Page 26 of Rejected Wolf

I nodded. “I like funny stories and ones with magic.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do. Now, do you think I can borrow your daddy for a few minutes? I’d just like to see how your little brother is doing in Daddy’s tummy.”

I looked up at Daddy, and he nodded, nudging me away from his side. “It’s okay, Jude. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Okay?” He tried to smile like he was happy, but I didn’t believe him. His mouth looked all twisted up.

The three men walked out and through another door where I knew the metal table and pokey needles were. I stayed where I was in Daddy’s bed and picked up the book, trying to read the words. Daddy had been teaching me the alphabet, and I sounded the letters out one at a time. “M… Mat…”

My words were cut off sharply when a distant scream sliced through the room. I whimpered, burying my head under the pillow, trying to hide from everyone and everything. And even though my daddy told those men I didn’t have a wolf yet, he was wrong.I’m here, he said inside me.I will protect you.

The scream went on and on…

My eyes flew open,the scream still echoing in my ears. Except, it wasn’t just in my dream. Someone was screaming within the camp!

Throwing off the sleeping bag, I charged out of the tent, searching for danger. The sky was clear overhead, the moonlight cutting a sharp line through the trees. My wolf lent me his eyes without asking, and I scanned the tree line. I smelled no smoke or fire, no blood, only the sour tang of fear. Dressed in only my boxer briefs, I paid no mind to the snow beneath my bare feet as I sprinted across to Tristan’s cabin, where a light had just turned on.

The screaming had stopped quickly, but as I approached the door, I heard sobbing. I knocked softly, my heart slamming against my ribs. The door opened, Tristan rubbing a hand over his face. His blond hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot. “Thanks for not breaking the door down. I appreciate your restraint.” He smirked, but it was missing its usual humor.

“What’s wrong?” I demanded, grinding my teeth together. I wanted nothing more than to barge past him, to make sure that everyone was okay, but I reminded myselfthat this was his home, his family. They were not mine to protect.

Tristan’s gaze went to where my fists were bunched at my sides. “It’s okay, man. Pax just had another nightmare. He’s been getting a lot of them these days, but this was a bad one.”

My nostrils flared, and I closed my eyes, taking deep, slow breaths. Just a nightmare…

“Do you want to come in and check on him?” Tristan asked gently. “Would it help to see that he’s not hurt?”

I peeked past him to where Dylan was lying in bed, cradling a sobbing child to his chest, rocking him side to side. Dylan looked up, his dark eyes pleading. “You don’t mind?” I asked, to be sure I wasn’t overstepping.

“Yeah, come on in,” Tristan said without hesitating. “Maybe it’ll help distract him. Sometimes it’s hard to get him to calm down after a dream like that. I think he…seesthings. Vesta said he’s like her, that he catches glimpses of the future.” He shook his head, his eyes glassy. My friend looked so tired, and not just from the disturbed sleep. “He’s too young for that kind of burden. He can’t even talk about what he sees. How can he possibly understand what it all means?”

He choked up and wiped the back of his hand across his eyes, then stepped aside and wordlessly gestured for me to come in.

“Look, Pax,” Dylan whispered sweetly to his son. “Look who’s here. It’s Uncle Jude.”

The rhythm of Pax’s crying changed, from whining to a choked hiccup, as he shifted away from his dad’s chest to peek up at me. His fair hair was stuck to his forehead from the sweat. It must’ve been a doozy of a nightmare. There were tears on his blond lashes, his cheeks rosy and wet. And those eyes…

My throat tightened as those all-seeing eyes locked on me. “Joo-Joo,” Pax said, using Mal’s nickname for me, as he reached out his chubby hands for me to take him.

“Hey, buddy, did you have a bad dream?” I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking the child from Dylan.

Pax nodded then wrapped his arms around my neck and buried his face in my neck. He was so small, so fragile. It felt good, comforting, to confirm that he was okay. Nobody was hurt. Everything was fine.

I couldn’t help feeling like everything wasnotfine, though. I felt a strange prickling sensation. Was it just a coincidence that I would wake up from a nightmare at the same time as Pax? I wished he could tell us what he’d seen.

Pax’s tiny body began to relax in my arms. He’d stopped crying, and Tristan blew out a relieved sigh. “I wish I’d known you were the nightmare cure-all. I would’ve had you come over sooner.”

“You know I’m here for you guys anytime, day or night. I don’t mind.” I rubbed my palm over Pax’s back, then eased him back into bed with Dylan. “There you go, buddy. You get some sleep, and in the morning, I’ll make snow angels with you.”

Pax didn’t smile like I’d hoped, though. He was still watching me too intently, and when I went to pull back, he grabbed me, his tiny grip tight on my finger. His little face scrunched up in a frustrated grimace, and I felt like he had so much he wanted to tell me, but he just didn’t have the words yet.

“It’s okay,” I told him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I didn’t really want to leave, I still felt unsettled, like I was missing something, but I forced myself to head for the door. “Okay… good night.”

The air felt colder when I stepped outside, without the adrenaline to keep me warm, as I closed the door behind me. I was about to head back to my tent, but something caught my eye. A shadow, a silhouette against the bright white snow. “Vesta?”

The shaman was standing outside in nothing but her nightgown, her feet bare. She was staring blankly off into the woods. “Vesta, what are you doing out here? You’ll catch your death of cold.” We would have to keep a closer eye on her if she started wandering off.

I crouched down to look into her face. I wasn’t sure she was even awake. I reached out to touch her, but her hand snapped up, and she gripped my arm tightly. “You think you’re protecting him, but you’re not,” she rasped. “The doctor, he… he won’t give up… so easily.”

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