Page 20 of Wolf Sacrificed

She pursed her lips. “Give me the number or the name. I’ll call them right now.”

She pulled out her cell phone and stared at Sawyer expectantly.

I nodded at my brother. We both knew she needed this to not only help cement her place as alpha, but to help protect her pack as well.

We couldn’t mess this up.

Seven

Sloane

My fingers trembled as I watched my phone. I squeezed it tighter, not wanting Lincoln and Sawyer to see me shaking.

They tried to pretend like everything was fine, that I wasn’t going to be challenged by someone thinking they could do better than me. I wasn’t dumb, though. I knew it was coming, and I had to be prepared. Winning over this pack could be a step in the right direction.

I unlocked my phone and pulled up the keypad. “What’s their number?”

Lincoln held up his hands. “Do you know what you’re going to say?”

I stared at him for a long moment. No, I didn’t know what I would say, actually. I thought I’d just kind of wing it. Sometimes I did best when I thought on my feet and didn’t plan something out. I hated making plans and then having them not go the way I imagined they would.

I gave myself a mental shake. “Sawyer, what is the number? I’m just going to call, play it by ear, and have a friendly conversation. I don’t think I can rehearse it and make it sound genuine. If I’m going to win him over, I have to be real.”

Sawyer crossed his arms and stared at Lincoln before he spouted off the number.

Lincoln grunted and turned away, walking toward the window. “You should at least know what you want to say, Sloane.”

The floorboards creaked as Sawyer came closer and cupped my cheeks. “You got this. Just be open and honest with him, and tell him everything. I think the rest will do itself.”

I looked to Lincoln, opening my mouth to ask him if he had any advice, but he beat me to it.

“I’m sure he’s heard about my father by now,” he said. “You should use that.”

Telling him about Alpha Dane was a good idea. If he hadn’t heard about his tyranny, he lived under a rock.

I hit the call button, put it on speakerphone, and paced across the room, my feet clomping against the old floorboards as I wore a line down the center of the room. It rang several times before someone picked up.

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Hello, is this Charles Denning?”

He paused before answering. “It is. Can I ask who’s calling and how you got this number?”

I tapped my fingers together as I continued to pace, moving a little faster now. “Alpha Charles Denning, I’m Alpha Sloane of Pack Whitmore.”

“Whitmore?” He said the last name a few more times like he was trying to place why it sounded familiar. “David Whitmore?”

Emotion weighted on me, making my eyes mist at hearing my father’s name. My heart thudded painfully, and I gulped down the lump. “My father. Sadly, he passed away the other night.”

My voice broke, and I squeezed my eyes shut, praying I didn’t start to cry.

I could hear my father’s voice in my head, urging me to be strong.

Alpha Charles cleared his throat. “I am very sorry to hear that. I’d heard good things about him.”

That wasn’t surprising. My dad was friends with everyone. He would never have turned anyone away.

I shoved a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “I’m not sure if you’ve heard about Pack Wolf Blood. They have been giving us some problems and attacked us. They are the reason my father is dead.”

My eyes burned, and my heart hammered. It was so hard to talk about my father. I guess part of me had thought he would always live forever. The other night had reminded me of the cruel reality that tomorrow was never guaranteed. I had to do everything I could to keep the rest of the pack safe so they’d have plenty of tomorrows.

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