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WREN

I bounded through the woods, relief flooding my system at the feeling of having the wind in my fur and running so fast my leg muscles ached. At being…free. My wolf was no longer on edge; she was…smug.

She chuffed as if to say, “ This is all I wanted all along .” She’d needed the contact, the release, being with others of her kind.

Kingston charged ahead, leaping over a log and showing off his incredible strength and force. His silver-gray fur gleamed under the moonlight, his light-blue eyes shining. He was a sight to behold, his wolf larger than any I’d ever seen. And just like his human half, he was bossy and protective in this form, too.

Locke let out a bark that almost sounded like a laugh as he ran beside me. It was as if he could read my thoughts about our overbearing leader. He was just as beautiful as King, his fur a reddish-brown that made his gray eyes look both haunting and captivating .

He didn’t have Kingston’s force, but he had remarkable agility, maneuvering through branches and brambles with alarming accuracy. Some part of me wondered if his wolf was running complex math equations that allowed him to do it.

I pushed myself harder, relishing the burn in my muscles. It had been too long since I’d run full-out like this. My dark-brown paws glimmered in the moonlight as I raced after Kingston.

He hit the creek full force, sending water cascading around him. I jumped in right after, Locke on my heels. We leapt and played, splashing one another and nipping playfully.

Finally, Kingston let out a low howl I knew meant it was time to return. The moon had shifted its position, telling me it was past midnight. My wolf whined a little in protest, but it wasn’t the battle of being nearly feral; it was more a petulant sulk.

King let out a chuffing laugh and nipped my neck. The move was playful, but I yearned for it to be more. For him to sink his teeth into me in a claiming move, and for me to do the same to him.

As if he could read my thoughts, a low growl left his throat, and then he leapt from the creek, shaking out his fur on the shore. A moment later, his form vibrated, a blur of motion, until Kingston’s human form stood there.

It was impossible not to stare. He was a sight to behold. All lean, defined muscle. Like a swimmer but broader. And I couldn’t stop my gaze from dipping lower. Just for a second, I took in his thick length before I forced my gaze away.

King chuckled. “You can stare at me all you want. But we keep clothes in an old stump out here if you want to shift and change.”

I let out an annoyed huff and jumped out of the water and onto the shore.

Kingston dropped a set of clothes in front of me. “You’ll swim in them, but at least the sweats have a drawstring.”

I felt a flicker of nerves before I brought on the shift, unsure if my wolf would battle me over it. But as I pulled on that side of my magic, she released the reins easily, letting out what resembled a purr. She was sated and at peace, something I wasn’t sure we’d ever felt.

That knowledge settled deep into my bones as they cracked and shifted. There was only a hint of physical pain as I took on my human form again, then pulled on the sweats and tee. They smelled like Brix, which only intensified the ache in my chest. Tears burned behind my eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Locke was instantly by my side, back in his human form and dressed in a similar outfit.

Looking at him and Kingston, I shook my head and forced the tears down. “I’ve never had this before. The feeling of being part of a pack. Not that I really am, I just mean?—”

Kingston moved into my space, kissing the words right off my lips. “You’ll always have a place with this pack if you want it.” As he pulled back, he studied me. “You didn’t grow up with a pack?”

I fought the urge to shift my weight from foot to foot, knowing that a show of discomfort would give too much away. Instead, I gave him the only truth I could—the smallest sliver. “It wasn’t a pack like yours.”

Kingston’s eyes flashed silver, his wolf not liking that answer one bit. But I didn’t give him a chance to press. “Come on, let’s go. It’s late.”

“Puck’s cranky,” Locke muttered.

“You mean he’s pouting,” Kingston added, amusement lacing his words.

I looked between them. “You didn’t—I mean, he doesn’t know what, um, happened, does he?”

King chuckled, the deep, rich sound wrapping around me. “Afraid he could sense it. That sort of intense pleasure is hard to hide from pack mates.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. I didn’t actually know what a pack bond felt like. Even though I’d lived with my father’s pack for years, I’d never been blooded in or linked to them because my father had said I was too weak to carry his name .

The memory had a shudder running through me, but I fought it off. “Who knew wolves were gossips?”

Locke choked on a laugh, but he moved in closer to me, not taking my hand but pressing his arm against mine, giving me his heat. “Don’t worry about Puck. Deep down, he’s happy about it.”

But as we broke out of the woods, all I saw was Puck’s scowling face. “You just had to have all the fun without me.”

I couldn’t help it; I burst out laughing. But the laughter died as I took in Ender’s hard expression where he stood behind Puck, his mistrustful gaze locked on me. Brix stood next to him, mostly impassive but with a hint of curiosity in his gaze.

“Come on,” King said, clapping Puck on the shoulder. “Let’s get home. It’s late.”

Ender made a noise that sounded like a cross between a huff and a scoff. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have been frolicking in the woods at two in the morning, leaving us to watch your asses.”

Kingston’s expression hardened instantly, his whole body taking on his alpha energy. He stalked toward Ender, getting up in his space. “I didn’t once ask you to stick around to watch my back. You wanted to be here. Because as much as you want to lie to yourself and the rest of us, you feel drawn to Wren, too. Grow the hell up and deal with it.”

Ender’s amber eyes flashed gold, fury swirling there. “Just because I want to fuck her doesn’t mean I trust her.”

And with that, King’s fist smashed into Ender’s nose, breaking it for the second time this week.