15. Fifteen

I hadn’t done well in that fight. I almost lost, and I would have if Sawyer hadn’t jumped in.

He was still with me. His anger roared below the surface, which only added fuel to the fire raging in my heart.

I reached out to him. You shouldn’t have helped me. I need to do this by myself.

Despite his rage, his warmth wrapped around me like a warm blanket. Let him hurt you? Or worse, kill you? Never.

I gritted my teeth. Don’t you understand that I have to do this myself? They’ll never respect me if I can’t.

He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me from behind, which was kind of nice cause I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stand on my own feet. Lincoln and I will work to train you so that you can. But in the meantime, I’m not going to let anything happen to you, and you need to accept our help when it’s absolutely needed.

I growled.

He put his lips to my ear. Sweetheart, nobody aside from Lincoln knows I’m here. They think you beat that idiot by yourself.

His warm breath caressed my skin as he sighed. These men don’t know what they’re up against. You do. You’ve had the displeasure of spending time with my father. You have mine and Lincoln’s ears. You are more equipped to lead everyone than anyone else here.

I snapped my focus back to the alphas. They had their heads bent together, still talking. Questioning me. Maybe I should too.

I couldn’t get Alpha Charles to come. My failure weighed me down.

Sawyer squeezed me tighter. Unfortunate. That’s where my father is headed now. He’ll be there soon. I was hoping Alpha Charles would’ve come with you. I’m afraid he might have done something stupid, like sell you out in exchange for his pack’s freedom.

My belly churned, and I fought back tears. I tried to warn him.

Sawyer kissed the side of my head. I know you did, and you did everything you could. You tried. You can’t help it if he didn’t listen.

I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth to keep it from trembling. There’s nothing you can do to stop your dad?

Sawyer leaned his head against mine. I’m not there. My father went and left me at home. He has some other things he wants me to contend with here.

Something about the way he said that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. Something was wrong, but now wasn’t the time to have that conversation.

Sawyer grunted and stiffened against me.

I swallowed and winced as one alpha broke off from the pack and marched toward me. He’s going to challenge me, isn’t he?

Yes.

Sawyer put himself in front of me, like that would protect me. I know you don’t want my help, but I also can’t let you get hurt. Please let me help you.

I closed my eyes for a moment. This is the last time, then I want to do it on my own from here on out.

Deal.

Our bodies merged, melding together so we were one.

Together, we took a step forward until we stood toe-to-toe with the other alpha. This guy was older, probably in his forties, and he had at least a foot on me. I knew I was short, but I felt really short right now under his stare.

I crossed my arms over my chest and jutted my chin out, looking up at him. “You wish to challenge my authority?”

He frowned and his mouth worked a moment before he spoke. “I mean no disrespect, Alpha Sloane. I just think that the position will be better for someone who has more experience.”

My eyes widened, and I threw my arms out to the sides. “Oh, and I suppose you have fought in a pack war before? You’ve led a pack against a tyrant like Alpha Dane?”

He looked taken aback by my questions. His mouth hung open and he blinked at me like he couldn’t think of something to say.

I arched a brow at him and tapped my foot as I waited expectantly for an answer.

He looked at the group of alphas, then back at me. “You know what I mean, Alpha Sloane.”

“No, I don’t.” I let out an agitated laugh. “Nothing like this has ever happened before. At least not in any of our lifetimes or our grandparents’ or great grandparents’.”

I tossed my hands up in the air, exasperated. “None of us have ever done this before. The packs have lived in harmony for generations. I know I’m young, but I’ve also met Alpha Dane. How many of you have met him?” I stared at the alpha and then looked out at the crowd. “Any of you?”

Willa stepped forward, her shoes clomping on the wooden stairs as she stomped down them. She gripped the handrail at the bottom so hard that her knuckles turned white.

“I have.” She stood tall and glanced around, making sure she had the pack’s attention. “He’s a tyrant. Ruthless, and he doesn’t care who he hurts. He sent my parents’ severed heads to me. Set them in the room with me like they were trophies because I defied him. He is a monster.”

Her voice came out thick with emotion.

She marched across the grass so she stood between me and the crowd. “Sloane stood up to him. And she not only managed to escape, but she was able to bring one of his own sons here. The same son who owns our DarkSide website and knows him better than anyone else in our pack. She organized that rescue mission that brought a lot of your loved ones back, and this is the respect you pay her for that? How many of you now have your wife, sister, or daughter here because of her plan?”

Willa arched a brow as she crossed her arms over her chest.

I drew in a sharp breath and sniffled at the righteousness in her voice. She wasn’t wrong.

Willa shook her head. “If it weren’t for Sloane, most of your women and families would still be there. She’s the one who went out and got that wolfsbane for us before the previous attack. We’d all be dead if she hadn’t come up with that idea. Would any of you have done that? Would you have even thought of it?”

She looked around at the pack, her face a hard mask of anger. The vein by her temple throbbed and her lip curled up in a sneer. “Well?”

Most everyone had the decency to look away from her. She was right, and I’d never loved someone so much as right now.

Willa turned back toward me. “Sloane is my alpha. Maybe you could best her in a fight. She looks a little worse for the wear right now, but her car was already run off the road, and she’s already been in two fights today. But being an alpha isn’t just about brute strength. It’s also about how smart and resourceful you can be. And she is the most resourceful person I have ever met.”

Willa looked at me and gave me a small smile as she nodded.

I smiled back before returning my glare to the alpha. I was pretty sure his name was James.

He had the decency to meet my gaze.

I sighed, letting the tension release from my shoulders. “Do you really want to do this?”

James ran a hand over his mouth. “No. Miss Willa brings up some excellent points. I think sometimes we forget in the heat of everything what all is happening. The burden you carry is not an easy one.”

“It’s not. But I promise you, if you stay with me, if we all work together, we can beat Alpha Dane. What we are fighting for is important. We all want the same thing. We can either stay out here and go against each other every step of the way, or we can unite and bring down our common enemy. Right now, he’s waiting for us to tear each other apart. We are stronger together.”

Alpha James bowed his head. “You’re right. We are. My apologies, Alpha Sloane, for stepping out of line. I beg for your forgiveness.”

I reached out and took his hand. “We all want the same thing. I understand that you want what is best for your pack. So do I. Let me lead. Together, we will defeat Alpha Dane.”

He put his other hand on top of mine. “Of course.”

He fell to one knee. “My Alpha.”

Everyone else dropped to their knees too, and a resounding sense of finality loosened some of the weight from my chest. The other night had been chaotic, but today we were moving forward in the right direction. I still had to prove myself, but I’d finally earned respect and the chance to lead.

I gave Alpha James’s hand a squeeze before letting it go and turned to address the pack. “We need to continue building. I want our lodging secure so that everyone has a warm bed and four walls. We’re going to begin training every day. I want everyone to learn to fight, even if it’s not something you usually would do. Alpha Dane shows no discretion between men, women, or children. It’s imperative that we all are able to defend ourselves.”

I rubbed my hands together. “We are going to continue to reach out for help from other packs. It’s true Alpha Charles chose not to come, and I do wish him and his men the best of luck. I wish those who choose not to join us well, and I will never force anyone to join our cause. We must be better than our oppressor. We will do everything in our power to continue to grow our numbers and increase our strength.”

I wriggled one foot into the gravel. “My advisors tell me that Alpha Dane has backed off from us for the moment. We will use this to our advantage for as long as we can. My goal is to prepare another strike. There are still women and children held captive there. I want to liberate anyone who does not wish to be there. The sooner, the better.”

The crowd murmured, excitement in their voices, and they grew louder by the second.

Sawyer gripped me again from behind. I think you just rallied the troops.

I hope so.We need to be working together instead of against each other.

He kissed my cheek. I agree. If I hear about any survivors from the Dennings, I’ll try to send them your way, if at all possible.

I shook my head. I tried to help him.

All those men would die because their alpha didn’t want to follow a girl.

Sawyer kissed my cheek again. I know. But you can’t help someone who doesn’t want it. It’s unfortunate. He’ll have to figure it out the hard way that you were right.

I put my hand on his arm. Be careful.

Sadness surrounded him, which hadn’t been there previously, and I wanted to ask him about it. But before I could, he spoke up again.

I have to go. I’ll see you soon.

With that, he was gone.

I turned my attention back to the crowd. “We have work to do. Let’s keep moving forward.”

The crowd dissipated as a roaring sensation enveloped me. My leg throbbed, and my head pulsated. My vision started to double.

I’d finally overworked myself. I’d finally gained the pack’s loyalty too. I couldn’t afford to pass out in front of them now. I might not have a choice though.

Darkness bloomed behind my eyes. I swayed on my feet, stumbling.

I could hear Lincoln’s voice, far away, so, so far away, urging me to keep walking. I wasn’t sure if I was actually walking or maybe floating. I had to stay awake. I’d look weak if I passed out.

It was a lost cause. The darkness swallowed me whole.