Page 11 of The Strongest Wolf

Grinning, I pad after her.

We leave the rest of the Blackshaws beside the lake as I chase the little sister I never believed I’d ever see again into the forest.

Although I glance back, expecting to find Luka just behind us, he hasn’t moved from his spot beside the lake.

One look in his eyes and I know why he stayed behind.

He knows I need this. And although he wants to come, he’s stepping aside so I have some time just with Eden.

Time I don’t intend to waste.

3

SIERRA

My eyes snap open, my heart pounding a million miles an hour as a sheen of sweat covers my brow.

Not again.

Galen stirs beside me as if he senses I’m awake. Before he can wake up or, even worse, drag me closer so that he can’t fail to pick up the scent of terror clinging to me, I climb out of bed as quietly as I can and head for the bathroom.

I’ve just pulled the door closed behind me when I hear his voice, still husky with sleep, call out, “Little wolf?”

“Go back to sleep,” I reply, switching on the light in the tiny bathroom and leaning against the door. “I need to pee.”

And then I wait.

Bed sheets rustle. When they stop, I release a quiet breath of relief. One glance into my face and Galen would know the nightmares were back.

Not that they ever truly went away.

When someone tortures you for hours, breaking almost every bone in your body, two weeks isn’t nearly enough time to forget all the ways they hurt you.

For a long moment, I study myself in the mirror above the sink. As usual, I’ve snagged one of Galen’s plain white tees to wear to bed, and it hits me mid-thigh. When I peer into my steel-gray eyes—my dad’s eyes—I see nothing wrong. I look just as calm, as in control of myself as I always am.

I try out a smile, a wide happy one, and it’s convincing too.

Most people buy it. Everyone but Galen. He always seems to know.

I let the smile fade. After peeling myself off the bathroom door, I cross over to the toilet, flush it, and then head for the sink to wash my face with cool water.

Since Galen has never been the most patient person when it comes to me leaving his side, I know the next time he wakes, he won’t be going back to sleep until I’m beside him.

It’s… sweet in a possessive alpha way I don’t find myself minding at all.

But sometimes I want to push him away, and I don’t know why.

I grab a hand towel from a small wicker basket on the counter and pat my face dry. But I don’t leave the bathroom. The acrid stench of fear still clings to me, and I need it to fade a little more before I even think about climbing back into bed.

So, for another long moment, I meet my own gaze.

There’s no wolf in my eyes. Not even the hint of her.

Do you want to lead a pack?

Silence.

“That’s what I thought,” I murmur beneath my breath.

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