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“You promised everything would be okay,” Raven whispered.
Her words struck me so hard that I almost puked. She was right. I had promised her that this would be okay. I laid down next to Raven’s wolf form and nestled closely against her. I tucked my head beneath her snout and felt her raging heartbeat as it fluttered endlessly against my entire body. She trembled like a scared little girl trapped in a dark cave. And as I slid my hand down her side in the direction of her coat of fur, I did the only thing I knew to do.
I sang a song my mother always used to sing to me whenever I had gotten scared as a child.
“There is a land within the trees escaping time, and you and me. The wind flows deep and waters wide, ever-changing with the tide. It’s where your family lies asleep, singing songs of true blues deep. And when your heart feels lost and ‘lone, just let it softly bring you home.”
I sang it over and over until her fur finally retracted into her body. The size of her figure ebbed back out with the flowing tide of her shifting, and as her raging wolf’s voice muted itself for good, I found her lying on the cool, lush ground with me.
Surrounded by nothing but trees.
“Hey there,” I said as I reached out and tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear.
She flinched for a moment before she steadied her body. “Hey.”
I allowed my thumb to stroke her cheek. “You feeling a bit better?”
She swallowed hard. “I-I don’t know what happened. One minute, I was outside pulling weeds in the lawn, and the next...it just—”
“It happens to all of us. That first shift is so monumental and so freeing that we forget that it’s another part of our lives that we have to find a way to control.”
She swallowed hard. “Dean, I don’t think I can do this. I don’t think that-that I’m capable of-of being what this pack needs. Of controlling this vicious thing within me. It’s like a beast that just wants to be free all the time. I’m not sleeping. I’m barely eating. It’s consuming me, and I don’t know how to make it stop.”
“Well,” I said as I cupped her cheek softly, “I know you can do it. It feels impossible now, but—”
“Has Brody had any luck with the witch?”
How quickly she had thrown out that question made me sick to my stomach. “No, not yet. He’s working on it, though.”
“And the patrols? Have they found anything?”
I chuckled. “Why don’t we focus on figuring out how to control what’s within you before we figure out how to control what’s outside of you?”
She pushed her naked body up to her feet. “I don’t have that luxury right now. Though, I appreciate your concern.”
I tried my best not to stare as I stood with her. “Whenever you’re ready, we can shift and head back to the pack.”
Her gaze lingered upon my bare shoulders and chest for a bit too long. “Right, yes.”
I grinned. “I’ll follow your lead, alpha.”
And as she drew in a deep breath, a moment of pause came over her. “If my wolf tries to—”
I slid my hand into hers. “I’ve got your back, Raven, alpha or not. I won’t let your wolf carry you away again. Just stick by my side until we can get you back to the house. I promise, you’re safe with me.”
Then, with a squeeze of her hand, she closed her eyes and allowed her head to fall back.
Before we both shifted and pounded the dirt to get back to the pack.
13
RAVEN
“RUNNING IS SO MUCH FUN!”
As my claws dug into the ground beneath me, the wind whipping through my coat of fur shivered me to my core. I’d never experienced anything like it in my life, and all I wanted was to keep running.
Keep pushing forward.
