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Willa drew in a shuddering breath and then sniffled. “I’m so scared, Sloane. He killed two of my brothers. Right in front of me, right in front of all of us. My parents and Ian are next if I don’t follow his rules.”
She leaned her forehead against my shoulder.
I reached around her and turned on the water to full blast. How thin were the walls? Would the running water be loud enough to keep listening ears away?
I pulled back and met her eyes. “He threatened my family, too.” I looked down at the slate marble floor. “He killed Darrin. Sent him to my parents in pieces. We need to take his threats seriously.”
Willa whimpered.
“We are here together now. We can look out for each other.” I grabbed a tissue from the back of a shelf and dabbed at Willa’s face. “Alpha Dane doesn’t seem like the type of man who likes emotions or much of anything. Can you compose yourself?”
We’d already been gone a few minutes. It made me nervous.
Just because Alpha Dane said he’d give us six months didn’t mean that he couldn’t cut it short if he found something he didn’t like.
Willa took the tissue from me and blotted her face. “Sawyer isn’t so bad.” She shook her head and swiped at her eyes. “He hasn’t touched me. Not like that. He’s a gentleman and sleeps on the floor every night.”
Good! Sawyer is mine.
I shook my head, sending those thoughts away. “We are going to get through this.”
Willa closed her eyes and sighed. “I hope so. I’m scared.”
I put my hands on her shoulders. “Me too. But you’re not alone anymore.”
Willa put her hand overtop mine and offered me a small smile. “Neither are you.”
My shoulders slumped as a weight lifted off them, and I pulled her into another hug. It would be easy to stay in the safety of the bathroom all night, but I didn’t want to be gone too long. Alpha Dane wasn’t someone I wanted to piss off.
I held Willa at arm’s length. “Are you ready to go back out there?”
Willa tossed her tissues in the trash and went to the mirror. She splashed some cool water on her face before shutting it off and blotting away the excess moisture.
Her brown eyes flitted to the floor, and she fisted her shaking hands together. “You are right. We should head back out.”
I gave her one last once-over and then unlocked and opened the door. We walked arm in arm back into the dining room and just in time to catch the tail end of a conversation.
Alpha Dane pounded his fist on the table and glowered at Sawyer. “I won’t have this conversation with you again. You will follow my orders or face the consequences.”
Willa and I froze in the doorway. Her hand grasped mine, squeezing until I was sure the bones would break.
Alpha Dane noticed us first. His gaze fixated on us, and he leaned back, blowing out a breath. “I was wondering when you would return.” His attention snapped to Willa, and his lip curled up in disgust. “I presume that your emotions are in check now. I don’t appreciate tears and whimpering at the dinner table.”
Willa trembled, and I chewed the inside of my cheek as I said a silent prayer that she didn’t break down again.
Willa cleared her throat. “My apologies, Alpha. It won’t happen again.”
Alpha Dane stared for a long moment before he motioned us forward.
Willa and I sighed at the same time, giving each other’s hands one last squeeze before moving to our sides of the table.
The table was quiet for a few moments, but the air was heavy with tension. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled.
I stared at my plate and ate the roast, but the unease rolling through my belly made it hard to enjoy.
Sawyer was the one to break the silence. “When would you like me to go?”
Alpha Dane grinned. He took a long sip of his wine and looked at his son. “We leave on Friday.”
