Page 47 of Wolf Crowned

He was gone. I shared a horrified look with Lincoln as he pulled me into his arms. “It’s okay, sweetheart. He’s going to be okay.”

My bottom lip trembled as emotion clogged my throat. “How do you know that?” I gasped in a strangled sob. “He’s in trouble. The pack is chasing him.”

He pulled back and pushed strands of hair out of my face as he cupped both cheeks. “Because I believe it. We’ve made it this far. We’re so close. He’s unconscious, but I can feel him. He’s alive.”

He kissed my forehead and smoothed his hand across my back in small circles. “Close your eyes and take a deep breath. You can feel him too.”

I drew in a shuddering breath as I closed my eyes. I pulled on the string connecting us. He was right Sawyer was unconscious, but alive. Thank Luna. I said a silent prayer to her, asking her to protect him and keep him safe.

He had the full might of Pack Wolf Blood on his tail. If Alpha Dane caught him, I didn’t even want to imagine what he would do.

I swiped away the tears misting my eyes. “What do we do, Lincoln? I can’t just sit here.”

My mouth went dry and my stomach churned. We were helpless. Sawyer was on his own. Even if we left right now, it would take us hours to get to him. I put a hand on my belly. I might be sick.

Lincoln ran his thumb across my cheek. “We’re going to keep reaching out to him and let him know that we’re there. And we’re going to pray like hell the pack doesn’t find him.”

I wetted my lips, the weight pressing against my chest making it harder to breathe by the second. “He’s hurt. He’s going to need medical help. We have to do something.”

Lincoln gave me a small shake. “Once the wolfsbane wears off, he’ll be able to shift. It will help heal his injuries.”

The world spun. Everything buzzed. I forced a few deep breaths in. “That only works if the pack doesn’t find him first.”

If they found him, they’d string him up like they had Lincoln and pump him so full of wolfsbane he wouldn’t be able to shift for days. Or they might just kill him.

Lincoln exhaled loudly and closed his eyes for a moment. “Maybe we should discuss moving up the timeline.”

My heart pounded, my pulse raced in my ears. We could do that. Everyone here was itching to get there and rescue their loved ones and for this war to be over.

I looked away from Lincoln. My head throbbed with indecision. We’d just had this conversation not too long ago. I’d decided to wait because it was best for the pack. This was Sawyer, though.

But I was the alpha, and everyone was looking to me to decide for the best of the pack. Being in charge sucked.

The pack must always come first.

That’s what my dad always said. And he was right, as much as I hated it now.

I slumped down and squeezed my eyes shut. I knew what I had to do, even if it’s something I didn’t want to. “We can’t change the timeline. Sawyer is going to have to hold on. Our best bet of beating Alpha Dane is by being prepared.”

Emotion clogged my throat, making it almost impossible to speak. I drew in a few deep breaths and swallowed hard. “He’s going to have to be on his own for the next few days. We need the wolfsbane for a fair fight, and we need to make sure we sneak out undetected. This is all for nothing if we don’t do it right.”

Tears cascaded down my cheeks, and I covered my mouth with my palm.

Forgive me Sawyer.

Lincoln put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. Red rimmed his eyes. “He’ll understand. Sawyer wants to stop our father as much as you do. He’d want this.”

It didn’t make any of this easier. But it’s what had to be done.

I blotted the corners of my eyes with my thumb. “He’s in the cave. We work that into our plan when we go.”

Lincoln nodded. “It shouldn’t be hard. We’ll be walking right past it.”

I licked my lips as some of the paralyzing fear eased. “Good. We will have someone evacuate him out unless he’s able to fight.”

Lincoln mumbled under his breath. “I know Sawyer. Even if he’s not one hundred percent, he’s going to want to fight. And we won’t have time to argue with him.”

I puffed out my cheeks and blew out a long breath. “I guess we cross that bridge if we come to it.”

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