Page 73 of The Strongest Wolf

“How?” Anticipation ripples through his question, so much of it I can almost taste his excitement.

Does he want this so badly?

“I’ll figure something out. Text me your address, and I’ll be there.”

No driver’s license or passport means flying is not an option. A bus would be too slow, and I have no idea if there’s even a train that leaves Hardin.

So how the hell do you intend to get there, Sierra? Drive there with the car you don’t have? Run hundreds of thousands of miles as a wolf? Sprout wings and fly like a mythical winged creature?

“And you’re sure I—”

I growl. “Galen, go to sleep so you don’t write off your truck or snarl at people tomorrow. I’ll be there.”

“I notice you care more about the truck than me snarling at people.” There’s a smile in his voice.

“It’s a nice truck. I have fond memories of it,” I tell him. Since it flattened the Stones who were on their way to ripping Galen apart, I will love that truck forever. “Go. Text me your address and I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”

This is the right thing to do. I shouldn’t have let Galen go, and I shouldn’t have done it without telling him how I feel—how I truly feel—about him. If losing my parents taught me anything, it’s that someone or something can come along and rip away your happiness when you least expect it.

“You’re sure?” he asks.

I push myself to my feet. I’m not sure how I’m going to get to New York, but I’ll do it. Where there is a will, there is a way, and I have buckets of will. “I’m sure.”

“Okay.” He sounds like he’s smiling. “Now, what are you wearing?”

I’m laughing as I tell him goodbye with a smile so big that it actually hurts.

After hanging up, I stare down at the cell phone as I wait for his text message. If it wasn’t such a stupid idea, I’d shift to wolf and run all the way to New York. That’s how desperately I want to be there right now.

When the phone vibrates, I bring up Galen’s text message.

Okay, so I have his address. Now I just have to find a way to get there with no car, no cash, and no—

Someone clears their throat. I spin around, and then blink in surprise because gathered at the packhouse’s front door are the Blackshaws.

Dayne is standing front and center, arms folded across his chest, and I get the sense he was the one trying to get my attention.

“Uh… hi!” I say. My eyes go to Nathan, who has a bowl of popcorn in his hand. Just how long were they eavesdropping? And how the hell did I not notice?

“We heard.” Dayne cocks his head. “And you’re sure about this? Joining Galen in New York?”

My hackles rise. “I can’t believe you all just—”

“I asked you a question, Sierra.” His tone is all alpha.

My wolf cowers, even if I never will. I nod. “If I had to shift and run all the way to get there, yes. I’d do it right now and run all night.”

His lips part.

A shrill baby’s scream obliterates the silence, making me wince. I’m not the only one who does. “Sheesh, that baby has a powerful set of lungs on her,” I mutter, hoping Dayne doesn’t take it as a criticism and kill me for it.

It isn’t annoyance that fills his eyes, but pride. “She’s an alpha, and—”

“She needs her diaper changed, so since you seem so impressed by her screaming, you can be the one to do it,” Talis yells.

Muffled laughter spreads, the loudest from Nathan, who claps Dayne hard on the back. “I’d get to it if I were you, alpha.”

I mentally prepare myself for Dayne to kill him, but then I remember I’m not dealing with the Stone pack. The Blackshaws don’t try to kill each other for every single slight.

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