14. Thirteen

Thirteen

Sawyer

Sloane's emotions hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. I grabbed my side and sucked in a shallow breath through my nose and waited for the discomfort to pass.

I reached out to her with my mind. Sloane, is everything okay?

There wasn't an immediate answer. Something happened? That I was sure of, but what.

Lincoln, was fine. I could feel him, alive and well. My dad was still here at our homestead. I knew that for a fact, but that didn't mean something else couldn't have occurred to cause her distress. I had to find out what.

I scanned the trees as I made my way further into the woods. This time of day most of the pack was off training or doing my dad‘s bidding. The woods were fairly empty, but I wanted to make sure that I went far enough back just in case.

I cocked my head to one side, listening as I weaved myself deeper into the tree line. I must've walked at least a mile with only the sounds of the wildlife skittering about before stopping. I did one last double take, ensuring I was alone.

I sat on a fallen tree log and closed my eyes, reaching out fully with our connection.

The air shimmered as we were brought together, and I found myself in an office.

Sloane sat on the floor against the door, tears misted her eyes as she stared vacantly at something only she could see. She wasn't crying but she looked like she was on the verge of it.

I sank next to her and pulled her into my arms as I ran my hand up and down her back. "What's wrong?"

I held my breath. She didn't seem to be in a panic or injured.

She sniffled and grasped my arm so hard her nails dug into my skin. "Three days, Sawyer." She blinked up at me. "That's when we're coming."

Three days. It felt like an eternity even though it was so close. If everything went according to plan, we would all be together soon. I could hold her in my arms for real.

I gave her a little shake and then kissed her forehead. "What's wrong? That's good news, right?"

She put a hand on her chest as she drew in a shuddering breath. "Sawyer, this is it, it's the final battle. I can feel it."

I shook my head. "You don't know that, sweetheart."

As much as it pained me, this conflict could go on for a while.

Her face crumpled, and she dragged her hand under her nose. "How can it not be? Think about it. If your dad is there...this...this is it."

The air whooshed out of my lungs. She was right. This could really be it.

She pursed her lips and a single tear trickled down that she quickly swiped away. "We either take down Alpha Dane or we don't. It's not just a rescue mission, it's the mission. I'm tired of looking over my shoulder and being afraid."

Understanding washed over me. She wasn't planning to just come for the women. Had she told everyone else the plan? "Do you really think this is it? That we can stop him?"

She shrugged her shoulders and held her hands out to her sides. "I don't see how it can't be. These back and forth attacks have to stop. Too many innocents are at risk, and more people get drawn into the fight, which will only make the casualties grow with each conflict."

The more I thought about it the more she was right. Dad wouldn't let them just walk away with the women and any men. He would block off the exits and pursue them. It would be a battle to the death.

One way or another, this was going to stop. I was going to do everything that I could to make sure that we were successful. "What do you need me to do?"

I didn't give her a chance to answer. "I can make sure that some of the pack away. There would be less people there for you to fight."

Sloane nibbled on her bottom lip as she made a face like she was thinking. Her brows scrunched together and she let her head fall back against the door again. "No, I think the pack should be there, as many of them as can be. The more people who see your father go down the better. And the less we have to track down after the fighting."

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out. I didn't like this plan. "There will be more people there to fight. And my dad..."

Sloane couldn't beat him in a fight. I couldn't. And to make it worse. He would never fight fair.

She met my eyes and gave me a small smile. "I know these men." She exhaled loudly. "They've sworn themselves to your father. The only way that they're going to break that is if they see that he's been neutralized."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You're also going under the assumption that these men are acting because of my father's hold on them. What if they're really just like him?"

Sloane shook her head adamantly. "I don't believe that, Sawyer. Not for a second. Some of these men, these packs were our neighbors, people that we were friends with. You really think that they've all lost their mind?"

I considered what she was saying. It was a fair point, but they'd been under my father‘s rule for so long now. What if they couldn't help themselves? What if this was who they were now?

It was too big of a risk.

"I don't know. Some of these men have been with my father for a few years now. Even if they were good people, you don't think that they've been tainted in someway?" I rubbed the back of my neck as I sucked in a breath. "That's a long time to live being angry and... the things they've done. I'm not sure how you come back from that without scars."

I'd gotten lucky. While I'd played my part, I'd never had to do anything brutal to another wolf. It was probably the only reason I'd been able to stay sane.

It was too easy to think they could come back from all this. Some of them had done unspeakable things in my father's name. Even if they were released from his hold, the horrible things would stick with them always.

We needed to consider the possibility that these men would be forever indebted to my father and set in their new ways.

And if they were, what was I supposed to do with them? We couldn't kill them, but we couldn't just let them go back to their normal lives. What if someone tried to take my dad's place?

It wasn't out of the realm of possibility. He'd built an empire. I'd have to think of something to do with the guys to make sure that there wasn't another uprising like this again. The shifter community couldn't take it.

Sloane gave me a tight-lipped smile. "I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it. At least it's top of mind right?"

It was on our radar now and just one more thing on the ever-growing list of things we had to figure out. And to add insult to injury. "I'm not going to be able to bring everyone back to the pack. Dad will never do it." Asking him to would give away the attack and I wanted it to catch him off guard. "We have a few dozen men spread across two packs currently."

She plopped her head on my shoulder. "Oh." She huffed. "We'll make do. The majority of the pack is there. If we stop Alpha Dane, then it's just making sure we round up any stragglers."

I buried my nose in her hair. Her vanilla-cinnamon scent washed over me as I breathed her in. She was home. I'd be here with her for real in just a few days. "Are you feeling any better now?"

She nuzzled into my neck. "As good as I can, given the circumstances. I'm ready for this to be over with. I'm so glad you came."

"Me too." As glad as I was to be here for her, I couldn't help but wonder. "Where's Lincoln?"

She let her eyes flutter shut as she all but curled into my lap. "Helping prepare. I would have asked him to come, but I didn't want everyone else to know I needed a minute of comfort. I don't know how alphas do it, Sawyer."

I grasped her chin gently and tilted her head up. "I imagine they have the same struggles as you. And, Sloane, this is different. We've never had anything like this happen in generations. This is all new for every alpha. I think the key is to making a decision and sticking to your guns."

She cracked a small smile. "Like deciding to stay."

I rocked her a little and then pressed a kiss to her lips. "Yeah. Or deciding to bring the fight to my father. He only got so powerful because no one stood up to him."

"I think for better or worse we've all learned our lesson in that respect."

I hummed my agreement as I shifted on the floor. A buzzing sensation tickled the back of my neck. I scratched at it but it persisted and it took me a minute to realize that I wasn't here and whatever was happening was in the forest.

I gave Sloane one last quick peck. "I have to go."

I didn't wait for her to respond before breaking the connection.

I shot to my feet as I opened my eyes. I twirled around, listening and watching. No one was here. But my spidey sense, for lack of a better term, had been tingling.

I brushed off my pants and narrowed my eyes as I marched back down the path. Had someone been spying on me? Did they know what I was up to? Worse, had they seen me in my trance?

It wouldn't take much for anyone to put two and two together. Even if they didn't know about Sloane, Dad knew Lincoln and I had a ‘twin thing' as he called it.

But as I continued through the woods, and still couldn't find anyone I relaxed. No one was out here. Not this far out anyway.

I emerged from the trees. The enforcers were finishing up their sparring. Drake led another group on a jog around the prisoner compounds. Dad stood in his usual spot in the middle of the yard, arms crossed, legs shoulder width apart, watching.

Everything was as it should be. I hurried to my dad and put a hand on his shoulder. "Everything seems to be falling into place."

He glanced my way with a wide grin. "Indeed, it does." He clapped me on the back.

"You're in a good mood." I was afraid to know why.

He lifted his brows. "The FBI has eyes on Sloane and Lincoln's pack. They can't make a move without us knowing." He chuckled darkly. "They can't even shift."

Oh no. Sloane hadn't mentioned that. Did she know? I had to think of a way to warn her. If the agents saw them turn into wolves, we'd have a lot more problems on our hands.

I cleared my throat. "It doesn't worry you to expose the shifter community?"

He batted the air and made a pfft sound. "No. Not at all. Your uncle will keep them under control." He shrugged. "Besides, we will out ourselves sooner than later anyhow."

That's right. He had it in his head that he could take on the world. Literally. Oh boy. "Dad, I'm not sure that is a good idea. People are going to freak out. We keep our kind secret for a reason."

He held up a finger, his nostrils flaring as he gave me his full attention. "I don't appreciate being questioned."

I opened and shut my mouth. "I just worry is all. Fighting other wolves is one thing, but fighting men with guns..." I didn't know how to finish.

He blinked slowly as he glared at me. "Rest assured, we will be fine."

I wanted to ask how, but thought better of it. He was stuck in his ways, and questioning him would only make things worse.

He turned back to the sparring. "The pack is coming along well, don't you think?"

I arched a brow. "We've always been strong fighters."

Even before Mom and Hannah, we'd made sure our enforcers knew how to fight.

Dad motioned to the group of men. "Yes, but look at how many strong we are."

"Ah." That was the point. "I've lost count of how many we have now. Have you?" I tried to make it sound like a joke.

It must have worked. Dad threw his head back and laughed out loud. "When we get our next set of recruits we will be just shy of a thousand men?"

I fought to keep the smile on my face. My cheeks burned from the effort. "A thousand. Really? When and who is coming?"

Dad's eyes lit up. "It was a project Mikey was working on for me. And also your uncle. We are getting the bastard wolves."

Bastard wolves?

He rubbed his hands together. "The men who one parent was a wolf, but they didn't inherit the gene. They are faster and stronger than humans and very expendable. But they don't know that part. What matters to them is they will finally have a pack to call home."

And we had a lot more men to worry about. Crap. "When do they get here?"

Dad looked at his wristwatch. "Five days."

And Sloane was coming in three. If any timeline changed, we were in trouble.