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

by Tessa Hale

I’d never had a father. Not a real one, anyway—someone who cared about my well-being, happiness, and safety. I hadn’t had grandparents either. As far as I knew, Bastian’s parents were dead. And my mom never thought it would be safe for us to be in contact with hers.

“My Little Wren, listen to the song inside you. As long as you hear your voice, you’ll always be able to come back to yourself.”

The shock was enough to have my guard slipping, my hands lowering. And then a fist connected hard with my jaw.

Wren’s head lifted, revealing the full side of her face for the first time. I knew wounds. My brothers and I had received more than a few, so I knew how to recognize what had inflicted them. And this scar hadn’t been caused by shattered glass or some freak accident. It was from a blade. My wolf went rabid.

Ender’s assassin’s gaze leveled on Wren. “Who the hell is this, and why is she hiding a blade in her belt?”

The name Wren fit her. There was an earthy air to her that seemed to ground. But there was also a wild defiance to her.

Puck shrugged. “I dunno, there’s something about her. I like her.” Fuck. This was exactly why I should kill her right now. Our lives didn’t come with picket fences and two-point-five kids. Anyone linked to us was a risk—for them and for us.

And losing sight of those stormy gray eyes felt like a vicious blow. Regardless, I just kept on moving. Fighting through untold pain wasn’t anything new.

“Little Warrior, you’re playing with fire.”

knew that face. I hadn’t just ended up in a wolf pack’s territory. I’d ended up in The Diablos’—a wolf pack of feral mercenaries known for their mercilessness and creativity with body disposal. I was so screwed.

He blinked a few times, seeming to come back to himself. “Don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh. It’s fucking beautiful.”

“Even if you can, it’s sometimes nice to know someone has your back. And I’ve got yours, Birdie.”

just blinked after him, wondering what the hell was going on. I’d only known these wolves for a matter of days, yet they made me feel more cared for than I’d felt in over a decade.

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.

Those blue-green eyes narrowed on me, the knife tattooed next to one flexing with the movement. “Who. Did. This. To. You?”

“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.”

“Tastes even better than she smells.”

“If I couldn’t scent my blood running through your veins, I wouldn’t believe you were mine. A waste of fur and air.”

“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.”

Ender let out a growl, turned on his heel, and stomped down the hall. Wren’s laughter followed him out.

Then Puck’s voice cut into my peace. “Holy fuck. Is she touching him?”

“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.”

Dark figures swam in the rain above me. And then the darkness swallowed me whole.