Page 55 of Wolf Sacrificed

I rolled my eyes and put the car in reverse.

Once I made it to the main road, I pulled my burner out of my pocket. I dialed Lincoln’s number, the one that he’d had since forever but my dad definitely didn’t know about, and held my breath as it began to ring.

When Lincoln answered, he sounded out of breath. “Sawyer? Is everything okay?”

I could hear the panic in his voice.

I stretched my hands out on the steering wheel. “I’m fine. I’m out on a solo mission with Dad’s blessing. Some of Alpha Charles’s men got away. He’s sending me after them.”

Lincoln sighed. “His pack fell.”

It wasn’t a question.

I stared out at the open road. The sun was setting, another reminder that tomorrow was not promised. My heart clenched, knowing that we’d lost a few good wolves tonight.

“Yeah,” I said. “He didn’t say how many men made it out. Just ‘a few.’ He’s got a group of enforcers that he took with him out looking already.”

Lincoln grumbled. “That’s not our only problem. The police tracked the car from the accident back to Sloane. The sheriff’s here now talking to her and her mom and brother.”

I gritted my teeth. We needed to catch a break.

To add more salt to the wound, I said, “Dad wants me and the team to lure the remaining outliers into a trap. He’s hoping that you and Sloane will come for them and that we can take you out too.”

Lincoln huffed out a laugh. “Does he think we’re stupid?”

I shrugged even though he couldn’t see me. “You know Dad. It’s hard telling what he’s thinking.”

Lincoln hummed his agreement.

I flipped on my blinker as I made my way toward the highway. “Just promise me you will stay there until I check in. I do want you guys to intercept them. I think they’d be more than willing to come with you now. But I also need to make sure that the two of you aren’t walking into a trap.”

Lincoln went quiet for a long moment. “Yeah, we will need to intercept them. Have you thought about your endgame here, Sawyer? You can’t just help them get away and not expect Dad to find out. You can only play this dangerous game of cat and mouse for so long. I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you that the cat always ends up winning sooner or later.”

I merged onto the highway, blindly staring at the empty road. There weren’t many cars at this time of day. “I don’t know yet, Lincoln. There are benefits to me staying there.”

I didn’t need to see my brother to know that he was shaking his head.

“The longer you stay,” he said, “the more danger you’re in.”

He had a fair point, but with Mikey out of the picture, my dad was less focused on me, and he didn’t have my brother putting toxic ideas into his head either, regardless of how true they might’ve been.

“My objective has always been to protect you and Sloane,” I said. “As long as I can continue to do that here, I think I have to stay.”

There was a slight issue with Fiona that weighed on my shoulders. I didn’t know how I would get out of that. I couldn’t tell Lincoln that. I had to make this decision up on my own. Keeping my mates safe was what really mattered.

I should’ve known better than to think about Fiona while on the phone with him. While he couldn’t read my mind, he could sense my turmoil.

“There’s something you’re not telling me. What’s wrong, Sawyer?” he asked.

I didn’t want to get into it with him, and thankfully, I didn’t have to. My phone chimed, and Stewart’s name appeared on the dashboard. He was one of the men pursuing the Dennings.

“I have to go,” I said. “The team is calling me. I’ll check in with you as soon as I know more.”

I ended the call too fast. Lincoln suspected something was amiss. I didn’t need him finding out about Fiona.

Nineteen

Sloane

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