Read Online Feral Seduction (Feral Protectors 2) by Liv Brywood - Free Book Online

back home?”
    “Um…”
    “Before you start lying, you should know that Nosh sent a few wolves into the forest to look for you. He expected you to mourn alone, but he didn’t expect you to abandon the Dark Moon Pack.”
    Stryde didn’t like his accusatory tone. “Nosh is more than capable of running things while I’m gone. I just need a little more time.”
    “How much more? It’s been six months.”
    Diana stepped between them and held up her hands. “Now, now. If he needs more time, he needs more time. He lost someone very close to him and it’s his right to grieve as long as he needs to. Besides, now’s the time to celebrate, not the time to fight.”
    Ryker gently took her hand and kissed it. “Alright, honey.”
    Stryde relaxed. “So, tell me about the ceremony.”
    Diana beamed. “Everyone from our pack attended. Nosh sent some people from Dark Moon Pack, but he wasn’t able to make it. Kyran and most of his pack from Phantom Lake attended. They brought me several new blankets and helped construct a bassinette.”
    “I wish I could have been here.”
    She shook her finger at him as if to scold him. “Just don’t miss the baby-naming ceremony.”
    “Any ideas on whether it’s a girl or a boy?”
    Ryker slapped him on the back. “A boy, of course.”
    Akila, the healer and midwife of Silver Creek Pack, stepped out of the shadow of the den. Her long gray hair billowed behind her wiry frame. “Stryde!”
    He bent to kiss her soft cheek. “Are you ready to bring Ryker’s first child into this world?”
    Akila said, “I can’t wait. Diana and I have been practicing breathing exercises and she’s planning on a water birth in the river.”
    Diana chuckled. “The other wolves think it’s weird.”
    “I have to agree with them. Aren’t you afraid the baby will float away?” Stryde asked.
    “I have a good grip.” Akila grabbed his bicep to demonstrate. Boy, she wasn’t kidding.
    Ryker said, “Why don’t you come inside and join us. Akila was making one of her famous herbal tea concoctions.”
    “A secret recipe?” Stryde asked.
    Akila nodded. “One I learned from my mother. She learned it from her mother and so on.”
    Stryde turned to Diana. “You’re in good hands.”
    “I know. I’m so happy I get to have my baby naturally instead of in a hospital.”
    Akila held up a finger. “But I warned you, the second there’s even a hint of anything going wrong, we’re taking you to the hospital in Full Moon Bay. Years ago, I worked there. I’ve watched perfectly natural births turn into life-threatening emergencies, so we’re not taking any chances with this baby.”
    Diana nodded. “I know.”
    As Stryde followed Ryker deep into the den, he passed groups of wolves sleeping. Other wolves lounged in their human form, quietly talking amongst themselves. He nodded to those who looked his way. He got a few surprised looks, but no one said anything as he passed.
    Ryker held the sheet that closed off his and Diana’s room to one side so everyone could pass. Stryde was almost through the door when a timid voice whispered his name. He squinted into the dark passage and spotted Gwen poking her head around the bend.
    He turned to Ryker. “Give me a moment.”
    Gwen retreated further into the tunnel and waited for him at the entrance to her room.
    “Do you have a second?” she asked.
    “Anytime.”
    She turned to open the privacy sheet to her room and he sucked in a breath. He’d heard bits and pieces about what Zane had done to her, but he hadn’t seen the scars himself. A crisscrossed pattern of white lines burrowed into her skin—a map of torture so extreme, she’d barely survived.
    She turned and with a sad smile said, “No matter what Akila puts on them, the scars won’t fully heal.”
    As he brushed a lock of her golden hair to one side, she flinched. “You’re still beautiful. You know that, right?”
    She sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the floor. “You’re just