Page 15 of Rising Reign (The Wolves of Crescent Creek #3)

WREN

I woke slowly, not because anything from the outside world woke me, but because my wolf was clawing at me. She kept nudging me until my eyes finally fluttered open. In sleep, I’d wound myself around Locke as if forming us into a human chain, refusing to let him go.

I winced and slowly released my vise-like grip. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

Locke let out a low chuckle. “I’m never going to be mad about being close to you.” But I detected a hint of sadness in his words. One I’d do anything to wash away.

I leaned back on the pillows, really taking Locke in.

The room was still dark, but I let my shifter side take over so I could make out every detail.

He’d removed his glasses at some point, setting them on the bedside table.

A piece of his deep-brown hair had fallen across his forehead in the kind of disarray I usually only saw when he was at his computer.

And there were circles beneath those beautiful, gray eyes.

Reaching out, my fingers ghosted beneath his eyes as though the featherlight touches could erase the shadows there. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Locke’s eyes turned guarded. “You didn’t?—”

“I did.”

He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. “It scares me…how much I love you.”

“Me, too,” I admitted. The depths in which I cared for every single one of these men—even asshole Ender—scared the hell out of me. I couldn’t imagine the shell I would be if I lost any of them.

Locke stared back at me, his gaze sweeping over me like the brush of fingertips. “And I’m mad.”

“Okay.” I had to take that because I wanted him to tell me how he truly felt and not lock it away.

“What you did was reckless. You could’ve been killed.” The words sounded animalistic, guttural and primal, roaring from somewhere deep inside.

“I couldn’t let Bastian hurt Clyde because of me. He’s an innocent. I never would’ve been able to live with myself.”

“I know,” Locke growled, pulling me so I straddled him, his hands sinking into my hair. “And I love you because you care so deeply for others. Yet part of me wants to lock you away just to keep you from playing the shield.”

I understood the urge. How many times had I been furious because one of the guys had taken a risk to protect me?

Or the lengths they’d gone to in order to keep me safe?

I dropped my head to Locke’s, pressing my forehead to his and breathing him in.

“Maybe we need to trust each other a little more. Trust that this love we’re building will see us through, even if it’s terrifying in the moment. ”

Locke’s mouth brushed mine. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I whispered the words over his lips, praying it would be strong enough to carry us beyond whatever was to come .

“I don’t want you to be anyone but who you are. I’m sorry I pulled back.”

My fingers sifted into his hair, keeping our connection as I straightened so I could really see him. “I get it. Self-protection. And we’re talking it through now. I just…I missed you.”

Locke’s expression softened. “I missed you, too. More than you’ll ever know.” He raised a hand to cup my face, his thumb tracing my lower lip. “Will you do something for me?”

I cocked my head to one side. “If it’s lock myself in some underground bunker until all this is over, the answer is no.”

Locke barked out a laugh. “No underground bunkers. I promise.”

“Then, yes. I’ll do something for you. Anything for you.”

That soft look was back on Locke’s face, the one I loved more than any other expression he wore. He reached over, put on his glasses, and opened the bedside table drawer. He fished out a wooden box and handed it to me.

The box itself was stunning, artwork etched into its surface like a tattoo. Moons and hearts formed a stunning pattern across the lid and down the sides. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Open it,” Locke pressed.

My fingers stilled on the lid for a moment before I lifted it. As I did, my lips parted. Inside was a necklace. A delicate gold chain with a lock pendant. As my fingertips ghosted over the metal, I gasped. “It’s enchanted.”

A buzz lit in my hand like a stroke to the senses. It was magic meant for me.

“Only you or one of your bondmates can remove it. It’s spelled with a locator enchantment. And there’s a tracker chip in the lock itself. We’ll be able to find you wherever you are.”

Tears pressed against the backs of my eyes. “This kind of magic…it isn’t easy to come by.” And I knew it had a high cost.

Locke’s thumb ghosted over my lower lip again. “Worth it. Over and over again. ”

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

Locke lifted the jewelry and fastened it around my neck. “A reminder of us. That I’m with you always.”

I leaned down and brushed my lips over his. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

And then my stomach rumbled.

Locke laughed, lifting me as he stood and slid his feet into his shoes. “Let’s get you fed.”

“I had other plans,” I grumbled.

Locke tapped my ass as he set me down. “Later. Gotta take care of my girl first.”

I mumbled something about sex winning out over food but still headed for the door.

We made our way downstairs and toward the sound of voices in the kitchen. I could smell the scents of homemade pasta sauce simmering, and my stomach rumbled again.

“Told you that you needed to eat,” Locke said with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Just as we hit the bottom floor, the front door opened. I came up short at the appearance of Ender. His gaze instantly cut to me, and his expression shuttered.

That tiny movement cut deeper than I wanted to admit—the fact that Ender didn’t want me to know anything he was thinking or feeling, that he couldn’t share even one tiny truth with me.

“Feeling better?” he rasped.

I simply stared at him. Why did he get to ask questions when I couldn’t ask any in return?

Ender’s cheek started to twitch. “Yes?” he pressed.

“Not sure you have a right to that answer,” I told him honestly.

The fluttering in his cheek intensified. “Don’t be immature.”

I bristled. “How are you feeling, Ender? You seemed stressed in the car. Tense. What’s going on?”

He stiffened, his amber eyes burning gold. “What is this? I’m rubber and you’re glue? ”

“It’s making a point,” I snapped. “You expect me to jump when you say jump. Answer when you ask. But you won’t give me any of that respect back. So, who is truly immature?”

“She has a point,” Puck yelled from the kitchen.

“Stop eavesdropping,” Ender barked. He cast an annoyed look toward me. “I just wondered if your headache was better. But if you want to play games, fine.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying something I really regretted. “What I want is for you to remove the stick from your ass, get over your shit, and deal with the fact that you might actually—heaven forbid—like me.”

Ender’s teeth gnashed. “I do not like you.”

I scoffed. “What are you? In kindergarten?”

“I don’t,” he huffed.

But the twitch of his fingers and how his eyes shifted to the side told me differently. I grinned at him. “You are such a liar. But have fun in denial land.”

A deep chuckle sounded from the back hall, one I didn’t recognize, and then a voice just as deep as the tenor of the laugh spoke. “So, this is the little vixen who has turned your life upside down, End?”

The house erupted at the new voice.