Page 42 of Wolf Sacrificed

A growl ripped through the air, startling Thomas and me. It had come from Chance.

He stomped toward us and let out another growl. “You should at least let her shift to heal her injuries. It doesn’t seem like a fair fight when she’s already been in a car accident and one brawl today, while you remain unscathed.”

Murmurs rippled over the crowd. People agreed with him. Good. Let them see Thomas for the coward he was. It was a dick move. Maybe he was a little afraid of me after all. Why else would he challenge me when I was hurt?

Thomas shook his head and motioned to me with his hand. “It’s clear our alpha can’t fight. Look at her.”

Lincoln let out a guttural roar as he stomped forward.

I shot my arm out, blocking his path. Don’t. Please. I have to do this. Let him look like an idiot in front of everyone. It will only make it better when I defeat him.

I couldn’t control everyone, though.

It wasn’t Chance or Lincoln who spoke up next, but Alex, one of the other men who had been with us today.

“That’s not from a fight,” he insisted. “Our alpha kicked ass back there. That’s from the car wreck we were in, and she sustained those injuries before she killed two of Alpha Dane’s men.”

Pride swelled in my belly. Alex wasn’t one of my men. He wasn’t one of Ian’s either. Truth be told, I didn’t know where he’d come from, but I’d earned his respect, and that meant something.

Thomas looked less sure of himself now. He scowled and stood straight, looking at the other members of the pack.

Good. Maybe he should question himself. It was a dick move to challenge me the second I got home.

The thing was, if I beat up Thomas now, it wouldn’t keep someone else from challenging me after him. I had to do what I could now to stop future challenges, and that meant I had to prove my strength.

I rolled my shoulders back and stretched my neck from side to side. “It’s fine. We fight now and like this. Will that be enough to earn your respect? Prove that I’m worthy to lead everyone here?”

I stared at Thomas and then let my gaze wander over the pack.

Most of them looked at the ground as they shuffled their feet.

Thomas’s eyes lit up at my suggestion. He really was a coward, wasn’t he? I just had to prove it.

Lincoln gripped my elbows. “Sloane, this is a bad idea.”

It was a horrible idea. Probably the worst one I’d had so far. But the only way to earn respect was to prove my worth.

Nobody questioned Alpha Dane. They followed him blindly like fools. I didn’t want people to follow me like that, but I did need them to listen to me and respect me.

I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “We don’t have time for everyone to be questioning my leadership. I’ll fight anyone here and now who thinks that they can do better than me. The only thing I ask is if I win each challenge, that this is over and done. We move forward together. We shouldn’t be fighting with each other. We should be looking toward our common enemy and the best way to defeat him so that we can all return to our normal lives.”

About half the pack nodded and whispered amongst themselves.

I brought my fists up in front of my face and pulled my right leg behind me. “Shall we?”

Thomas had the decency to look sheepish. Good. He should. He was being a complete asshole right now.

That didn’t stop him from falling into a boxer’s stance and shuffling his feet as he bounced back and forth.

Lincoln took a few steps back. So did everyone else.

I caught sight of my mother. Tears shimmered in her eyes, and her lips moved slowly, but I couldn’t make out the words. My guess was she prayed to Luna for my safety.

She’d been through enough the past few weeks. I hated putting her through more, but this couldn’t be avoided.

Thomas sprang forward like he was coming in to tackle me. I spun left, scrambling out of the way. His shoulder clipped me, and I stumbled but caught myself. Pain ricocheted up my injured leg, making me see stars.

Lincoln’s voice filled my head. Focus! Fight through it. You got this, Sloane.

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