Page 29 of Wolf Sacrificed

Mark wiped his hands on his pants. “How will you protect yourself? You will need to think of a plan for here and out there.”

I flexed my hand and tapped it lightly against the desk. “That’s why you and Mom will stay back. You’ll be my eyes and ears here. I expect only to be gone half the day at most.”

Mark puffed his cheeks and blew out a breath. “What will you tell the pack? You’ll have to say something about where you’re going and why.”

I leaned against the desk so I was halfway sitting on it. “I’ll tell them the truth. That we found another alpha nearby, and we’re meeting with him to discuss the options.”

Lincoln exhaled and put his hand on the edge of the desk, close enough that our fingers almost touched. “I just worry what happens if you can’t convince Alpha Charles.”

Mom pressed her lips together into a thin line and gave Lincoln a look of understanding. “I agree with Lincoln. If you fail to convince him, it’s going to make things that much worse. The last thing you need to do is give any of these alphas here ammunition to use against you.”

I gritted my teeth and balled my fists at my sides. “Then I guess I won’t fail.”

I wished it were that simple. I had to convince someone my dad’s age that I was competent to run not only my pack but his too. It was a tall order. One I was prepared to fulfill.

My mom mumbled something again and fiddled with her necklace. My heart thumped painfully, and tears pricked my eyes. She didn’t believe in me.

What was I doing wrong? If Dad were here, I was almost certain this would be the course he would take. So why wasn’t it good enough when I suggested it?

The couch groaned as Ian shifted and leaned back into the cushions. “I can go with you. My father knew Charles Denning pretty well. They were friends. I’m sure he’s heard what happened to my family and pack by now. Maybe just seeing me will be enough to help convince him.”

My mom let out an exasperated breath and smacked one hand against her side. “You’ll still be out there unprotected, Sloane. Ian, you and Jacob are all Willa has left. We can’t afford any more losses right now.”

I stomped my foot on the floor. “Who said we will have losses? We don’t know what’s going to happen, Mom. This is war. Part of war is taking chances and doing the best that you can to protect those you love.”

I stood up straighter and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m tired of being afraid of Alpha Dane. He feeds off it. We are taking this to him. We are going to grow our numbers just like he is, but we’re not going to do it out of fear. We are going to do it out of the belief that we’re making things better for everyone.”

My mom sighed, and her head wavered back and forth like she was considering what to say. “I think you misunderstand, my love. It’s not that I doubt you. The problem is, things are so unknown right now. Everything is up in the air.”

I held her gaze. “And that’s not going to change anytime soon. The only thing we can do now is keep moving forward.”

She tucked her necklace back underneath her shirt, and her shoulders slumped. “When will you leave?”

She sounded defeated.

I did quick math in my head about how long it would take us to get there. “Right after breakfast.”

Mom bowed her head. “Very well.”

My attention drifted to the couch. “Brandon and Ian, I would like you guys to come with me and Lincoln. I was thinking of asking Chance and a few of our other enforcers as well. We would take two cars.”

Ian put his hand on the couch, splaying his fingers across the worn fabric. “I can give you a few suggestions of enforcers. I’ve spoken to a few of them, and they seem like good men. I don’t think it would hurt your cause to start including others and trusting them as well.”

I tapped my fingers against my thigh. He wasn’t wrong. But trust was really hard to give when I felt like every single one of these men was gunning for my position for either themselves or their alpha.

I gave Ian a small smile. “Great. Give me their names, and I’ll reach out to a few of them.”

If I wanted them to trust me, I guessed I’d have to trust them first. It sucked, but it was the way it had to be.

Mark put his hand on Brandon’s shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go instead?”

Brandon’s face fell, and a dark red shade tinged the tips of his ears. Everyone underestimated him, myself included. It wasn’t something I was going to do anymore.

I put my palms on the desk. “Brandon has been training with Chance and the other enforcers for almost as long as you have. He knows what he’s doing. But you have the other alphas’ ears, Mark. I want you to stay here and watch my back for me.”

Mark ran a hand through his hair. “I’m still not sure you leaving is a good idea.”

Great, we were back to second-guessing me again.

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