Chapter 37

[ 1,294 words ]

A crib

37: 37.

A crib Aria

The first thing I notice is the laughter.

It rolls across the pack lands like music—bright, loud, alive.

It settles into my chest in a way that feels unfamiliar and… right.

For once, there’s no tension hanging in the air, no sense of something waiting to go wrong.

Just people.

Families.

Home.

I stand near the edge of it all at first, fingers curling loosely around a cup I’m not really drinking from, taking everything in.

Kids dart between tables, some of them still a little wobbly from their first shifts, their excitement practically buzzing off them.

Adults gather in clusters, voices overlapping, teasing, congratulating.

“Stop hovering.”

I blink, turning to find Quin grinning at me, her dark hair pulled up in a messy bun, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“I’m not hovering,” I protest.

“You are absolutely hovering,” she says, grabbing my wrist before I can argue.

“C’mon. You’re meeting people.”

Before I can resist, she’s already dragging me into the crowd.

My wolf stirs, curious.

So many.

“Relax,” I murmur under my breath.

I am relaxed, she insists, though there’s a note of alertness beneath it.

Just… watching.

Quin weaves us through the gathering with ease, stopping every few steps to introduce me.

“This is Aria,” she says for what feels like the tenth time.

“Yes, that Aria.”

I wince slightly at that.

But the reactions aren’t what I expect.

There’s no judgment.

No coldness.

Just warmth.

One woman—tall, with silver streaks in her braid—pulls me into a quick hug like she’s known me for years.

Another presses a plate of food into my hands, insisting I need to eat more.

A younger girl, maybe a few years older than a pup, asks me what it felt like to shift for the first time, her eyes wide with awe.

I find myself laughing.

Actually laughing.

It slips out before I can stop it, light and real, and something inside me loosens.

This is good, my wolf murmurs.

“Yeah,” I whisper.

“It is.”

We settle near one of the picnic tables, a small group of women swapping stories—some about their first shifts, others about pack traditions, childhood mishaps, embarrassing moments that draw groans and laughter in equal measure.

For a moment…

I forget everything else.

The danger.

The past.

The complicated mess of bonds and expectations.

I just exist.

And it feels… nice.

“Glad to see you smiling.”

The voice pulls me from the moment.

I turn—and there he is.

Barric.

My chest does something strange when I see him, something warm and steady all at once.

He leans casually against the table, arms crossed, but his gaze is fixed entirely on me.

Quin smirks beside me.

“And I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Quin—” I start, but she’s already gone, disappearing into the crowd like she was never there.

I shake my head, then look back at Barric.

“She’s impossible.”

“She’s efficient,” he corrects.

I huff out a small laugh.

“That’s one word for it.”

He studies me for a second, his expression softening.

“How are you doing?”

It’s a simple question.

But coming from him… it feels heavier.

“Good,” I say, and realize I mean it.

“Better than I expected.”

His shoulders ease slightly, as that answer matters more than he wants to admit.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I glance around at the pack, the laughter, the warmth.

“This helps.”

He follows my gaze, then nods.

“This is what it’s supposed to be.”

My wolf hums softly.

Safe.

Before I can respond, Barric pushes off the table.

“I’ve been working on something.”

I raise a brow.

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” There’s a flicker of excitement in his eyes now.

“Wanted to show you.”

Curiosity sparks immediately.

“What is it?”

He smirks.

“You’ll see.”

I hesitate for half a second—glancing back at the group, at the warmth I’ve just started to settle into.

Then I look at him.

And I nod.

“Okay.”

—

His workshop smells like wood and something faintly earthy.

It’s quieter here, tucked away from the noise of the celebration.

The moment he pushes the door open, I feel it—the shift from chaos to calm.

Barric steps in first, reaching to flick on the light.

Warm yellow fills the space.

And I freeze.

“Oh.”

The word slips out of me without thought.

Because—

It’s beautiful.

Carved wood pieces line the walls, some intricate, some simple.

Tools are neatly arranged, surfaces worn but cared for.

And in the center…

“Is that—?”

“A crib,” he says.

I step closer slowly, almost afraid to touch it.

The wood is smooth, polished to a soft sheen.

The sides are carved with delicate patterns—wolves running through trees, their forms flowing seamlessly into one another.

“It’s for the pups,” he adds, a little more quietly now.

“For the ones who don’t have… much.”

My chest tightens.

“You made this?” I ask.

He shrugs, but there’s pride there.

“Yeah.”

“It’s amazing,” I breathe.

My fingers trace the carvings lightly, following the curves of the wolves.

There’s so much care in it.

So much intention.

He builds things, my wolf notes, impressed.

“Yeah,” I whisper.

“He does.”

Barric watches me, something unreadable in his gaze.

“You like it?”

“I love it,” I say honestly, looking back at him.

“It’s… more than I expected.”

A small smile tugs at his mouth.

And then—

Everything shifts.

His expression hardens instantly, head snapping slightly to the side like he’s listening to something I can’t hear.

“What?” I ask, straightening.

“Stay here—”

“No,” I cut him off immediately.

“What’s wrong?”

He hesitates for a fraction of a second.

Then— “There’s a breach.”

The word sends ice through my veins.

My wolf surges forward.

Danger.

“We need to go,” Barric says.

I’m already moving.

—

The celebration dissolves into chaos.

Shouts replace laughter.

People move fast—organized, but urgent.

Adults grab children, and elders are guided toward the safer structures at the center of the pack.

“Inside! Move!” someone yells.

Barric stays close to me, one hand at my back, steering me through the crowd.

“Stick with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I snap, adrenaline already spiking.

Shift, my wolf urges.

Let me out.

“Not yet,” I mutter.

We reach the edge of the clearing—

And then I see them.

Wolves.

Not ours.

They burst from the tree line like shadows given teeth—snarling, snapping, eyes wild and wrong.

Everything happens at once.

Our wolves surge forward to meet them, bodies shifting mid-stride, the air filling with the sounds of bone and fury.

Barric steps in front of me instinctively.

“Stay back—”

“I can fight,” I argue.

“I know you can,” he says sharply.

“But not like this.”

A wolf lunges.

Barric shifts instantly, his form exploding into fur and muscle as he meets the attack head-on.

I stumble back, heart hammering.

Now, my wolf snarls.

Now we fight.

“Wait—” I breathe, but there’s no time.

Another wolf comes at me.

I dodge, barely, my back hitting something solid.

A tree.

Trapped.

The wolf circles, lips peeling back to reveal sharp, glistening teeth.

My pulse roars in my ears.

Shift, my wolf demands, stronger now.

Let me protect us.

My body trembles.

“I can’t—”

You can.

The wolf lunges.

And then—

A blur of dark fury slams into it from the side.

The impact is brutal, sending both wolves tumbling across the ground.

I suck in a sharp breath.

Ronan.

His wolf is massive, powerful, moving with lethal precision as he pins the attacker beneath him.

His jaws snap, a warning and a promise all at once.

The rogue wolf scrambles free, retreating under the onslaught.

Ronan turns to me, his golden eyes locking onto mine.

Checking.

Safe, my wolf breathes.

“I’m okay,” I whisper, even though he can’t hear the words.

He huffs once, then turns back to the fight.

Everything blurs after that.

The clash of bodies.

The snarls.

The chaos.

And then—

It’s over.

The attackers retreat, disappearing back into the trees as quickly as they came.

Silence follows.

Heavy.

Uncertain.

***

We regroup at the center.

Everyone moves quickly, checking injuries, counting heads.

“Is everyone okay?” Quin asks, breathless as she rushes past me.

“I think so,” I reply, scanning the crowd.

My heart is still racing.

Barric shifts back, stepping toward me immediately.

“You alright?”

I nod.

“Yeah. Thanks to Ronan.”

His jaw tightens slightly, but he nods.

Around us, voices rise as names are called, reassurances given.

Relief starts to settle—

Until it doesn’t.

Because something feels… off.

I frown, turning slowly.

“Where’s Liam?”

The question slips out before I can stop it.

Barric stills.

Ronan, now in human form, looks around sharply.

Kade’s head snaps up.

“He was right behind us—”

Theo’s expression darkens.

“He’s not here.”

A cold, sinking feeling drops into my stomach.

“No,” I whisper.

“No, he was—he was here—”

Gone, my wolf says, dread curling through her voice.

Panic surges.

“Liam!” I call, louder now, turning in a slow circle as he might just… appear.

But he doesn’t.

The realization hits like a blow to the chest.

“He’s gone,” I breathe.

No.

Not gone.

Taken.

The world tilts slightly as the weight of it crashes down on me.

Who ever they are, they have my brother.

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