Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity #3)(22)

Leaving his mate to finish getting dressed, after which he knew she had a quick breakfast meeting with another soldier, he detoured to the den’s large central kitchen to grab a breakfast roll. An hour before dawn, it was mostly those on the early shift grabbing food and coffee before heading out, but their senior healer was also up and about.

“Hawke.” Lara smiled, the natural dark tan of her face luminous and her high cheekbones softer than they’d been a few months earlier.

Cupping the back of her head, he kissed her gently on the lips while putting one hand on the curve of her belly. “How is my new packmate?” This close to full term, the pup was developed enough to sense their alpha, and would be calmed by the contact.

“All sharp elbows and footballing feet.” Lara leaned into him, unashamed of needing extra contact from her alpha at this time in her life. “Slowing down now though. Not much room in there.”

He held her close while he touched base with the others in the room. Every single wolf gave Lara’s belly an affectionate pat after glancing at her to make sure the skin privileges were acceptable. All adults in the den knew not to assume anything with a pregnant wolf; they might get their paws bitten off for daring.

Pregnant soldiers had been known to break the odd finger when a packmate got too excited and made contact without permission. The wounded winced, got the finger splinted, and accepted that it was their own damn fault, while other packmates just shook their heads at their stupidity.

Lara, however, was a healer, linked to every single member of SnowDancer through her bond with Hawke. Touch was a cornerstone of her life, the friendly touch of packmates welcome. She not only wanted the contact, she glowed under it.

Afterward, as Hawke ate his breakfast standing up, Lara said, “I’m sending Lucy with you to the substation.” She rubbed the arch of her back. “I’m not exactly sprightly enough to scramble over rough terrain.”

Thank the deities that watched out for wolf alphas. Hawke had not been looking forward to that argument. “I’m on my way to see what Judd turned up overnight,” he said after swallowing the last of his roll. “You want to come along, see if there’s anything medical Lucy needs to know?”

Lara nodded and waited for him to pour himself a mug of coffee before the two of them walked out into a hallway gray with softly dawning artificial sunlight. That technology was one of the best things to have come out of SnowDancer’s research labs. Not only had sales and maintenance of the tech exponentially increased the pack’s income, it had made the transition between inside the den and outside it a seamless one.

Hawke drank his coffee as he walked, his mind on Alexei and the E. If there was anything good about the situation, it was that Alexei would hopefully be too busy today to be tormented by the anniversary of Brodie’s execution and why it had been necessary. Hawke would speak to Etta’s family before he left for the substation, but he knew they were healing better than Alexei.

Last time he’d seen them, Etta’s father had said how much they missed Alexei. “He shouldn’t be ashamed to visit us, shouldn’t be ashamed of his love for his brother,” the older man had said, tears in his eyes. “Our Etta would never want him to lose us when he’s lost so much already. Tell him to join us on the anniversary. We’ll talk. Remember.”

Hawke had passed on the invitation to Alexei, but as far as he knew, Lexie had kept his distance. He was too angry at Brodie to join in any day of remembrance.

“I did some reading on long-term captivity last night.” Lara’s tone was quiet but garnered his full attention. “If Alexei’s right and the empath was kept in the bunker for years, the damage could be catastrophic.”

“Chance of recovery?”

“No way to tell right now. Some captives recover with a lot of help and attention, while others spiral into breakdown, self-destructive behavior, even suicide.” White lines bracketed Lara’s mouth. “It also depends on what was done to her. If she was a child when taken . . .” Shaking her head, she cradled her bump with unconscious protectiveness. “I need to see her, assess her. Just . . . be kind.”

Hawke didn’t take offense. Lara knew that as alpha he could never trust a stranger who hadn’t proven herself, but he wasn’t incapable of gentleness. If the E was no threat, he’d treat her as he would a hurt submissive. “She’s been with Alexei overnight,” he reminded his healer. “If she’s survived him, we’re on the right track.”

Lara groaned. “I adore him to pieces, but he’s half growl these days even when he smiles.”

Neither one of them spoke about the reason behind the shift in Alexei’s personality. It was better to simply accept the change, accept Alexei as he was now—because some losses scarred a man forever, and you either lived with it or let it break you. Alexei had found a way to live with it. “Is he still avoiding skin privileges?”

“Never to a dangerous point,” Lara murmured. “He’s compulsive about ensuring he has enough skin-to-skin contact with a packmate to ward off any instability.” A glance up at Hawke. “Only, I don’t think Alexei allows himself to enjoy any of it. He accepts it like a pill he has to take.”

Hawke shoved a hand through his hair. Wolves, like most changelings, were tactile creatures. Deprived of touch for too long, the dominants in particular tended to become aggressive—and Alexei had always been incredibly tactile. Not just in intimate situations. He might appear remote to outsiders, but he was a wolf who always had open arms for packmates who needed to be held. “He have any problems finding partners?”