Page 9 of Rising Reign (The Wolves of Crescent Creek #3)

WREN

I’d never been on a plane before. When I was a child, and Mom and I were running, we couldn’t risk that sort of travel.

And when I was in my teens and early twenties, trying to hide from Bastian, I couldn’t exactly afford it.

So, having my first flight be on some fancy-pants private jet had my head spinning.

The plane jostled me as it hit some turbulence, and my fingers dug into the seat. Locke reached over and covered my hand with his. “It’s okay. It’s perfectly normal. We’ll be on the ground in twenty minutes.”

I nodded in a staccato beat I was sure made me look more than a little unhinged. The truth was, my nerves were ratcheted up to an eleven. The entire three-hour drive to the airstrip, I’d been braced for attack, half-expecting Marcelle to swoop in from the sky and demand my soul.

A shiver raced through me at the thought, and Locke moved instantly. Unbuckling my seat belt, he lifted me into his lap and nuzzled me in the way he always did when I needed the contact. A little of the tension bled out of me. “Thank you,” I whispered.

He traced a hand up and down my back. “We won’t let him get to you.”

Kingston leaned forward and took my hand. “We’ll take every precaution. Heightened security. Nowhere alone. Patrols of Crescent Creek.”

I wanted to believe that I would be safe now. But I knew the truth. I wouldn’t be. Not until Bastian and Marcelle were wiped from this Earth.

“We have to kill them.” I swallowed hard as if giving voice to the words had created a wound. “Both of them. There’ll be no peace for any of us until then. It’s foolish to think otherwise.”

Kingston opened his mouth to speak, but Ender cut him off. “She’s right. We have to end them both. They’ll keep coming for her. There’s nothing more important to them now.”

I locked my gaze with Ender’s amber one. The tension between us crackled in the air, but it was like neither of us knew how to fix it.

Locke’s hand moved, his thumb stroking the back of my neck. “We need to be careful. Thoughtful. We can’t rush into anything rash.”

“We need to bring them to us,” Brix said.

Puck frowned and leaned forward. “That happened last time. It didn’t work out so well for us.”

Brix shook his head. “We thought Bastian would either snatch her when she was unprotected or attack us at home. Now, we know how his mind works. He won’t get that element of surprise again.”

That much was true. If distraction came, we knew what was at the heart of it. My chest ached. I wanted to see Clyde and make sure he was really okay. I wanted to see Juan and Franco, too. We’d all been through so much. And all because of my hateful father.

“His pack is fractured,” I said, anger humming in my vocal cords. “Some are truly loyal, but more are simply terrified. If we give them another option, they may not stand with him.”

Kingston’s hand gripped mine tighter as a small smile tugged at his lips. “My mate is a mastermind.”

A small laugh broke free from my lips. “I’m not sure I’d go that far.”

King glanced at Ender. “Do you think you can get word to some strategic people in Red River? Offer them refuge?”

Ender frowned. “We’ll have to wait. And it will have to be offered in battle. Otherwise, it gives Bastian an opportunity to send a plant.”

King grimaced. “You’re right.”

I shivered against Locke. “The women on the compound… Some truly want to be there and revel in Bastian’s evil. But so many more want to be free. And Bastian…he’s taken everything from them. Even their shoes.”

“Their shoes?” Puck asked.

I nodded, pain slicing across my sternum. “So they can’t run. Marcelle said it was punishment for what I’d done.”

The guys all cursed.

King squeezed my hand. “We’ll get them out. I promise.”

“I’m sorry, sir. Ma’am,” the dapperly dressed flight attendant said before gesturing to the seat belt light. “We’ll be landing soon. Please buckle your belts.”

Locke let out a rumbling growl that made me laugh. I kissed him quickly. “I’ll sit with you on the car ride.”

“What about me?” Puck pouted.

“You, too, buddy.”

He scowled. “Birdie…”

I only grinned wider.

Ender slowed the SUV to a stop in front of our house. I’d never been so happy to see a structure in my life. I could’ve kissed the ground as we all slid out.

Inhaling deeply, I took in the scents of the pine trees around us, the creek water in the distance, and the last of the wildflowers blooming.

A ding sounded, and Ender pulled out his phone, scowling at the screen.

“What is it?” Brix asked.

“Just my source,” he muttered.

I frowned at Ender. “Who is this source, anyway?”

Ender’s spine snapped straight. “That’s none of your concern.”

I bristled at his tone, but, more than that, the slap of his words hurt. It was a clear “ back off. ” And even though I was used to that from Ender, it didn’t soften the sting. “It is my concern if your source is the one who told Bastian where I was in the first place. Did you ever consider that?”

Ender’s breaths came quicker. “He would never betray me like that.”

I let out a huff of breath. “At least I know it’s a he now. But that’s all we know, and we deserve a hell of a lot more.”

Ender’s jaw worked back and forth. “You should trust my judgment.”

I laughed, but there was no warmth in the tone. “ Trust ? There’s nothing but secrets with you. There’s nothing to trust.”

Ender’s eyes flashed gold, and then he turned and stalked away. Just like always.

My shoulders slumped, and pressure built behind my eyes.

“It’s not you,” Brix said quietly. “It’s just not how he’s built. ”

I shook my head. “He’s right about one thing. You can’t build a relationship without trust. But you can’t just demand it without giving any in return.”

And I wasn’t sure Ender would ever be capable of giving that.