Chapter Two
This is real.
I’m here. At the heart of every fucking problem in my life. Alive. For now.
Dread pools in the pit of my stomach, but I don’t let it consume me. Right now, I have a purpose. She’s five-foot-five—give or take—blond, and extremely vulnerable. Destiny needs me for her own sanity and survival.
My internal struggles are unimportant compared to the ones she’s dealing with. They’re fresh like the scabbing flesh on her wrists. My wounds are deep, therefor easier to suppress. Hers need tending and caring for.
Focus on Dez.
Forget about yourself, Rowdy.
Forget about him.
Thoughts of Evan cause a flutter of dusty moths to scatter in my heart. I’ve done a decent enough job to keep them locked in a box, but now that I’m so close to him, those memories are beginning to flap around.
Destiny stumbles slightly on the uneven snowy terrain of Uncle Atticus’s yard and it snaps me back to the present. Out here, in the real world, she’ll need me as her eyes to get her through it. I can’t be that guide for her if my past blinds me.
Keep your eyes open and alert, man.
For Dez.
I take hold of her delicate arm and clutch on to keep her steady. Then I walk toward the old cabin that’s been added onto so many times it reminds me of my own. The wood is mismatched. Dad’s craftsmanship is immaculate, but Uncle Atticus does his best, which isn’t great.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Uncle Atticus says, voice booming as he exits his cabin. “A bunch of mongrels.”
Wild playfully punches his dad and then they embrace. A pang of longing hits me in the gut. I’m already missing my own father and we’ve been here all of five minutes. This is going to be a long trip.
How long will we stay here anyway?
What if Destiny loves it and wants to remain here forever?
What does that mean for me? Could I leave her in someone else’s care and trust them to look after her?
I reach out my other hand to touch Spirit, needing her grounding comfort, but come up empty. She’s not here. My wolf is back home with Mage, in the wilderness where she belongs—where we all belong.
Curling my hand into a fist, I attempt not to unravel in front of everyone.
Uncle Atticus tugs Destiny out of my grip to give her a bear hug.
Once he finishes crushing her tiny frame, he pounces on me next.
I’m just as big as him, but the man knows how to squeeze out all the air in your lungs with just a hug.
“Come on inside where it’s warm,” he says, smacking me hard on my back. “Eve’s about to feed the twins. There’s plenty for everyone.”
He doesn’t address the elephant in the room, but I know he’s thinking about the reason why we’re here.
I’d seen Wild texting with his dad when we were back in cell phone range, so at least they knew to expect us.
While he didn’t explicitly state what Destiny had done to herself, I think his dad got the gist. Not to mention, when Destiny removes her coat, it’ll be obvious with her bandages.
Sickness roils in my belly.
There was so much blood. It was fucking traumatizing. Only a few days have passed since she attempted suicide and I’m still shaking over it.
That is why I’m here.
I have to be strong for my little sister.
She fucking needs me like she needed me to cut her out of that tent and out of the arms of that motherfucker who raped her.
Breathe, Rowdy. Breathe.
The anger chases away the worry and nausea. If I can cling to the fury burning hot in my veins, maybe I can ignore my fear of this place and Evan once and for all. It’s a tempting notion.
Uncle Atticus ushers us into their warm home. It always smells like peanut butter for some reason. The television blasts with some old show Aunt Eve is obsessed with. Two seconds inside and I’m already overstimulated.
“Your hair is terrible.”
I snap up my head, eyes zeroing in on Aunt Eve. Her dark hair has been swept into a messy bun and she has two curious little ones standing at her side. They all regard me with narrowed eyes as if my hair is offensive to all of them.
“It is?” I ask, spearing my fingers through the unruly strands.
“I’ll fix it after dinner. I can’t look at that the whole time you’re here.”
That woman never holds back what she really thinks. Ever. Which makes me nervous for Destiny’s sake. Aunt Eve slowly walks over to Destiny and touches the blond, limp strands.
“You need new shampoo. I’ll trim you too.”
Destiny’s cheeks, already pink from the cold, burn a little brighter. On instinct, I rub a circular pattern on her back to comfort her.
Uncle Atticus shrugs at me and then scoops up both Meadow and Forest. Wild pokes at them, making them squawk before sauntering into the kitchen to see what his mom made.
“Should we unpack the truck?” I ask, voice rough. “I can go do it.”
“Eat first,” Aunt Eve says sharply. “Then we deal with the awful hair. Then you unpack.”
Okay then.
Destiny’s lip twitches with a smile. At least someone finds this shit amusing.
My irritation dissipates when I see the casserole dish on the stovetop. Hot steam billows from the cheesy goodness on top. I don’t know what it is, but it looks fucking delicious. An audible grumble in my stomach has a real smile touching Destiny’s lips.
Seeing it makes my heart tighten inside my chest.
Maybe this is a good change of scenery for us after all.
Back home, Mom coddles too much. Aunt Eve doesn’t have the time nor the patience for babying anyone. Destiny might need this to get her past the mental shit that’s plaguing her. I’ll do anything to help her with that. If only I could figure out how to get past my own.
Again, I miss my fucking dog.
The next several moments are fairly chaotic as we make our food.
Destiny, used to someone plating up her food, is nudged by Aunt Eve to make her own plate.
I want to step in and take over, especially seeing the bloodstained bandages on her wrist, but Aunt Eve won’t allow it.
If Destiny is put out by this, she doesn’t let on.
Uncle Atticus winks at me, which is oddly reassuring. These people love us. I can let my guard down around them. They’re not going to intentionally harm either one of us. If Aunt Eve thinks Destiny needs to get familiar with their kitchen, then I’m going to trust in her intuition.
Once we’re seated with our food, I try not to inhale it like some wild forest animal.
Thankfully, everyone is raptly listening to Wild tell a story about his college football.
Both his parents beam with pride. Wild is loud and energetic, but he has nothing on the Jamison family.
When our family eats a meal, it’s straight up fucking insanity, fights, and drama, especially if Reagan and Kota are at the table.
This meal is much calmer than our norm. Destiny seems to be appreciating it so far based on the curious way she tilts her head to hear the story Wild’s telling.
Forest, in a booster seat beside me, touches my arm, smearing sauce all over my sleeve.
He stares at me with his wide, vacant eyes.
The twins are the exact opposite of their older brother.
They’re weird, to be frank. Silent, always watching, and just kind of creepy.
I’m pretty sure they can talk telepathically too because they always seem to be communicating with each other without ever murmuring a word.
“Thanks for that,” I mutter, grabbing a paper napkin from the pile in the center of the table.
Forest goes back to stuffing, what I now know is lasagna, into his quiet mouth.
I swipe off my arm and then dive back into my meal.
Admittedly, one of the best things about being in town is the food.
Wild’s family are all great cooks and they have plenty of amazing restaurants to eat at.
At least there’s that to look forward to.
A flutter of excitement dances through me.
This time will be better. I’ll show Destiny all the good things about being in town. It doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. If I focus on her, I won’t have time to worry about my own bullshit.
Now that’s a plan.
After a fantastic dinner, Aunt Eve puts Wild and her husband on dish duty and takes me and Destiny to her bathroom where her haircutting supplies are.
I sit on the closed toilet lid, watching her trim the ends of Destiny’s hair.
There’s a serene smile on Destiny’s face that puts me at ease.
All too soon, Aunt Eve shoos her away and then starts whacking away at my hair.
“Much better,” Aunt Eve grumbles. “Shower before you go to bed. You smell like an animal.”
Destiny giggles, and in turn, I smirk. If being the stinky animal around here makes my sister happy, so be it. Aunt Eve can pick on me all she wants as long as it amuses Dez.
Once Aunt Eve ushers Destiny to Wild’s room where she’ll be staying, I make my way out to the living room where the twins are tucked in at Uncle Atticus’s sides on the couch.
“Wild is moving your stuff over to the RV,” he tells me. “I figured the two of you could stay there. Beats sleeping on the couch.”
Though I’m grateful for the privacy, I’m not keen on leaving Destiny inside. The last time she was left alone, she tried to hurt herself.
“Those scissors,” I whisper, meeting his gaze, “and anything sharp…”
Uncle Atticus nods grimly. “I’ll take care of it. She’ll be fine.”
His words are meant to reassure me, but I can’t help the way anxiety clutches my throat, squeezing so tight I struggle to breathe.
I grunt out my thanks and hurry outside, desperate to fill my lungs with fresh, cold air.
Once I don’t think I’m going to hyperventilate anymore, I make my way over to the RV.
It’s lit up and Wild’s music is blasting from inside.
When I step into the RV, he cuts the music and grins. “Mom already loaded the fridge and cabinets with all the good shit. Your stuff is in the back room. I’ll take the bunk over the front seats.”
I peek in a few cabinets to see what she left for us and snatch a bag of Doritos from its spot. You just don’t get tasty snacks like chips or candy like you do while in town. I’ll never get tired of eating this stuff.
The back room is simple, with a huge bed that goes from one side of the RV to the other.
There’s no room for end tables, but there is a row of cabinets above the bed for storage.
It’s not my cabin back home, but it’ll certainly work as a good sanctuary, especially since it has an accordion door I can close.
If Wild thinks he’s going to play his music nonstop, we’re going to have words.
I’m already missing the quiet serenity of my home.
After shoving the Doritos in one of the cabinets, I unzip my backpack and start pulling my clothes out. I hope Destiny is comfortable in Wild’s room. If it gets to be too much, she can always stay in the RV with us.
Well, with me.
Wild would never hurt her, but I’d feel better if she were closer to me than him.
Why is that anyway?
Because no one will protect her the way I do.