Page 8 of Wicked Wolf

He’d lost half his soul when Helena had forcibly shattered their mating bond. He wasn’t right for anyone—let alone a little wolf from another Pack.

There was no way he’d put himself in that position again.

Quinn left his shirt off after his run, his body slick with sweat. Some of the unattached female wolves he passed gave him the eye then looked away, scared. They should be scared. He wasn’t whole anymore.

He ignored the stares from other packmates and made his way home. Walker would be there watching Jesse, so he needed to relieve him.

“Dad!” Jesse, his five-year-old son, ran to him as he shouted his name.

All of Quinn’s negative thoughts disappeared, and he opened his arms to catch the little boy who had jumped into his arms like there was no tomorrow, with no worries that Quinn could or would ever drop him.

Jesse wrapped his little arms around Quinn’s neck and held on tight. Quinn hugged him back then held Jesse on his hip so he could make his way back inside to a waiting Walker. He was the Healer of the Talon Pack, younger brother to Gideon, and also happened to be one of the Brentwood triplets. Between Walker, Brandon, and Kameron, the three guys pretty much had a firm hold on power and responsibility.

“Hey, buddy,” Quinn said to his son, who bounced in his arms. They chatted about Jesse’s day, or rather Jesse chatted and Quinn listened, soaking it all in. It was nice to see Jesse with so much energy and enthusiasm. Those days were becoming harder and harder to come by. He squeezed his son, careful of his strength.

When Helena had done the unthinkable and left the way she had, she’d not only shattered Quinn’s world, but she had done something to their son as well. The woman had not only walked away from Quinn, but their newborn as well. Jesse hadn’t been healthy from that day on.

Walker and Quinn had no idea how to fix it. Jesse was just…weak. He had trouble shifting to his wolf—something that scared the shit out of Quinn. Wolves weren’t supposed to get colds or the flu, but Jesse did and often. It was as if when Helena left Quinn broken open, she’d stolen part of Jesse, too. The bond between mother and child wasn’t as strong as a mating bond since the mother-child bond faded over time when the child grew up, but it was still crucial to the child. If a parent died, then the bond would sever, but the child would live a full life—if not a sad one.

Yet Jesse was different.

This whole situation was different.

His little boy was only five years old, and yet Quinn didn’t know how much longer Jesse could hold on. It was tiring to be an active little pup. It was even more tiring when his body was fighting itself.

He held back his sigh then walked into his home. Walker leaned against the kitchen island, his large arms crossed over his even larger chest. While Quinn was one big wolf, the Brentwoods were even bigger. The other man’s dark hair was usually cropped close to his head, but it looked as if the Healer hadn’t had a cut in a while. Walker’s younger sister, Brynn, would probably be after him with shears soon.

“Thanks for watching Jesse,” Quinn said as he put his son down. Jesse gripped his leg then leaned into him. Quinn smiled down at his son and ran a hand over his soft brown hair.

“No problem. The little guy and I finished our book, so we’re on the lookout for the next one. I’ll download a good one soon.”

Since Jesse got tired so easily, he couldn’t go out and roughhouse with the other pups in the den. It killed Quinn inside that he couldn’t let his son go out and be a normal little pup, but if he did, Jesse would just grow weaker faster.

He had no idea what to do, and the fact that no one had been through this before made him feel so damn helpless. Helena had not only killed a part of him when she’d left, she’d irrevocably changed the way their son would grow up.

He would never be able to forgive her for deciding that she didn’t want to be a mate and mom anymore.

That was, if he could ever find her.

She’d run away and cut ties with the Pack by using a dark witch. That fucking witch and her powers had ruined everything in his life, and he was only now able to pick up the pieces.

Just another reason he wanted nothing to do with Gina. He didn’t trust witches. Not when they had the power to hurt his son and any bond he might have had. He didn’t know what Gina could do, nor did he want to bother learning. The more he learned about her, the more she could learn about him, which would give her more power to hurt those he loved.

He was done being a doormat for those who wanted something better.

That little Redwood wolf would just have to deal with him in meetings and then go home. He wouldn’t be finding out more about her, wouldn’t be learning how she worked or what she did in her free time.

He’d do his duty because his Alpha had ordered it, and then he’d leave.

He couldn’t afford to follow the path his wolf seemed to want. Oh yes, he felt the way his wolf brushed up against his skin, wanting contact, wanting the brunette Redwood wolf.

Well, that wasn’t going to happen. His wolf would just have to deal with the hand they’d been dealt five years ago. It had worked so far, and he wasn’t going to chance fate and his son’s life again.

“Daddy? Uncle Walker says you are going to be on a council. What’s a council?” Jesse asked and Quinn bent down so he was at eye level with his son.

He ran a hand over Jesse’s hair and smiled. “It’s a group of wolves that works together for a common goal. I’m on one now with the Redwoods and some of the Talons you know.”

Jesse nodded, his little face serious. “Do you think I can be on a council when I get older?”