Page 26 of Wolf Crowned

Mom clasped her hands together. “Good.“

Sheriff Adam pressed his lips into a thin line. “We have a nice, homey small town. I don’t want this scaring our residents.”

I chewed on my bottom lip until it was raw. I swiped my tongue over it, wincing when I tasted blood. “Brandon and Lincoln have been looking into a few things, too. We might have legitimate real information that Alpha Dane has been doing illegal activities, at least with his brewery.”

The sheriff rocked back on his heels. “I’ll take any information you can give me. I’ve already let the FBI know everything that I could.” He indicated us with his coffee mug. “That you were good people here and that I think you’re being set up.”

Mom reached out for me and I took her hand. “Sloane my love. If you send any information, you have to make sure that it’s valid. We can’t afford to give false information. It’ll only make us look more guilty if it’s found out.”

I gave her hand a squeeze. “It’s very real Mom. Lincoln told me a while ago that his dad has been fudging the numbers for the brewery. Alpha Dane has been doing his best to make it appear less profitable for taxes.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Is there anything that man won’t do?”

I rolled my eyes. “Probably not.“ He was a snake. A viper who was going to get caught.

Sheriff tucked his thumbs into his belt loop. “I would expect the FBI to start coming to ask questions first thing in the morning. I wanted to give you a heads up. I don’t know if you need to do anything ahead of time.”

He glanced around the room and pulled on his collar. “I’m not sure if you have people wolfed out at all hours or not. That would cause a whole other mess of problems if they saw that.”

Mark chuckled. “We can shift at anytime sheriff. We’ll spread the word and make sure everyone knows what’s going on.”

Great! Just great. I finally had the alphas’ respect here and now I had to prove myself to the FBI. What did it take to catch a break?

I shifted on my feet. “What do we say to them, sheriff? The evidence makes us look guilty. How do we keep them from thinking that we are?”

He put his hands on my shoulders. “Be as honest as you can be. Some of these investigators know how to spot a lie. The more truth you can put into your words, the better.”

I closed my eyes. “Thank you for coming to tell us this. I appreciate it and everything that you’ve done, Sheriff.”

He pulled me in for a hug. “I always promised your father that if something ever happened, I would take care of all of you. I intend to do that.”

There weren’t enough words in the world to thank him for everything he was doing. He was not only putting his job and career at risk but his life too for our family.

I hadn’t thought how we were going to get out of this yet, but I didn’t have long. The FBI would be here in the morning, and I had to prepare not only myself, but the entire pack too.

I just hoped we could get out of this without anyone being arrested or worse.

Ten

Sloane

Of course the enforcers would arrive at the same time the FBI did. Luck was definitely something I had in short supply.

My heart thumped in my chest as the sleek black vehicles made their way down the drive. I had maybe sixty seconds until they were breathing down my neck. The men noticed and looked.

I forced a smile and coughed into my elbow, drawing the head enforcer’s attention back to me. “I truly appreciate all of you coming. We’ve been working really hard to get rebuilt as well as additional quarters for everyone that has been assisting.”

I motioned to Mark and Leo. “My brother and Leo will be happy to show you where your accommodations will be for now.” I took the enforcer’s hand and placed my other on top of it. “I truly appreciate you coming.”

The head enforcer, Freddie, inclined his head. “It is our pleasure, Alpha Sloane. We are here to help in any way that we can. If you need us to jump right in and assist with the rebuilds, we would be more than happy once we put our things down.”

I let out a breathy laugh. That was more than I could have hoped for. “That would be much appreciated.”

Tires crunched on gravel as the SUVs drew closer. My pulse spiked, and I pulled my hand out of Freddie’s before he had a chance to realize how clammy it was getting.

Mark took a step forward, motioning to the tents. “If you don’t mind following us, we’ll get you situated.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and gave the men a small smile. “Thank you for your assistance. I’ll be back with you as soon as I can. Unfortunately, I have business that I have to attend to.”

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