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Owen pursed his lips. Captain crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at a mushroom he was languidly kicking with the toe of his work boot.
“True or false,” Wreck asked again.
“Possibly true, but not definitely true,” Owen answered low.
“And when the two of you start with your bullshit, your tension and your yelling and your Changing, do you know what that does to my animal?”
“Makes him mad?” Captain guessed.
“No. Makes him furious. Unmanageable. I’m not like you. I don’t go bear and ruin maybe a couple lives. I could ruin a city. You want to be struck by lightning? Ask me to go to lunch, and get in a fight in front of me there. Want to survive another day? Let me build my wood floors in peace and pretend I don’t exist. Don’t say hi to me. Don’t ask me stupid questions. Don’t try to memorize my work schedule. Just focus on your mates and building your Crew. Leave me alone.”
“OurCrew,” Captain corrected him.
“Chhh.” Wreck huffed an empty laugh. “It’s all of you, and then me. You guys made sure it was that way from day one. I’m only in this Crew because Damon asked for it. He called in a favor, and I owe him. I’m not here for any of you.”
Captain stooped and picked up a red candy. Wreck lunged forward and slapped it out of his hand. Before he had a single thought, he said, “That’s for Timber.”
Captain froze, his eyebrows arched up. He lifted his hand and showed Wreck the burn on his skin. It was already blistered and angry-looking. “You burned me.”
“I’ll do it again if you don’t leave me alone,” he muttered, reaching for the sander again.
“Come on, man,” Owen said to Captain. “Let’s leave him alone.”
Captain stared at Wreck for a few seconds longer and then said, “We all fight it for a while.”
Wreck didn’t understand what he meant. He watched Captain follow Owen back toward the trailer park. The curiosity in him wouldn’t shut up. “Fight what?” he called after them.
Captain turned and paused between two huge trees, canted his head. “The part of this where you aren’t alone. It’s scary. I hated the feeling of…feeling. I have to depend on Owen? On Ace? On my fuckingbrother?” He pulled a face and said softer, “On you? I was fine on my own. Owen was fine on his own. Ace was fine on his own. Gunner? Fine on his own. I know you’re fine on your own, Wreck. You can hold on to your stubborn pride as long as you want, but I’m telling you, it’s not as lonely on the other side.”
Captain turned and disappeared into the trees, leaving Wreck to watch after him. He wanted to throw fire at the trees and punish him for thinking he knew more than Wreck did. He didn’t know anything.
They were normal shifters, so yeah, they could pal up and make friends and maintain those friendships, but Wreck was different. He was messy, and didn’t have the control they did.
Everyone he’d ever loved, he’d hurt.
So…he’d learned at a young age that distance was best for everyone.
They thought it was stubborn pride?
If only they knew what he was capable of. What his inner monster pushed for. What he had done. What he fought against just to let people survive him.
No, it wasn’t stubborn pride that had him maintaining distance.
He was doing the Fastlanders a favor.
****
Wreck slammed the tailgate of his truck and strode for his trailer. He needed to finish the flooring tonight so his house would stop being a construction zone and driving him crazy. He took the stairs two at a time, and froze when he saw what was sitting on his welcome mat. A six-pack of beer sat there, still cold if the condensation was anything to go by.
He gritted his teeth and scanned the trailer park. Owen’s dumb face was peering out of his and Silver’s front door. When he saw he’d been spied, Owen said, “Yep!” and disappeared inside.
“We aren’t friends!” Wreck roared. “Stop leaving shit on my doorstep!”
****
Wreck paused in the aisle of the hardware store and checked his phone after the vibration alerted him a text had come through. It was from Captain.
I’m bringing food home for the Crew meeting. What do you want?
