Page 80 of Wolf Crowned

Leo got up from where he was assisting one of the women. “Is it true that not everyone was here?”

I laced my fingers together at my waist. “It is true. Before Alpha Dane succumbed to us, he mentioned that he sent his second in command off. There is reason to believe that some of his pack is still out there and may try to follow in his footsteps.”

The crowd murmured. I held my hands up, and they silenced. “My hope is that they haven’t gone far, and that we will be able to track them easily to ensure anyone who got away doesn’t have the chance to rebuild again.”

I swallowed thinking of what my dad would do right now. Luna he’d always been so good at speaking on a whim. “I know many of you agreed to help until Alpha Dane was defeated, and of course, if you wish to leave and return to your home or your pack you are free to do so.” I hesitated a moment, gazing out at the crowd, hoping I wasn’t asking too much. “I would ask though, if you’d like, for some to stay to help us, to ensure that the threat no longer exists.”

I cleared my throat. “Nothing has to be decided right now. We have wounded that we must tend to and plenty of medical supplies. All I am asking now is for some volunteers to see if they can track Drake the second in command and any remaining members of the pack.”

I already asked so much of these men. I half expected some of them to laugh in my face. I shouldn’t have, though. Because a few dozen men and women stepped forward, kneeling before me. Even though the rest of the pack didn't step forward, they kneeled too, and all said Alpha in unison.

I scanned over them. My heart fluttering at their willingness to help me see this through to the end.

“I appreciate everyone of you for volunteering. I would like to break you into two groups, if that’s all right. One led by Leo and the other by Ian.”

Everyone stood and moved into almost two evenly spread out groups.

This was going better than I thought it would. “Thank you again. Please, both of you keep me informed of what you find.”

The men and women filed out, making their way to the cars, that Luna only knew who had taken the time to bring and line up along the far end of driveway, far away from the fire.

I turned back to everyone else. “Let’s work on getting everyone ready so we can head home and get everyone proper medical care that needs it. If anyone needs anything at all, please let me know and I’ll make sure it is done.”

Everyone went back to work. I stared for a minute, watching. With all the new people we picked up from the compound I couldn’t tell how many men we lost. But there were multiple black shirts on the ground. I said a silent prayer for them to be protected wherever they may be now.

Willa came up to me fidgeting with her hands and not quite meeting my eyes. “I’m sorry about Sawyer. I promise I tried to stop him.”

I waved her off and pulled her into an embrace. “I know you did. He’s so stubborn.”

She laughed out loud. Thank you Sloane. Thank you for making sure that we can be safe.”

I smoothed my hand up and down her back. “I owe you a thank you for taking care of Sawyer, even if you didn’t listen to your directions.”

Willa pulled back and gave me an appraising look. “Has anyone taken a look at you yet, Sloane? You’ve been through quite the ordeal, too.”

Now that the excitement of the fight and the grief had turned into a hollow ache, I was starting to feel the pains of my injuries. I didn’t think it was severe.

“It’s nothing that can’t wait until later. There are others who are hurt worse than me.”

Willa pressed her lips together into a thin line. “I know. I’ve been tending to them as best I can.”

I looked over her shoulder, but didn’t see Jacob. “Where is Jacob? Is he okay?”

He had to be. She would be a blubbering mess on the ground if he wasn’t. But I still needed to ask.

The beam that split her face was all I needed to know. “He’s fine. No serious injuries, thank goodness.” She turned and pointed. “He found a few people from his pack that he thought had died. He’s tending to them.”

My heart fluttered at that. If one good thing had come out of this, we’d reunited people with their loved ones and brought peace of mind and freedom.

Willa pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry about Brandon. He was a good guy.”

I mumbled a thanks, but wasn’t really sure what else to say. Willa gave me another squeeze and then made her way back over to Jacob.

The lump in my throat was back. Tears burned my eyes. Maybe I hadn’t cried myself out yet. I sniffled and chewed the inside of my cheek, not wanting to cry again.

My back pocket vibrated and it took me a minute to realize that my phone was still there and surprisingly, somehow hadn’t been damaged with all the fighting.

Probably Mom wondering what was going on. I put a hand over my stomach as nausea and light headiness washed over me. I needed to check in with her.

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