Page 48 of The Strongest Wolf

We sit like that for a long time. Maybe thirty minutes. Maybe more. But when the front door creaks open, I peel my eyes open, take in Luka standing in the doorway, and kiss Eden’s forehead. “Go.”

She doesn’t move.

“It’s your moon-blessing, Eden. Go. I’ll be okay.” But what I don’t say is that Sierra never likes to show weakness to anyone. Not even to me. The fewer people there are around, the more likely she is to come out.

Eden must know it too, because she sighs. “Okay. You’ll call if you need me?”

I smile, and she smiles back. That’s when I know that I haven’t broken things so badly between us that we can never be the brother and sister we once were. “I will.”

After she leaves, I stay where I am, knowing nothing I can say will convince Sierra to open the door. She’s the most stubborn woman in the world, and someone hurt her tonight. All I can do is be here for her when she’s ready to let me in.

An hour passes. The cabin gets dark enough that I should get up and turn on more lights than the lamp beside the couch. But I don’t move.

I’m listing all the ways I’m going to rip Nathan apart when a muffled whimper has me shoving myself to my feet, because I know what’s happening. I shove the bathroom door open. This time, no wolf stops me.

It’s like history is fucking repeating itself.

My rage builds so fast that I’m shaking with it, conscious that if I don’t get a handle on myself, I won’t be able to stop myself from shifting and killing Nathan.

There’s nothing I can do to help her. Nothing I can do but stand in the bathroom doorway and watch as Sierra groans and whimpers through a fast shift.

Because she doesn’t feel safe as a wolf.

Because of Nathan.

Claws spring from the tips of my fingers. I take in a deep breath, release it, and the claws draw in again.

This shift isn’t under five minutes, thank fuck for that, but it’s still faster than it should be. A lot faster.

When she’s human again, lying on her side with her eyes closed as tears stream from the corners, muscles trembling with exertion, I take a step toward her.

Not wanting to startle her, I halt a foot away and drop into a crouch. “Sierra, I’m going to pick you up now, okay?”

She doesn’t respond.

I stretch a hand toward her. Slowly. The tip of my finger touches her cheek. She jerks in response, and yet more terror fills the room.

I’m going to kill Nathan.

“Sierra?” Lowering my voice, I brush her cheek even more gently than I did before. This time she doesn’t startle. “Can I pick you up and move you somewhere more comfortable?”

Nearly a minute passes, and then a tiny nod.

Relief surges through me.

I ease my hands under her and gently lift her. She’s icy cold. Not because of the floor, though that must be part of the reason as well. But because of her terror. A cold sweat covers her, and I cradle her against my warmer body as I head for the bed.

The second I’ve laid her down, she moves away, back to me, facing the wall.

Gritting my teeth as rage once again nearly overwhelms me, I pull the sheet up to her neck.

Dom is going to wonder what the fuck happened for me to drop my phone and run like that. But later. I’ll deal with that later.

After kicking off my shoes, I climb into bed beside Sierra and wrap my arm around her.

Her body tenses.

I’m going to kill Nathan painfully.

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