AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shifted on my feet. “I just saw Sawyer. Alpha Dane knows we took the wolfsbane, and he’s coming here anyway.”
Dad closed his eyes, sighing as he nodded. “I feared he might. When?”
I swallowed. “Tomorrow night.”
My mom pulled the covers up to her chin and let her head fall back against the headboard. “Oh, goodness, so soon?”
My dad gave her a sad smile. “It’s okay, Kathleen. We knew this was a possibility.”
Tears burned my eyes. “I thought I was going to buy us more time.”
Was this my fault? Had I sped up Alpha Dane’s timetable?
My dad pulled me into a hug, cradling me to him like he’d done when I was a little girl. “It’s okay, Sloane. You’ve given us a powerful tool to help with our defenses. Pack Wolf Blood was coming with or without you taking that. Your quick thinking allowed us to be better prepared.”
I clung to him and inhaled his scent. “What are we going to do?”
He held me a moment longer before pulling away and tucking his thumb under my chin. “I want you to go back to your room and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, and I need you at your best.”
“Shouldn’t we prepare?”
He let out a breathy laugh. “We have been all day. We set up a place in the barn to work on the wolfsbane to make it most effective in defending the homestead. The directions you brought back were very informative.”
I bit my trembling lip. “I don’t think I can go to sleep.”
Dad reached for the door and pulled it open. “I want you to try. You look absolutely exhausted. I need you at your strongest. You and Lincoln both.”
I looked down at the floor. “I don’t know how you do it, Dad. How do you stay one step ahead of it all? I don’t know if I’m ready to be alpha. I think I’d let the pack down.”
My dad chuckled and kissed my forehead. “You care about this pack above all else. You think on your feet and make choices that help save lives.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “But you are already ten steps ahead.”
He nudged my chin with his knuckles. “That comes with time, Sloane.”
He leaned in and met my gaze. “Can I let you in on a little secret?”
I held my breath and nodded.
“I don’t always know what I’m doing. We’re in uncharted territory with this war. I wouldn’t ask you to be alpha if I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“I don’t think I’m ready.” My chest hurt to admit that.
He laughed. “No one is ever ready. I promise I’ll be right here beside you to help you along the way and learn everything I can teach you.”
I sucked on the insides of my cheeks. “I’ll meet you in your office at 6:00 a.m., then?”
His smile widened. “We’ll begin first thing. Now go get some sleep before the whole night slips away.”
I gave him one last hug before hurrying back down the hall to my room and slipping inside. Lincoln and Sawyer were talking quietly on the bed. They pulled away from each other when I came in.
Lincoln stood. “Everything okay?”
I closed and locked my door before clasping my hands together. “He’s already been preparing. He thought it was a possibility.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised. My dad was always thinking ten steps ahead.
Sawyer bowed his head as he shifted on the bed. “Good. Smart.”
