Page 37 of The Broken Wolf's Redemption

“I’m capable of pouring a few glasses of milk and water.”

“Okay. I’ll just sit down with Seren and grill her as to what’s really going on between you.” Briar May wriggled her eyebrows. She was kidding. Maybe?

“You get the drinks,” he told his sister. So much for being a good host. Being a good host could fuck itself. “Seren was going to tell Waverly about the first time she shifted.”

“I was, wasn’t I?” Seren played along. Not like a good sport. She gave him another secret, evil smile that he didn’t know what to do with. She’d started fighting back a while ago and now it seemed like he was flat on his ass staring down the length of a sharp blade pointed directly at his throat.

She didn’t need his invitation to sit. She left the couch for Briar May and swirled Waverly back around. She made it look easy, sitting down in the recliner with a little girl bouncing on her lap. Bouncing in excitement now.

That left him nowhere to sit, but he was okay with folding his arms and glowering at everyone.

“When you shifted, did it hurt? Was it in the park? Were there other wolves? Did your parents show you? Did you eat someone? What’s it like to howl at the moon? Do you have to pee on things more, to mark them? Do you like raw meat?”

Seren laughed. “I don’t have to pee all the time on things, but I’m a girl wolf. Not so sure about the boys. Ask your uncles. I’ve never eaten anyone, nor have I ever wanted to. The only time I have howled at the moon was when I went on the run when we met your grandparents and all your cousins and aunts and uncles. The first time I shifted, there were no other wolves. Just my parents, both in human form. It did hurt a little, but in a good way. Like pushing yourself hard at exercise and feeling really good after because you’re tired in that happy, satisfied way. I’ve never eaten raw meat and I’ve never had a craving for it. I was a wolf raised in the city, so the first time I shifted was in my parents’ basement. They’d done their best to prepare me, and when they saw I was getting close, they made sure I stayed home more often. They invented things like chickenpox and a long vacation to excuse me from school. When you live without a pack and you’re in a human world, you have to make it work, and they did. They’d taught me all about shifting and control and all the other things I had to know. We’ll do the same for you. You won’t be unprepared when the time comes. You’ll know what’s happening. Your wolf will never endanger you. It’s a part of you. The wolf is there to protect you and to love you and be loved by you. It sounds like you’re two separate beings, and in a way, you are, but also not.”

Seren was totally invested in Waverly.

She was beautiful like that. Regal and breathtaking.

It was the first time in his life he’d properly appreciated kindness.

The little terror in a soft pink dress let out a little snort from her father’s shoulder, but didn’t wake. He patted her back, looking utterly content. It was crazy how this man used to be a straight up killer, both in the Army and out of it. He’d literally been a mercenary for hire. His piece of shit father took all the money his son earned, said it was going to their pack, arranged the jobs, and gave him nothing in return. Alexander had lied. He’d funneled huge amounts of money away, getting rich off the misery of his own child. He’d later tortured Castor and tried to kill his own alpha, not once, but twice. The man got what he deserved when Rome put him to ground.

Castor had no idea that the money lining Rome’s bank account actually belonged to him. There was enough. Major excess. He took what he saw as his for payment of ridding the world of the stain that was Alexander. Some he’d invest for Waverly for when she turned eighteen. The rest, he’d leave for his family, as it was rightfully their money anyway.

Castor was blissfully domesticated at present. Love had turned a wolf into a dog. It was utterly disgusting.

“How will I be prepared?” Waverly asked with concern and curiosity in equal measure. “How will I know I’m going to shift?”

“We’ll help you. Your papa and me. We’ll make sure you know everything you need to know. We’ll watch for the signs. Other wolves can often sense these things. Probably as a survival mechanism more than an animal intuition.”

Briar May appeared with glasses in hands. She passed out a few and went back to the kitchen for more. The long, loose dress she wore fluttered after her. Now that she was pregnant again with terror number two, she cupped her barely-there belly through the dress constantly.

She passed out drinks for everyone and sat down beside her mate. One hand went protectively to her daughter’s back and the look of love on her face mystified him.

He’d never felt anything close to that.

He was protective over Waverly. He’d kill or die for her. He’d loved Lila for years, from near and far, but that? He knew nothing about that serene, happy wonder. Love like that was kind and boundless. The love he’d known was more like a poison. He’d done terrible things for it. He’d felt himself hurt for it and he’d maimed for it and been banished from his own home and blood. His love only hurt, whereas the love Briar May and Castor shared for each other and for their family was something else entirely. It rebuilt their worlds instead of turning them into barren wastelands.

“You should take Waverly to watch the sunset or sunrise one day, somewhere private and quiet. I think you’d both really like that. It would be new for her, but as for you, you could definitely use more light in your life.” Briar May was full of suggestions like that, as was Prairie Rose. They took after his mother. Eternal optimists.

They were gentle and quiet and wise. A few of his brothers were like that, but not to that same extent. His sisters were more in tune with the all the world.

And then there was him. Always at odds with every single thing, be it person or place.

He was about to scoff at the idea when Waverly turned to him, a smile that lit up her whole face. He nearly squirmed on the spot. Great. Now he was on the hook for the wretched suggestion. “Can we, Papa?”

“Of course.” He’d do it for her even if he hated every moment of it.

“Tomorrow?”

“Maybe not tomorrow, but sometime soon.”

“When?”

“I’ll have to find a spot first. But soon. I promise.”

Briar May grinned, satisfied with herself.

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