked in mirrors.”

“You’re right,” Gabe said. “I never really thought about that. I mean, when I was in college, of course people bought the art for their homes. I guess it never occurred to me that shifters have homes where they might like to put artwork up.”

---