Page 1 of Wolf Sacrificed

One

Sloane

The rain fell in fat droplets, making it splat against my face. They mingled with my tears, hopefully hiding them from everyone around me.

I was the alpha now. I had to be strong. Nobody could know that I was secretly dying inside.

Each step forward was harder than the last. I’d have to say goodbye to my father soon when we laid him to rest in the pack plot. He should have had another twenty or more years. Instead, his life had been stolen.

I gritted my teeth at the reminder.

Lincoln touched my elbow, guiding me to the right. We led the funeral procession with my mother on my other side and my brothers and Erica right behind me.

My shoes sank into the muddy earth with a squelching sound. The steady patter of the rain was almost as loud as the pounding of my heart. It was too bad the ground wouldn’t swallow me whole and put me out of my misery.

Stop it!

A lump formed in my throat as the trees broke, and the sacred burial grounds came into view. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, my feet growing heavier with each step, like I dragged concrete blocks from around my ankles. Once we buried my father, it would be final. I’d be admitting he was truly gone.

My eyes burned, and I blinked rapidly, coughing to stifle the sob wrenching its way out. I had to be strong. The whole pack watched me. Other alphas waited for me to make one misstep so they could swoop in and challenge me.

I ground my teeth and fought with everything that I had to keep myself put together.

My mom reached for my hand, curling her fingers around mine. They were ice cold, making me shiver.

Her voice came out in a hushed whisper. “Stay strong, my love. Everyone is watching. I know how difficult this is for you, but you’re doing great.”

I cleared my throat. “How can you be so…” My mouth worked, but the sentence died on my tongue.

I knew my mom was dying inside, even if she looked calm and collected. She and my dad were fated mates. They loved each other so much. My heart ached at what she must be missing. There was a hole in my heart from Sawyer, and he was alive and well, just not here. How did she do it? She would never feel his warmth or hear him laugh again.

In public, she was like a stone statue with no emotion. It’s like she flipped a switch and turned it all off.

My mom clutched my hand a few times in rapid succession. “We have to stay strong for the pack. Your father wouldn’t want anything else to happen to any of us. That’s what keeps me going.”

She was right. The pack was looking at us. At me. Any sign of weakness, and some idiot would pounce, thinking that they could do better than me. Maybe they could. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to let them find that out.

Willa and I had made a pact. We were going to take down Alpha Dane, and I would do it as the alpha of this pack.

My heel hit a slick spot, and my right foot shot out from under me. I squeaked with surprise.

Lincoln grasped my elbow, his nails digging into the skin under my sweater as he caught me. “Are you okay?”

I clenched my jaw as I exhaled through my nose. “I just wish this day was over,” I said, careful to keep my voice low so only he could hear.

Lincoln grazed his thumb up and down my arm. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get through this together.”

I drew in a shuddering breath and let it out as I squeezed my eyes shut. Warm tears trickled down my cheeks, mingling with the cool drops of rain. I shivered again. My breaths clouded in the frigid air.

My mom reached her other hand over and patted the back of mine. “We’re here, my love. Chin up. You’ll need to address the pack once the funeral is over.”

I darted my gaze to the freshly dug hole, and mud swirled in puddles around the opening. The air whooshed out of my lungs, and suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.

My knees wobbled, and Lincoln’s grip tightened as he supported me. I cursed under my breath when my feet slid on the ground again. The last thing I needed was to fall on my butt in this slop in front of everyone.

My mom tugged on my hand, pulling me to the right. She didn’t stop until we stood at the head of the plot. I fixated on the hole, endless, cold, and dark. We were going to put my dad in there. I clenched my jaw as hard as I could to keep from crying.

Mark patted my shoulder as he moved to stand behind me. Erica sobbed between Mark and Brandon as they tried to console her with hushed whispers.

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