Page 52 of Rising Reign

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.”