22. Twenty-One

Twenty-One

Sloane

I tapped my cell phone against my leg. The team should have checked in an hour ago. Something happened.

I paced from one side of the office to the other, skimming my fingers over the dusty bookcase as I went. I wiped my dirty hand on my pants and started another lap.

A knock on the door gave me pause. I raced to finish my lap and plopped in my chair. "Come in."

The door squeaked open and Willa poked her head in first then Jacob. I motioned them forward.

They each took a seat in the two chairs opposite me. Willa crossed one leg over the other and rested her hand on her belly. Jacob sat ramrod straight and put a hand on Willa's arm.

I clasped the phone between my palms as I darted my gaze between the two of them. "Everything okay?"

Willa and Jacob shared a look. Jacob closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. "Willa and I have been talking. I would like her to join my group tonight when we leave."

I blinked a few times, processing his words. "Are you both sure?"

I was glad she had talked to him.

Jacob pressed his lips together and looked away. So he wasn't. I turned my attention to Willa and arched my brow.

She patted her stomach. "I don't want to be separated from Jacob. I know it's more dangerous. But everywhere is. I'm sure I want to go."

Jacob's nostrils flared as he exhaled. "I don't want her near the fighting. That's what we agreed on." He gave Willa an appraising look. "We both know I'll be on the offensive team and will be separated during the fighting."

I pulled out one of the makeshift maps we'd been using and rolled it out across the desk. "I have something she can do that will keep her close to the cars."

I pointed to the spot we planned to start our attack and then where the cave was. It wasn't far. "We believe Sawyer is still in here."

Emotion clogged my throat. It'd been over twenty-four hours and we hadn't heard a peep from Sawyer. Either he was still unconscious or Alpha Dane had found him and had him so pumped full of wolfsbane he couldn't reach out to us.

He was alive. That was what mattered.

I shook the thoughts away and tapped the paper. "I need someone who can get him bandaged up and back to the cars. I think Willa could help with that."

I couldn't guarantee her safety, but I could keep her far enough away from the fighting that it should help. And if the worst happened, and we lost, but she got Sawyer out, he would keep her safe.

I shouldn't think like that.

Stay positive! You got this.

I forced a smile. "We will take all the help we can get." I met Willa's gaze. "If I need you to leave without Jacob to get wounded out, can you do that?"

Willa frowned, and she looked away from me, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear before meeting my eyes again. "Yes. I will do whatever is needed."

I studied her for a long moment. She loved Jacob. He was her mate. I got that. But the pack had to come first. If I could do it, so could she, and she'd never let me down before.

I hoped I wouldn't regret this. "I'm happy for any help we can get, but you have to promise you will leave if asked to."

Willa had become like a sister to me. I trusted her with my life and Sawyer's, but I also knew how much she loved Jacob. And if she was offering to come on this risky mission, then she was prepared to do just about anything.

Willa's face fell. She looked at her lap where her hands were fisted. "I understand. I'll do what is needed." She glanced up and gave me a small smile. "Promise."

I tapped my cell phone against my leg. "Okay. I want you to be careful. Both of you."

It was na?ve to think there wouldn't be casualties. I didn't want to lose anyone. But the reality was, good people were going to die, and I had no control over who. That was the terrifying part.

Willa sat up taller and put her hand over Jacob's. "We will be. And I'll do what is needed of me."

She laced her fingers with Jacob's and looked back at her lap. "Have you heard from Sawyer?"

I shook my head. The gnawing fear scratching at my belly was back. I shifted in my seat, but it didn't ease the cramping. "No. But we have to proceed with the plan."

Holding off any longer gave Alpha Dane a chance to attack us instead. Or the FBI time to find false information and have my family arrested. The time to act was now.

Willa leaned forward, putting her hand on the desk. "I'll help Kathleen prepare some more of that salve she used on my leg. I have a feeling we are going to need a lot of it."

I wished I could say she was wrong. "As much as we can get would be best."

Mom had been working on that when she wasn't making food for the pack. I wanted to make sure we were prepared for the aftermath of the fighting. If Alpha Dane used that brand of wolfsbane on our people the effects would be instant.

Willa smoothed her fingers over the wood grains. "I had another thought too."

I lifted my brow. "Oh?"

She tilted her head from side to side. "We could bring some shots of adrenaline for us, too. That way, if someone is wounded they can hopefully keep fighting and get themselves out. It may even allow us to still shift if we are hit with wolfsbane." She shrugged and chewed on her lower lip.

I shifted my phone from one hand to the other as I leaned back in my chair. "That's not a bad idea."

She smiled again. "Yeah?" She looked at Jacob. "I've been doing a bit of reading up on medical things to see if there is a way to counteract the wolfsbane."

I hadn't known that. "That's awesome, Willa."

Her grin grew wider. "I know I can't fight or help with the rebuilding with my leg still messed up and the baby." She laughed out loud and shook her head. "And it turns out I'm not good in the kitchen either."

I frowned at that, but she waved me off and continued. "Your mom would never say anything, but it's pretty bad. I've burned so many things it should be a crime." She chuckled. "I wanted to make myself useful so I looked at some of the books and read online."

Willa continued to impress me. She might have been a scared girl a few months ago, but she'd come out the other end stronger. "Have you found anything else that might help?"

Willa pressed her lips together and put her hand on her leg where her scratch was still healing. She rubbed at the spot absently. "I think I figured out how he is making the wolfsbane so potent."

I leaned forward. This I wanted to hear.

She chanced a glance at Jacob who gave her an encouraging nod. She licked her lips. "I think he is mixing it with silver."

That was an interesting theory. It kind of made sense.

Willa tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I know we can touch silver without issue, but it's been a common thought amongst most packs that if it were to somehow get in our bloodstream, then it would be toxic. I think he's mixing both poisons together to make them more potent."

I massaged my temples. "I think you might be right."

It would explain a lot of things, like how her leg had gotten so infected.

Or how a few scratches had hurt Sawyer bad enough that he barely got away and had been rendered unconscious for over twenty-four hours.

I set my phone on my lap and crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't suppose you have any antidotes for that do you?"

Willa shook her head and frowned. "Sorry, no. Just the salve your mom has. But at least we know what we are working with."

She smoothed her hand over her leg again. "There's still a few hours before our group leaves. I might be able to do some more research to see what I can find out."

I nodded. "Do it. Anything is helpful."

I made a mental note when we got back from this to do a one on one with everyone that was staying in the pack. We had people that could do all sorts of things and we weren't using their talents. I was going to fix that.

My phone blared from my lap. I jumped, my hand flying to my chest. I fumbled with it as I flipped it over. It was the call I'd been waiting for.

I gave Willa and Jacob a sympathetic look. "I have to take this."

Jacob stood and took Willa's hand. "We'll see ourselves out. Thanks for meeting with us."

I blew out a breath before sliding my finger over the phone, answering it as Willa and Jacob closed the door to the office. "Hello."

Winston's voice came out gruff on the other end. "Alpha, sorry for the delay. But we are here."

I patted my chest and closed my eyes. "That's good news, Winston. Did you run into any problems?"

He cleared his throat. "We had a tail for a bit, but we were able to lose them. Then we wanted to make sure they were really gone. We did choose a new location away from the second part of our group, just in case."

I opened my eyes and nodded. "That's good thinking. Keep an eye out for anyone that may be watching, but plan to meet up with the rest of us first thing tomorrow morning."

Luna, we were almost there. Jacob would lead his group out after dinner and then I would take the final group with me a few hours later.

I leaned forward, putting my free arm on the desk. I fiddled with a pen, rolling it back and forth. "Let me know immediately if anything changes."

"I will, Alpha."

"Good. We will see you tomorrow. Be safe."

The phone clicked as he hung up. I fell back in my chair and rolled my shoulders. That was one less thing to worry about.

The world shimmered.

Sawyer's presence surrounded me. Sloane.

He was breathless, panting.

My pulse spiked. I closed my eyes and reached out for Sawyer. The office disappeared, and the cave took shape.

The water lapped against the rocks, and Sawyer's wheezing echoed off the walls. He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

I knelt next to him and placed a hand on his cheek. He was burning up and sweaty. "Hey, I've been worried about you."

His eyes rolled shut. "Been here the whole time. I'm fine." His words slurred together like he'd been drinking.

"You don't sound fine."

I gingerly grazed my fingers down his jaw to his chest where the scratches were. The infection looked about the same. Pus oozed out of the wounds and red welts formed around each scratch. "How are you feeling? Any better?"

He coughed, his eyes remaining shut. "Just tired. Can't move much."

"Because it hurts?" I traced on the outside of some of the swollen scratches, making a mental note of where they were so I'd know if they got any worse. He could go septic.

He mumbled something I couldn't understand.

I put my palm back on his cheek and gave him a soft pat. "Sawyer, I need you to stay with me."

His eyes fluttered open. "It doesn't hurt anymore. Just tired and everything feels so heavy."

I pressed a kiss to his forehead. It was slick with sweat. "I need you to keep holding on for me, okay? We are coming soon."

I hugged him as carefully as I could. "It's less than twenty-four hours. Just hang in there."

"Okay." He croaked out. "I'll be here...waiting for you, Sloane."

His head turned to the side, and the connection broke, returning me to my chair in the office.

Tears pricked my eyes. My heart thudded in my chest.

It was less than twenty-four hours, but as bad off as he was, did he have that long?