Page 19 of Cruel Alpha Beast
If I hadn’t left, she and I would be coloring at her little desk right now. Or maybe she would be begging me to read her a story. Either way, things would be back to normal.
But my brother would still be in peril.
Danielle comes out of the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee in her hands. Her smile widens as she lays eyes on me, but like her sister’s, it fades when she sees Sawyer.
“Who is this gentlewolf?” Danielle asks in a strangely formal voice.
Sawyer sighs behind me, quiet enough so that only I can hear it.
“This is Lacey’s newhusband,” Monroe says pointedly.
“You weren’t even gone for twenty-four hours,” Danielle breathes out. “Damn, you move fast.”
I roll my eyes. “Look, it’s just a—”
“Excuse me.”
My mouth goes dry. I turn and look at Sawyer, who’s stepping out from behind my elbow. “What are you doing?” I hiss.
“I know our kinds are not allies,” Sawyer says calmly. “Wolves and witches have hated each other for centuries.”
Danielle is careful to cross her arms and not spill hot coffee all over herself. “That we have.”
“I don’t want to be here any more than you want to have me in your lovely home,” he continues. “Though, I will tell you that Lacey and Shea are my highest priorities right now.”
Danielle cocks an eyebrow at me, as if to ask if Sawyer is Shea’s real father. I give her a subtle nod. She traces the details of Sawyer’s face, then pulls an expression to tell me she approves of him, physically, at least.
“As an alpha, I have a town and a valley to take care of,” Sawyer tells her, unaware of our silent conversation. “But as afather and a husband, I must keep my family safe at all costs. Even if it means entering the belly of the beast.”
He finds the crocheted doilies and cozy blankets strewn about the house.
“So to speak.”
I almost laugh at this, but I’m still angry with Sawyer for all that he’s done. Though I must admit, it’s nice to hear him speak about our daughter and me like this to my friends.
Danielle exchanges glances with Monroe, then she starts nodding her head very slowly. “Lacey and Shea are two of the most important people to us. They are as much our family as we are to each other, and we’re identical twins.”
My mouth curves into a smile.
“You are welcome here,” Danielle finishes. “I can’t say you’ll have free rein of the village, but you can stay here with us for as long as you need.”
“Where is Shea, though?” Monroe pipes up.
“She’s safe with my brother,” I tell her.
“Good,” she breathes.
“And what brings you back here so soon?” Danielle asks. “I thought you would be staying with Greg for a couple of days. Now you’remarried?”
“It’s a long story,” I say quickly. “But what I really need to tell you about is this vision I just had this morning.”
Danielle’s eyebrows lift up high on her forehead. “Again? You’ve been having so many lately.”
“I know,” I tell her solemnly. “And all of them have been really concerning.”
“Was it…more of the same?” Danielle asks. “Blood and guts and disease?”
I nod my head. “Except this time, there was a willow tree. And it was on fire.”
