Page 25 of Destined For The Wolf Daddy

“Marley’s been really good for you, man,” Travis said with a sigh. “I feel like she meets you where you’re at, but she also mellows you out.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way,” I said. “Can I ask you something, though?”

“Yeah,” he said.

I looked down at the near-empty bottle in my hands and sighed. “Do you think she’s had to change herself to make up for my failures to keep her and everyone else safe? If…if we hadn’t been captured, do you think she’d still have to do this whole stiff-upper-lip thing she’s been doing lately?”

Travis dropped his gaze from the moon and looked over at me. He reached across the space between us and placed an encouraging hand on my shoulder. “I think that the Marley I met at that elementary school was someone who wanted to be stronger, but was too afraid to know how. And I think that us getting caught showed her how strong and capable she really is because she fucking held it down, came up with a plan, executed it, and saved all our asses,” he said. “I think that Marley is exactly who she wants to be right now because you give her the space to do that. And I think the fact that she’s going through with her transition is proof of that.”

“You don’t think it’s because she thinks I can’t protect her?” I asked.

“No,” Travis answered. “I think for her, it’s always been about belonging with you and among us. I think she just…wants to feel what we feel. What I feel when I look up at the moon.” He gestured up at the glowing orb in the sky. “I mean…don’t you want to feel what it’s like to run through the wind and woods with her man? Don’t you want to play the way you were intended to?”

I didn’t know if I’d ever given myself the chance to imagine it, if I was honest. When Marley and I had first gotten together, I was just trying to make sure she was comfortable around me and other shifters. Then I fell in love with her and couldn’t fathom the idea of losing her to something I thought she’d wanted to pursue because of an insecurity.

Now, knowing full well that she was going after what she really wanted, I allowed myself to picture it, to guess at what her form would look like when she shifted. She would be fast, I thought. Maybe even faster than lanky, long-limbed Curt. And playful, too—I’d be willing to bet money on that. She would be all tail wagging and tackling.

I couldn’t help but smile as I pictured a golden-coated wolf wagging her bushy tail while her tongue lolled out the side of her mouth. Or play-fighting with my son in the grass.

“Well, when you put it that way...” I finally said. “Yeah, that honestly does sound pretty fucking incredible.”

“It’s even better than it sounds, too,” Travis said with a grin. “I underestimated how much I would love running with Lana. But I do love it. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced with another partner. Like running as one.”

I nodded, looking back up at the moon. Maybe that was what could get me through all this fear and uncertainty. Maybe I could just focus on all the wonderful things Marley’s transition would give us once we got through the dangers and horrors of it all.

“Man, I’m fuckin’ beat,” Travis said. “You still in sad-wolf hours, or can we call it a night?”

I chuckled. “We can call it,” I said. “I’m sure Lana’s missing your stupid face.”

“My face is very intelligent, thank you very much,” Travis huffed, standing up and offering me a hand.

I quirked a brow at him. “You may be a shifter now, but I’m still taller and heavier than you.”

“I know. I was actually going to just toss you off the edge of the roof,” he joked. “But if you’re not in the mood…”

“Casual suicide another day, maybe,” I replied with a grin.

“Pretty sure that counts as homicide,” he corrected, his hand still out for me.

I finally relented and took it, letting him help me up even though I still lifted most of my weight myself. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” I said to him.

“Yep. Same time, same channel.”

We made our way down into the building, Travis took his leave, and I went to check on my son. Noah was already asleep when I peeked into his room, which was a good sign that he was handling things okay after the chaotic day. I went to the master bedroom and opened the door as quietly as I could, just in case Marley was also asleep after a long day.

She wasn’t yet. In fact, she was sitting up in bed, her hair thrown up in a bun, wearing a sweater, leggings, and cozy, slouchy socks. Her knees were bent, and she had a book resting on her legs as she read it.

I smiled as she looked up from her book. “Well, don’t you look comfortable? What are you reading?”

“Just a book about leadership,” she said. “I’m too tired to do much of anything after picking up paper all day, but this at least made me feel like I was being a little bit productive.”

“Have you been thinking about how you want to run the meeting?”

“I’ve been thinking entirely too much about it, I think,” she said. “I keep flip-flopping between doing way too much or keeping it simple. I think I’m just nervous, and I’m trying to make myself feel better by overplanning.”

“Sounds like you,” I admitted, coming to join her on the bed after slipping my work boots off.

“You get the roof cleaned off?” she asked.

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