Page 13 of Wolf Sacrificed

And Thomas wasn’t wrong. I was my father’s son. If I was hurting Sloane’s position, I would need to distance myself from her.

My heart thudded painfully at the thought, and my wolf growled.

We keep our mate safe, no matter the cost!

Sloane perked up when the enforcers’ lodging came into view. Her belly grumbled loudly.

I chuckled. “Hungry?”

She nudged me. “For my mom’s breakfast casserole, always.” Her face fell, and her gaze darted toward the cemetery. “Dad loved it too.”

I kissed her temple. “Losing a parent isn’t easy, especially to tragedy. His life was cut short. But we remember him best by honoring what he loved and living up to what he would want us to be.”

Sloane rubbed her eyes and let out a sob. “I miss him.”

I stopped walking and drew her into an embrace. “I know, sweetheart.”

I wished I could tell her it got better with time, but the truth was nothing ever filled that gaping hole in your heart.

Her nails dug into my bare skin, and her warm tears cascaded down my shoulder, mixing with the icy rain and making me shiver.

She pulled back and gave me a soft kiss. “Thank you for having my back. We should get you inside. You’re absolutely frigid.”

I grasped her hand, intertwining our fingers together as we walked in comfortable silence. The front door to the cabin creaked open, and Willa bounded out toward us.

Sloane hurried ahead and grasped the younger girl’s arms. “Willa, you shouldn’t be out here. It’s freezing.”

Willa narrowed her eyes and gave me a determined look. “I had to talk to you where others might not hear.”

Sloane’s face paled, and my heart lurched. All I could think was what now?

Willa shook Sloane. “Thomas isn’t the only one who is questioning things. Ian and Jacob have both been approached by others. Sloane, you have to be careful. I think some of the alphas plan to challenge you.”

Five

Sawyer

The drizzle sprinkled across my face as I dug my shovel into the soft dirt. It scraped the ground, and I grunted as I heaved another shovelful to the side.

I darted my gaze to Mikey’s body wrapped in a tarp and black plastic.

My dad huffed next to me as he moved at an almost inhuman pace. His face was beat red, and a fine sheen of sweat glistened on his brow. We were about halfway there.

I stuck the tip of the shovel into the ground and then grabbed my bottled water from beside the wheelbarrow. I gulped it down in a few large swigs and tossed the empty bottle, and it clanged against the metal as it hit the sides of the cart.

Dad jammed his tool into the ground and rested his arm on it, and he rubbed his hand over his jaw. “It’s not right. No parent should have to bury their children.”

He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze on the two tombstones to our right. Mom and Hannah were buried here, my grandparents and great grandparents behind them.

I picked up my shovel again but didn’t start digging. “How are you holding up?”

His face hardened, and the vein by his temple throbbed. “I had four kids and a wife I loved more than life itself. Now I just have my eldest son. Luna has turned her back on us. She’s betrayed one of her faithful servants. I’m going to make sure that she knows who I am.”

I sighed as I let my eyes slide shut. My heart ached for the dad I remembered as a kid. He had been loving and caring. Bad timing had killed my mom and sister. Mikey and Dad had brought his death on themselves.

I licked my lips and jammed the shovel’s tip into the ground again. “Maybe we should take a few days and recuperate.”

Dad shook his head. “No. Mikey wouldn’t have wanted us to stop for him.”

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