Page 31 of Rising Reign (The Wolves of Crescent Creek #3)

LOCKE

Wren’s chest heaved as lines of pain mixed with the sweat on her brow. Her muscles twitched and quivered with fatigue. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from suggesting she take a break. She’d nearly taken King’s head off when he suggested it.

I’d thought switching from training her empath gifts to shifting would help, but this was almost worse to watch. Every time Wren’s body contorted in her change, I felt the breaking of each bone. Each time she pushed her wolf to come on faster, I felt the twisting muscle and sinew.

Wren bent over, wrapping an arm around her ribs, trying to ease the pain.

She wore the same clothing the young shifters going through their changes did.

They were made of a specialty fabric with extra stretch and give.

It allowed it not to tear each time they shifted, staying in place until their human forms returned.

Rhys frowned at her. “This should be much faster. ”

“Says the bloodsucker,” Wren wheezed.

Hera let out a snicker.

Rhys glared at both of them and then turned to Puck. “When does your sister get here?”

Puck instantly bared his teeth. “I never told you I had a sister.”

Rhys simply grinned and tapped the side of his head.

“That psychic thing freaks me out,” Brix muttered.

“I think it’s actually clairvoyance,” King corrected.

Puck scrunched up his nose. “That means talking to dead people.”

Wren rubbed her temples, pain streaking across her features. “None of this is helping.”

Rhys studied her for a long moment. “I might be a vampire, but I’ve known plenty of shifters in my day, and you’re slow.”

I bit the inside of my cheek harder. I wanted to deck the damn vamp, but he was right. Wren was slower to bring on her shift than most wolves I knew. That didn’t mean I could handle Rhys being so unkind.

I sent him a scathing look and moved across the space to Wren. Crouching low, I cupped her cheeks. “Hi.”

Sadness and a hint of defeat swam in her turquoise eyes. “Hi.”

“How do you feel?” I asked gently.

“Tired,” she admitted.

I pulled her down to the mats and handed her a water bottle. She gulped the contents greedily, her brow furrowing. “What’s in this? It tastes good.”

“Electrolytes and vitamins. You need to replenish your energy.”

She nodded and took another sip. When she set it down, she glanced around the room, looking embarrassed.

“Focus on me,” I prodded. “It’s just you and me.”

Wren nodded, her eyes glistening.

“Hey,” I whispered, stroking her cheeks. “What’s going on?”

Those stunning turquoise depths filled. “I didn’t get to spend much time in wolf form growing up. Bastian never wanted me to shift with the pack because I was submissive. So, when I did shift, it was alone. I’m not used to doing it around other people.”

A low growl rumbled from my throat. It wasn’t a sound my wolf typically made, but Bastian’s treatment of Wren would get him there any time, especially around this particular issue.

“It’s not your fault.” I pressed my forehead to hers.

“Maybe not, but I still have to figure out a way around it. The truth is, I’m submissive, so shifting has always put me on edge. I had to watch my back doubly in wolf form because if I ran into others from our pack…”

Wren didn’t have to finish the sentence for me to understand.

Wolves wanting to prove their dominance would attack her without provocation.

But it wasn’t how packs should be. A truly healthy pack could appreciate each member for what they brought to the group.

But I also knew what it was like to be thought of as less than simply because I wasn’t dominant.

My thumbs stroked Wren’s cheeks. “You and your wolf need to find a better balance. And she needs to know that she’s safe with her new pack. Safe to be who she truly is.”

Wren looked up at me, her eyes still glistening. “Sometimes, it feels like I’m too broken to ever trust that.”

“Time,” I whispered against her lips. “But we start with a pack run.”

Ender made a sound from his spot in the corner, and we both looked at him. He cleared his throat and walked toward us, but his gaze was on Wren. “He’s right. This’ll be good. I just…”

Wren reached out and took his hand, squeezing it. “I know. Our wolves would bond, and it’s not the right time.”

Ender kept a hold of her hand and reached out with his other, stroking Wren’s cheek. “My wolf would bite the shit out of you, Kitten.”

A soft laugh escaped her lips, and relief swept through me. Ender might’ve had a freak-out yesterday, but he was trying, and that was what mattered. We all were .

“I’ll see you after,” she whispered.

Ender bent and brushed his lips over her hair. “See you.” And then, he was gone.

I stood and offered a hand to Wren. “Ready?”

She nodded, but I could see the nerves humming below the surface.

“This will be really good,” Kingston assured her. “For all of us.”

Rhys’s mouth curved. “Can I come?”

Kingston’s expression immediately transformed into a scowl. “No.”

“But I?—”

“Save it, bloodsucker,” Hera cut him off. “We can go find you a squirrel to snack on or whatever it is you eat.”

Rhys’s gaze narrowed on her. “Maybe I’ll make an exception and snack on you.”

Hera lifted her hand, sparks dancing between her fingers. “You can try…”

“Let’s get out of here before they kill each other, and we have to clean up the mess,” Puck muttered.

King, Brix, and Puck headed out the French doors with Wren and I following behind. Her footsteps slowed, and I looked down at her as I threaded my fingers through hers, assuring her that I’d be with her the whole way.

Wren looked up at me, worry swirling in those beautiful eyes. “What if I can’t do this? What if I’m not strong enough to defeat my father?”

I gripped Wren’s fingers tighter and brought my face closer to hers. “You are. Think of all you’ve made it through, all you’ve overcome. And now, you have us at your back, feeding you our unique strengths. Stronger together, remember?”

Wren’s eyes shone in the early afternoon light. “Stronger together.”