Page 66 of Wolf Sacrificed

I glared at the men, but my face softened as they stood and brushed the dirt off their bodies. I couldn’t blame them for wanting to protect the people they loved. That was all I wanted to do, too. But I needed to be sure that Lincoln and Sloane were safe before I trusted these men.

She put her hands on her hips and stared at the nine men, taking her time to look at each of them before she spoke. “You came here on Alpha Dane’s orders but decided not to attack.”

One guy took a step forward. Multiple growls echoed through the trees, and he stopped in his tracks.

“Alpha, we have no desire to follow Alpha Dane,” he said. “We only did it to save our lives after we watched him slaughter all the other men in our pack. We had hoped that we could make a difference there, but I don’t see how we can. It’s hard to know who to trust.”

That was the truth. That was why Lincoln and I had never reached out to anyone. Not only were we the alpha’s sons, but one wrong word to the wrong person, and that was it. Game over.

Sloane narrowed her eyes. “You understand why I’d be hesitant to just trust you. What pack do you come from originally?”

The guy looked at the ground, and his shoulders fell. “Pack Munson out of Wisconsin. I can’t blame you for questioning our loyalty. We would like a chance to prove it to you, though. If you’ll have us.”

I exhaled and put a hand over my mouth. We acquired Pack Munson about a year ago. They were a larger pack, and the fighting grew brutal. It cost my dad about fifty men.

I didn’t remember these guys because they hadn’t needed much training. They were already skilled fighters.

Lincoln came up behind Sloane and put a hand on her shoulder. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner? I defected a while ago. You made no effort to contact me or anyone else.”

Sloane shifted on her feet and nodded. “You could’ve sent a message through the website. You know that he’s the one who runs it.”

The guy who seemed to be the spokesperson for them scrubbed a hand over his face. “I know you think that we should’ve been able to reach out, and maybe we could have. The cost of getting caught would’ve been someone’s life, and it could’ve put all of us in danger. You know that Alpha Dane monitors the phones that he gives out. We have none of our own. Your website has been banned for anyone in the pack. It would have been a risk.”

I touched Sloane and Lincoln’s shoulders. He’s telling the truth. Father forbids anyone from going to the DarkSide site.

Sloane spoke to both of us through our connection. You guys would’ve known them best. What are your thoughts? Is this a trap?

Lincoln looked at her and held her gaze for a long moment. We always suspected that there were more people there who weren’t happy with what Father was doing.

She pursed her lips. I don’t think we have a choice, then. We have to give them the benefit of the doubt. If we turn them away and others learn about it, we’ll never get new people to come here from your dad’s pack.

I hated every bit of it, but she was right. Promise me you’ll proceed with caution.

You know that I will. Her voice sounded soft, and I could hear the indecision in it.

Sloane took a step forward, standing taller as she stared at the men. “I’m willing to offer you temporary sanctuary. You will be under constant surveillance until you prove that you are trustworthy. I understand that your pack was brutally taken over and you were forced to work with Alpha Dane. But I think you can understand why it would be hard for me to trust you as well.”

The wolf who had been speaking fell to one knee. The rest followed his lead. “Alpha Sloane, we will serve you and earn your trust. We promise.”

He bowed his head and put one hand on his chest, and the others did as well.

Sloane drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Then we will accept you into our pack. Did you bring other cars, or did you travel on foot?”

The wolf continued to look at the ground. “We followed the Dennings on foot. Our cars are parked about where their car was run off the road.”

She tapped her fingers on her bicep. “How far back is that?”

The wolf shrugged and looked back at his men. None of them seemed to have any idea either. “My apologies, Alpha. I’m not sure, but I feel like we have been on our feet chasing them for a fairly large distance. At least thirty miles, maybe more.”

She tilted her head back to stare up at the sky through a break in the trees. “We will take you back to the pack this evening. The sun will be setting soon, and it’ll be getting dark. We’ll discuss what to do with the cars this evening and make plans for the morning to retrieve them.”

Sloane rubbed her hands together. If we could get the cars and have black two-door Mustangs, we could move to your father’s property undetected easier.

Lincoln stiffened. What are you thinking, sweetheart?

She bit her bottom lip, but it didn’t stop the smile from forming on her face. I’m thinking it’s time that we bring the fight back to him.

It was a brilliant plan. And though I’d packed a bag, if she was bringing the fight back to Dad, and on the off chance I could find more defectors, that meant I didn’t have a choice. I had to go back. They needed me there to watch their backs. They wouldn’t be happy, but they would be safe.

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