Crescent Kingdom (The Wolves of Crescent Creek, #1)

by Tessa Hale

I straightened from my stretch, doing everything I could to keep a nonchalant look on my face. “I don’t know, King. Are you sure I’m not going to hurt you?” The use of his nickname, the one I’d heard Clyde call him, was purposeful. A false sense of connection and a challenge. Kingston’s eyes flashed silver. “Little Warrior, you’re playing with fire.” I shrugged carelessly. “Prove it.” And with that, I grabbed my water bottle and gloves and headed to the ring. “Fuck, King. I’m in love. Please, let me fight her,” Puck begged.

I tried to focus on the task at hand—a cherry Coke for Locke. But we didn’t do just any sort of cherry Cokes here. We made them with flavored syrup and maraschino cherries. “Birdie,” Puck hissed. My gaze flicked briefly to him as I grabbed a tall glass. “Yes?” “Can you take these menus to table five?” “Busy. I’m afraid you’ll have to handle that.” Puck moved in closer, the heat of his body bleeding into mine. “I’m not above bribery. What’ll it take?” I grabbed the ice scoop and poured some cubes into the glass. “I’m afraid you can’t afford me.” “Birdie…” he ground out. Moving to the rows of syrups, I grabbed the cherry and poured it all over the ice. “I didn’t take you for a chicken.” “I’m not,” Puck said, shoulders straightening, making the planes of muscle beneath his tee even more evident. Then, he sighed. “Okay, fine. This is the one instance where I am a chicken shit, scaredy cat, piss-my-trousers night-light-needer. Now, will you take pity on me?” A laugh bubbled out of me. It couldn’t be helped. But as I turned to head for the soda gun, I stopped in my tracks because Puck was staring at me like I’d grown a second head. “What?” He blinked a few times, seeming to come back to himself. “Don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh. It’s fucking beautiful.”

Something shifted in the air. A scent. It laced the fury as if coating it. My jaw went slack as I stared down at Wren. The room went silent as we gawked at her unconscious form. It was her scent we smelled. That same wildflowers and rain as before, but with a different root now. She smelled of wolf. And of caster. But more than that, she smelled like…home.

Wren stiffened, and I knew I was treading on thin ice. Still, she answered. “Yes. I asked them to keep my secret.” “Why?” I pressed. “Why do you hide your true nature? Having two supernatural sides is a gift.” Tension radiated through her jaw and down her neck. “It’s complicated.” “Wren—” “I’m getting pretty tired. You know how healing can take it out of you. I’m going back to sleep for a bit.” I knew when I’d been shut down. I’d give her this, her space. Time. “I’ll never force you to talk about something you don’t want to,” I said softly as I stood. “I was only trying to understand.” But just because I wouldn’t push didn’t mean that I wouldn’t do everything in my power to keep her safe.

I took my free hand and picked up my fork, spooning some grits onto it. As I took the bite, I couldn’t help but close my eyes as a soft moan left my lips. It was the best thing I’d tasted in my life. I’d thought the sound had been quiet enough for only Princess to hear, but when I opened my eyes, I found four sets on me. I swallowed quickly, my cheeks heating. “Sorry. It’s really good.” “Birdie, you keep making those sounds, and I’ll make it my life’s purpose to be your personal chef,” Puck growled. I broke off a piece of my biscuit and threw it at him. But he simply caught it in his mouth.

“I don’t know, King. She just…it feels like she fits. Like it was all meant to be. Maybe the fates are bringing her to us because we don’t have a true mate. Either way, she feels like ours. Like we’re hers.”

“It’s been too long. If you shift, you could lose control.” “I know,” Wren rasped, her voice more smoke than words. “You need contact, release.” I did everything I could to keep my voice restrained and my wolf in check. Her eyes flared, realization dawning. “You mean…” “We’re going to give you all the touch your body’s been craving for years. We’re going to make you come, and then you’re going to let your wolf free.”

“Say yes,” King growled. But there were no alpha vibes in his voice, no force. Even though he easily could’ve used his dominance to force me into submission, he kept his wolf in check. “Please,” Locke whispered, his lips grazing my ear. “Let us take care of you.” It was Locke’s tender words that broke me, shattered my last shreds of restraint. “Yes,” I whispered. “Turn her so she’s facing me, brother,” King ordered, a growl bleeding into the words.

Locke shifted uneasily. “I’m not good at⁠—” “She needs you,” Kingston assured him. “Your touch. Ours together. Your wolf will guide you. I’ll help.” A tremor racked me at the words. Locke moved on instinct, running his nose down my neck. “Easy, Little Warrior, we’ve got you.” He said the nickname in a different tone, a gentler one, making tears spring to my eyes. “We’ve got you,” Kingston echoed, his hands traveling up my legging-clad legs. The higher they went, the quicker my breaths came. King’s knuckles grazed the apex of my thighs, and I let out a gasp. “That’s it. We want to hear all the sounds you make. Want to drown in your moans and pretty little gasps. Want to make your body weep.” Wetness gathered between my thighs, my body crying out for exactly that. King’s fingers hooked into the waistband of my leggings. “Tell me yes.” “Yes.” The word was more plea than anything else.

“We’re going to help, Little Warrior. Easy now,” Kingston cooed, his voice skating over me like a pleasant shiver. “Locke, her shirt.” “May I?” Locke’s fingers tangled in the hem, but he waited for my answer. “Yes,” I breathed, the single word a hoarse whisper.

“Fuck,” Kingston growled. “Knew you’d be stunning, but you’re a work of art, Wren.” His fingers trailed along the insides of my thighs, closer to where I wanted them. He inhaled deeply, letting out another growl. “And you smell even better.” I convulsed at his words as if they were invisible fingers stroking me. “Locke,” Kingston said, his voice dropping. “I want to know how her breasts feel, what those gorgeous nipples taste like.”

“Her skin feels like warm silk, and she smells like wildflowers. I feel her nipple tightening under my thumb.” Kingston’s fingers trailed higher. “That’s her body crying out for more, and we’ll always give our girl what she needs, won’t we?”

“We’ll always take care of you.” Locke’s voice deepened, and his second hand joined the first. Kingston’s fingers parted me, and I arched into him, letting out a whimper. “Please.” “Even more beautiful when she begs,” he rasped.

Two fingers slid inside me. King groaned this time. “Fuck, brother, I wish you could feel how tight she’s gripping me, how greedy she is for my fingers. You gonna take my cock the same way?” My lips parted with a gasp as my back arched. Kingston’s fingers pumped in and out of me, picking up speed as they twisted and curled. It was the arc that nearly did me in, the way those fingertips dragged down my walls. “Soak my hand, Little Warrior. I want to drown in you,” King demanded. And I wanted to give him exactly what he asked for. King’s gaze flicked to Locke. “Twist those pretty little nipples. Heighten her pleasure.” Locke’s fingers instantly obeyed the alpha, and I couldn’t hold in my cry. “That’s it,” King praised. “It’s time to let go.” His head bent as he added a third finger, the pressure inside me mounting. His tongue circled my clit, making me bow off the couch.

Kingston’s eyes were locked on me, and he slowly pulled his fingers from my body. And then he sucked them clean. Those light-blue eyes sparked silver. “Tastes even better than she smells.” My jaw went slack. “You didn’t.” He flashed a grin that I could only describe as wolfish. “Gotta have something to tide me over.” “But you—don’t you want⁠—?” Kingston shook his head and leaned forward to brush a gentle kiss across my lips. “This was for you. To give you what you needed. There’ll be time for more later.”

“Thank you,” I croaked. “We’ll always take care of you,” Locke whispered in my ear, his fingers grazing the skin along my ribs. It was almost too much. Pressure built behind my eyes, but I shoved it down. Kingston pushed to his feet. “Locke’s right. And right now, that means we’re going for a run. Your wolf needs it. Ours, too.”

My eyes burned as I remembered the feeling of his belt slicing open the skin of my back. The stinging, blinding pain. “Wren,” Locke whispered, his forehead dropping to mine. “They don’t see us,” I croaked. “But we’re still here.” “I see you, Wren. And everything I see is beautiful. Gentle and fierce. Strong and tender. You’re everything all at once, and it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever witnessed.” That burn spread to my throat, making it hard to talk. “Locke.” “Sleep, Little Warrior. I’ll hold you while you do.” And for the first time since my mom was killed, I went to sleep knowing someone was looking out for me.

Locke lowered Wren into the water, and she let out a soft moan, her eyelids fluttering as she burrowed into me. My arms came around her on instinct, a protective urge surging to the surface. I’d do anything to keep her safe. My wolf pushed at my skin, wanting out, wanting to slay whoever had hurt this female. A female I realized he considered his. That knowledge had fear digging deep, its claws seizing my heart. I shoved the sensation down and focused on Wren. I brushed the wet hair out of her face as she shivered against me. Her eyelids fluttered again, and she looked up at me. But her eyes were unfocused. “You’re okay. I’ve got you,” I promised. “You’re safe.” She shuddered again. “Not safe. Dark isn’t safe.” My arms tightened around her. “Why isn’t the dark safe?” I pressed gently. We needed to know. Had to know who she was running from so we could protect her.

Panic flashed in Wren’s eyes. “They leave me in the dark for weeks. There’s no way out. They hurt me in the dark.” A snarl sounded from the doorway, and I turned to find Brix there. He looked like he was about to tear the whole damn room apart.

deserve a shot to the balls. “Wren,” Kingston began, and my gaze moved back to him. “Can you do me a favor and drop your scent shields for a moment?” I stiffened. The guys might’ve scented my supernatural sides before, but I didn’t make a habit of allowing it. I’d trained myself to keep the barriers up so none of my secrets could be discovered. The training was so ingrained in me that it had become second nature. “Why?” I asked, suspicion lacing the word. Locke shifted next to me, taking my hand in his and squeezing. “I did some research while you were out. There have been cases where true mating bonds were blocked because of certain shields. The wolves didn’t realize they were true mates until the shield was dropped.”

shook my head. “There’s no way.” “Then there’s no harm in seeing,” Kingston said calmly, his hand not leaving my leg.

Locke leaned in, placing his forehead against mine. “It doesn’t matter if we are or aren’t,” he said softly. “I want you. You have me, all of me.” A fresh burn lit behind my eyes. “Okay,” I whispered.

Locke looked at me, wonder in his gaze. “Mate,” he whispered. And then his mouth was on mine. His tongue stroked in, his spicy-chocolate taste exploding in my mouth. I let out a soft moan as comfort and heat spread through me until a throat cleared. I jerked back, realizing the rest of the guys were still there. That heat was back in my cheeks. Kingston shifted forward, a soft smile on his lips. “So beautiful,” he crooned, ghosting his knuckles across my cheek. That foreign energy was back, zipping through me. All fire and ice and certainty. A new image filled my mind. I looked up into Kingston’s eyes, now lined with wrinkles, taking in the gray threaded through his hair. He swayed us back and forth to a Christmas song as stockings lined the fireplace. “Merry Christmas, Little Warrior. Thank you for giving me everything I ever dreamed of.” Then that picture was gone, too. But tears sprang to my eyes. “How?” I whispered. “Because you’re mine, and I’m yours,” Kingston said, leaning forward and brushing his lips across mine. “It’s bullshit. This isn’t real,” Ender snarled as he stalked toward the bed. He reached down and grabbed my wrist.

“Wife,” he growled. “Look how beautifully you take me.” And then it was gone. Ender dropped my arm as if he’d been burned. “Sorcery,” he growled. “This is some sort of caster spell, and I won’t fall for it.” He stormed out of the room without another word, and all I could do was gape. Brix stood then, crossing to the bed. His expression was impossible to read, but those blue-green eyes swirled, both colors darkening. “I already know the truth,” he rasped. “But don’t worry. I won’t saddle you with a mate like me.” And then he, too, disappeared, trailing after Ender. Pain lanced my chest, his words like acid poured into the wound. My gaze couldn’t help but travel to Puck then, seeking out some sort of comfort. But I didn’t find my usual joking charmer there. Instead, I found a look of agony. Shadows rimmed Puck’s green eyes as he stared at me from his spot near the wall. It was then that I realized he was as far away from me as he could get. Puck’s throat worked as he swallowed. “I’m sorry, Wren.” It was possibly the first time he’d used my formal name. And it felt like a dagger to the chest. But the next two words dealt the death blow. “I can’t.” And then he was gone, too.

Fuck. This woman would ruin me. But I’d happily go down in the rubble. For her.

“He. Cut. You,” Brix snarled, struggling to keep his breathing even. Fur rippled over his arms, and I knew if I wasn’t careful, I would have a fully shifted wolf in my bathroom. “Breathe with me,” I told him, lifting my hands to cup his face again. Brix’s fingers wrapped around one of my wrists, and he gently pulled my hand away, staring at it as if it were some sort of miracle. “How? You touch me, and it doesn’t make me want to die.”

I reached for the bodywash, squirting some into my hand to create suds. I moved into Brix, my hands lifting to his chest. Those blue-green eyes locked with mine. The moment my palm connected with his pecs, the bond sang through me. “You feel that,” Brix growled low. It sounded more like a command than a question, but I answered anyway. “I feel it. It’s the bond.” Wonder filled Brix’s eyes as he studied me. “You should’ve run when you had the chance, Little Warrior. Because now that I know what it’s like to have your touch? You’ll never be free.”

“I’m the last thing you need, but it’s too late for you now. Now that I know what you taste like, the feeling of those fingers humming along my skin…” Brix rasped. My eyes flared, and I felt the defiance filling them. “You’re exactly what I need.”

Brix’s eyes flashed silver. “You don’t know what you’re playing with, Little Warrior.” My gaze didn’t move from his. “I’m not scared of you.” Brix moved in a flash, his hands locking around my wrists and pinning them above my head. “You should be.” My back and arms pressed against the tile, the coolness of the surface at war with my overheated skin. “Do your worst.”

Brix tore his mouth from mine with a snarl. “I can smell you. Tell how much you want me, want this.” My breaths came in ragged pants. “I do.” One of Brix’s hands left my wrists and trailed down my arm, dipping to my neck. His fingers collared my throat, tightening for only a moment. “Tell me again.” “I want you,” I rasped. “I want this.”

“The sounds you make,” he ground out. “So perfect. Just like the rest of you.” “Brix,” I breathed. “Please.” “You begging? Could bring me to my knees.”

“This will never happen again. No one will ever touch you. Nobody will hurt you.” My fingers sank into his hair, the silky strands heavy with water. “It doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

Brix’s hand moved then, his knuckles grazing my slit. My back bowed again. “Brix.” He slowly parted me. “Say it again.” “Brix.” Two fingers slid inside, and he cursed. “You feel like heaven. Wet. Tight. Mine.” My mouth fell open as I struggled for breath. “It’s been a long time.” The truth was, my experience was more than limited. And none of it all that good. A low growl left Brix’s throat. “Good.” Those fingers drove deeper as he leaned in, inhaling. “Fucking heaven.”

My walls fluttered around his fingers, and Brix tore his mouth away from me. “Not yet.” My fingertips dug into his shoulders as I tried to hold back my orgasm. Brix stared up at me, his eyes pure silver now. His fingers circled inside me. “Need you ready, Little Warrior. Ready to take me. All of me.” I sucked in a breath, my lips parting as I gave myself over to the delicious stretch. “Please,” I begged. “My little wolf is greedy, just how I like her.” Brix’s fingers were gone, and then he was on his feet again. He lifted one of my legs, balancing it on the bench in the shower as his gaze collided with mine. “Tell me I can have you.” “Yes,” I breathed. He didn’t wait. He slid into me with a force that was anything but gentle. It was rough and more than a little animalistic—like the man himself. But it was everything I needed. My hips thrust into him, meeting each movement. Brix’s fingers slid into my hair as he took me, gripping tightly, just shy of the point of true pain. Between that and the girth of this man, my eyes began to water. It was all too much—in the best way. Brix cursed. “Taking me so beautifully. All of me. Like you were made for me.” “Because I was,” I croaked. “Like you were made for me.” My words snapped something in Brix. He picked up his speed, his thrusts getting wilder as my walls began to flutter. “Tell me I can mark you,” Brix growled.

“Yes.” The word was just a whisper, but it was all Brix needed. His canines lengthened and sank into the sensitive spot between my neck and shoulder. The moment his teeth met my skin, pleasure flooded me. My blood sang, and my nerve endings went haywire. I clamped down on Brix, and he let out a snarl I knew the rest of the house had to hear. But I couldn’t find it in me to care. Brix sucked on my claiming mark, wringing out more and more pleasure, heightening every thrust and wave. And as the last of my orgasm faded, I knew that everything had changed.

I should’ve known from the beginning that the pull I felt to her was different. It felt like more. I should’ve run. But I hadn’t. And now, my wolf wanted to go to her. He wanted to bite her. Claim her permanently. It didn’t matter that she was currently with my brother. A light moan filled the air, and everyone in the room froze. “Fuck,” Kingston muttered, squeezing the back of his neck. My dick went half-mast at the sound of Wren, at the knowledge of what my brother was likely doing to her right now. “She touched him,” I ground out, my voice tight. Kingston’s gaze cut to me. “She did.”

“It shouldn’t be a surprise,” Locke cut in. “She’s different.” “It’s the mating bond,” Ender said, strain wrapping around his vocal cords. “It changes things. Messes with all our minds.” Locke glared in the assassin’s direction. “The fact that she’s our true mate just means the bond is deeper. It’s not a manipulation.” Ender scoffed. “That’s what you think.” “Enough,” Kingston said, exhaustion clear in his voice. “We have more important things to discuss. Like how the hell the dark mages got through our wards.”

“Trust doesn’t come easy for me,” I rasped. Kingston moved closer, clapping me on the shoulder and squeezing hard. “I know. But it should be a comfort that it doesn’t come easy for her either. Maybe you two can find it together.” Footsteps sounded, and we all turned toward the entryway. Wren and Brix appeared, freshly showered and dressed, but I could still scent the sex clinging to them. And I’d never seen Brix look…lighter. Happier. Wren shifted from foot to foot as she scanned the room nervously. Brix pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s okay,” he whispered to her. Wren swallowed hard. “Everyone’s okay?” Kingston smiled gently at her. “We’re all good.” “I’m not.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Wren’s gaze cut to me, and I saw worry in her eyes. But I was already moving. “Can we talk?”

steeled myself and nodded. “Okay.”

“And you never wanted to go down the mate road again.” “No. I swore never again.” I stared at Puck, not moving from my spot. “Do you think I’m like her?” The pain in his eyes intensified. “I know you’re not. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have the power to hurt me—in a million different ways.”

“And you could hurt me in a million different ways. We will hurt each other. That’s life. But we will also do whatever it takes to make

it right. And I promise I will never intentionally cause you pain. I will never try to steal your happiness.” Puck searched my eyes, emotion swimming in his. “Wren.” My name on his lips was like a caress as he moved closer. His head bent, his mouth just a breath away from mine. “I wouldn’t do that, brother.” Ender’s voice was colder than I had ever heard it. “Unless you want a snake in your bed.” I whirled around, confusion and hurt bleeding into my expression. He glared at me, those amber eyes flashing gold. But not a gold of attraction or warmth. It was rage. “What the hell are you going on about, End?” Puck demanded. “You need to stop with this vendetta against her.” “Do I?” Ender sneered, but his eyes never left mine. “Because I just got a call from a contact. And they know exactly who Wren is. The bastard daughter of Bastian Boudreaux. The alpha of the Red River pack.”