Page 48 of Never Tamed
“No. It doesn’t ring any bells, but a lot of Dax is a mystery, even to me.” I’m coming up blank and I hate it. “When my father and I found him, he couldn’t remember anything about his life before. It was like he was born right then.”
Noble glances to the side and works his jaw to loosen it. “Sounds like trauma. He must’ve gone through something really, really bad to block it out.”
“So you think Gracie is someone or something from his past?” Ren asks.
“We can ask him when he wakes up,” I say. “See if he remembers anything.”
“It might end up triggering another episode,” Noble replies. “I’m not sure it’s the best idea.”
A groan comes from across the fire, and Dax pushes up to a seated position, rubbing the side of his face. “Fuuuuuckkk.”
“Ah, you’re awake,” Noble says with a laugh. “You must have heard us talking about you. How’s your face?”
Dax looks at Noble and narrows his eyes. His jaw’s already swollen from the hit. An hour or so and it will heal.
“Thanks for that,” he mutters. “But it’s the only one you’re ever gonna get, you hear me? You hit me again and you’re dead.”
Noble shoots him a shit-eating grin. He enjoyed socking Dax a little too much. “Worth it.”
Stretching his arms above his head like he just woke up from the best nap of his life, Dax’s joints crack and pop loudly. “What the hell did I miss?”
The three of us glance at each other.Too much to catch up on right now.
He looks like himself, but none of us want to poke the unstable wolf too hard. Not after what just happened.
His gaze sweeps the camp and lands on the charred fire pit. “Okay, why do you all look like someonedied?” He squints. “Wait. Where’s Steele?”
“Not dead,” comes the dry reply, just as Torin strides out of the trees, dragging the massive body of a buck behind him by its antlers. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
Dax jumps to his feet and his jaw actually drops, mouth hanging open. “Holy shit. You caughtthat?”
“Better than seagulls, right?” Torin smirks. “Damn rats with wings. This is a better source of protein.”
“Way better,” Dax says, practically vibrating. He eyes the kill like it’s the best thing he’s seen in weeks. “Okay, I might’ve underestimated you, Steele. But I’m not fucking apologizing.”
Then he glances down and freezes.
His knuckles are crusted in dried blood.
My breath catches, half-expecting the questions to pour out of him. But Dax shrugs, nonchalant, and drags his tongue across the mess like it’s nothing new. For him, it probably isn’t.
“Perfect timing too,” he says with a wolfish grin. “I’m fucking starving.”
There’sa noticeable shift among us after we eat.
It’s not peace exactly, but it’s something close, as though we’ve clawed our way a few inches back from a ledge. The fire crackles strong now and the warmth spreads through the clearing.
Even the storm’s eased into a soft flurry and the wind has all but disappeared.
Noble stretches, testing the strength of his leg, then shifts into his copper wolf a second time. Torin follows a beat later, his larger form curling around the dug-out pit. Ren stands at the edge, watching them with tired eyes. Her cheeks are flushed from the cold, her hair wind-tangled.
Like this, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
I can’t believe she’s mine.Ours, I correct automatically.And I actually don’t mind sharing. Which isn’t something I thought I could ever do. We’re stronger together in our own little pack.
Ren glances over at me like she’s following the train of my thoughts.
I’ll be right there, I send through the bond.
