Page 58 of Cruel Alpha Beast
“Quiet now; I don’t have very long,” Penelope says, her voice just that little bit off from its normal self, like she’s speaking through an intercom. “The witches of the resistance have taken a vote. We put forward a temporary alliance to cull the evil uprising blackening the forest we share. With our magic and your force, this is the best chance we have to end this before it has devastating consequences.”
Before anyone can argue, Sawyer steps closer to the projection. “Speaking on behalf of my town, I agree—and if anyone has a problem with that,” he calls over the cries from the audience, “then they are free to go into the forest and die on their own terms.”
This quiets the angry people. No one leaves the hall. And Sawyer turns to Penelope’s astral form.
“I’ll speak to the others,” he promises. “I’ll make them see reason.”
Penelope nods, then fades from the dais. And for the first time since I’ve come back to the valley, it seems like there’s hope for us, yet.
Chapter 24 - Sawyer
With my people finally agreeing to work with the witches, I spend much of the night setting up patrol units of the willing and able, with Jasper and Ellis’s help. I walk each group to their place on the outskirts of town and do my best to share words of encouragement. Each group of shifters is met with at least one, maybe two, witches fighting with Penelope.
In the last patrol unit, I find Ellis standing with Danielle and a few of his people. My tall, powerful, alpha friend looks somewhat intimidated by the much smaller woman, as do the other shifters in this group.
“I believe in you all,” I tell them. “Just as you should believe in Danielle, here. Ellis and I have seen her work. She’ll keep you safe out here.”
“I think you’re overhyping me a little,” she says with a nervous chuckle. “I’ve still got a long way to go in my practice.”
I put a hand on her shoulder and bow my head to her. “I’ve seen you take on a witch possessed by a powerful ancient one. Twice. Without even getting a scratch.”
Danielle smiles, her face going red with the praise. “Thank you, Sawyer,” she replies.
And with that, I think I’ve finally won my wife’s best friend’s approval. I pat Ellis on the back, and he gives me a thumbs-up, knowing what I have to do to stave off the curse.
With that, I head back toward town. I need to see my father and Shea one last time before things get really bad. This could be the last time I see either of them, should things go south.
But I try to force that thought into the back of my head. Instead, I remember Lacey’s speech at the town hall meeting. She came forward. She spoke about forgiveness and love. And it was clear to see that she was talking about our relationship.
She was talking about how she feels about me.
Despite it all, happiness comes to a rising boil within my chest. My wife, who just hours before said she couldn’t tell me she loved me, basically told me the same in so many words. And the connection I feel inside with her has only served to confirm my thoughts.
The joy I’ve felt since we stood there on the dais, I truly believe it could give me the strength to make it through this horrible ordeal we’re about to go through. And if things weren’t so dire, I would be leaping in exuberance right now.
Okay, maybe not, but I wouldn’t feel guilty for being so happy.
With patrols on the edge of town and the young and weak locked inside of their homes, the streets in town are nearly silent around me. If I weren’t a powerful alpha wolf, I might feel spooked out, but I’m sure I can handle anything, even one of those shadow monsters, should it sneak past the patrols.
Shivering, I pick up the pace and find my dad’s house as quickly as possible. I knock on the door and wait for my father to unlock it. He comes through with a child-sized, hot pink tulle tutu straining its elastic to fit around his waist. My lips twist into a smirk as he opens the door for me.
“Did I forget my tickets to the ballet show?” I ask him.
My father looks down, then shrugs his shoulders. “Oh, Shea and I were playing make-believe, and it was the only costume she had with her, so…”
I snicker at this. My father, the highly respected former alpha, has lost all power and authority to the granddaughter he’s only known for the last couple of days.
“Thank you for watching her, by the way,” I say. “I know it was a lot to ask of you. But I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re here to keep her safe.”
“Well, it would have been nice to know she existed before she was dumped on my doorstep, but…” My dad looks over his shoulder at the empty hallway. “I would die for her.”
My smile widens. “She’s a great kid, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, Lacey’s done a great job with her,” Dad says. “Speaking of your wife… Have there been any updates to thesituation?”
I sigh, knowing this conversation won’t go as well as I’d like it to. “We’ve allied with witches for now—”
“Oh, Sawyer, really?” my dad says, blatantly disappointed in me. “There really wasn’t another way?”
