Page 5 of Wolf Crowned

I gulped. It was broken. I’d hurt him.

Guilt weighed on me like a punch to the gut. Maybe he was the one that needed to stop and I’d selfishly kept going.

I’d offered to buy pads or whatever they were called to go over his hands, but he’d refused, so had a lot of other people. I might be proud, but I wasn’t too proud to admit I wanted to protect my hands from being punched repeatedly because we were practicing.

Lincoln smiled and kissed me on the lips. “I’m all right, sweetheart.”

I took a moment to savor the feel of his mouth caressing mine. I breathed him in, sighing and falling into his embrace as he deepened the kiss.

He pulled back all too soon and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Are you about ready to head inside?”

Unease gnawed at my belly as I eyed his poor hands again. A shift would heal them, but that had to hurt. I closed my eyes for a moment and let out a long breath.

I glanced up at the sky. The sun hung overhead, peeking out from the clouds. It was probably close to lunchtime, which meant we’d been out here for several hours.

I rolled my shoulders back and stretched my upper back. “We should head in. I bet my mom made something amazing for lunch.”

Since we’d lost the main house and everyone was crammed together in the pack house or tents, she’d been making sure every meal was exceptional. I worried she was doing too much, but she always shooed me off, and it helped the pack’s morale.

It didn’t mean I didn’t worry. Mom was grieving her husband and son still. Then again, maybe the extra work took her mind off everything.

Lincoln wagged his brows, drawing me from my thoughts. “I heard it was going to be some amazing sliders and homemade pasta salad.”

He gave me another kiss, lingering just long enough before pulling back to leave me wanting more. And judging by the sly grin, he knew what he was doing.

I leaned in and kiss him again. “Just a few more minutes out here.” My hands slid down his back until they were resting on his butt. I gave it a pat.

He growled as his tongue flicked against my lips. I hooked my leg around his hips, pulling him closer. “I feel like we haven’t seen each other very much the past week. One of us is always doing something. By the time we get to bed, we are both wiped.”

He gave me a quick peck. “I know, with the rebuilding and training everybody, it’s been busy.”

I pressed my forehead against his and closed my eyes. “We need to make sure that we make time for each other. And Sawyer. We’ve seen even less of him.” I blinked my eyes open and groaned. “It’s been four days since he checked in, Lincoln. I’m scared.”

There was a constant weight pressing against my chest. He was okay; I knew that, but I wasn’t sure if it was my fear or his. Probably both. And even Lincoln’s too.

Lincoln sucked in a breath and exhaled loudly. “I know. I’m worried too, but we would know if something was wrong.” He put his hand over my heart. “We would feel it. Trust me, okay?”

I pulled back and glanced out at the trees, watching as the branches swayed in the breeze. Most of the leaves were gone now, and the few left were dropping like flies.

Tears pricked my eyes. “I just hate the fact that your dad‘s trying to push that woman at him. Willa was happy to play along as the dutiful mate. This girl doesn’t seem like she’ll do the same.”

Lincoln scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sawyer is loyal to us. He would never ever be with someone besides us. I promise you that.”

I nodded. In my heart, I knew that was the truth. It didn’t stop me from worrying. It was that girl. She wanted him for power. It made her dangerous. “I know. It’s just I wish he was here.”

We hadn’t been together in what felt like years. I knew it hadn’t been anywhere close to that, but I just wanted my mates here with me, where I knew they were both safe and out of danger. The longer Sawyer stayed at his father’s pack, the more the worry poking a hole in my chest grew.

Lincoln gave me a smile. “We will all be together soon. That’s what we’re fighting for. We’re all going to make it out of this in one piece.”

I glanced at the ground fixating on a spider that was scurrying across a log. “I’m just worried. I have a bad feeling and I can’t shake it.”

It kept me up at night, and it haunted me when I slept. Something bad was going to happen.

Lincoln pulled me into a hug and rested his chin on top of my head. “Sawyer knows what he’s doing. We have to have faith in him.”

I did believe in him. It was his father that I didn’t trust. One slip up and I knew he would kill Sawyer. I shuddered, making Lincoln hold me tighter.

My phone shrilled in my back pocket, breaking our moment, and making me jump.

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