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I swallowed and stared at the headrest in front of me. I had to do this. If I didn’t, my brothers and Luna, and who only knew who else, would get hurt. Or worse.
My dad cleared his throat. “How far away are we?”
Ricky glanced into the rearview mirror. “That’s our turn up there, Alpha.” He pointed to a dirt road up ahead.
The Bronco slowed to a crawl, and the blinker flipped on. The ticking of the signal beat in time to my pulse. My vision tunneled, and dizziness made me feel like I was floating.
Nausea returned full force, and I couldn’t decide if I was about to be sick or pass out. Could a person do both at the same time? We might find out.
Ricky turned down the dirt road and came to a stop. There, out the front window, was my new pack.
A cold chill zipped up my spine as I eyed all the males standing there. Dried blood covered their clothes. Some of them had fresh cuts and bruises like they’d just come from a fight. They all glared, each man more intimidating and cold-looking than the next.
One of these monsters was my mate.
Two
I stared out thewindow as my mouth went dry. Every fiber in my being told me to run as fast and as far as I could. I stayed rooted in my spot though. If I fled, they’d kill everyone I loved.
My hands trembled as I reached for the door handle. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as I feared. It might not be blood on them, and they might be nice. Normal. A girl could hope.
I clasped the metal handle and drew in a shuddering breath before opening the door.
It glided open, and the metallic tang of blood hit my senses.
Bile crept up my throat. I darted my gaze to Ricky who was staring out the driver’s side window with a look of disgust.
My knees shook as I moved to get out.
My father’s hand landed on my shoulder, squeezing. “Sloane.”
I turned back to him. Unshed tears shimmered in his eyes. His face was ghostly pale.
I put my hand on top of his. “It’s okay, Daddy.” I hadn’t used that endearment since I was a kid, but this was probably the last time I would ever see him. “I’m going to be okay.”
“Sloane, I can’t let you do this.” My dad leaned forward. “Ricky, go! Get us out of here.”
“No!” I stiffened my spine and held my head high. “They’ll kill us all. If me going here means the pack is safe, then I will do my duty.”
I didn’t give him a chance to respond before climbing out of the car. I stood on wobbly legs. The sun pressed down on me like an oppressive spotlight searching for an escaped convict.
I drifted my gaze over the men standing in front of me. Which one of them was Lincoln? They all had sneers as they stared at me. Luna, I hoped he wasn’t here. These men were terrifying and disgusting.
Then they parted, and a man in an immaculate gray suit strode toward me. I didn’t need an introduction. Alpha Dane’s presence was unmistakable.
My mouth went dry and my pulse quickened. I dropped to one knee and hung my head so I was staring at the pavement. I couldn’t see my dad or Ricky, but I was sure they were just behind me, mirroring my show of submission.
Alpha Dane stopped just in front of me. I stared at his black leather shoes and gulped.
I pressed my sweaty palms against my jeans and blinked rapidly as I waited for permission to rise. It didn’t come, but I could feel his eyes on me. They made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.
Time stretched endlessly, which did nothing to help my racing pulse.
What was he doing?
His hand smacked me on the top of the head, making me cry out in surprise. His fingers curled through my thick tresses and yanked. “Stand.”
I whimpered as he tugged me up faster than I could move. His fingers dug deeper through my hair as his piercing blue eyes glared.
