Page 8 of For the First Time
Chapter Three
Iwas going to startworking with Atlas and his pack next week.It would give me time to start looking up recipes and such for their meals.It would’ve been easier if I’d met the other two members, had been able to ask them about their work and what food they preferred.Even better, I should’ve asked Atlas except my tongue had refused to work properly.
Shaking my head, I told myself that I had a week.Less than, actually, to get my head on straight about this pack and their scents.Maybe I could drench a fabric in artificial copies of their scent until it stopped affecting me?Or I bet there’s something on the market that I could sniff to ensure I don’t scent them as strongly.Betas don’t typically have a strong sense of smell, but there might be something to cater to the other designations.
Unfortunately, that was a problem for later.The more current issue was my car, still stuck in the hole.It was actually quite dangerous.A kid, or even a horse, could’ve easily fallen into the hole, breaking their leg.
I set my bag inside the car, squeezed my stuffed keychain for some good luck, and pulled out my phone to start searching for how to get my car unstuck.A tow truck would be a last result, especially considering the expense and how far out I was from the city.If there was one thing I was good at, it was problem-solving.And obviously not interviewing.
Off in the distance I heard Atlas’ truck start and pull away.He drove around the house, most likely to another gate in the fence that he’d opened for quicker access to the ranch.It was a relief to know he wasn’t around and wouldn’t notice that I hadn’t left.
The first article I read suggested digging out the hole so that the car could easily drive out.Since the hole was big enough that lessening the edge wouldn’t mean it rolled back onto my arm, I decided to try it.Laying on the ground, in the dirt, I carefully snuck my arm in front of the tire, feeling the hole.It was not going to be easy or quick to make it bigger since it wasn’t a hole of sand but a hole of rocks.
I wondered if it wouldn’t be better to add sand to the hole, like adding water to a cup, making the object inside float higher.Except the car wouldn’t float and I think that would just make it worse.So I started digging.
One of my nails bent backward when I scratched at an unmoving rock, making me swear and yank my hand back.The length of the nail was torn, dangling like a sad little leaf about to fall from a branch.I was just grateful it didn’t go so far back as to make me bleed.Switching onto my other side, I started again, just slightly more careful.After a few minutes, I pulled back to take a look, mentally expecting at least halfway to be done.Instead, it didn’t look like I’d done anything.
That wasn’t effective.Got it.
Gently, I tore off the hanging nail, and then I grabbed for my phone, going to the second suggestion.I didn’t have a mat or anything like that to put under the tire, although I did have my coat.Mats weren’t that strong, so a coat would work the same right?Especially if all I needed was some traction?
Worth a try.
I did my best to work the coat under the tire and then tried to lay it out as flat as possible in the hole.Except the hole wasn’t large enough for me to lay out the coat and it was too large for me to leverage the coat over the edge like a fabric-made ramp.
Okay, that wasn’t going to work either.
Without anyone else around, I didn’t have the option to rock the car and try moving it with the momentum, so the only other option was going to be letting out some of the air to try and get more surface traction.I had no idea how much air was the right amount to let out, and if I let out too much, I’d have to call a tow truck anyway.Well, if I went really, really, slowly, then maybe it was worth a try?Although, if I was going to have to call a tow truck anyway...
“You need some help, darlin?”
The sudden male voice made me gasp.I hadn’t heard a car pull up, but one glance over my shoulder showed a truck, window down, and a man looking incredibly concerned.
“My car is stuck,” I told him, despite it being obvious.
He just smiled.“I see that.I kept meaning to fill that hole, but apparently, I’m good at procrastinating.You could say, though, that since it was my job to fill it, it’s my job to help you out.”
“You work here?”
He opened the door, grabbing his hat and covering his blond hair as he said, “The name’s Franklyn Oaks.Most just call me Oaks around here, though.I live there.”He jutted his chin toward the house behind me.
“You’re one of Atlas’ alphas?”
“I wouldn’t let him hear you say that.”
“Why not?You’re a pack, right?”
“True.But a lot of people have expectations for alphas and omegas.Even on betas, for that matter.”
Hannah and Koda were definitely a victim of people like that, assuming because they were omegas they should act a certain way.I could see how Atlas wouldn’t like that either.He wasn’t a stereotypical omega, staying at home, catering to his and his alphas’ needs.No, he worked, and such a laborious job, too.
“So, want some help?”Franklyn Oaks asked again.
“Yes please.I’ve tried digging out the hole but all I managed was a broken nail and dirty clothes.”
He chuckled.“Most people just call for a tow.That thought ever cross your pretty little mind?”
Pretty?He thought I was pretty?This pack was very strange in the way they spoke with me.First Atlas and now Franklyn Oaks.
