Page 3 of The Weakest Wolf

“She’s dead.”

The lie trips off my tongue. Mostly it’s because I’ve had years of practice, but a larger part is because it’s not just my life at stake.

He surges to his feet and every muscle in my body tenses. But I don’t move. A dominant wolf wouldn’t move, so I stay put.

A hint of a smile tugs at the corner of his full lower lip as he wanders over to lean against the wall by the door. My only way out. “That isn’t what I heard, Sierra Stone.”

I am no Stone. I am Sierra Bree, daughter of Lira Bree.

“Well, whoever told you otherwise is wrong.”

They’re not wrong.

Four years ago, Jared, the old alpha of the Stone pack chose a girl called Eden for his mate. But there was no happily ever after because the alpha was as cruel as the pack he ruled over.

He tormented the girl day and night until she escaped. She thought her family would understand when she told them her new mate was abusive, but they put her in a car and brought her back, anyway.

Only the girl didn’t return alone. She brought a friend with her. Melody. Since Melody was nothing like the predators that fill this pack, she became the newest target of their cruelty.

It took two weeks for them to torment her to death.

The end.

For Melody, at least.

Eden’s story is a little more complicated.

Galen continues to study me in silence. He doesn’t believe me. He hasn’t said one word, but he doesn’t need to. I can read it in his eyes.

“You can keep me here forever, but that won’t change anything.” I sound like the girl I’ve pretended to be for the last eight years. Strong. Confident. A dominant wolf.

I’m none of those things.

Galen eyes me a little longer, and when I say nothing else, he straightens from his lean with a half-smile and steps away from the door. “Then it looks like it serves no purpose keeping you here.”

Relief punches through me and I rush to get out before he changes his mind.

I’ve just reached the door when his voice, silky smooth, stops me. “Does the rest of your pack know what you are, little wolf?”

My body flushes from hot to cold, and then back again, all in under a second. I tighten my hand on the door handle so he can’t see it shaking.

I should’ve known getting out of here wouldn’t be as easy as that.

Play it cool, I tell myself. This alpha hasn’t been here long enough to guess what you are. He’s toying with you. Don’t let him.

“What I am?” I laugh. If it sounds a little forced, I can only hope he doesn’t notice. “I’m the same as everyone.”

He steps closer, so close his powerful six-foot-something body curves along my back. At five-four, I’m not small, but next to him, I feel it. He looms over me, a wall of hot skin and hard muscle.

Despite his threatening words and the heat of his body, the wild scent of him makes my body prickle with awareness. It doesn’t matter that I’m in shorts and a t-shirt. The way he’s pressed up against me, I can feeleverything.

His breath flutters in my hair. “Should I guess? Because I’m thinking it begins with an S.”

Fuck. He knows.

A voice in my head screams at me to ram my elbow hard into his gut and run. If I hit him hard enough, I can open up enough of a distance between us that I can shift to wolf and escape before he chases me down.

But I don’t.

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