Page 15 of Fractured Fang: Omega

“I think she’d really like it,” Gabe said.

“Thanks, Gabe. I’ll do that.” Phillip patted his shoulder and walked away.

I smiled at my mate. He rolled his eyes.

“One positive conversation doesn’t mean everything’s perfect,” Gabe was quick to say.

And he was right. It didn’t, but it was heading in the right direction. And objectively, the conversation hadn’t been all positive; it just ended on a positive note.

“No, but it’s a great start. Phillip listened to you.” And honestly, I was surprised at that. It wasn’t the first time someone suggested he slow down, but it was the first time he actually considered it, as far as I knew.

“So—looks like I’m going to be your right-hand man.” Gabe smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too. Although I wish animal care was one of your interests.” The notion of him doing something he didn’t like had me feeling no better than his parents for pushing him to be productive, using their definition of what that looked like.

“But you see, I will be exploring one of my interests… I’ll be spending time with you.”

“Huh, we have similar interests. I was just thinking I would be spending time with you.”

I wanted to reach out and touch him, to lean in and taste his lips again, to pull him into a hug. Instead, we got called in to get ready for dinner. At least it was a pot roast.

Chapter 8

Gabe

Iwokeearly,notjust because I was in a strange place I wasn’t used to, but because my fingers were itching to grab a paintbrush. Ever since I got the go-ahead from Franklin to do the mural, I’ve been clamoring to get started. Now that I had the plan mapped out in my mind, I wanted to put it onto the brick and share it with everyone.

There were many aspects of creating that I adored. This was one of them. I simply loved this stage in the process when I was excited, and my body hummed with it. Since the work I was doing wasn’t going to be disruptive to anyone else, I got dressed, snuck outside to message Levi, and then would get to work.

I waited until I was out of view from the main house to take out my phone.

I know you are asleep, but I wanted to tell you I am thinking about you and working hard to get us a home. Today I’m doing something I feel you will think is exciting. I’m painting an entire brick wall. I will send you a picture as soon as I have one, and maybe we can video chat after you get out of classes. Have a great day. Love you.

Opening my camera, I took a selfie using the flash and sent it immediately afterward. I looked like a complete mess, the light flash causing me to squint. I could see Levi cracking up at it, which worked for me. I slid the phone back into my pocket and went to work.

The early morning light hadn’t yet peeked over the horizon, and I needed a lantern to shine on the wall. I used some of my black paint to sketch out where I wanted it all set up. I’d not done something of this scope before and was winging the methodology.

Not too long after I had gotten started, my mate came over. He had pulled on a pair of jeans but hadn’t bothered to button them. He remained shirtless. I forced myself to keep my eyes on my work, or else I’d be itching to paint him.

Paint him—lick him. One of the two. Did edible paint exist? It has to. Humans had some great inventions. And some odd ones.

“Have you always slept outside?” I asked. When I moved in, I’d thought it was weird they said he didn’t use his cabin. At the time, I thought they meant he still stayed in the main house. But so far, I hadn’t seen any indication of that being a thing.

He shook his head. “No. I used to stay in the house, but not since…”

The fire.

My heart ached for him, which made me pour even more of my heart into this mural. The fire might not have broken this pack, but its claws were still dug into them deeply. The last cinder might be cooled, but the effects were long-lasting.

“I suppose I could get started on chores,” he said.

“Should I help with that?” I asked. “I can. I told you I would help with the animals.”

And I wanted to be with him, to give him some comfort, comfort I felt like he needed.

He shook his head. “No. You can do the mid-morning stuff with me. I’ll cover the early morning things. Looks like you’re pretty dedicated to what you got going here, and I don’t want to disrupt that.”

“You can always come and disrupt my work,” I said, surprising even myself. Never before would I have granted that permission to anyone except Levi. But this was my mate. I wanted him to be around me always.

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