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Sawyer.
He was here. A weight lifted off me, and I could breathe again.
He lunged toward where my mom and Willa were cornered and attacked the wolf. He pounced on top of him, drove him to the ground, and somehow snapped his neck in a matter of seconds.
The wolf went limp beneath him; he turned back toward me. His eyes widened, and an overwhelming sense of fear surrounded me, making my pulse quicken.
Sawyer’s voice screamed in my head, Sloane, behind you.
I’d been so focused on saving my mom and Willa that I’d forgotten about the guy behind me. I moved to the side with just enough time to avoid being clobbered. The wolf snarled at me and made like it was going to attack.
He never got that far.
Sawyer was there. He was everywhere. He finished wolf number two just as fast as he finished the first one. He moved away from his victim, his eyes darting around the room before finally landing on me. Our gazes locked.
Are you hurt? he asked through our bond, his voice coming out a growl.
I did a quick mental assessment. I might be a little sore, but I was unscathed for the most part. I’ll be all right.
Good.
I could hear the relief in his voice, even though he wasn’t actually speaking to me out loud.
His attention snapped to the window, and his wolf seemed to relax before he spoke to me again. My father has given the order to retreat. We just got word that more enforcement for you is on the way, and we are going to be outnumbered.
I let out a breath and sat down on my haunches. Thank goodness.
Sawyer ducked his head down and exhaled. Sloane, it’s not over yet. It won’t be over until my dad is dead. You may have won today, but believe me, we will be back.
We?
Sawyer glanced back up to meet my gaze. Yes, we. I can’t protect you here as well as I can there. My dad doesn’t know what I’ve done. I can be your eyes and ears on the other side. I can tell you when he’s coming and what he’s planning. And someone has to stay there to help Lincoln.
My belly did a somersault at the mention of Lincoln. He’s in rough shape.
Sawyer’s nostrils flared. I know, which is why I have to go back. Mikey is on the warpath. My dad gave him free rein to do whatever he wanted to Lincoln.
Oh God. My stomach turned, and I thought I might get sick. I’d seen enough of Mikey to know that he was malicious and pure evil. He was going to enjoy torturing his brother.
Sawyer took a step forward like he might nuzzle my neck, but he stopped and retreated a few steps back. I have to go before my father becomes suspicious of my absence. Stay safe, Sloane. Train. Practice fighting. Build up a tolerance for wolfsbane.
That’s right, the wolfsbane. I’d been meaning to talk to my dad about that. It had just been so crazy, and everyone had a million questions they wanted an answer to right away.
Sawyer backed away from me, drawing me from my thoughts. He was going to leave.
A lump formed in my throat. Sawyer.
He shook his head. I have to go, Sloane. I’ll always protect you, and the best way for me to do that is by going back with my dad.
With those words, he darted away, leaped back out the window, and hurried into the trees. I watched until I couldn’t see him anymore. My heart was heavy, and my eyes burned like I might cry. A low yowl escaped my throat before I could stop it.
My mom‘s voice brought me back to reality. “I’ve just heard from Alpha that they are retreating. Is anyone in here hurt?”
I turned back toward the room. There was glass everywhere, plus the two dead wolves who had shifted back into men upon their demise. One of the women who had transitioned with me was licking at a particularly nasty wound on her flank, and the other had a hind leg that was mangled. Aside from that, everyone else was unscathed.
We had been lucky, and we all knew it.
My mom looked at me with a frown on her face. It was the look she gave me when she was worried about something. “Sloane, why don’t you get changed? We must prepare for the wounded.”
