Chapter 11
Chapter eleven
Wren
“Hey, get back here!”
I hold back laughter at the sight of Wren chasing the tiny fox around the paddock. He’s sweating, tanned skin glistening beneath the sun as he drips like a faucet.
I focus on the fox next to distract myself.
The more he sweats, the stronger his sage scent grows, and my Omega can barely contain herself.
Funny, she usually reserves that energy for killing Alphas. But now. Now, she wants to… Never mind.
Fidget crouches in the long grass as Wren sneaks up to him. The fox’s small, furry body shakes violently with each pant that escapes his mouth. His tongue lolls to one side, and he really is a jittery little fellow.
Those amber eyes don’t leave the Alpha the whole time he hides, and then he attempts to make himself even smaller.
Wren’s smile stretches the closer he gets to the fox. “Almost got you…”
The fox squeals, wagging his bushy, white-tipped tail in anticipation, yet before the Alpha can even grab him, Fidget shoots out from the long grass at breakneck speed. Now he resumes his zoomies around the paddock, eyes wild the entire time he rushes by.
“Darn it!” the Alpha protests in mock surprise, and the fox gives an answering squeal, cackling with each lap around the paddock.
And I’m trying not to laugh with him. Fidget really is adorable, but crafty. It turns out that he has a wide, open enclosure for exercise. Unfortunately, it just gives him more space for mischief.
Wren and I have just finished nailing one of the wooden planks of the fence. It blew apart in a recent storm, hence why I helped the Alpha hold up the wood while he hammered it against another plank.
We’ve planted herbs too and picked out several tomatoes. This morning, we even collected eggs from the hens.
But we’re having some downtime now.
I’m still removing the dirt from my fingernails as I smile down at my hands. I’ve never met an Alpha that plants and grows herbs and vegetables before.
Most Alphas I’ve met are brutal. So, they’re the furthest thing from nurturing.
But Wren is a contradiction.
He not only plants herbs and vegetables, but he also takes in orphaned animals and gives them a home. He even rehabilitates birds when he finds them injured on their property.
Hell, he even draws.
Where has he been my whole life?
Every time I glance at the Alpha, I get a strange sensation inside. I think I heard Ava describe it as butterflies once.
She was the sweetest of us. She loved her romance novels back at the orphanage, and I sigh at the memory of her, lost in the past yet again.
One day, I will find them. And then we can all find paradise together.
A part of me hopes they are already there.
It has to be real. The mythical land of Eden at the edge of the desert. Otherwise, what would be the point if this is all there is?
Wren blows a sigh, coming right up to me as he grabs a pail of water, pouring it over his head.
I try not to look at the water that drips down his chiseled face and soaks up his shirt. I don’t see those fine muscles beneath the saturated fabric. Nor do I notice the big arms.
“Whew! That fox really makes me break a sweat.”
Yeah, I’ve noticed. But I pretend to be ignorant, wrapping my arms around my knees. I wear one of his long shirts, and his scent buries me now.
The fabric smells of his sweet sage.
I’m practically drowning in Wren. I even wear his gigantic boots.
I must look ridiculous. Wren said I looked amazing, though, and I tried to take comfort in his compliment.
Wren shakes out the last of the water from his hair, and then he peers across at me. A wide, devastating smile takes over his face as he hands me the pail. “Sorry. You weren’t thirsty, were you?”
I shake my head, twirling a long piece of grass between my fingers. “No, I’m good.”
The Alpha shrugs, dowsing the last of the water over his head again. “Damn. I have a stone in my shoe.”
He proceeds to take his shoe off, patting the bottom to remove the bothersome stone. But when he goes to place it back on his foot, though, Fidget swipes it from his hand, running off with it in his mouth.
“Hey! That’s my shoe!”
But the fox just chitters in response.
It’s his shoe, now.
Wren goes after him, but the fox continues to run circles around the paddock, carrying that shoe the entire time.
He finally stops, dropping it into a hole he started digging earlier. When the Alpha catches up, the fox lies on top of the shoe, trying to hide it with his body.
Wren sighs, yanking it away from the fox before he has a chance to sink his teeth into the leather again.
But when he sniffs his shoe, he groans, “Ah, you peed in my shoe!”
The fox squeaks again with that smug smile. I can’t help myself any longer, and now I’m laughing along with him.
It’s a strange, alien sound that comes from my mouth, and I freeze for a moment to take it in.
That couldn’t have really been me laughing then, right? I haven’t laughed like that since I last saw my sisters.
Wren has forgotten all about his shoe now as he stares at me in shock. Even Malakai has frozen outside the paddock where he packs his things.
The Alpha is heading into the nearest town for supplies today. Honestly, I’m just glad to have a break from him.
I’m not sure where I stand with that Alpha. But when his gray eyes burn into mine, I look away, staring at the grass now.
I can’t tell if that was a look of hatred? Or something more.
Wren distracts me next as his mouth turns up at the corners. “Hey... you just laughed.”
Now I wrap my arms around my knees again. I guess I did. It’s been a while. Before my days at the Arena, I laughed all the time.
But that was before life got cold.
Before I was separated from my sisters.
“You... you have a beautiful laugh, Lyra.”
My cheeks blush bright red, and now I bite my lip, hiding my cheeks behind my hair. Where’s that pail of cold water when you need it? “Th-thank you.”
From the corner of my eye, I spy Malakai shaking his head at his brother. Then he finishes packing, swinging his bag over his shoulder as he finally leaves.
Thank goodness.
Now it’s just Wren and me. The sweet, kind Alpha who spends his afternoons running around the yard with his fox.
I haven’t looked up at the Alpha since he remarked on my laugh. But he’s blushing, too. It affects his scent.
There’s no missing it on the air.
However, my eyes find Fidget. Once again, he sneaks up behind Wren. It looks as if he is going for his shoe again.
The Alpha is prepared for the fox this time. The moment he gets close enough, he grabs him off the floor, holding him up in his arms like a baby.
“Ha, not this time!”
The fox wriggles in the Alpha’s arms, and I’m not sure what he’s complaining about. That looks fun.
But Wren is oblivious to his fox’s struggles, talking to him in a strange, high-pitched voice. I’ve never even heard an Alpha use such a soft pitch before.
“Who’s been a bad little fox? Yes, you have, Fidget! You have!” Now he smothers the fox with kisses.
Wow. Never thought I’d be jealous of a fox.
Fidget has finally had enough, slipping free of the Alpha’s arms. Now he continues to run amok about the paddock, never staying in one place for too long.
Wren just rolls his eyes, and now he finally sits down on the grass beside me, lying on his back. He peers up at me, patting the grass beside him. “Join me.”
I peer at the patch of grass, then up at the gate.
Malakai has gone.
Feeling safe at last, I allow myself to relax, lying down on my back beside Wren as we both gaze up at the sky.
The world just passes by as Fidget snuffles a few feet away from us, and I think he’s digging a hole again.
Clouds drift above us, and I just stare at the blue expanse for a while. There was a time when I thought I would never see it again.
Yet there it is right above me... resembling a watercolor painting.
My fists curl.
I vow to never stop looking at this sky again.
Freedom will be mine.
Wren sighs, and then his head turns to me. “You... you know you can trust us, right, Lyra?” he whispers. “We... won’t hurt you.”
Finally, I tear my gaze away from the watercolor painting above, finding his sage eyes. They match the grass beneath him.
His eyes crinkle at the corners. “I hope you can find a home here one day.”
I have to glance away at that, turning back toward the gate where Malakai vanished. It will never come to that.
Because I will always be looking over my shoulder.
I can’t stay here. Not long-term. I will have to move on soon. Even if I have to sneak away again.
It’s the only way. I have no place in this Alpha-dominated world.
Wren and I remain silent for a few moments longer. And then he rises, getting to his feet. He reaches his arm down for me. “Come on. We have a chicken coop to paint. And you won’t guess what color I’ve chosen.” He wiggles his brows at me.
My, that does sound enticing, and now I grip his hand, ignoring the electrical shock that buzzes up my arm when our skin makes contact.
But I’m sure it was nothing.