Page 28 of Wolf Betrayed
I plastered a smile on my face. “I’m sure. I’ve made up my mind. Trust me, Lincoln and Sawyer already tried.”
She pouted and shook her head as she went into my room, plopped down on the bed, and then flopped back into the pillows.
She grabbed one of the plush, decorative teal ones and held it to her chest. “I understand. If I was in your shoes, I would go after Jacob.”
I closed the door and lay down next to her so we were both staring up at my white popcorn ceiling. Darrin used to tease me that if I needed to put myself to sleep, I should count the dots. I missed his sense of humor.
I put my hands over my belly, hoping that the churning inside didn’t decide to make obnoxious noises that would embarrass me. “I’ll be home before you know it. You’ll see.”
Willa whimpered and sniffled. She rubbed a hand under her nose. “I know. I’m just afraid for you. I’ve never had a sister before, but I kind of feel like you’re my big sister now, Sloane, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
I rolled so I was on my side and propped my head up under my hand. I pushed some hair off Willa’s shoulder and gave her a small smile. “I feel the same way. And I have no intentions of leaving you, I promise.”
She let out a long sigh that turned into a breathy laugh. “Good, because I remember what we talked about when we were there. We’re going to take down Alpha Dane. You and me together. I don’t know how yet. I haven’t worked that out, but it’s going to be us. I’ve never seen anything so clearly in my life.”
A smile pulled at the corners of my lips. I loved Willa’s spirit. “I remember, and you’re right. It will be us. We’ll figure out the details. It might be spur of the moment, but we’ll get him.”
The grin fell from her face, and she looked away. “I heard Mikey is still alive.”
She put her hand on her throat as she swallowed.
I blinked back tears at the reminder and drifted my gaze to the Tweety clock. Only about eleven more hours until we hit the road.
“He is. Unfortunately.” I should have finished him off when I’d had the chance. Lincoln might not be in such bad shape if I had.
Willa grabbed my hand. “Promise me you’ll be careful. I think out of all of them, Mikey scares me the most.”
I shivered, causing gooseflesh to rise on my arms. Willa was right. Mikey was the worst out of all of them.
“I’m going to stay as far away from my him as I can. I promise.” I hoped I could keep my word.
Lincoln hadn’t said what he had threatened, but I could imagine.
Willa closed her eyes and shoved the pillow to the side so she could rub her belly.
Maybe one day in a few years, when I was a little older, and it was safer, I would have a wolf pup growing in my belly. Maybe it would be two pups. One would be Lincon’s and the other Sawyer’s. I bit my lip to keep from smiling at the thought.
I turned to look at her. “How have you been feeling? How is the baby?”
Willa sat up and rubbed her hands together, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “Doing well. I know it’s too early for any medical equipment to pick up anything, but I can already feel the connection to them.”
I shifted so I was propped up on my elbows. “What does it feel like?”
She paused and bit her lip as she cocked her head to the side. “It’s kind of like the mate connection.”
My brows knitted together. “Like how you can interact with each other?”
Willa frowned like she was thinking too hard. “Yes, in a way, but it’s also different. I don’t really know how to describe it, but I can feel the baby.” She motioned her hands like she was trying to think of the right word. “I can feel their presence, if that makes sense, and he or she is doing perfectly fine.”
I put my hand over the top of hers on her belly. “Good, I’m glad to hear it.”
Her shoulders went lax as she blew out a heavy breath. “Me too. I was really worried about everything that happened. It wasn’t just the physical injuries, but also the stress of the situation and my parents.”
She looked away and did her best to blink back tears, but that didn’t keep a few from trickling down her cheeks.
I pulled her into a hug. “Sawyer said he buried your parents down by the stream.”
She nodded as her whole body shuddered. “That was kind of him. I still can’t believe they’re gone.”
