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Chapter Two
By the time I reached our haven, my situation hadn't improved. If anything, I felt worse. My chest hurt, my head throbbed, and as I walked up the sidewalk, it felt as though I was sinking through the ground.
I’d experienced the occasional sugar rush as a kid, so I was familiar with the comedown it could cause. This wasn’t one of them.
Fortunately, seeing as it was the middle of the day, the chances of someone catching me like this were slim. That’s what I thought, anyway, until my younger brother jumped me on the other side of the door.
“Liv!” Dustin’s voice grated on the few nerves I had left. “You’re back. Get anything good?” He looked at me from his place on the sofa, his blue eyes mostly hidden beneath his mess of brown curls.
“Here,” I said while tossing him a pack of lites. “Don’t say I never get you anything.”
He caught the pack with one hand, then reached for me before I could retreat upstairs.
My wolf bristled. It took everything I had not to pull away.
“What’s wrong?” His brow furrowed, his voice barely audible to me even though we were the only ones around. “You look like someone bopped you on the nose with a newspaper.”
“It’s nothing.” I shrugged him off and turned toward the steps. “Shouldn’t you be at the grocer’s?” That’s where the rest of the pack had gone.
“I came back for lunch.”
I eyed the clock on the mantelpiece on the opposite side of the room and frowned. “It’s not even eleven.”
“An early lunch, then.” He took a step and placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m not out to get you, Liv. I just want to help.”
I let out a long breath and deflated in his arms. Out of our entire pack, he understood me the most. Or he tried to, anyway, but not even his hugs were enough to soothe the ache in my chest.
Knowing he’d follow me up to my room like a lost pup if I didn’t give him something, I stepped out of his arms, then joined him on the couch.
“This isn’t just because of the shift, is it?” he asked once we sat down.
I shook my head, then hid my face in my hands. “I wish I knew.” Wolves were supposed to be strong, resilient, and feel at home in their pelts, whereas I did not.
“Dad thinks you’re angry at your wolf.”
I blinked up at him. “He what?”
“I overheard him talking with Mom.” Dustin tucked one leg under the other and turned to face me. “We want to help but no one knows how.”
“You do help me, though. I know it might not seem like it but reaching out helps. Unfortunately, this is something I have to deal with on my own.”
“While the rest of us don’t.” Concern filled his eyes. “You know I’d shoulder the burden for you if I could.”
“I do.” In fact, if I asked, most of our pack would do the same. “Maybe Mom’s right. Maybe I should talk to someone about it.” A shifter at odds with her wolf? Any therapist in their right mind would’ve loved to hear about that.
“You could always talk to me.” Dustin managed a small smile, then stared at his lap. “It’d probably be weird with me being your brother and all, but at least I’m not going to shrink you or anything.”
“Shrink me?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“But think of all of the trouble we could get into.” He made an excited motion with his hands.
“We?”
“Sure! You could fit into the small spaces I can’t. Like rabbit burrows. Those used to be so much fun when we were pups.”
