Page 20 of Truth or Pack

He returned to the table and scribbled some words on the paper before he ran up the stairs to deliver the note. I held my breath until he reappeared.

"You think she'll bite?" Mathias asked.

"I do," Ash said as he started eating again, devouring everything on his plate now. “Oh, and I promised cookies.”

Which meant it was my job to deliver on that promise. At least it’d be something to pass the time.

Especially since I wasn't hungry. This whole predicament had my stomach in knots and my SUV was under a tree. Ineeded to go for a jog. That always helped me get my mind off everything. The damn rain dampened that for me today, though.

"If she doesn't come down, I think tomorrow I'm going to town to see if anyone needs help with homes or yards. I need to do something with my hands. All this sitting around has me antsy," I told them.

"That's a good idea, even if she does come down. I saw a little mom and pop hardware store. We can stop in and see if they have chainsaws and axes. There were a lot of downed trees that we can help with," Ash said.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure there is something I can help with, too," Mathias added.

He wasn't as physical as Ash and I but we never teased him about that. We were a great trio because we all played our part.

"Yeah, there will be enough to do for all of us," I tried to reassure him as I moved back to the kitchen, gathering ingredients and preheating the oven.

We chatted about lighter topics as I got to work on the first batch of cookies. Not long after the scent of gooey chocolate-chip cookies filled the air, we all heard the sound of socked feet on the stairs.

Taryn was headed to see us, or at least my heart hoped she was.

The scent of chocolate-chip cookies was what finally broke my resolve. I was a sucker for them and the game had already piqued my curiosity.

Though, I’d spent the last twenty minutes struggling to find the courage to open the damn door.

At the end of the day, they were my pack. If this was my only chance at a true scent-matched pack, was I willing to toss it away for the sake of my own trauma.

There seemed to be some miscommunications and maybe it would do me good to hear them out.

Even if I didn’t choose them as my pack, maybe the closure would heal some of the hurt I’d carried around in my soul.

With a swipe of lip gloss, I padded down the stairs. They all froze when they noticed me.

The hopeful look on Mathias’s face had my heart racing, then I looked at the others. Ash had a flirty smile like I knew he would, and Holt looked like he was hopeful, but conflicted.

You and me both, alpha.

At least he wasn’t frowning.

“I heard there would be cookies,” I muttered as I walked over and put my plate in the sink. Every step or movement I made, I felt their eyes locked on me.

It was intense being under their collective gaze, but my omega fucking loved it. She added a little sway to my hips.

“You look beautiful. Somehow you even make cozy look sexy,” Ash said, giving me a wink as my cheeks flooded with heat.

Why couldn’t they have said the same things to me all those years ago? Saved me the heartache and pain.

“Thanks,” I offered, keeping my voice steady.

“Are you a coffee or milk with your dessert kind of omega?” Holt asked. There was something surprising about seeing this big alpha baking cookies for me.

“Coffee, if we’ve got creamer now,” I said, peeking into the fridge and smiling at the sight of my favorite caramel and chocolate creamer.

“Hopefully you like that one.” He was vulnerable now and I didn’t know what to do with that. I peeked over at him. He was purposefully not looking at me and I let my eyes skim over his body. He wasn’t slim and muscled, but thick and muscled, and I was into it.

“It’s my favorite,” I admitted, pulling it out and peeling off the safety seal while he made the coffee. Everything felt charged between us, so many hurdles that it seemed impossible to cross them all.

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