Page 26 of Truth or Pack

My walls were crumbling around me. I’d closed the door in their faces expecting to be done with them forever.

Now here I was, listening to their darkest moments and seeing them at their lows, and realizing they were more human than I thought.

Mathias’s panic was breaking my heart. I’d never gone through anything quite that traumatic and I hated that it had taken a playful, confident person and rendered them to this level of panic.

“I like popcorn,” he finally offered.

“Good, because this is getting weird and you need a distraction,” I said, climbing from his lap and pulling him with me.

I could feel Holt and Ash’s eyes on me, but just like when they left us alone earlier, they seemed to be giving us a moment to connect.

As much as I wanted to kick and scream and fight this bond, the truth was I couldfeelthat they were mine. The pull was hard to resist, but now that I wasn’t running, like Ash dared me not to, I was seeing these men were more complex than I expected.

“So, in truth, I didn’t even realize you could do this,” Mathias said as he watched me pull out a pot with a lid and the ingredients.

I kept my voice steady as I walked him through each step, putting him on watching the pan as I searched out a big serving bowl.

When I had that in hand, I rested my hand over his, helping him keep the pot moving as we waited for the pop.

It was such a simple task, but he seemed to be grounding himself in it, which was what I hoped for.

“So, you know our jobs. What do you do?” Ash finally asked, giving us something to talk about more than joining in.

“Actually, I don’t know yours,” I told Mathias. “Do you save orphaned kittens? Work with at risk youth? Walk the elderly across the road to safety?”

He chuckled, the sound more full of life now that he was relaxing. I’d take it over the fear on his face earlier.

“My job is tied to Ash. I do custom paint jobs and wraps at his shop. Art is my thing,” he admitted.

“Wait a second,” I huffed, shooting them a look over my shoulder. “So, here I was freaking out about my car, and you guys could just fix yours no big deal? No wonder you weren’t as shaken.”

“We could help with yours, too, but I’d wager it is just as far gone as ours, aka not really worth repairing,” Ash said. It wasn’t cocky this time, more gentle, as if he thought I was fragile now.

“I’m not going to freak out again,” I grumped, but cut off as the first pings of the popcorn popping started. Then we were quiet again as it continued. I turned the heat off when they slowed. It was a moment of calm amidst our stress and I think we all needed to soak it in for a moment.

When we had the fresh bowl in hand, and new drinks, we all settled back on the couch.

“So, art?” I asked, popping a handful in my mouth and chewing as I waited. He took a bite of popcorn first, eyes lighting up.

I couldn’t help but smile at the way he wore every emotion on his face. It was a little less intimidating when I could see what he was feeling, not just guessing.

“Yes, it’s something I’ve always loved but my family was against. Being an artist isn’t exactly a selling point for a pack member in high society,” he said, shadows in his eyes. I could relate on the ‘family expectations’ angle. “I’ve done all kinds of art, but sketching and painting are my comfort art forms. Doing the customs on cars is something I discovered just playing around and Ash talked me into making a career out of.”

“That’s awesome,” I said, actually meaning it. “Finding something that makes you happy and is also successful is a rare thing in this world.”

“Your turn, princess. What do you do to avoid that overbearing family of yours?”

"You’re going to laugh," I sighed, not wanting to share it. I wasn’t embarrassed about what I did, but most people thought books were a hobby, not a business.

I’d heard that enough to be hesitant to share. Hell, my family loved to laugh about it.

"No, we want to know," Mathias assured me, as he took another handful of popcorn. Another bolt hit and he didn't even seem to notice. I guess we were all invested in this conversation.

"I have a small business selling books," I told them. “Mystery book boxes and single books, specifically.”

"Like you write them?" Ash asked as he took a seat in front of me, looking up at me.

My cheeks flushed, "Oh no. I did a video on social media of me wrapping a book up for mystery date with a book. It took off and I've been swamped since. I had to put my shop on vacationjust to take this trip. I do singles and boxes. So, I wrap them up, they choose the genre or trope, and I send them one. Like book match making. I think people love the element of surprise… though I’ve thought of doing featured book boxes, too."

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