Wolf Obsessed (Betrayed by Blood Book 3), page 1
Wolf Obsessed
Bethany Shaw
Copyright © 2024 by Bethany Shaw
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
Contents
1. One
2. Two
3. Three
4. Four
5. Five
6. Six
7. Seven
8. Eight
9. Nine
10. Ten
11. Eleven
12. Twelve
13. Thirteen
14. Fourteen
15. Fifteen
16. Sixteen
17. Seventeen
18. Eighteen
19. Nineteen
20. Twenty
21. Twenty-One
22. Twenty-Two
23. Twenty-Three
24. About Bethany Shaw
25. Also by Bethany Shaw
One
Sawyer
Lincoln lay on the bed, unmoving. His chest rose and fell in slow, steady breaths. He’d taken on a pale, ashen color, and sweat beaded his brow like he might be fighting a fever.
An IV ran from a stand to his left into his arm, pumping fluids and maybe medicine into him. He was shivering despite the thick layer of blankets covering him almost to his chin.
It had been three days, and he hadn’t woken up yet. The worst part was he didn’t show any signs of waking. I’d tried to speak with him a few times and never got a reaction.
I couldn’t feel him either. My entire life, even in the womb, I could feel his presence and knew he was there. When I reached out to him through our link, all I felt was cold and blackness.
Sloane couldn’t reach him either. She felt the same thing I did—nothing.
I scrubbed a hand over my face and shut my eyes. This was all my fault.
If I had been faster, if I’d been there for them, this would have never happened.
I blinked my eyes open and stared at them both, watching as they slept.
Sloane lay in bed next to Lincoln, her eyes shut, resting peacefully. Her hair fanned out around her, some of it on Lincoln and the rest on the purple pillowcase. Her left hand was on his chest, as if feeling to make sure that his heart still beat.
I tiptoed forward and put my hand on the bed rail, making the floorboards creak beneath my weight. Sloane rolled, and her eyes slowly opened.
When she saw me, she sat up. The covers fell off her, exposing the shape of her plump breasts hiding beneath her barely there tank top.
“Sawyer.” A smile spread across her face, and she patted the space on the other side of her.
I exhaled as I closed the distance and sat on the edge of the bed. It dipped beneath my weight and made her fall forward enough so our faces were right in front of each other.
Sloane put her hand on my shoulder and then rested her chin on it so her mouth was right against my ear. “Lie down with us.”
She gave me a gentle tug, and I let her pull me down on the bed, lifting my legs onto the mattress so I stared up at the ceiling. Sloane mimicked my stance, curled her fingers around mine, and then did the same with Lincoln’s.
I opened my mouth and then closed it. Emotion clogged my throat as another wave of guilt rocked me.
Sloane squeezed my hand and turned her head so she was looking at me. “No change yet. My mom comes to check on him a few times a day. He’s fighting. She says that’s good, but she thinks that Mikey gave him a near lethal dose of wolfsbane, and then there are the injuries. They aren’t healing because of it.”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat. “I can’t feel him.”
The space where Lincoln lived was empty, black, and cold. It made my stomach pit and my brain foggy.
Sloane licked her lips and let go of Lincoln’s hand so she could swipe at her eyes. “Me either. I hate feeling like he is all alone in there.”
I rolled my head side to side against the pillow, trying to work out the kinks in my back and shoulders. “Lincoln is strong. He’s going to pull through this.”
He’d been to hell and back once. He could do it again.
Please, Lincoln. Keep fighting for me. For Sloane.
I didn’t know what I would do if I lost him. Sloane was in danger, too. Dad and Mikey had put a huge target on her. They wanted her and had every intention of making her suffer.
I gritted my teeth at the thought. I needed to get everything under control. Everything was spiraling.
Sloane turned so that she was facing me. She propped up on one elbow and put her hand on my chest. “How are you holding up? I haven’t seen you much.”
I reached up and stroked a finger down her cheek, her skin soft and smooth. “I’ve been here. It’s just been late. I didn’t want to wake you.”
One of us should get some sleep. Dad was planning and plotting. We’d spent nearly every waking moment in the past few days preparing for our attack.
Sloane peered at me through worried eyes. “Everything all right? I haven’t talked to you.”
I cleared my throat and forced a smile, not wanting to worry her. “My dad has kept me busy. It’s hard enough to find a few minutes for myself during the day. I’ve been here late at night.”
Her brows pinched as she frowned. “I wish you would wake me. I want to see you. I’ve missed you, Sawyer.”
I skimmed my thumb over her cheek again. “You look so peaceful.”
She bent down and caught my lips briefly. “Promise me you’ll wake me in the future. I want to see and talk to you. My mom and Willa are great, but they aren’t you. I know they are mated to my dad and Jacob, but I don’t feel like they understand what I’m feeling. Not like you do. And I just miss you.”
My chest tightened. As if it wasn’t bad enough that I’d failed Lincoln, I was neglecting my mate. I was letting Sloane down, too.
She must have sensed my thoughts because she pressed her forehead to mine and curled her fingers into my shirt. “Hey, you have to stop blaming yourself for everything. There are just some things that are out of your control. You can’t carry all that weight on your shoulders.”
She closed her eyes and let her head fall to my shoulder as she sighed. “We both need to remember that.”
I skimmed my fingers through her hair. “Easier said than done.”
Sloane rubbed my chest. “Talk to me, Sawyer. You don’t have to bear this all on your own.”
I shut my eyes for a moment and set my jaw. She was right, and she probably did need to know what was happening. It was her and her pack my dad was coming for.
I drew in a shaky breath and let it out. “More men arrive tomorrow. I’m not even sure where they’re coming from. The names on the list are ones I’m not familiar with. He’s got men from all over.”
Sloane mashed her lips together but nodded at me to continue.
My chest tightened further. “He’s bringing in about a hundred men.”
Her eyes widened, and she gasped. “A hundred?”
My mouth went dry. Her pack wasn’t going to be prepared for that many men. “Yeah, and he’s trying to get more. His reach is farther than I thought, and there are some packs that are so frightened that they’ve pledged their allegiance to him without him even having to ask.”
Sloane tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and fell back to look up at the ceiling again. “That’s concerning. We’ve had a few people leave, thinking it’s better to run and hide.”
Cowards!
I shifted my legs on the bed and bit the inside of my cheek. “Running isn’t going to solve anything. If my dad is allowed to win, he’s going to come after them, and they’ll regret it.”
Sloane turned so she was looking at me, her eyes wide and full of worry. “You can’t blame them for being scared, Sawyer. They’re just trying to protect the people they love.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I suppose you’re right. It doesn’t solve the problem. The more people who are fighting, the better. If everyone runs scared, and no one stands up to my dad, he’ll win. Then, there is no chance for those who have run.”
Sloane reached across me and grabbed my hand, curling her fingers around mine. “I know.”
I turned so I looked into her eyes. I could see the worry as well as the small, faint hint of hope there too. There was an appeal to running away with her and Lincoln. Someplace far away where my dad would never find us.
But that wasn’t how I wanted to live.
I wanted to have a family. I didn’t want to have to look over my shoulder, constantly worrying that my dad would catch up with us.
I exhaled loudly, but it did nothing to help the tightness in my chest. “We have to believe that we’re going to make things better.”
If we believed that the war was already lost, then everything that I’d done, that I’d been an accomplice to, was for nothing. I’d sat aside and watched helpless people be beaten and killed. That was the problem with being a double agent. You had to pretend to be okay with it, even when it made your stomach turn. I swore I was losing more of my soul each day.
Sloane twisted so that she was looking at me again, propping her head up with her hand. “My mom told me after Darrin died and Alpha Dane asked for me to come to your pack that the only thing stronger than fear is hope. The saying stuck with me, but it’s not that easy.”
“If
it were easy, we’d all do it. Someone would’ve stood up to my dad long ago.”
Her eyes widened, and her face paled. “Do you really think that we have a chance at winning?”
She turned her head so she was looking at Lincoln, and her lips tilted down into a frown.
The tightness in my chest squeezed me like a vise. “We have to win. It’s not an option.”
I wasn’t going to lose. I had Sloane and Lincoln to live for. Failure wasn’t an option. This war was going to be a success, or I was going to die trying.
Sloane exhaled loudly and turned back to me. “You need to start teaching me how to fight. We need to be ready.”
I leaned in, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and gave her a small smile. “We will be ready. I want to start training you as soon as possible.”
Lincoln and I were supposed to train her together. We were supposed to work together to keep our mate safe. I just wanted him to wake up so I could feel him again.
Sloane leaned in and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. “I need you to start coming around more often.”
I grimaced and swallowed. I’d already told her why I couldn’t come more often, but I got why I needed to. “I’m doing everything I can. With the men coming and all the planning, my dad keeps me super busy.”
Sloane blinked like she was trying to hold back tears. “I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t ask you to keep coming. It’s selfish of me.”
My throat squeezed. “Don’t ever be afraid to ask me for anything. Ever. Promise me.”
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Thanks, Sawyer. I just don’t want to burden you more. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
I put my hands on my stomach, wishing I could get the pain to go away. “Hey, you are never a burden. We’re all going through a lot.”
Sloane opened her mouth like she had something else to say, but whatever it was, a loud banging sound interrupted her. I turned toward her bedroom door like the noise might’ve come from the other side, and then reality hit me.
It wasn’t her door. It was mine, in my bedroom, miles away back at home.
Dad!
I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “I have to go. I’ll be back soon.”
With that, I severed the connection.
I blinked my eyes open. The sound of the pounding grew louder. I sprang out of bed and hurried to the door, but I already knew who was on the other side.
I unlocked the door and opened it, meeting my father’s gaze.
His face had turned red, and his nostrils flared. “What took you so long?” He held up his hand and grumbled under his breath. “Never mind. Let’s go. We need to talk.”
Two
Sloane
I ran my hand over Lincoln’s warm forehead and feared he might be getting a fever. We just couldn’t catch a break.
I still couldn’t feel him. It concerned me that Sawyer couldn’t sense him either. Every time I reached out to Lincoln, all I found was a black void. When I touched him, there was no sign or recognition that he even knew I was here.
Was it too much to want him to squeeze my hand?
I gripped his fingers harder and shut my eyes. Nothing.
I skimmed my fingers down his face, letting my thumb linger over his lips. “I miss you. I need you to wake up, please. For me. For Sawyer.”
I held my breath, hoping and praying to Luna that my prayers would be heard, and Lincoln would wake up.
He didn’t.
A lump formed in my throat. I hated this. If I’d been faster during Mikey’s attack, this might not have happened to him. He might be awake and talking to me.
My eyes burned as angry tears filled them.
What’s done is done. No use crying over something you can’t change.
I grabbed the thermometer from my nightstand and scanned it over his head. I released a breath and let my head fall to my chest. No fever, thank goodness. Maybe I was getting into my own head.
I’d spent so much time in here with him that I couldn’t think straight anymore.
A soft knock on my door drew me from my thoughts.
I looked over my shoulder and then back at Lincoln before standing up and padding across the plush carpet to the door.
Once I opened it, Willa offered me a smile and gave me a small wave. Her long hair was down and freshly washed. I could still smell the honeysuckle from her shampoo.
Her eyes brightened as she met my gaze. “Hey, I thought I’d come and check on you. I haven’t seen you all day.”
I motioned for her to come in and shut the door behind her. Then I fell against it and let my head hit the wood. “Sorry, I just haven’t felt right about leaving him alone.”
Willa wrapped her arms around her middle and looked at the bed as she shifted on her feet. The bulge where her leg was wrapped reminded me that she had her own injury and shouldn’t be standing.
I pushed off the door, pulled out my desk chair, and rolled it toward her. “Here, why don’t you have a seat? How is your leg?”
Willa walked to the chair, her limp almost completely gone now. “It’s doing good. There’s going to be a really nasty scar, but I don’t think I’m going to have this limp forever. The pain is so much better now, too.”
She sat down and rubbed her leg.
A genuine smile pulled at my lips. “That’s great news. I’m glad to hear it.”
Willa’s gaze drifted to Lincoln, and she sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What about Lincoln? Has there been any change?”
Shaking my head, I sat down on the edge of the bed and clasped my hands in my lap as I stared down at them. “No.”
Willa’s brows knitted together as she frowned. “I’m sorry. He’s tough though. Look at him. Most people would be dead. He’s still fighting. That’s a good sign.”
Her words tugged at my heart. I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth to keep it from trembling. She was right, though. I needed to get my head on straight.
“He has to be fighting.” He was still alive because he was still fighting. It made him strong. He was going to pull through. I had to believe that for both our sakes. Sawyer’s too.
Willa leaned back in the chair and pulled one leg up, her heel on the seat. “How have you been feeling? You were hurt too.”
I shrugged. “I’m doing okay. My injuries were nowhere near as severe as Lincoln’s or yours.”
My leg had been broken. I hadn’t been thrown out a window or been sliced open clear to the bone. Nor had I had a nearly lethal dose of wolfsbane forced into my body. I’d been lucky compared to Willa and Lincoln.
Willa made a humming noise as she rocked the chair back and forth like she might try to spin it. “Have you left your room at all today?”
I shook my head and reached behind me to put my hand over Lincoln’s leg. “No, I keep hoping he’s going to wake up, and I don’t want him to be alone if that happens. He’s not even going to know where he is or what happened.”
Willa stopped rocking and hugged her knee to her chest. “I can understand that. I got knocked out when I was captured and had no idea where I was when I woke up until I saw Alpha Dane looming over me.”
She shuddered and pulled her leg in tighter. “At least he’ll be waking up in a warm bed instead of in the back of a van. And the room smells like you. That will be calming.”
Willa and I had never really talked about what happened when she was captured. The only thing I knew was that she and Jacob had been separated.
“You’re right. Being surrounded by my scent should help. Waking up in the back of a van sounds awful. I didn’t realize that’s what happened.”
Willa blew out a shaky breath and then forced out a laugh as she waved her hand. “It’s fine. It all worked out in the end. I’m here with Jacob, and we’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
Keeping my grasp on Lincoln’s leg, I tucked my legs crisscrossed on the bed. “Is Jacob on patrol tonight?”
Willa swallowed as she nodded. “Yes. I hate it every time he has to go out, even though I know why. I just wish that this was all over so I wouldn’t have to keep worrying.”
I picked at a spot on the bedspread. “You know you’re welcome here anytime, right? I’m always around to talk.”
“I know. I’m grateful for it.” She leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. “How is Sawyer?”
