Page 4 of The Rowdy Ones

How long will we stay here anyway?

What if Destiny loves it and wants to remain here forever?

What does that mean for me? Could I leave her in someone else’s care and trust them to look after her?

I reach out my other hand to touch Spirit, needing her grounding comfort, but come up empty. She’s not here. My wolf is back home with Mage, in the wilderness where she belongs—where we all belong.

Curling my hand into a fist, I attempt not to unravel in front of everyone. Uncle Atticus tugs Destiny out of my grip to give her a bear hug. Once he finishes crushing her tiny frame, he pounces on me next. I’m just as big as him, but the man knows how to squeeze out all the air in your lungs with just a hug.

“Come on inside where it’s warm,” he says, smacking me hard on my back. “Eve’s about to feed the twins. There’s plenty for everyone.”

He doesn’t address the elephant in the room, but I know he’s thinking about the reason why we’re here. I’d seen Wild texting with his dad when we were back in cell phone range, so at least they knew to expect us. While he didn’t explicitly state what Destiny had done to herself, I think his dad got the gist. Not to mention, when Destiny removes her coat, it’ll be obvious with her bandages.

Sickness roils in my belly.

There was so much blood. It was fucking traumatizing. Only a few days have passed since she attempted suicide and I’m still shaking over it.

That is why I’m here.

I have to be strong for my little sister.

She fucking needs me like she needed me to cut her out of that tent and out of the arms of that motherfucker who raped her.

Breathe, Rowdy. Breathe.

The anger chases away the worry and nausea. If I can cling to the fury burning hot in my veins, maybe I can ignore my fear of this place and Evan once and for all. It’s a tempting notion.

Uncle Atticus ushers us into their warm home. It always smells like peanut butter for some reason. The television blasts with some old show Aunt Eve is obsessed with. Two seconds inside and I’m already overstimulated.

“Your hair is terrible.”

I snap up my head, eyes zeroing in on Aunt Eve. Her dark hair has been swept into a messy bun and she has two curious little ones standing at her side. They all regard me with narrowed eyes as if my hair is offensive to all of them.

“It is?” I ask, spearing my fingers through the unruly strands.

“I’ll fix it after dinner. I can’t look at that the whole time you’re here.”

That woman never holds back what she really thinks. Ever. Which makes me nervous for Destiny’s sake. Aunt Eve slowly walks over to Destiny and touches the blond, limp strands.

“You need new shampoo. I’ll trim you too.”

Destiny’s cheeks, already pink from the cold, burn a little brighter. On instinct, I rub a circular pattern on her back to comfort her.

Uncle Atticus shrugs at me and then scoops up both Meadow and Forest. Wild pokes at them, making them squawk before sauntering into the kitchen to see what his mom made.

“Should we unpack the truck?” I ask, voice rough. “I can go do it.”

“Eat first,” Aunt Eve says sharply. “Then we deal with the awful hair. Then you unpack.”

Okay then.

Destiny’s lip twitches with a smile. At least someone finds this shit amusing.

My irritation dissipates when I see the casserole dish on the stovetop. Hot steam billows from the cheesy goodness on top. I don’t know what it is, but it looks fucking delicious. An audible grumble in my stomach has a real smile touching Destiny’s lips.

Seeing it makes my heart tighten inside my chest.

Maybe this is a good change of scenery for us after all.