4. Three

Three

Sloane

A cold chill zipped down my spine as the delivery truck wound down the driveway. I put a hand on my stomach as it churned with nausea. This was wrong on so many levels.

It couldn't be helped. We had to level the battlefield. Once this war was over, I'd never set sight on this poison again.

Brandon put a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure about this?" his voice was strained and concern flooded his features.

No, I wasn't sure. We were literally bringing poison onto our pack lands. It was crazy and reckless. There were kids here. If one of them got into it...that wasn't going to happen. It was going to be kept locked up tight.

I forced a smile and patted Brandon's hand on my shoulder. "Yes. The problem with war is it gets messy."

And boy was it.

He grunted and arched a brow. "Yeah, you're right about that." His gaze lingered, drifting to the wooded path that led to the cemetery.

Would Dad think this was a necessary evil?

I blew out a breath and swallowed hard. "I don't like it either. But I don't think we have a choice. We both know Alpha Dane won't fight fair and this will help protect us."

Brandon rubbed both hands over his face, scrubbing hard enough to leave red marks. "It makes my stomach turn knowing that it's going to be here."

I used the toe of my shoe to dig at the ground. "If you had so many apprehensions, why didn't you say something before?"

His hands clapped against his thighs as he dropped them to his sides. "I don't know."

I put a hand on his bicep. "I value your feedback, Brandon. I might not always agree with you, but if you don't like some things, tell me. I know you have everyone's best interests at heart, just like I do. I want to know what you're thinking."

He pressed his lips together in a thin line as he frowned. "I didn't say it was a horrible idea. I don't like it though."

The delivery van screeched to a halt and rocked back-and-forth. My pulse shot through the roof just thinking about all the wolfsbane that was inside. "It's going to keep us protected if Alpha Dane comes back. His men are going to be sorry."

Brandon‘s jaw worked. "It's a good idea planting it around the edges of the property. We have plenty to harvest if we ever want to weaponize it."

After being blasted with that stuff once, I never wanted to experience that again. I swore my eyes and nose still burned every once in a while.

I hadn't weighed all my options with weaponizing it yet. We still didn't know if there would be long-term effects from exposure. Poor Lincoln. He'd already suffered more than most.

I prayed he didn't find out about side effects the hard way.

Brandon shifted his feet. "I'm not sure we should do that. People could die on both sides."

"I know." Something I wasn't taking lightly.

I pulled him in for a quick hug. "Thanks for overseeing this project. I really appreciate it and I am glad that I can count on you." I pulled back and put my hands on his shirt, giving him a gentle jerk. "Don't be afraid to tell me what you really think. I know it's dangerous, and I'm taking everything we do with the wolfsbane seriously. I don't want to be responsible for anyone here getting hurt."

Luna this was getting too heavy. I bumped him on the collarbone. "Speak up, okay?"

I gave him a small smile that made him laugh. My heart warmed, but it didn't slow the rapid staccato of its beat.

Brandon nodded. "I'll let you know when we're done."

I patted his biceps. "Thank you."

I waved at the delivery driver as he exited the vehicle. I had to do quite a few things to get such a large delivery. As it turns out, wolfsbane wasn't just poison to wolves. It could hurt regular people too. Sheriff Adam had been very helpful in making sure that I didn't end up on an FBI list. We had enough problems to worry about without that.

I trudged through the yard back to the house as I massaged the back of my neck. I ambled up the steps and then toward my room, waving at a few people as I passed by them.

The house was quiet now that lunch was over. Lincoln was off helping build with most of the pack, and Mom and Willa had shooed the kids outside to play.

I'd spent the morning training with Lincoln and then the last hour walking the property line with Brandon, showing him everywhere that I wanted the wolfsbane planted. I was beat, but I only had time for a quick shower and then I was having another meeting with some alphas to discuss our next steps.

There was no rest for me. I wondered how my dad did it. He always made it look so easy.

The air around me buzzed and the familiar tingle of Sawyer's presence surrounded me. I closed my bedroom door and held my breath as I waited.

He appeared before me a fine sheen of sweat glistened on his brow and he was out of breath.

I put my hand on his chest. "Is everything okay? Are you all right?" I held my breath as I appraised him.

His fingers curled around my wrist, and he lifted it, kissing the back of my hand. "I'm fine. Promise. I just went for a run. Had to make sure I was by myself, so ran a little harder than normal."

I heaved out a breath and then threw my arms around his neck, pulling him close. "I've been so worried about you."

He rubbed his hands up and down my back and made a shushing noise. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's never been my intention to worry you."

I nuzzled his neck breathing in his earthy pine scent. "Come here. Come, be with Lincoln and me."

He kissed the top of my head and sighed. "You know I want to be with you and Lincoln. There's nothing I want more. But I'm making sure that when you and Lincoln get here, my father will be done and Pack Wolf Blood is no more."

He pulled back and cupped my face. "As long as he's allowed to continue with his tyranny, we will never be safe ,and will never be allowed to have the life that we want. If this gets us one step closer to that, then I have to stay. I hope you understand that."

My eyes burned with unshed tears. When he said it like that, how could I argue with him? He wanted the same thing I did, and he was doing everything he could to make it happen.

I held his gaze, blinking rapidly in an effort not to cry. "I know. Promise me you'll stay safe, and if anything changes, you will leave right away and come here."

He tucked his hand under my chin and pulled me in for a soft and slow kiss. His lips melted against mine. "You know I will, sweetheart. I love you so much."

I captured his lips again, making him grunt. My tongue slipped between his lips and glided against his teeth as he pulled me impossibly close.

He pulled away all too soon, leaving me breathless.

He trailed his finger down my cheek and then swiped his thumb under my eye. "I can't stay long, sweetheart. It's Fiona. I feel like she's watching me, waiting for me to do something so she can run and tell my dad."

A sharp pain pressed against my chest like a knife making it so I couldn't breathe. "Sawyer, that sounds dangerous."

He grabbed my hand and led me to the bed, taking a seat. The bed creaked beneath our weight.

His gaze darted around the room before finally landing on our joint hands. "It's not just Fiona that has me worried, Sloane. I learned something. I'm not entirely sure how to process it."

I squeezed his hand and turned to face him. "What's wrong?"

He ran his thumb over my thigh. "There's this girl there, Angel. My dad and her..." He sucked in a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling.

I shifted, my pulse racing.

Sawyer grimaced and closed his eyes for a moment. "My dad and her they are... they're going to have a baby, a pup."

I backed up so fast I almost fell off the bed. "What?"

I couldn't have heard him right.

Sawyer got up, scrubbing his hands over his face as he paced. "She's Fiona's sister and was very eager. She's ecstatic that she is carrying the alpha's kid. I don't know what to think about that." He stopped his frantic walk for a moment to glance at me. "This changes some things. He's going to protect her. If anything happens to me, or he finds out about what I am doing, he has a backup future alpha now."

Sawyer would be expendable.

My heart sank like a stone into the bottom of my stomach. I wrapped my arms around myself. Sawyer was supposed to be the next alpha, but now with a new kid on the way there was a second alpha in line, even if they would be significantly younger. Alpha Dane could mold the child in his image.

That was disturbing to say the least.

Sawyer's pacing quickened. "I just don't know what to think about it and wanted someone to tell."

On his next pass, I reached out and grabbed his hand, tugging him to a stop. "You know you can tell me and Lincoln anything, right?"

He blew out a breath and plopped back down onto the mattress. I pulled him to me, wrapping him in a hug.

I kissed his temple. "You don't have to carry all this burden by yourself, Sawyer. We can take it with you."

I couldn't imagine the weight he was carrying, and I wished that there was more we could do to take the load off him.

He sat up ramrod straight and turned so that we were facing each other. He took both of my hands and pulled them into his lap. "I do have some good news."

I lifted my brow and waited for him to continue.

He looked down at our hands and then smiled. "I told my dad that Fiona wasn't the type of woman I was looking to mate with and thankfully that got her out-of-the-way, at least for now." He let out a chuckle and his shoulders sagged. "It also gave me the opportunity to go down into the prisoner buildings where most of the women are being held. He thinks I'm going down there to breed, but I've been able to connect with some ladies and some of the other guys there, too."

I sucked in a breath. "Sawyer, that is great news."

He nodded excitedly. "I've been feeling them out and seeing if I can trust them. So far it seems I can. There is a brother and sister there I've been talking to. If they will join us, it will give us a few dozen extra men and women on the property ready to fight."

"That's fantastic. I know you'll convince them we are on the same side." I squeezed his hands. "I have good news too, Charles Denning, his son Leo, the one that we rescued. He reached out to his uncle and some packs in Pennsylvania are sending us seventy-five enforcers."

Sawyer looked like the weight of the world was being lifted off his shoulders. He let his head fall back and he let out the heaviest sigh. "I feel like things are falling in place and starting to go our way."

I agreed, but I still couldn't shake that sense of foreboding that something was about to come crashing down like a wrecking ball.

I pushed that thought away. Stay positive! "We will have to come up with a signal. Someway to let everyone in those houses know that we're there and it's time to begin our attack. I don't want something happening like the last time where the prisoners fight is over before it can begin."

The smile on his face brightened. "I know. I've already been thinking about what we can do. We have to come up with something they're going to hear. The property there is huge, bigger than here."

I shook his hands with my excitement. "Are there hunters usually around your property? Do you ever hear gunshots?"

Sawyer frowned. "My father hates guns. He makes sure no one can get close enough to hunt."

That made my idea ten times better. "My dad has hunting rifles. He kept them here in the enforcer's house because my mom didn't want them around the house when we were younger. If we fired them in quick succession, that could be the signal."

Sawyer scrunched up his nose. "That could be triggering."

My heart pinched at the reminder. I hadn't thought about that, but he was right. It had been guns that had changed Lincoln and Sawyer's lives.

The plan was still solid. And it was a good idea. "I'll discuss it with Lincoln, if you are okay with it." I licked my lips and met his gaze. "It could also trigger for your father, too."

He puffed out his cheeks. "You're not wrong."

I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "But I won't do anything if it affects you or Lincoln. We can come up with another way."

Sawyer rubbed his jaw. "It might be the best idea we have. I don't think we should take it off the table. So long as Lincoln‘s not bothered by it."

I laid my head on his shoulder. "I'll talk to him about it when he gets back from working on the rebuilds. Unless you'll be here too, and we can talk to him together."

I blinked up at him pleadingly.

He tilted his head and kissed my lips, sending heat radiating through me. "I wish I could stay. But like I said Fiona has been following me everywhere. I probably have been gone too long now."

He gave me one last lingering kiss and then disappeared, leaving me reaching for air. I flopped back on my bed and held my belly.

The gnawing ache in my stomach was back. I didn't know exactly what was going to happen but something bad was in the air, and I was pretty sure that it would have something to do with Fiona.

We had to get Sawyer out of there before it was too late.