Page 64 of Wolf Crowned

The lump in my throat grew larger, and I fought to swallow it down but it kept bubbling back up, making my throat ache.

She pressed her forehead to mine. “I know, my love.” She turned to Brandon and leaned against him, too. “I’m so proud of you and everything you have come up with to help better the pack.”

I patted Brandon’s arm, and we pulled away from her together.

I bit my lip but it still trembled between my teeth. Tears blurred my vision. I couldn’t break down in front of her. It would make it worse for both of us.

I blinked rapidly. “I love you, Mom.”

I backtracked until I ran into Lincoln’s chest. He put his hands on my shoulders to steady me.

Her face crumpled again. I couldn’t watch this or I may never leave. I hated seeing her upset like this.

I forced in a deep breath, which was harder to do with the tightness forming in my chest. “Let’s go.”

Don’t look back, keep walking.

It felt wrong to keep going, but I had to or I might never leave.

Mom’s sobs grew louder, pulling at my heartstrings. A stray tear trickled down my cheek. I swiped it away and bit the inside of my cheek.

Keep it together, Sloane.

I hated this. Mom shouldn’t have to go through this. All this worrying and loss. It wasn’t right.

I was going to fix this. Make it so she never had to worry about another day in her life. She deserved it. So did the pack. This ended today.

***

We were here. My heart pounded in my chest so loud I swore I could hear it. The car rocked back and forth as it came to a halt. Lincoln stared at the line of parked cars ahead for a moment before shifting the car into park.

I unbuckled my seatbelt with trembling fingers and grasped the door handle with my clammy hand.

Lincoln put his hand on my thigh before I could open the door. “Hey.”

I turned to glance at him. My breath caught in my throat.

He put a hand on my cheek, caressing it with his thumb. “No matter what happens today, I love you so much.”

I let out a shuddering breath. “I love you, too.”

He closed the distance and caught my lips in a searing kiss. “Let’s finish this.”

I pulled back and held his gaze for a moment before inclining my head.

I turned back to the door and shoved it open, blowing out a breath before standing tall and squaring my shoulders.

The pack was waiting for us. The rest of the group having already filed out of their cars and making their way up to the meeting spot.

I steeled myself, staring straight ahead as I marched toward my pack, hoping I was exuding confidence even though I was second guessing everything.

I was glad my group had been the last group to leave.

I’m not sure I could’ve handled waiting in the woods for the others to show up the past few days. The drive alone had been excruciating. Every muscle in body was wound so tight even a massage artist couldn’t fix me.

The worst part was, I was leading this group into battle. Me. A girl who’d only just learned to fight. A girl who hadn’t been raised to be an alpha, but was one none the less.

I wasn’t qualified. I was an imposter.

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