Page 23 of Fractured Fang: Omega

“Heck yeah, they would. Especially if it was done by you; your work is amazing.”

Gabe smiled. “I think you’re a little biased, mate.”

“Perhaps, but I’m not wrong.”

Chapter 12

Gabe

Afterdinner,Italkedto Armand and his mate, Matty, a bit more about the possible mural. Matty was just as enthusiastic as Marcus had been. And it gave me a better idea of what they might want for their mural. Their pack headquarters was located in an abandoned town with a three-story hotel where most of their pack lived. It sounded fascinating. The back of the hotel they had turned into a patio area where they had their pack celebrations as well as a massive saltwater pool—salt water because they had a shark shifter in their midst.

They weren’t sure if they ever planned to expand the hotel or how they might do it. That was a bit of a problem for me. I was hesitant to put the mural on a wall that might end up being changed. So instead, I opted to paint on a large canvas—eight of them. They would piece together to form almost a puzzle of sorts, one that, once put together, would signify home. Armand and Matty adored the idea, and I crossed all my fingers and toes that I was able to pull it off the way I saw it in my head.

In a lot of ways, the entire plan would be better than just setting up an art residency there and just painting the brick. This was me creating a piece they could take with them if they did move again, they could bring it in if the weather became unusually tumultuous, and best of all, I could work at it from here.

With the help of my mom, I set up a place where I could work on the canvases with the best light, though I had to move it a few times throughout the day to get continuous light. Luckily, my mom was an architectural genius, and she had a massive easel-type set-up rigged up so I could move. She even had a plan for how to both display and encase it once it was delivered to Steelwick and sent it ahead so that the pack could have it ready when we arrived.

It wasn’t necessarily perfect work, considering I’d never seen the hotel in person, but based on the photographs, I felt I did it justice. We would know once we got there and assembled the entire piece. I was ridiculously excited to see how the final product turned out.

Macs and I were on a mission to deliver the canvases to Steelwick and then turn right around and go to Asilo with their latest supplies. Wilder had been more than happy that I had been asked to do the painting. He had said that since Steelwick helped us so much, it was nice that our pack could give back to them.

My wolf preened at the attention of the pack Alpha; even if it wasn’t my pack per se, I was still pleased he was happy. My father hadn’t said a word. I had a fleeting thought that just hearing about the payment would be enough to have him come around. I was wrong.

Macs drummed his hands on the steering wheel, whistling along to whatever was on the radio. We drove the truck and small, covered trailer. It was empty now except for the canvases, but we would fill it with whatever was at Steelwick for Asilo. I hadn’t been around Asilo long enough to know what was normally in their supply deliveries. I was more than happy to help out.

Within a few hours of driving, we were at Steelwick. Armand and his mate greeted us, a basket of cookies in their hands. If they wanted to be sure we came around more often, that was a surefire way to make that happen.

“I hope this works out,” I said, knowing full well the display setup my mom had them build would be perfect. Instead, it was my paintings I was suddenly worried about.

I eyed the brick exterior behind the hotel. The patio they had set up with the large saltwater pool was very cool. Not practical for most packs, but they had a shark shifter pack member, and the saltwater pool was as close to his habitat as they were going to get.

Many Steelwick members gathered around. Macs held one side of the first canvas, and I held the other, rolling it out for everyone to see. There were gasps, then cheers as they took in the sight. We put it up and then did the same for all eight. The framework was absolutely perfect, and the pieces came together in a way that far surpassed my expectations. But would it meet theirs? Those were two different things.

I bit my lip nervously.

Matty put his hands over his face, tears glistening in his eyes. “It’s just so perfect,” he said. “It’s beautiful!”

“I’m glad,” I said, shrinking back a bit because while I loved the appreciation for my work, I never quite knew how to accept it.

“Damn, I’d almost like print for inside the house,” Armand said.

“We can do that,” I said.

Armand and Matty stood next to each other, their young children surrounding them and their young baby in Matty’s arms. It was a perfect family photo, and if I had my sketchbook on me, I would paint it.

Macs must have been thinking something similar because he snapped a picture, then winked at me. The idea that I could commission paintings from the shifter community and provide families with portraits of one another was exhilarating. It was exactly the kind of thing I would enjoy. I could start by providing a sketch for Armand and Matty as a thank-you for commissioning the larger piece.

“Thank you so much for this,” Armand said.

“The frame is a composite material that my mom picked out. I’m sure she already had you seal it tightly, so you won’t have any issues with the canvas getting damaged by the weather,” I said, and Armand nodded.

“That’s awesome.” Armand pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. “Your payment, of course.”

“Thank you,” I said.

While we had all been oohing and ahhing over the art, members of the Steelwick pack had begun loading up the trailer, and now it was ready to go. We didn’t waste any time getting back on the road. We had a long drive ahead of us.

Once we were back in the car, Macs turned to me. “I’m so proud of you,” he said.

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