Chapter 10
“ S he’s absolutely going to murder you for this,” I warned them as Holt watched the tow truck drivers take away both of our cars.
Thanks to all of Ash and my connections at the shop, we found a replacement for ours, and her car, too. A newer model that I couldn't wait to get my hands on. I wondered just what kind of custom paint she’d go crazy for.
“No, I think she’ll genuinely be grateful,” Holt said, shooting a glare my way for daring to say it out loud.
“We’ll call it a grand apology,” Ash said, looking excited as the new cars were dropped off. Even though it was in her name, we were able to sign as her pack. A lovely legal loophole that the dealership probably should have put more work into. Though, if she defaulted we’d get the fallout, so I don’t think they were too concerned about getting screwed over.
“Is it wrong that I love when she gets fired up?” Holt asked with an evil glint in his eyes. “It’s hot as hell.”
“We could bargain with her,” I said, an idea hitting me. “We will each do two videos, without complaint, Holt , if she accepts it.”
“That’s good,” Ash said, nodding along. “We can’t hide out here forever as much as I want to. The worst of the storms are over now.”
“Thank fuck for that,” I mumbled. It was a huge hit to the ego that our omega saw me at my worst. The fact she didn’t judge me for even a second was huge.
We all had our own personal demons, and I hated that we had anything to do with hers. I saw the vulnerability in her when she was talking about the videos yesterday. She shut down, but there was that spark of desperation when she looked at me, my omega begging for me to see her and not crush her, that had me ready to agree to anything.
I wanted to prove we weren’t those kind of men. The alphas who would laugh and dismiss her, keep her at home like a trophy wife.
Holt wanted her fire, Ash wanted her laughter, and I wanted her passion. We’d do anything we could to bring all three out of her and help her thrive.
If she didn’t kill us for this, first.
“What the hell did you do?!” Taryn’s screech had us all turning around. I tried my damndest to keep the guilt off of my face.
“Truth or dare, princess,” Ash said before she could say anything else. Her eyes narrowed.
“Going to dare me not to kill you?” she asked, cocking her hip, crossing her arms, and giving us the full brunt of her anger.
“Look, we might have come together as a pack in an unconventional and fucked-up way, but we have the means, and I need to know you’re taken care of, even if you drive away from me,” Holt said firmly. The way he met her fire with his own version usually escalated it. Instead her eyebrows shot up.
“Truth,” she said, not looking away from Holt.
“Could you have done this on your own without having to rely on your shitty family or public transportation? Especially while insurance fucks around slowly before giving your money to you?”
She sighed, those striking blue eyes shifting to him. Everything in this omega didn’t want to answer. I could see it in the tension in her shoulders, the way her body curled in just a little.
But I didn’t give her an out. We had to build this pack on real honesty. And if this is what it took to avoid a fight, so be it.
“No,” she said, looking at the ground now. “I’m still building my business. My parents all but cut me off when I didn’t comply with everything they said. I’ve been on my own for years.”
“How about a little deal,” I hedged. “You let us do this for you without thinking too hard about it. In exchange, we’ll do the videos. And Holt won’t even complain… much.”
The look she gave me was pure judgment.
“You’re a terrible negotiator. You bought me a car and want to do videos for me, so I don’t complain?”
“Yes,” I said. Our eyes locked and I could see the fight still lingering. But she wanted this, too. Some part of her wanted to know she could trust us, rely on us, and I think this would be another turning point for us.
“They’re clearing the roads,” she said instead. Her voice was low enough we had to lean in. Though that just brought me closer to her scent. Even if the coconut, kiwi, and vanilla scent had a tinge of unease in it still. “We’ll be able to leave tomorrow.”
“I’m not just letting you drive off without a plan,” Ash said, serious now. She blinked up at him but he was moving too fast, not stopping until they were standing toe to toe. “I’ve just found you and we’re slowly making progress. I refuse to go back to regular life and sleeping in a house you aren’t in.”
“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 a huge win.
“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.
He looked over the top of the car at us and yelled, "Shotgun" before he ran towards the passenger seat.
Holt groaned and we both walked to the car and got in the back, knowing there was no point in fighting.
"I think we should've gotten her an SUV," Holt said with his knees practically in his chest as he was trying to buckle his seatbelt.
Once mine snapped in, I leaned over to help him. His large frame wasn't meant for this car or the backseat. I did my best not to touch his ass as I put the belt into its buckle.
"Comfy?" Taryn asked us as she started the car. That evil glint in her eyes had me biting back laughter.
"Oh, yes. I didn't like breathing anyway," Holt sarcastically answered. Though, his voice did sound a bit breathless and strained.
"It's just a few minutes to town. We can park and walk around from there," she promised as she backed out towards the road.
"He's just complaining so you'll give him mouth to mouth," Ash said, giving Holt a grin that would likely end in retribution.
But the big alpha shocked me with his answer.
"That's not a bad idea," Holt agreed, giving her an eyebrow wiggle in the rearview mirror. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him tease anyone outside of us like this. Just a few days in and he was lightening up.
Is this the mate effect we’ve heard about?
"You two are too much," I said with a shake of my head. “I’m sorry in advance, Taryn.”
"Is it always like this?" she asked, looking at me in the rearview mirror this time. Her pretty blue eyes were full of amusement as she adjusted her glasses then looked back at the road.
I was used to being confined with our combined scents. They were subtle but felt like home. Now that hers was mixed in it finally felt complete and I found myself breathing it in, savoring each breath.
"This is tame," I admitted. “They can be so much worse.”
Which was true, two alphas in close quarters was never easy and Taryn was just starting to see what I had to deal with day in and day out. It could go from sarcastic, to grumpy, to goofy in minutes.
"Shit, Mathias, don't scare her off already. We just got her almost comfortable with us," Ash complained, though he didn’t deny it.
"I appreciate him being honest," Taryn said, swatting at the alpha who just caught her hand and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. I wished I could see the blush accenting her face.
"No, I didn't mean for him not to be. Just don't want to overwhelm you too much. You’re giving us a chance to get to know you," Ash back-pedaled quickly. Just like Holt was loosening up, he was starting to lose some of his cockiness.
Taryn placed a hand on his thigh and removed it just as fast, as if she was burnt, "I get that, but I will never forgive you if you lie to me. I want full transparency. If we are going to make this work, trust has to be a building block."
"Okay, to start… if you want to touch me, you are more than welcome to. I will not take it as a move to jump you," Ash promised, sounding sincere. "The only time I’ll do that, is when you beg for it."
She swallowed hard before she spoke. I liked seeing the more vulnerable side of her. When we first met again she had armor on and slowly she was losing it as she let us in.
"Good to know. I’m getting more comfortable with you guys. I just don't want to cross a line and not know it. It's been a while since I've been in a relationship, so I'm a little rusty."
"We aren't easy to scare off," Holt promised.
There was an awkward silence as we pulled into town.
"Where are we headed?" I asked.
"I was just going to find a place to park so we can walk down main street," she answered. “Really, I just wanted to test drive my car and we need to all be around each other, outside of that house, too.”
"Ash and I want to help out the shops that were hit in the storm. We will walk with you till the hardware store," Holt said, sighing as he glanced out the window at the damage. “This round was bad on the community.”
"That's sweet of you guys. Mathias and I can also help," Taryn offered.
"I think it's the perfect time for the two of you to get to know each other a little more, actually," Ash spoke up. "Holt and I tend to overshadow him without meaning to. If this is going to work, you need to have time with us one on one."
"Are you just trying to get rid of us?" she asked, giving me a look to see if I was okay with all of this.
"Not at all. Yes, we are a package deal, but time with you alone is something we all could use. Especially at this stage," Holt explained.
"I don't mind, but if we come back and want to help, you can't stop us," she warned. I loved that she didn’t just give into whatever they said, she fought back. That was something they could both use in their lives.
"Fine," Holt and Ash agreed at the same time.
Taryn pulled into a spot on Main Street in front of the hardware store and we all piled out. Well Holt did a weird head first tumble, but he jumped up like it never happened and grinned as she fought back her laughter.
“Maybe a bigger car would have been a better idea,” she conceded. “Mathias and I are going to check out some shops. Call if you need us," Taryn said, giving them both a peck on the cheek.
The dumbfounded look on their faces was priceless. I wanted to take a picture but thought better of it.
When she turned back to me, I held out a hand for her, palm up, in offering. She didn’t hesitate to slide her hand in mine. A flush of pure happiness spread through me, warming me from the inside out and I knew my smile matched it, though I didn’t care.
Our girl wasn’t just giving us a chance, she was embracing this.
"Where do you want to go first?" I asked her as I pulled her close enough to breathe in that mouth watering scent of hers.
"There’s supposed to be a little bookstore here. I'd love to browse it," she said with a smile that reached her eyes.
That was enough for me to be all in. I wanted to know more of her, and this was something she was excited about. We hadn’t seen much of this side of her yet.
"If there is a shop that you want to stop in on the way, just let me know," she tacked on, chewing on her lip like she was waiting for me to be upset.
No chance, not with her hand in mine.
"I'm good with whatever. I do like books, too. If there’s a tech store, yes, I'll want to stop, but I doubt they’ll have anything like that in this tiny town.”
"You never know. I think I saw a second-hand store when I stopped for pizza, we can go in there, too. Sometimes people donate weird tech," Taryn told me.
"I'm down for that. I like all kinds of tech," I said. “Weird, little gadgets and gaming consoles included.”
"So, what else do you like to do?" she asked.
"Well, work and tech take up most of my time. I'm not too big on outdoorsy stuff," I said as she stopped in front of a junk shop.
“This is about as outdoorsy as I get,” she admitted before gesturing to the shop.
“We can go in, we’ve got time,” I said with a shrug. I think she underestimated my willingness to follow her anywhere right now.
"You ready to dive in? Some of these places are packed floor to ceiling. So, watch where you step," she warned.