Page 47 of Rising Reign (The Wolves of Crescent Creek #3)

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My heart hammered against my ribs as panic pulsed through my veins. I needed out. Needed freedom. Wanted no walls fencing me in.

Laughter and shouts sounded from the living room as I hit the entryway.

“Brix, come play with us,” Clara shouted.

I ignored her and headed straight for the back doors and out into the fall sunshine. The air had a cool edge to it—one I needed.

I didn’t bother changing out of my clothes, I simply called on the shift, desperate to be in my wolf form. My bones cracked as muscle and sinew tore. In a split second, I was standing on four paws.

There was no waiting. I took off for the trees, needing to feel the wind in my fur and that illusive freedom. There were days I felt like more beast than man, days where it was easier to be in this form. Simpler.

There were no worries or complex fears when I was a wolf. There was only instinct and reaction. I didn’t have to wrestle with anxieties of what was to come; I simply faced them as they came.

My paws hit the ground hard. I leapt over fallen trees and dodged underbrush until I reached a spot at the creek. I jumped into the water, letting the shocking cold distract me from my swirling thoughts. I dunked my head in the stream, holding it there for one, two, three seconds.

As I lifted my head, I sucked in air, but the panic wasn’t completely gone. I made the move again, trying to clear away the weight that had settled on my chest.

When I lifted my head this time, I heard footsteps in the distance. No, not footsteps, the sound of paws hitting the earth. I caught a glimpse of a dark brown wolf with a white heart over her chest.

No. I couldn’t see Wren right now.

I leapt out of the creek and took off running. I should’ve known she would catch me. Our little warrior was fast and far nimbler than I was.

She hit me at full speed, taking us into a spilling tumble and snapping at me to make her displeasure known. I let out a low growl in answer, telling her I wanted to be left alone. But then her voice filled my head as she studied me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Wren let out a chuff. “Because you just bolt for no reason.”

I started walking, not running away but avoiding that astute, turquoise gaze. “I needed air.”

She followed but didn’t completely close the distance. “Not a lie, but not exactly the truth either.”

I let out another growl, but this one wasn’t aimed at her. It was aimed at me. She was right. It wasn’t fair of me to bolt and keep every instinct and fear to myself. I slowed to a stop and turned to face her. “I’m not sure I have what it takes to be a father. ”

Wren stilled, those turquoise eyes widening. “You don’t want to be one?”

I shook my head as a wave of grief hit me. “There’s nothing I’d want more. But, Wren, I…what happened to me, it broke pieces of me. I’m not sure I’ll ever be normal .”

“Fuck normal.” Wren butted her head under my chin. “You’re perfect just as you are, and you’ll give your son or daughter all that beautiful uniqueness.”

“It’s not that simple. What if I have a freak-out around our kids?”

“Then you have a freak-out. We’ll deal. That’s why we have a bond. So we all balance each other out. We all help one another.”

I wanted to believe her words, to trust them.

Because nothing would make me happier than building a family with her and my brothers.

But I wasn’t so sure I was there. “My family was taken from me when I was still so young. Sometimes, I feel like I didn’t get to learn all I should’ve from my father. ”

Wren pressed her body against mine, making our bond flare to life as a beautiful reminder of all we shared.

“My father was a monster, and my mother was ripped away from me early. I don’t have an example from them either, not really.

But I know the feelings I want to give to my children.

Safety. Acceptance. Protection. Love. I know what I want to build for them because it’s exactly what you and the rest of the pack have given me. ”

“Wren…” My heart hammered against my ribs for a whole other reason now. Wren had been through so much, endured more than any being should ever have to. But she still saw beauty everywhere.

“You already know everything you need to.” She licked the side of my face.

I curled around her, my wolf wanting nothing more than to be close to his miraculous mate. “I love you.”

“More than you could ever know. We’ll do this together. One thing at a time, and only when we’re all ready. ”

I held her tightly to me, breathing in wildflowers and rain. “I’m ready now.”

A laugh sounded through my mind. “Maybe we should dispatch our long list of enemies first.”

I let out a chuff. “Fair enough, Little Warrior. Fair enough.”