Page 7 of Wolf Betrayed
Willa tapped her foot on the floor. “It is good news. After everything that’s happened, I think we could all use it. And I know you’ve been busy. We’ve been back less than a day, and it feels like it’s been weeks already.”
She was right. Time seemed to be moving fast and slow at the same time. It had been this way since I’d arrived at Pack Wolf Blood.
I sat up straighter, my eyes narrowing as I continued to stare outside. I didn’t see anything, but the way my skin was crawling on the back of my neck made me think that something was out there. “I spoke to my father and some of the other alphas about our time inside the pack.”
Willa shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. “I wish I could wake up and it was a horrible dream.”
My pulse spiked, and the hair on my arms tickled. I still couldn’t see anything outside, but every instinct in my body was telling me to run, and it took everything I had to stay rooted in my spot.
I inhaled a deep breath and let it out before standing up. I walked to the window on rubbery legs and stared outside, watching, searching.
I narrowed my eyes and pumped my fists at my side. They were close. But where?
There! In the distance were two wolves skulking toward the house through the brush.
My mom came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder, making me jump. She put her mouth practically next to my ear. “What do you see?”
My fingers twitched. I wanted to point, but if they were watching me, I didn’t want them to know I’d seen them. It might make them speed up their attack.
“They’re next to the bushes, hiding just to the right of them.” I sounded breathless.
Sweat beaded on my brow, and I wiped my palms on my pants.
My mom inched forward a little farther and was practically hugging me from behind. “I see them too. If they get any closer, I want you to shift. Do you hear me?”
My mom smoothed my back with her palm. “And if things look like they’re going to turn upside down, I want you to take the women you can, and I want you to run.”
I turned toward her with a gasp. “Mom.”
My mom pressed her lips together into a thin line. “Sloane, don’t get me wrong. I want you to fight, but if it’s obvious we have lost, you need to take those able to run. Don’t look back. We have made some friends in Tennessee. They are sending reinforcements even now. But should we fall before then, you should go there for help.”
I opened my mouth to protest.
My mom squeezed my shoulder. “Please don’t argue with me, Sloane. We all know what will happen to these women if they are captured.”
I gritted my teeth and steeled my shoulders. “Then we won’t lose.”
My mom smiled. “One of the things I love about you, my love. You are so strong, even when you have every right to be afraid. And don’t lose your hope. No matter what happens. Promise me.”
Movement caught my eye, and I sucked in a breath. It was them; they were coming.
My mom pulled me back from the window and into the center of the room. She grabbed my hand tightly as she turned to address everyone. “At least two enemy wolves are coming. Sloane, transition. Anyone else who is able to fight, please shift to help protect those who can’t.”
She let go of my hand and nudged me away. “Should we fall, anyone who is able to run should. There’s a pack in Tennessee who has agreed to take us in if needed. Go there. Don’t wait.”
No one got the chance to argue with her or ask any questions. The glass shattered behind us, sending a chorus of screams echoing through the front room.
I jumped backward, my own scream sticking in my throat. Two wolves darted toward the window I was just at, and a man stood outside holding a brick in his hand. He lifted his arm up and tossed the brick like it was a baseball.
It hit the glass, shattering it. Shards of glass fell like a waterfall.
The two wolves ran towards the opening. I stood rooted in my spot, my mind spinning a million miles a minute.
Sawyer’s voice popped into my mind. Sloane! You have to fight. I’ll be there.
You have to fight, he’d said.
I snapped out of my trance. Pull yourself together, girl.
