River Wolf(11)
His slow grin was an intimate one, so Brett gave the couple their privacy and let his gaze trail to the painting of one of the cottage groves on the far wall. His mother had decorated the main sitting area. She’d chosen landscapes, all of areas he particularly enjoyed. It took him years to realize the point of the landscapes—they reminded him to relax. Perhaps he’d take Trent fishing after his weekend with his parents. He hadn’t gone fishing in a long time, and it was a useful skill. Bonding with his healer-to-be gave him a good excuse.
And it also lets you avoid the rest of your pack. The snide little voice in the back of his mind annoyed him. His conscience sucked. “We should have a pack gathering again before you two go home to Willow Bend.”
Owen settled onto the sofa with his mate and tugged one of her bare feet into his lap. “The pack run was very successful.”
“True.” Three weeks had passed and he’d only seen a few of his pack mates since then. An Alpha shouldn’t isolate himself, yet he couldn’t escape the sensation of having disappointed his pack so profoundly. He’d let them down and…
“Brett.” Gillian’s soft voice interrupted his musing. “A gathering sounds like a lovely idea. Why not host a barbecue here at the house? Put your mother in charge, since she loves organizing food and activities for the children. It would do all of the families good to have a typical summer event to attend.”
Annual barbecues had been popular with the pack. The swimming holes nearest his home were also the ones most frequented by his younger pack mates. Hell, he’d grown up swimming in those same ponds. S’mores around the bonfire…ice slithered through him. The last bonfire on his property had left him on fire, several pack mates dead, and a betrayer pointing a gun at Gillian’s head.
“It’s an idea.” Her gentle voice drew him back to the present once more. “But I do think we should talk to your mother or some of the other mothers. They’d know what events might be fun.” Another simple reminder of whom was Alpha.
He didn’t growl, but he also didn’t want to exclude her and Owen in his plans. “Point made,” he said. She was right more often than not. “I’ll take care of it.” In fact… “You two should take the weekend for yourselves. Trent’s with his parents, the kids are fine, and most of us are healthy enough to manage. Go spoil your mate and disappear for a couple of days.”
Nostrils flared, Owen seemed to check his words for honesty. Satisfied with what he found, the Hunter nodded. “We can drive up to Niagara.”
“Yes!” Enthusiasm flooded Gillian’s face, then she bit her lower lip. “What about the wolf in Maine?”
“At this point, no need to worry. If he’s well enough to travel, he’s well enough to wait for you to return. Go to Niagara Falls, enjoy yourselves.”
He didn’t have to tell them twice. Gillian finished her sandwiches and Owen spirited his mate away in a rush. Brett took no offense at the hurry, since Gillian proved rather intractable when she didn’t want to do something. As long as everything seemed calm, Owen would have more luck in getting her to take a break.
With their absence, however, the house felt strangely silent. Brett stared at the landscapes on the wall. The empty house reflected his life at the moment. He trusted wolves who belonged to another pack. Felt comfortable with their company and relaxed only when children were around, children with no agenda. Isolation wasn’t healthy; he’d heard both Gillian’s arguments as well as his mother’s. He had to trust his pack again.
But how?
Saturday morning found Brett rising nearly an hour before dawn despite how late he went to sleep. The lack of even a hint of the sunrise in the east warned him of the heavy clouds before he scented the promise of rain. Dressed in loose sweatpants and a t-shirt, he headed out for a run. Despite his teasing remarks to Gillian from time to time, he took the long-term damage of the burns seriously.
Yes, he deserved to carry the marks of his failure, but he also needed to keep his muscles loose and limber. Scar tissue could interfere with a shift, or worse, slow him down in combat. Neither was an acceptable alternative, so he ran, exercised, and climbed. Pitting himself against the environment kept his muscles from stiffening when they shouldn’t and loosened the tissue.
Besides, hiking some of his favorite trails and climbing the rock formations to reach the next level was damn fun. Outside, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness. His wolf surged beneath his skin. Like him, the animal enjoyed their solitary excursions as much for the physical pushing they did as for enjoying the land itself.