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Damn it. I needed to shift. Except this was the only pair of clothes I had with me. There wasn’t time to strip and catch Willa. If I shifted spontaneously, my clothes would be shredded, and there was no way in hell I was riding back with the pack naked.
Lincoln was ahead of me. He hadn’t slid once. He was closing in on Willa when a streak of white and gray lunged at him.
I screamed and shoved to my feet. “Lincoln!”
He caught the wolf in midair, twisted, and threw them away from him. I blinked. I’d never seen anyone do anything like that before. Not as a human.
The wolf hunkered down and charged again. Lincoln bobbed to the right.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said with a growl.
Willa slid down the hill on her butt. “Jacob! Stop!”
The wolf growled, its hackles raised as it stared down at Lincoln, but it stopped stalking toward him.
I closed the distance and grabbed Lincoln by the elbow. He put his arm in front of me, blocking me from the other wolf with his body.
“Stop it. Please!” Willa moved closer to the wolf. “Jacob. They aren’t our enemy. Please don’t hurt them. They’re friendly.”
The wolf turned his attention to her and bowed his head so he could sniff her. Then he nuzzled her hand.
Lincoln tensed and held up his hand as a few more men and wolves appeared on the ridge above us.
The oldest took a step forward and spoke up. “We have to go. Once they realize we’ve gone, they’ll be coming. We have too many youngsters to not get a good head start.”
The wolf growled at Lincoln and me one more time before he nudged Willa’s hand again.
Willa dropped to her knees and threw her arms around him. “Jacob! I was so worried about you.”
He nuzzled her and then licked her face, making Willa laugh. She rubbed the wolf behind the ears.
The guy on the ridge took a few steps closer. “We have to go.”
Willa patted Jacob’s head. “Take me with you.”
I blinked through the rain as I saw Jacob incline his head and give her another big, sloppy kiss. He nudged her toward the ridge.
I stepped around Lincoln. “Willa. Wait!”
Tears blurred my vision. I couldn’t ask her to stay, but I couldn’t condone her leaving.
Willa shook her head. Her wet hair stuck to her face, and black streaks ran down her cheeks from her mascara. “I can’t stay, Sloane. Please don’t stop me.”
I pursed my lips, closed the distance between us, and pulled her into a tight hug. “He’s going to come for you, Willa. You keep running, and don’t you ever stop. Do you understand?”
Her face crumpled, and she nodded. She grasped my hand. “Come with me, Sloane. We can get you out, too. Please, I don’t want to leave you here.”
I clung to her like a lifeline. Leave. Freedom. No more living in fear. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I looked to Lincoln, who was standing just a few feet away.
His brows were scrunched into a frown, and he looked at the ground. He’d let me go if I chose, and I doubted he’d talk me out of it. I was sure of it. I could call my dad, be reunited with my family, and we could run away to someplace safe. But I’d never see Lincoln or Sawyer again.
There would be a giant hole in my heart where they belonged. I’d never get to explore our bond or know what it’s like to be with a man. My mates would be left with their tyrant of an alpha. Alone.
And I would never be safe. No one would. Every day we’d be looking over our shoulders, waiting for the day when Alpha Dane found us, and hewouldfind us.
No. I was going to stop him. Somehow, someway, Lincoln, Sawyer, and I were going to end his tyranny.
I shook my head as tears blurred my vision. “I can’t leave.”
