Page 20

19

WREN

“Okay, your virgin eyes are safe,” I said, humor lacing my tone. But there was no answer. “Puck?”

I turned around to find him glaring into space. “Buddy, are you reliving your last hate-sex escapade or something?”

That shook him out of whatever stupor he was in, and his face screwed up. “Did you just call me buddy ?”

I fought a smile. “What’s wrong with buddy?”

Puck let out a disgusted sound. “I am not a buddy .”

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of me. “What would you like to be called?”

He pondered that for a moment. “Sex god?”

“I don’t think I’ll be yelling that across the bar.”

“Bummer.” Shadows passed over Puck’s green eyes, making the irises take on an emerald hue. “Are you okay, Birdie?”

I frowned, really taking him in. The question seemed to encompass more than just me getting doused with Cressida’s stupid club soda, but I couldn’t figure it out. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

Puck shook his head as if rethinking his approach. “I just—you shouldn’t have to deal with that bullshit. No one has the right to mistreat you.”

The back of my throat burned as if acid had been poured down it. I swallowed hard, trying to clear away the sting. It had been so long since anyone cared if I was mistreated or gave one damn whether I lived or died.

Pressure built in my chest, but I did my best not to give that away and let Puck know how much his words meant to me. “Romeo, if you haven’t noticed, I can take pretty good care of myself.”

There was no flicker of amusement in Puck’s expression like I’d hoped. He just kept staring at me, so much emotion in those green eyes. “Even if you can, it’s sometimes nice to know someone has your back. And I’ve got yours, Birdie.”

The pressure intensified, almost brutal in its force. “Puck,” I croaked.

“I’m kinda partial to Romeo. It’s a hell of a lot better than fuckin’ buddy .”

That had a snort-laugh bubbling out of me. I grinned at him. “Sorry, buddy.”

“Birdie,” he growled.

With that, I knew I’d be calling him buddy for the foreseeable future. “Come on. We should get back out there.”

Puck muttered a curse. “It’ll be a miracle if Locke hasn’t burned the place down by now.”

I grinned, grabbed my tray, and hung my wet T-shirt on a coat rack before leaving the office. The low din from the bar told me there’d been an increase in patrons since we’d entered the office. When we reached the end of the hallway, Locke looked up from a sea of tables, panic written all over his face. “Help? ”

A laugh bubbled out of me. Gods, he was adorable. I hurried over to him, where he held his phone, tapping in an order. “I don’t think Gary’s going to take orders from a phone.”

“Right,” Locke muttered, wincing.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got it.” I quickly jotted the list of orders onto my page, reading them off to the patrons as I did to confirm I had everything right.

“Thanks,” Locke mumbled. “People-y things aren’t really my strong suit.”

I so got that. I reached out and squeezed his arm. “You’re doing great. Why don’t you take this to the kitchen, and I’ll grab the other orders?”

He nodded, sending a lock of hair over his eyes. “Are you, um, are you okay? I’m sorry about Cressida.”

I smiled reassuringly. “All good. Thankfully, it was just club soda and not anything sticky.”

“Yeah, that’s good. And everything with Puck? That’s okay?” Locke’s gaze flicked behind the bar, where Puck was filling drinks. He had a carefree smile on his face, but it was completely false. A lie. And it felt as if Locke could read that, too.

What the hell happened in that office?

“I think we’re good,” I said, pulling one corner of my mouth into a smile. “Well, other than the fact that he apparently really doesn’t like being called buddy .”

Locke barked out a laugh. “Wren. I would’ve paid good money to see you call him that.”

“What did I do?” I asked with mock innocence.

“It’s good for Puck. Keeps his ego in check.”

I laughed, and the release of pressure felt damn good. “I’ll do my best.”

Locke shifted from one foot to the other, seeming to search for the words he wanted. Finally, he forced his gaze to mine and held it for almost a beat of five—longer than he ever had before. “ I’m glad you’re okay.” With that, he headed for the kitchen, the order sheet in hand.

I just blinked after him, wondering what the hell was going on. I’d only known these wolves for a matter of days, yet they made me feel more cared for than I’d felt in over a decade.