Page 35 of Wolf Sacrificed

She looked at her brother. “Thanks.”

He chuckled. “I’m not just saying it because I’m your brother. I mean it. You have sacrificed more than most these past few weeks and come out stronger than ever. People’s biggest mistake is going to be underestimating you.”

I rubbed her neck harder. “He’s right, sweetheart. I think we need to remind everyone about what you have done for the betterment of the pack.”

She made a pfft sound. “I can’t just spout off how wonderful I am. That’s not going to fix anything or build support.”

Ian combed a hand through his hair. “Maybe not you, but I bet Willa would. She was a prisoner, too. She saw how horrible it was, and you rescued her. Not to mention all your other ideas. Willa could remind them of everything you have done. Sure, you’re friends with her, but everyone knows what we went through, too.”

Sloane lifted her head and sat up straight. “Willa has been through it all with me.” She tilted her head to the side. “They were my plans, weren’t they? This is a loss, but we can come back from it.”

Ian turned back to the center of the car and leaned forward. “We can. And we will.”

I found a particularly nasty knot in her shoulder blade. It kept pushing away from me when I pressed against it. I kneaded it, trying to work out the kink.

“We have a few hours’ drive,” I said. “We can come up with a game plan.”

Sloane slid her hands up and down her thighs and rocked her head back and forth. “We have to keep rebuilding. I think everyone should learn to fight, women and even the children. If we are attacked again, Alpha Dane’s not going to care who you are or how old you are.”

Ian looked down at his lap with a haunted expression. “He killed two children in my pack. He didn’t think twice.”

My stomach twisted. How had my father gone from being a good man to one who murdered children and tortured women and men? My family had completely dissolved. Sawyer and I were the only sane ones left.

Sloane looked over her shoulder and spoke to Ian. “We’re going to make sure that he doesn’t hurt any other youngsters. I promise.”

Ian gave her a nod. “I know.”

I rested my hands on her shoulders and put my chin on the back of the headrest. “We need to think of how to address the other alphas. You’ve done well so far with your speeches. They’re inspiring. But the pack is going to need a win.”

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “There is always the wolfsbane. And if we know that Alpha Dane is going to be gone, we should attack his pack again. There are still prisoners there.”

Brandon drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the beat of the song on the radio. “Attack while he’s gone? I thought we wanted to take him out.”

Sloane nodded. “When he goes, at least half the pack goes with him. We don’t have the numbers to take on the full force of his pack. But I think we could successfully lead a strike when half of them are gone. We could even rescue more women. I know we had to leave some behind last time. If we come back a second time, they might be more likely to join us.”

Ian’s brows dipped into a scowl. “You didn’t see some of them last time. Not all of them wanted to leave.”

I balled my fists. “My father rules with fear. That’s why they stayed. They were afraid they would get caught, and there would be repercussions. Sloane is right. A return trip shows we have good resources and that our pack is strong.”

She threaded her fingers through her hair. “We will need to connect with Sawyer and find out when exactly they’ll be gone. If we plan it right, we’ll be able to get in and out, then far enough away that they can’t catch us.”

She twisted in her seat. “Do you think there are any men there who would turn against your father?”

I fell back against the seat and closed my eyes as I rubbed my temples. “Sawyer would be the one who you would have to ask. But he might not even know the answer, either. He doesn’t get down to the houses in the back where those people would likely be. I’m afraid I didn’t spend much time out of my room when I was there unless I had to.”

Ian reached over and put his hand on my shoulder. “No one can blame you for that.”

Brandon darted his gaze to the rearview mirror and frowned. “Do you know when you’ll be talking to Sawyer again?”

I wished I did. My dad has been doing an exceptional job of keeping him extra busy.

Sloane cleared her throat. “It’s hard to say, unfortunately.”

If my dad knew about my connection to Sawyer, I’d think he was separating us on purpose. Our bond was something that we had always been careful to keep a secret. And if it was something he knew about, he would’ve punished Sawyer long ago for being on our side.

Ian let his head fall back and stared up at the gray ceiling. “I can’t imagine it’s easy for him having to be stuck there.”

I sighed. I felt the weight of Sawyer’s worries every single day. He was afraid this morning. It’d been exceptionally bad. But he hadn’t reached out to us for help, and we could feel him, so we knew he was alive. But it meant Father was up to something.

---